The Countdown Has Begun...

Well, actually it started about 4 months ago when I made the reservations!!! We leave for the beach Saturday morning. I cant wait!!! The kids are super excited and I can't decide who is more anxious...the kids or Michael and I. We are in desperate need of some relaxation. No work, no stress, no worries + my 3 favorite people in the world having a blast = F-U-N!!!! We are leaving on 4th of July which means fireworks at the pier. We have never been to the beach on 4th of July, so I am sure it is going to be insanely crowded. There will be unlimited amounts of Putt Putt, Go Karts & Video Arcades (we may need to stop and by some lotto tickets on the way home to pay for all of this!!!). My Mom & Dad may be able to come down and join us for a few nights as well, which will be very nice. We haven't had a big family vacation in quite a while.

Needless to say this week is going to go by super slow. It always happens that way. But, completely worth it!

Father's Day

Father's Day was a good one. We just laid around all weekend and swam. Just lazy summer days! We also went to my parents house on Sunday and my brother and his girls came over for a while. Here are a few pictures.

Weekend Preview

Pinch me....Yep, It is Friday! I did not think that this week would ever end. This week has been full of stress at work, drama from silly girls, and a few other things I would rather not think about. But, it is almost over. I just have to grit my teeth and get through the next 6.5 hours of work and I am Free!

City Stages is this weekend, so Michael and I may go and check that out tonight. For those of you not from AL, City Stages is a music festival in downtown Birmingham that we have every year this time. They block off many streets and set up stages. Music, Food, and Heat Strokes are all around. Michael and I have not been in years, and this year may be no different. But, we may surprise ourselves and go to hang out for a while.

Saturday is going to be a do nothing, relaxing day at the pool. Saturday night we will get Mary Katherine for her to spend to QT with her Daddy on Father's Day. Sunday we will go to my Mom & Dad's for lunch. I think he is grilling ribs....Mmmmm. It should be a lot of fun. I always love getting to see my twin nieces. They are so adorable, and they love Mary Katherine.

Jake will not be with us. He will be at the beach with his Father. I am sure that he is going to have a wonderful time playing at the pool and in the ocean. This is his first of three beach trips that he will be going on this summer! Spoiled much? Hahaha! I pray that they all have a safe trip!

Tuesday is the day that I am looking most forward to of the next week. That is the day that they start on our deck! Thank Goodness. I am so tired of the pool looking out of place. This will give us room to have our grill on it, patio furniture, and most importantly...room to lay out! It is very difficult to lay out on a float in the pool with Michael and Jake playing football or whatever other game Michael has made up that day. It will complete the package!

I hope that you all have a great weekend and that all the Dad's out there have an amazing Father's Day!

Any Man Can Be A Father, But It Takes Someone Special To Become a Dad!

Smile...

It makes people wonder what you are up to!

Quote of the Day

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."- Agatha Christie

Can You Handle It?

God never gives you more than you can handle...but, I think He may have me confused with someone else!

Just the Two of Us

I was able to leave work early today to go home and spend some QT with Jacob Owen. After we ate lunch (pizza...of course!), we went to the pool. That water was COLD. We played for about an hour (that was all I could take) and then we came inside to play a card game that Jake loves and a computer game that Michael has taught him. After that we went back out and had some side walk chalk fun. It has been a great Monday! :) I have to admit, sometimes people try and get you down and sometimes situations occur that make you want to pull your hair out or cry, but all in all I do have a great life and an amazing family and friends. It just doesn't get any better than this! It really is a wonderful life! :)

Sunday Fun

We had so much fun yesterday. Jake's friend Levi had his 10th birthday party at his lake house. There were about 10-12 kids there, all Jake & Mary's age. It was a blast. Diving boards, slides, paddle boats, and inner tubes. The kids had the best time. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to get in the water or not b/c of the weather. But, thank goodness, it all cleared up to be a gorgeous day just in time for the party.

So Far So Perfect!

