"BYE BYE, PAINTER DR."

Where to begin? About 6mo ago, we decided to put our house on the market "just to see what happens". We had no house in mind to buy, but we knew we wanted to upgrade and felt like now would be a good time. Long story short...we closed on our house yesterday.
It has definitely been a bittersweet last few days and days filled with lots of emotions and reminiscing. While we felt like it was time to move on, we had SO many memories in that house and it was a little sad leaving those behind.

We brought both of our babies home to that house.
We had "first" holidays in that house.
We lost Frank/Poppy while in that house.
The kids got their playground in that house.
We spent SOOO many hours playing in the front yard of that house.
J.D. broke the front window playing baseball.
We went on countless family walks in that neighborhood.
We had a great Halloween tradition in that house.
We played hide-n-seek more times than we wanted too :)
Mady used to sleep on the kitchen floor in that house. ha

I could go on and on about the wonderful memories of our first house. I didn't think I would be that emotional about leaving, but I was wrong...I had to fight back tears several times that last day of moving. And right before we left for the last time, J.D. & I sat in the middle of the floor in our room and just sobbed together. Poor little guy was having a hard time leaving as well, and I probably should've been strong for him, but instead I just held him and cried right along with him.

I'm so thankful for the blessing of that house and what it provided us. God was faithful to supply all our needs and I truly am thankful to him for allowing us that privilege. I know we will look back on Painter Dr. with such fondness. And I also know that there is a great new home out there for us...we just have to buckle in for the ride and enjoy the "ADVENTURE"!!!!

UPDATE

Wow! Has it seriously been 4 months since I last journaled? This summer was so crazy and it seemed to just sort of carry on into the fall. I really felt like we were only home a few days out of the whole summer. I know that's not true, but it just left like we were gone a LOT. Of course doing fun things, so no complaints.
First we headed to West Palm Beach with Jimmy's family. It was a bittersweet change from Marco Island. It was nice to experience the waves and sand of the east coast, but I think we all were missing our familiar Marco. We had a great time, though and the kids did SO good.

From there we headed straight to Anna Maria Island to spend a week with the Gordon family. I always look so much forward to spending time with my family (ALL packed into ONE house). Let's just say we have lots of memories. Ha. It is also so neat to see J.D. and Mady with their cousins. We get to see them a lot, but it's a totally different thing living with them for a week. We had such a good time and made memories we'll never forget.

Lastly, we decided to do one last trip to Orlando to take the kids to Disney. They had never been, and we actually vowed to not take them until they were bigger. However, someone gave us some tickets, so of course off we went. And I'm SO glad we did. I wasn't sure how they were going to do, but they did amazing. They were a little overwhelmed at first, not sure what to think of everything and probably not sure why Jimmy & I were so excited?! But after awhile, they warmed up and then it was no stopping them. We had planned to go half a day, take naps and then come back, but they were having such a good time, and attitudes were good, so we pressed on. They did fall asleep in the stroller, which gave them energy to last through the night parade (at 12:00). It was a great day and it exceeded ALL of our expectations. J.D. keeps asking when we are going to take him to drive the cars again, and Mady keeps telling us that she "misses the princesses". All in all, a GREAT summer!!

Since then, it has just been busy, busy, busy. J.D. went back to preschool. It's a long story, but after some last minute decision making on our part, we decided to hold him back because of his summer birthday. Being a few months ahead, we definitely think it was the right decision. He is doing so good and can tell he is more confident. He is such a good boy and is so sweet with Mady. He really is a great big brother and she's a lucky girl to have him.

Mady is still crazy Mady. I started her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. There's not much instruction, but she loves to just run around and jump on the trampoline. At the second class, she told me to go sit down, "I do by self!!" Guess she didn't realize it was a MOMMY & ME class?? The coaches have commented on how coordinated she is and that she's ready for a "real" class. We also just celebrated her birthday. I can NOT believe she is 3! Although, we say that it feels like she should be older than three...it's been a long 3yrs! Ha. Just kidding, it's been a wonderful ride. She keeps us laughing and keeps us on our toes. We had a strawberry shortcake birthday party (which was the 3rd theme she had picked in 2wks) and she is already talking about what she wants next year. Ha.

