Independence Day

Continuing with the summer recap...

My festive children were so excited for the 4th of July this year! Lovin' their red, white and blue!


We had plans to go hang with the Patterson family during the day. Pool, food, and some sparklers - nothing fancy, just wanted to enjoy the day together.

We stopped by the store on the way to their house. We went in to buy sparklers and came out with this...


Drew was understandably thrilled.

As soon as we got there, we got ready for the pool. Drew's favorite thing about their pool is this cute basketball set. It kept the boys entertained for a long time!






Mr. Paul spent a long time setting up the slip n slide. I remember having so much fun with the slip n slide when I was a kid. I think I must have been a bit older than these guys though because they couldn't quite get the hang of it!


Miss Marci demonstrated the proper technique, but I think she would discontinue our friendship if I posted that photo on the world wide interweb.

Abby did pretty well...


But it wasn't nearly as much fun as the pool.


So, we headed back to the pool to enjoy some popsicles!




After we ate, we went outside to try out the fireworks. It was still light outside, but it gets dark late here in the summer and we wanted to be able to try out the fireworks with our friends!

Abby's first sparkler...


Drew did great with his first sparkler. They really loved it!


And didn't seem scared at all!


Our daddy set off all of the other fireworks in the street. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the day - the kids still loved it!

This picture of Abby and Sherilyn is one of my favorites from that day!


They had so much fun. You've got to love the perspective of a little kid - even small fireworks are a big deal to them! They were super-impressed!


Drew, Sherilyn, Abby, and John are best buds - they get along so well together. And that made this a wonderful 4th of July!


We headed home before dark because the kids were getting tired. They had their baths and we told them they could stay up late to see the "real" fireworks.

Poor Abby just couldn't make it much past her regular bedtime. She was exhausted from our fun day.


Abby might have missed the beautiful fireworks, but Drew was still wide awake. He went outside with Daddy in his pajamas and Crocs while I stayed inside with Abby.

When they got back, he wanted to take me outside to show me the fireworks. We walked around the neighborhood as he pointed at the sky and ooohed and aaahed at the colorful displays. It was so much fun to watch it through his eyes. I remember trying to take a mental picture of the amazement in his expressions and the feeling of his sweet hand in mine as we walked along the sidewalk.

Precious memories with a precious little boy...

The Show Must Go On

Abby's first dance recital was June 21st. This was her second year of dance, but we didn't participate in the recital for her first year. She was really scared during that year's little show at Christmas and I didn't want to risk a major meltdown during the most important dance performance of the year.

This year, however, was a completely different story! Abby was much more confident, and she was adamant that she really wanted to be in the recital this year. Her class spent months practicing their tap routine to the song, "I Am A Promise." It is the cutest little song and their costumes were just adorable!


Abby slept in curlers the night before and I love the way her hair came out! It was so much fun to curl her hair, put on make-up, and get everything ready for the big day. It brought back so many memories of my own dancing years!


Here is a picture of the entire class - a very sweet group of girls!


The performance was in the afternoon and Abby seemed really tired while we took pictures. Honestly, I figured she was just tired of me taking so many pictures. As one of the backstage moms, I was able to stay with the girls in the audience and watch the dances before ours since we weren't scheduled until the middle of the show.

Abby got VERY clingy and whiny and I was afraid she was gearing up for some serious stage fright. I kept asking her if she wanted to go on stage and she insisted that she did, but she wasn't acting like it at all. I was really worried she would back out at the last minute. But, she didn't - she walked on that stage and never looked back!


That very evening she got really sick with a high fever - I felt so badly knowing that she had been sick all afternoon but had rallied to be able to dance in her first recital. What a trooper! You never would have known she was sick by her performance. She was terrific!!


I was sitting in the second row and she kept her eyes on me most of the time. She is looking right at me in this next picture. I was so proud of her and I was so glad she could see me watching her!


I wasn't the only proud family member there that day. Daddy, Drew, Grams, Grandaddy, Nessa, Uncle Austin, Uncle Adam, and Uncle Joe all came to watch Abby dance!

Apparently, Drew was quite anxious for Abby to have her turn on stage. He kept a countdown going with Matt - 10 till Abby, 9 till Abby, and so on until it was time for Abby's class to go on stage. He then leaned into Matt and whispered, "My tummy is nervous for Abby." I think it is precious that he was so nervous and excited for her. What a fantastic big brother!


After the recital was over, we went outside to find our family. Daddy was first and he surprised Abby with beautiful flowers!


Drew was right behind him and he had his own bouquet to give to his little sister...


Abby looked over at me - so thrilled with her flowers - and I just love the expression on her face in this one. She is just so pleased.


But, she wasn't done yet. Grams was next...


Then Grandaddy and Nessa...


Our entire family was so proud of Abby! (Thanks Uncle Joe, for taking this picture!)


The four of us...