So far this weekend has been great. Friday after work we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Mary Katherine had spent the day with her Mom for her Mom's birthday so after dinner we met up with Anna and got Mary back. She had an eventful day. Not only did she get to go to a carnival, but she also lost one of her front teeth!!! Her speech is a little slurred, but it looks cute. After dinner we went to one of our favorite stores...Books A Million. I picked up two Dean Koontz novels. LOVE his books. They keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time and you don't want to put it down. Jake and Mary got a few books and magazine for themselves and of course Michael got some sort of football magazine. He is a little obsessed, but it's cute!

Saturday morning we got up and moving around 10 a.m. Sleeping in = great start to the day. We had to go to the pool store and pick up some chemicals for the pool. There is so much that goes into keeping up a pool. I just cant wait for the deck to be built around it. We signed a contract last week with one of the best deck contractors in North Alabama, so hopefully, it will be worth the wait. Then we went and picked up some goodies for our beach trip. I am so excited about this trip. A whole week at the beach! It is going to be so much fun. We have so many fun things planned for the kiddos. And by the time we got home, the rain had stopped and the sun was out, so we headed straight for....the pool!

That has been about it so far this weekend. But, so far...so perfect! :)

Pedi's & Shopping...Life Is Good

Last weekend Mary and I went out for a little girl time. We stopped by and got ourselves Pedicures to start the day off. This was her first time to go and have them done somewhere professionally. And of course, I ALWAYS enjoy a pedicure. Then we went shopping for a while. Not sure that she is quite to the age of really appreciating a good shopping spree, but it will grow on her. We bought new lamps for the den from Hobby Lobby, then we went to this cute little boutique in our town. It is the girliest, froo froo shop I know of. We love looking and getting little surprises from there. Then of course, we went home and went swimming. No matter we do this summer, I am sure the day will always end or begin with swimming. Thanks to my two little fish! :)

It's A Party

Jake finally had his soccer party this past Tuesday. His season ended the first of May, but we were just now able to have the party. They had a swim party at the coach's house. The kids had such a great time. It was a great idea for a party. Pizza, cupcakes, & swimming! What more could they ask for!

Newest Part of the Family

We got a new member of the family this past weekend. A American Bobtail kitten. The cutest little thing ever. It is so much fun to sit and watch the little guy chase everything (including my fingers as I am typing!), run around with it's cute little bounce and play with anything and everything he can get his paws on. Here are a few pictures of the cutie!

Prayers Needed

My best friend of many years and her family are going through a very difficult time right now. Her aunt gave birth to her 3rd child yesterday afternoon, and unfortunately they found out just hours later that the baby has Downs Syndrome. Gina is 43 years old and did not have the test done during the pregnancy. She was told there would be a 1 in 10 chance of this occurring. I am completely at a loss of words. Gina, Pete & the entire family are going through something that I cannot begin to fathom. I feel so lucky to have 2 healthy children. It really makes you stop and realize what is important in life.

Please keep this family in your prayers!

Thank Heavens....

For relaxing, nothing to do, sunny weekends by the pool!

Spend The Night Party

Last night Nana hosted a spend the night party with all the grand kids. Jake, Mary, Abby & Emma (Abby & Emma are my 3 year old twin nieces) all spent the night with Nana and Papa and let me tell you, fun was had by all. They started off having a great dinner with my Mom's famous brownies for desert. Then we all went down to the camper to "camp out" for a little while. Michael, Nana, and I all played Hide & Seek with them until we ran out of hiding places. The girls would hide and then when we said "Here We Come" they would burst out of their hiding places and say "Here We Are!"! Maybe a few more years on that game! :)

Then we popped in a movie into the camper and all cuddled up to relax for a while. After the movie, I went home and left Nana with the little rascals. They made a pallet in the floor of the den and watched T.V. until they all fell asleep. They all had such a great time. The girls don't get to come over very much, so last night was a great treat for all of us. The girls had the best time with their cousins.

Jake, Abby, Emma, Nana, & Mary