We have also been trying to sell our house the last two months. No offers yet, but we'll just keep trying. Well, I'm sure I'm missing some amazing story, but I'm getting tired of typing. Hopefully I'll be a little better about updating??

CRAZY MADY STORY

I have told this story to several people, but I must write it down so that I don't forget it 20yrs from now.
So, it was a rare outing where I only had Mady with me. It was a Saturday and Jimmy took J.D. golfing. We had just gotten Mady her big-girl bed and I needed sheets to put on it. So off to the store we go. She also was needing some more panties (because she likes to change them several times a day and I can't keep up with the laundry), so we first went to the kids section and I let her pick out which ones she wanted. Of course she picked the Elmo ones - her fave. Next we headed over to the sheet aisle, where there happened to be a futon at the end of the aisle. So I'm busy looking at the sheets and she is sitting nicely (or so I thought) on the futon. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, but I'm not really paying attention to what she is doing (which I should know by now is NEVER a good idea). A few minutes go by and I hear, "TaDa!!" I turn around and she has her arms out striking a pose like she is so proud of herself. She is completely naked all but a pair of her new Elmo undies...she apparently sat on that futon, proceeded to take off every bit of her clothes, open the package of panties and put them on. Meanwhile, who knows how many people walked by and saw this happening and didn't say anything?? "They" will tell me 20 times in one day that she should sit down in the shopping cart (I'm tempted to hand her over to the next person that says that and challenge them to deal with her) , but she's totally naked and no one says a word. Now of course I have another problem, because I know she is not going to want to take these off, so naturally a tantrum ensues when I try to take them off and put her clothes back on. Finally she agreed after I told her we would not be purchasing the new Elmo undies if she did not take them off.
Whew!! She is such a crazy kid, and sometimes I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. She sure keeps life entertaining and I know one day when she's older I will long for these days again. (or will I????) ha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.D.

Today my little baby boy turned FIVE!!! I can't believe it, where did five years go??? In ways it seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital, yet in some ways we can't even remember life before him.
I'm going to try not to cry as I'm writing this, but he really is just the best boy in the entire world. When the ultrasound tech said "it's a boy", I never imagined what a great little man we would have and how much I would love him. He was such a good baby and is growing into a boy that I am so very proud of. He brings such joy to my heart and makes me smile each and every day. Here are some facts about J.D.'s life right now:
*he is finishing up preschool which has been so great for him.
*he is still so tenderhearted and so sweet
*he is the best big brother to Mady. He is so gentle and sweet with her and she looks up to him so much and wants to do everything that he does.
*his favorite food right now is "chinese soup", aka wonton soup
*he loves anything having to do with trains, trucks or boats.
*the highlight of his week is when the "bug man" comes at night to spray for mosquitoes
*he loves to hear the story about when he was born - he asks for it about 4x/week.
*he has the best smile; it lights up his whole face and is just beautiful.
*of course I think he is the most handsome boy I've ever seen :)

Well, I'm sure there's tons more, but that's just a few things.
I am so fortunate to be his mom and I thank the Lord every day for choosing him for me. He really is such a precious boy and I know that the Lord has great things in store for him. I love him more than he will ever know and so proud of who he is, what's in his heart and who he is becoming.

I love you J.D. more than anything,
Mommy

POTTY TRAINING...DONE!!

