Vacation

We had a wonderful time. We went to Chattanooga, TN, to Ruby Falls, Rock City and rode the Incline Train. Of the three, Rock City was the best!! It was pretty scenery, nice temperature, and best of all, at our own pace. If you haven't been, GO!! http://www.seerockcity.com/
Then we went to Ft. Walton Beach, FL. The kids liked the beach, but LOVED the pool! Lauren was a fish before we went, but reached a new level of swimming and flipping and jumping and cannonballing!!! Jack had a lot more freedom this year since he uses his swim belt and can move all over. Made the whole trip easier since my tiny monkey wasn't attached to me the entire time in the pool!
We ate some good food, did some shopping, and a whole lot of swimming!!!

Having a ball at the mall!

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

Fun on the farm at the family reunion

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

Notice that she has my coke...

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

Summer...

So...summer...so far we have finished VBS (she loved it!!!), ACROS fun and fitness camp (she LOVED IT!), and we are now finding out how good she is at swimming. She's pretty good. Really, she is. She can swim underwater, doggy paddle, jump in and go under, and has jumped off of the diving board (OMG!!!!!!) and isn't afraid of the water, which scares me a little bit.
Jack has longed to go to "bibey scool" (I'm quoting how he says it) and to "gymnastis", and now it's swimming he wants to do, too. Instead, he got to go to the park that sits next to the pool, which isn't quite the same, but we do what we can.
We have spent a lot of time with our friends the Morris' and swam in their pool and jumped on their trampoline and played on their swingset and they were kind enough to keep the kids overnight for us so we could go to an out of town wedding this last weekend. They are awesome friends and we are truly blessed to have them in our lives.
I will post a few pictures in a minute, but with vacation coming up and then school starting I am beginning to wonder just how fast time flies...

Summer vacation so far...

Has been awesome! We have had a lot of lazy days, just what summer break is all about. She is signed up for VBS at Aldersgate again this year, a week at Acros, two weeks of swimming lessons and then we will leave for Florida.
Both kids are signed up for the EVPL summer reading program.
We are going to have a great summer!!!

YAY for us!!!

Watch this...

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

30 seconds later, she went to the front of the swing, grabbed his feet (like I do to her to swing her) and pulled him out of the swing and from where I was sitting, I heard him hit the ground. Not good. He is ok and so is she after being slightly traumatized, but hey! Life goes on...

We are officially done with kindergarten and she did AWESOME! All four grading periods, A honor roll, perfect attendance, 3 grading periods of citizenship, and she got the teacher for 1st grade she (and I!) was hoping for so that's the icing on a delicious cake!

I am SO proud of her! May her school career always be so successful!!

Raphael Jude

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

By the way, here is the new nephew. It took a while for me to post it, but here he is! Cutie!!!

Is this working from my phone? Just what I need! Another way to express myself, anytime, from anywhere!!

Name that park....

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Originally uploaded by The Joys of Motherhood

Yesterday, all of the kids went to the park to play and enjoy the first really nice day in WEEKS! Also, the lion that used to be a water fountain and is now a trash receptacle/band aid holder/keeper of typhoid (I mean, have you seen that thing lately? EEK!) is still there, though I don't know why.
Jenna got to play for the first time and seemed to love the swing. We think it brought back memories of being a baby in her swing that she loved so much.
Jack is not a bit afraid of the big, red and white twisty slide. I, however, am.
Lauren was making rock angels. They are a lot like snow angels, but in the dirty rocks....anyway...
It was a gorgeous day spent with great kids!