I'm not going to lie. I really love that Abby loves dance. If she ever wants to do something else then I will completely support her. But, for now, I will enjoy watching her make the same kinds of memories that I have of my own childhood. Memories of dancing, friends, costumes, make up, classes, and recitals...


Oh, and flowers. Lots and lots of flowers!


We love you, beautiful girl!

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program...Of Nothing.

Hi. How are you? I'm great, thanks for asking.

So, you're here to read a blog? About my family? So nice of you to stop by. You must be disappointed every time you click here and see the same picture over and over.

Clearly, I've dropped the blogging ball this summer. I have plenty of blog post ideas filling up my head: a dance recital, basketball camp, my birthday, my 6 year old's birthday, a trip to the hospital, a beach vacation, a family wedding in New York, pool playdates, 4th of July celebrations...well, you get the idea.

This summer has been busy. I was appointed "Cruise Director" on the last day of school in June, and the action hasn't stopped. I've wanted to write about it and share pictures, but I am exhausted by the end of the day and all my evening energy has been devoted to staying awake for So You Think You Can Dance.

Priorities, people. Try to understand.

All to say, I'm just stopping in to tell you that I will be back. I'll cover all those topics and more once we get into a routine here. School is starting in a few weeks so I'm making the most of these last few days of summer with my babes. There will be plenty of time in the pool, fun playdates, a family weekend including a Tampa Bay Rays game, and lots of snuggle time while watching afternoon movies. Because in a few weeks I'll be missing these kiddos like crazy.


Thanks for being patient...we'll resume our regularly scheduled program very soon!

6 years old

This little boy doesn't like cake...


But he sure does love hearing his family sing happy birthday to him!


And blowing out the candles is so much fun that we did it three times!


And when Abby asked him what he wished for...well, you can hear his reply in this video.



I'm pretty sure he meant that he already has the best family in the world.

And the best thing about that is we know we have the best son/brother in the world.

Drew, you bring so much joy to our lives. You are so very smart - astounding us with your memory and things you learn on a daily basis. You are loving and sweet and caring - always concerned about others and reaching out to try to make them feel better. You are so funny - we laugh all the time at your jokes and silliness. And, your Dad and I just look at you all the time and wonder how in the world you became so handsome.

You have it all, Andrew Joseph, and there is nothing I would change about you.

Nothing.

Well, except if it were up to me you would have stayed 5 forever. This perfect age where you are independent, yet still need your Mommy. You are a tough guy that loves sports, yet you still love to snuggle. You don't hesitate to give me a hug or kiss - things like that don't embarrass you yet. You are so big, yet I can still scoop you up in my arms if you need to be comforted. Oh, how my arms will ache when you are too big for me to hold or too old for me to snuggle.

You keep insisting that turning 6 won't change any of that. You tell me things like, "I'll still be your little boy" or "Don't worry, Mama, I'm not a grown up yet" or "I'll always snuggle you, Mama." Your sweetness breaks my heart.

I know you are right. Each of those things is true. Turning 6 won't change any of those things.

But, you see, I remember holding you when you were minutes old. Looking into your eyes as I became your Mama. I remember feeding you and rocking you in the middle of the night when it was only just us. I remember when we found out that you would be a big brother. I remember your first smile, first laugh, first words, first steps, first day of school - all of it.

Everything.

Each year, you turn another year older. Another year that has gone by too fast. Another year filled with precious memories of the wonderful blessing that you are to our family. I am proud to watch you grow. I am excited to see what the future holds for you. But, I just can't pretend that each year doesn't break my heart a little. I am fully aware that before I know it you will be grown.

All the more reason to cherish each and every day of our lives together.


You are one in a million, sweet Drew, and I'm so happy that you're mine!

Bowling Party!

The baseball team got together for a few hours of bowling for our end-of-the-season party. Our kiddos love to bowl so they were very excited!

I love Drew's bowling style. He runs full speed to the lane and throws the ball as hard as he can!


He watches as it rolls and sometimes gives the "thumbs-up" sign if he thinks he's going to knock down a lot of pins. Bowling in real life is a lot harder than bowling on the Wii - during which Drew got 7 strikes in a row the other day!


On this day, my little dude still managed to get a strike and several spares. He looks pretty pleased with himself!


Baseball buddies!


Abby also enjoys bowling, but she's not quite as strong as her brother. She gently places the ball on the ground and then pushes it as hard as she can (which, unfortunately, is not very hard). It takes a loooong time for that bowling ball to make it all the way to the pins.


Fortunately, we got these ramps for the little kids and that helped a lot!


Celebrating after one of her many spares!


Watching the ball with her friend, Riley.


Abby and Riley are great friends! They go to the same preschool, have dance class together, and keep each other company during the baseball games!


After two hours of bowling it was finally trophy presentation time!


Drew's coach called him up for his trophy and said that Drew had done a great job at third base this season. He also said that his hitting has really improved and called him the "Sledgehammer." Drew loved it!


All of the coaches got a team picture that had been signed by all the players. It was such a thoughtful gift!


Go Yankees! What a fantastic season!!