I would rather gouge something in my eye than potty train (and since I've actually done that, that's saying alot). OK, not really, but I have been dreading this so very much. J.D. actually did fine with it, but it just takes so much patience and right now it takes ALL of my patience just to handle Mady on a day-to-day basis...my patience is tapped out. However, as usual with Mady, she decided it was time and there was no turning back. I don't know why I expected anything else, since she is "miss independent", but still I was shocked.
So one night she went on the potty before bath time (which I was not impressed with since a lot of kids do it then), however, she also wanted to go the next morning, and DID!! So, I buckled myself in and went on the crazy ride. Actually, it wasn't too crazy. She did amazing. It was just a few days/week maybe of accidents and going in the pull-up, but then it just happened and she hasn't looked back. She has done such a great job and has even gone so far as to train herself to not go at night either. She has not gone in her diaper at night not even once. She either calls me to go or she just gets up and goes by herself. Again, miss independent wants NO help at all. "No help, ME DO IT!!" (of course I still assist with #2). The sad part is I really can't take much credit for it...she decided she was ready and that was that!! Lord help me when she decides she wants a tattoo!! ha!!

"ALL ABOUT MY MOM"

J.D. came home from preschool yesterday with a gift for me for Mother's Day. It was a picture of him that they had taken and a letter titled, "All about my mom". Apparently the teacher asked him a few questions about his mom and she recorded his answers. They are hysterical and I just had to record them in case I lose this paper some where down the road. Here it goes:

1. My mom is: 15 yrs old
2. My mom's favorite food is: Broccoli, chicken, rice, soup, salad, macaroni
3. My mom's favorite color is: Green (that's really HIS favorite color)
4. My mom's job is to: Works with babies and listens to their hearts at the hospital (I was actually pretty impressed by that answer)
5. My mom likes to : ride her bike, go to Busch Gardens (this was funny because I only got a
bike a week ago and haven't ridden it yet)
6. My mom makes me feel special when: she plays outside with me and rides the Shamu roller coaster.

Anyway, it was just cute to see what he really thinks about things and I thought it was so precious.

MY FIRST OUTFIT

For my birthday Jimmy got me a sewing machine. I've been wanting one for awhile, so I was so thrilled when I got one. However, I do not know the first thing about sewing. I did make a dress when I was sixteen, but my mom did everything, I just basically pressed the pedal. ha. So, I got out the manual and started reading. It was really intimidating, but I kept pressing on and finally was able to at least thread the thing (which is the hardest part). I figured out enough to make Mady's halloween costume, but that was so easy it didn't really count as sewing. So, I found a skirt tutorial online and dove in. I picked something really easy to start with and I used fabric from the dollar bin at Walmart in case I screwed it up. However, I was pretty impressed with myself at how it came out. Now, if you look closely you will see plenty of mistakes and flaws, but just to look at it on her, it looks cute. I'm pretty proud of myself that I figured it out on my own and I can't wait to try other things. Here is my first EVER outfit:

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Oh, where to begin with this story...I'll try to give the short version. So, last summer we were unsure of what we wanted to do regarding preschool for J.D. I actually enrolled him at one, but as the day drew closer, I just could not get peace about sending him. He had absolutely NO interest in going (in fact cried and hid behind my leg during the tour of the school), and to say I was not thrilled about the idea is an understatement. My theory was that he is going to have to be in school for the next 12yrs of his life and I just wasn't ready to give up my time with him for "voluntary" preschool. Of course I know there are wonderful benefits of it, I just didn't feel it was right for us.

Fast forward to October, and we started noticing that J.D. was becoming more and more shy and introverted. Now he's always been shy, so that wasn't new, but it was becoming almost paralyzing. Jimmy and I knew this was much more than being shy and were worried how it might affect him if we let it continue. So after MUCH talking, praying (and crying on my part), I agreed that preschool might be a good choice for him after all. We went to look at his school, and I immediately fell in love and had total peace about it. They were so nice and SO flexible with the hours and I just felt like it was the perfect fit. And five days later...he had his first day!!

