I heart friends.

The day after we found out we were moving again, we went to visit our friends we moved away from.

The visit was just what I needed.  It was very comforting to remember that it is such a blessing to have friends no matter where they live.  So fun to pick right back up where you left off and to forget you live apart.

So good to remember that geographic distance has nothing to do with how close you are.

I love friends.

It was good for our souls to see our old friends.

To see some that we havn't seen in awhile and to know nothing much has changed...

except all the little ones are getting so big!

I didn't get pictures of everyone we got to see - it was such a treat to see you all!

Can't wait to see you again soon...when you come to TN to see us!

Two little fish...

Always gotta get the goggles just right.

Diving for the rings...

Looks like she's got them...

Success!

Swimming is hard work.

Ellenie likes to prepare for the hard work by snacking before she swims...

and during...and after.

Swimming and eating these summer days away.  Sounds good to me!

Seeing Pink

We finally got to meet Sally Kate & Simmons!  It was so fun to have all our girls together!

Along with so many others, we had been praying for those precious, sweet girls for years

 and are so thankful that they are here. What a beautiful family!

Big Announcement

The girls were sitting on the couch together so

Brad and I pulled their minature chairs up and sat down in front of them.

Me:  Guess what girls?!  Daddy and I have something very exciting to tell you!

L:  Is it a prize for US?

Brad:  Well, sort of.  It is something that involves all of us.  We are all going to be moving.

L & E:  (No comment.  Not much expression.)

Me: (Now in an exaggerated happy tone) Yes! Daddy got a new job and we are going to be moving to a new town with a new house!  It's going to be wonderful and we are all going to be together and it's going to be great!

L:  I don't want to leave the blueberry bush!  I want to take the blueberry bush!

Me & Brad:  Ok, we'll take it!  We'll plant lots of blueberry bushes!  Do you have any questions, concerns?

L:  Nope.  Ellenie, you want to go play with our princesses?!

E:  Yeah!

It was that easy.

Of course, the decision to move and actually doing so will not be as easy.

It is very bittersweet as it's a great opportunity and closer to some family but we're leaving a community we just got settled in and will be farther from other family and friends.

We feel blessed by this and overwhelmed at having to do it.

We will miss our precious friends and our house and the familiarity of our daily life here.

We will cherish our memories here forever.

Slip Slidin' Away

I feel the summer slip slidin' away.

Our drowsy mornings with peanut butter treats, doughnuts and blueberries from our backyard,

Our mornings at the pool, on the swings, or with friends,

Our afternoons of reading books, taking naps, drawing pictures, hunting for treasures,

Our evenings of taking walks, movie nights, and going out for ice cream or snow cones...

all slip slidin' into sweet, beautiful memories.

Loved this moment:

L:  Ellenie, can I remember what yours tastes like one more time?

E: Yeah.

(Lillianna takes a big bite of Ellenie's snow cone)

E:  La La, can I remember what yours tastes like one time too?

I will remember this summer for lots of things...

but I am so glad that this is the summer I finally took a photography class!

A big thank-you to Katie for teaching me how to take better pictures of my girls!

Fun Memories

It was a HAPPY 4th!

I want to remember all the precious moments of our Independence Day weekend.

  We were supposed to go out of town but deecided last minute to stay at home.

  It turned out to be a special weekend full of special memories with special friends.

If you can't go to a parade...be in a parade!

The girls had so much fun being a part of a neighborhood 4th of July parade.

This was our last weekend with our dear friend Rachel and her two little ones, Davis and Campbell.

We will miss them but can't wait to go visit them in Huntsville.

Yea!  More friends in North Alabama to see!

Bes, Blake, Ellenie & Campbell...The four most precious patriotic sweeties!

The rest of the weekend was filled with all sorts of fun...

jumpers, swimming, great food, sparklers, fireworks, and a boat ride.

Funny faces in Mom's glass

Home is where your heart is...

A few weeks ago, the girls and I made a quick trip to my hometown in Kentucky.

We went for the special occasion of my Mom's baptism (yea!) and had a wonderful visit as well.

Now that Lillianna & Ellenie are getting older,

I love seeing my girls in some of the places that were special to me growing up...

Ellenie on the front porch of my Mom's house.

  This house was a one-room school house that was our "farmhouse" growing up. 

After I left for college, she renovated into a lovely, quaint house full of character.

I loved watching the girls eat their baby, cherry-dipped cones from Dairy Queen.

This Dairy Queen is special...not only do they still make the ice cream with buttermilk, they have cherry flavored dip (I can't find it anywhere else anymore), and they are only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.  It's always been a special place to my family because my grandparents owned a Dairy Queen for many years.  And it's so yummy, I inevitably end up at DQ everyday while I'm home...a chili dog for lunch one day, a baby cone for a snack on another.

The lake...My family spent so many hours on the lake when I was growing up that I almost teared up seeing my girls smothered in those big life jackets.  I love that they will know the smell, the beauty, and the fun of the lake.  And I love that Aunt Kitty Cat (perhaps the biggest lake lover of all) is sharing her love of the lake with them too.  We live far enough away from Murray that we don't get home as often as I'd like.

  So it's extra special when we are there and I get to share it with my girls.

Even Boone had fun!

If you had a fabulous Fourth of July, then smile and say, " Cheese!"

Yep, we had a truly fantastic 4th!