First day comes and I am expecting total meltdown. Oh how I was surprised...he couldn't WAIT and was genuinely excited. He looked so handsome all dressed up with his Lightning McQueen lunchbox in hand. Meemaw came over and stayed with Mady so I could take him by myself. All the way there we talked about how much fun he was going to have and how proud I was of him for being such a big boy. I parked the car, got him out of his seat and we prayed together and asked God to give him a wonderful day and to help him be so brave and make lots of new friends. He held my hand so tight as we walked up to the class, but still excited and with a smile on his face. Upon entering the classroom, he was welcomed by a big sign that said "Welcome J.D.!" That was so sweet and just touched my heart that they did that for him. I led him to his seat, gave him a big hug and kiss, and turned around to leave. At this point, I'm fighting back tears so hard it hurts. As I turned around for one last goodbye before I leave, I witnessed something that I will remember for the rest of my life. He waved goodbye, smiled and was simultaneously picking up a crayon and starting to color. The look on his face is ingrained in my mind and I will treasure it always. Now, I realize picking up a crayon is not rocket science, but for him that was HUGE - totally out of character. He will usually take a long period of time to "warm up" and scope everything out before engaging in any sort of activity. And for me, that was all I needed to let me know that he was going to be alright and this was a good decision (however, doesn't mean I didn't ball like a baby all the way home).

That day seemed like an eternity...I must've checked the clock 20 times and even arrived at the school 30minutes early because I just couldn't wait any longer. When he got in the car, he was so excited and said he had such a great time. He also said, "Mom, thanks for taking me to school, it was so much fun". Sniff.

We did have just a few tears on the second day, but after promising him a Slurpee after school if he didn't cry, that hasn't happened since. He absolutely loves school and is excited when the day comes. We've also seen a huge difference socially. Again, he's still our normal J.D., but he seems much more open to talking to people, open to trying things on his own, and we haven't had any more of the "episodes".

So all in all, I'm so sad that I don't have my little buddy with me two days a week and I miss him like crazy, but I know in my heart it was the right decision and I know we did the right thing. He is so precious and I want nothing more than to do what's best for him.

J.D. - I'm so very proud of you, more than words can say. You are my precious boy and it breaks my heart to let you go even just for a little bit. I love you so very much.

OK, I better stop before I send myself into a depression...Lord help me when he goes off to college!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADY!

Mady,
Well, first off, I'm sorry this year your birthday was not a big ordeal. Unfortunately for you, your birthday fell right in the middle of the chaos that was our November. Your Aunt Ashley got married, and between showers, luncheons, favors (ugh!), etc, we just were not able to squeeze in a party. We had a little dinner here with family, and you seemed to enjoy that, so hopefully it was OK.

It's hard to even begin to put into writing what all has taken place in the last year of your life. You have changed and grown up so much this year and I just can't believe you are TWO!! Where did this year go?? It seems just yesterday I was writing about you turning a year old. When I look back at your baby pictures, I can barely remember them and that makes me so sad, because that means you are growing up TOO fast!! I just want to stop time and keep you this age forever.

Here are some fun facts about you right now:
~You LOVE to eat (girl after my own heart). You can eat WAY more than J.D., but you are still so skinny (lucky you!)
~We joke that you are going to be a nudist because on a daily basis you take all your clothes off and pitch a fit if we try to put them back on.
~You love to copy everything J.D. does.
~You also know exactly how to push J.D.'s buttons and do so quite regularly :)
~You are extremely independent - you want to do everything for yourself.
~You can pretty much dress yourself now. If after about 20min of you trying to do it by yourself, only then will you come ask for "hep".
~You have been slow to talk. You have the usual suspects - mom, daddy, J.D. - and are just now starting to take off.
~You are physically advanced. By that I mean you were able to scale our rock wall the first time with no help, you can climb up on anything, you've been jumping for a very long time, learned a somersault after just a few tries. I can't wait to get you into gymnastics - I think you would do great!!
~You are all-or-nothing...either throwing a tantrum, or laughing; no in between.
~You are a wonderful sleeper. (12hrs @ night and a 3hr nap).
~You are just SO crazy (that's the only word I could come up with)
~You have the best "belly laugh" and it gets us all laughing.
~I'm not sure why, but Jimmy & I have several nicknames for you...not sure where some of them came from, but you answer to any of them. Here they go in no random order :
*Mady-cakes
*Mady-girl
*Moones
*Moonie
*Mooner
*Mal-Moones
*Poones
*Pal-Poones
*Pooner
*Poonie
*Mads (what J.D. usually calls her)
Like I said...totally random and silly, but we really do call her ALL of these. I think we have a problem :)

And lastly, it would not be an accurate documentation of her year if I didn't discuss how "STRONG-WILLED" she is. I hope that one day this will definitely work in her favor, but right now it's taking everything in me to keep me SANE!! To say you are "strong-willed" is an understatement. Whether its putting your clothes on, getting in the car seat, sitting in a high chair/grocery cart, etc etc...if you don't wanna, you aint gonna!! I'm not going to lie, this year has been extremely difficult trying to figure out how to best parent/train/handle (ha) you. There have been days when I feel like I'm not cut out for this and that I'm failing as a mom. But deep down I know that all I can do is keep seeking the Lord for guidance and not give up because you are WORTH IT!!!

Mady, you have tested me. You have pushed every button. You have made me think I'm going crazy. But I wouldn't change a THING about you. You challenge me. You make me WORK. You make me dig deep down inside myself. You make me get on my knees and seek God. You have made me laugh so hard I've cried. Your smile is so big it lights up your face. Your giggle is infectious. I love how independent you are.
You are YOU and you are so unique and I'm so thankful that God thought I was strong enough to be your mom. I promise you now and forever that I will do everything in my power to love you, protect you, and point you to Christ. You are such an amazing girl. I love you so much more than words can say.
I love you, Ladybug. Happy Birthday!!

MADY'S FIRST HAIRCUT

As much as it pained me, I just could NOT put off cutting Mady's hair any longer. It was totally out of control and people were making fun of her (not just us. ha) She has extremely fine hair and it somehow gets all matted up in the back. She really did look like a crazy person. So when I went to get my hair done, I asked Jennifer if there was anything she could do with it. Mady was SO patient and sat in a chair all by herself (with a sucker in hand) while Jennifer proceeded to cut off ALL her hair!! Yikes!! I must admit that when she first did it, I hated it and was so sad. But then after I got home and played with it a little, I am totally in love...this hairdo just suites her. She's a sassy little girl with a sassy little hair cut!!

Before: (can we say CRAZY!!!)
















After: (adorable)
















Before: ("wild child")
















After: ("cutie pie")
















She looks adorable...however, I do miss the piggy tails (sniff,sniff), but this it totally cute and fits her personality :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

So we did our "4th Annual Halloween Extravaganza". Ha, not really. We just had some friends and family over for dinner and then trick-or-treating. As usual, a great time was had by all.

J.D. was a "construction worker"...NOT Bob the Builder, just a plain ole construction worker (he was very specific about that). He looked great!!
























Mady was a "Candy Corn". I actually MADE her costume ALL BY MYSELF!!! I got a sewing machine for my birthday and this was the first thing I've ever made. If you looked closely, you could see some mistakes, but I was pretty proud that I figured it out by myself. And after ALL my hard work, this was the BEST picture I got of her.....CLASSIC.























All the kiddos ready to go get some sugar: (minus my own kids)
















Not sure if William was trying to hold Mady's hand, or snag that treat from her hand...either way she wasn't having it ;)

















GREAT MEMORIES!!

Pumpkin Patch & Pumpkin Carving

Last weekend we made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. The kids had a great time "picking out" their pumpkins. Funny story - we told J.D. that they could pick out a few little pumpkins, but that we were going to buy the real big ones at Sam's later (because we figured they were cheaper there). So as we are purchasing our "little" pumpkins, the guy at the patch asks us if that's all we're going to get and J.D. says, "Mom, can we please go to Sam's NOW to buy our big pumpkins??!!" Oops!! Jimmy & I pretended we didn't hear him and just turned around and walked away laughing! Ha!















































































After we got our pumpkins, we got set on the carving! J.D. was hilarious because yet again, he did NOT want to have anything to do with sticking his hand in that pumpkin to get out the seeds. But they both did a great job scooping them out with a spoon and then Daddy & I carved them. They came out pretty good this year, if I do say so myself. Fun times and a great family tradition.

GO CHEETAS!!

My sweet boy had his FIRST EVER soccer game today...sniff, sniff. I'm not joking, I literally was tearing up as he ran out onto the field in his adorable little outfit. He was so darn cute!!

He did such a great job and we were so proud of him. We had been prepping him all week and he was so excited that morning to put on his uniform and cleats. We got all dressed and headed out to the field. It was a beautiful day and he couldn't wait! Jimmy was coaching because the regular coach was gone, and as he headed off he said, "bye mom, I'm gonna kick so good!" Love him. Anyway, he did so great in the warm up - he kicked the ball in the goal, was excited to see his friends - it was looking promising...until the game started and he was the first to have to sit out. In hindsight, that was a big mistake, but certainly Jimmy didn't mean for it to be. Well, he did fine standing there for awhile, but when the minutes kept passing, he begin to lose hope. I'm still not sure if he thought he wasn't going to get to play, or if he didn't like standing there all by himself (which I don't blame him for), but he started crying and no matter what we said, we couldn't get him to stop. We all took a turn trying to console him - Daddy, me, Memaw - but he just wasn't having it. My heart just broke for him because he WAS so excited (which we were SO shocked about) and then to have his excitement dashed by being made to sit out...I'm crying right now just thinking about it! :) Finally he did make it in the game for a few plays and he did GREAT! He kicked the ball a few times, but finally decided to call it quits and sit with Memaw. I must admit that a part of me was starting to get frustrated, but I quickly remembered that I had NO expectations and I also realized how he must've been feeling, so I was SO proud of him for what he did do - because that was a HUGE step for him and I know that just going out there at all was a push out of his comfort zone. He is so much like I was as a kid - which is challenging because I identify with him and want to just tell him he doesn't have to do it, but at the same time I know he needs to be pushed out of his shell a little bit.

Anyway, it was a great day and a mental image that will be ingrained in my mind forever. I'm sure this is the first of MANY days out at a ball field.

Love you, J.D. and I'm so proud of you!!
























This was him standing on the sideline patiently waiting his turn before the meltdown:

First Trip to the ER!!

Well, I made it a WHOLE 30yrs without going to the ER. My streak is over...thanks to my precious little bundle of craziness...MADY!!!!

It was just a casual night at home hanging out on the couch and watching a cartoon before bedtime. I was holding Mady on my lap, when all of a sudden she flung her hand back toward my face (for no apparent reason) and poked me in the eye. I knew immediately that this hurt more than the usual "poke-in-the-eye", but I just kept rubbing it (now know that's NOT what you are supposed to do) and hoping that it would feel better. I layed in bed for a few hours, tried ice, and this throbbing pain just would not go away...and I couldn't open my eye ;(

So, I took some Tylenol, and just kept trying to go to sleep, thinking it would all be better in the morning. Well, sleep was NOT coming. This stupid eye was hurting SO bad I couldn't think straight. Throughout the night I would doze off for maybe 30 min, then wake up to what felt like a knife being jabbed straight in my eye. After an awful night and maybe only an hour of sleep, I was finally over it around 5am and told Jimmy we had to go the ER. He awoke poor Barbara to come watch the kids, and off we went.

This was one of the most humiliating things I've ever done. So I have to be led by Jimmy into the ER (I now can't open the other eye as well because it hurts the other one too bad) and proceed to tell them that I'm in the ER because my daughter poked me in the eye! ha! I'm sure they chuckled about that one. Then, they actually make me SIGN papers!! Are you kidding me?? "Lady, I can't see a stinking thing!" She laughed and told me to just sign wherever. ?? Not to mention, I have NO idea what I'm wearing or how my hair looks and I didn't wash my face the night before (due to the incident) so I probably look like a circus performer with mascara all over my face. Ugh!! Such a blow to my pride.

Anyway, long story short, I had a corneal abrasion, but pretty deep and with a piece of my eye actually lifting up...which was causing all the pain. I had to see an eye specialist and he put me on some antibiotic drops and some pain drops. Hallelujah!! However, STILL couldn't open my eye!! It was actually the next day before I could open either one...36+ hrs with NO vision. I have a new appreciation for blind people. Four days later and a doctor's appt every day, and I'm finally feeling back to normal.

Mady - not that I will forget this, but had to write this down to make sure you never live it down. You are such a crazy girl and it only makes sense that it would be YOU that would send me to the ER. Love you in spite of you gouging my eye out - literally! :)

First Rays Game

This past Saturday, we finally did something we have been wanting to do all season long...we took the kids to a Tampa Bay Rays game. The season is almost over, and Jimmy was just sick that we hadn't gone yet. So we made a spur-of-the-moment decision and decided to give it a try. We were really nervous about taking Mady, but we packed lots of snacks, and went with really LOW expectations for how she would do. Ha! And guess what, we were pleasantly surprised!! She was actually really good - she would watch a little, eat a little, then eat some more. J.D. on the other hand did enjoy it, but I think was more concerned about the hot dogs and cokes! He was really excited to see the stadium and walk around in it, but it was a little difficult for him to follow the game. For that matter, its hard for ME to follow the game! Ha!
Anyway, all in all it was a great night and we were so glad we did it. The kids seem to enjoy it and it was a great family night.

Anna Maria Island

As I said in the previous post, we spent a week with my family at Anna Maria Island. We've done it for a couple of years now, and I truly enjoy it and look forward to it all year long. Even though all our family lives close by, there's nothing that can bond you like living together for 7 WHOLE days!! Ha! Anyway, we had such a great time and made lots of amazing memories. I'm SO glad that my kids get to make memories with their grandparents and ALL their cousins - I think it is so special and I hope they remember it all their life and stay close to each other.
Here are some more beach pics:

J.D. shooting "Nina" with the water guns that SHE bought them:

















The guys playing their new favorite game:

















All the kiddos trying to catch a fish:
















And J.D. finally caught one - with a little help from Daddy:

















Attempting to cover Kassidy with sand - that didn't last too long:

















What do you do when it's raining outside?? Why, fill the bath tub up with water and play with your motorized speed boats, of course! (I didn't get a picture of it, but the highlight was when Colton reached to get his boat just a little too far and went head first into the tub - we all about died laughing - and THEN we helped him out! )


















On a completely different side note, Debbie and I are in full throttle planning Ashley's bridal shower, which is a red, white and black polka dot theme. When I lay down to sleep I see polka dots. So I just had to make my blog background coordinate with my life. Ha!

BEACH TRIPS

Over the last few years our family has turned into "nomads" during the summer. I think because we rarely take trips or go anywhere during the year due to school, once the summer hits, we just pack up and GO!! This year we spent one week in Marco Island with the Ammirati family, one week in Anna Maria island with the Gordon family, a few days in Orlando with friends, went back to Orlando for a few more days just us, then lastly to Miami to visit family. Whew!! I'm exhausted just writing that all down. I think I spent a solid week catching up on laundry when we got back. We had a blast on ALL the trips and now I'm glad to be getting back into some sort of routine.

Here are some beach pics:

JUST A FEW FUN SUMMER PICS