Creative juices are flowing!

So now that summer is here and I'm in charge of entertaining my kids full-time (insert sympathetic look here), I'm trying some different activities to keep them occupied and away from the t.v. Today we tried our hands at painting.



Believe it or not, there was not a big mess to clean (thank you to whomever invented washable paints) and the end result was very cute! Voila...one hour occupied with a new activity! What do you think of the finished products?



Here are a few updated pictures of the pool and the stone work! It looks so pretty! We've gotten the permit on the electrical and gas lines, so next is the pool deck and the interior finish. After that?!?!!! SWIMMING! Oh yeah, we will need to add water, lots of water!



Look at this little gift from Mother Nature! Beee-uuuu-teeee-ful! I love summer!


Happy~
Laurie

Memorial Day Fun!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day! Before I get into our happenings I wanted to talk about this day. I hope we all remembered what this day means. So many brave men and women have lost their lives for our many freedoms. Please think about this ultimate sacrifice and pray for those who are still fighting for us!

Well, we had a great three day weekend full of family fun! We headed to Alabama for the long weekend to spend time with my sister and her family and with my parents.

My sister has an incredible "spread" in Opelika that is just the perfect place for kids to run wild and experience just about ever part of nature. (Unfortunately for me, she and her family will be moving there full-time this summer. But that just means that my clan will have to force ourselves on them, a lot!!!) Anyway, Sam and Lily had such a blast chasing after their cousins!

Our weekend consisted of fishing, canoeing, biking, swimming, lots of eating and who would have thought...some good games of croquet! Believe me, after a couple of days of this, my kids were pooped! But did they ever have a blast. Take a look at these pictures to see some faces full of happiness!

Here's John sharing some of his fishing tips with Sam!

Looks like John's advice paid off! That, and Sam's strong determination!

A little clowning around with the cousins!

Of course we had s'mores!

Here's Nana aiming her mallet...look at that eye!

We celebrated Deedee's 40th birthday...again (is that the 7th or 8th?), and just enjoyed some good family togetherness. It's definitely memories like these that we carry with us forever. What better way to spend a long weekend than with the people who know you best, but love you anyway!?! Ha! We left with our hearts full of happiness and our faces covered with smiles!

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Smiles~
Laurie

Taking time to smell the flowers!

Well, we literally do that all of the time around here! Then, they are usually picked and pulled apart. I'm trying to teach Lily Clare to just look and sniff. "Please respect Mommy's flowers!" At least this time she listened! Can you see the pollen on her nose? (Click on the picture to zoom in!)




Also, here are the latest pool pics! We are so excited and so ready to jump in. (Adding water would probably be nice, though!) Our pool guy says that we should be swimming by the second week of June! We hope so!





Eagerly awaiting a swim~
Laurie

What would we do without Moms?!?!?

Well, let's see. Without my mom, I might :

Still be running with scissors, not remember to count my blessings, forget to wear clean underwear, not eat my vegetables, forget to hold my shoulders up, sit too close to the t.v., think money grows on trees, stare into the refrigerator with the door wide open, drink out of the orange juice container (I promise, I don't do that, YUCK!), loose my head if it weren't attached, or not put the cap back on the toothpaste. Wow, am I ever so thankful for my mom!

Hi Mom, I love you! Happy Mother's Day!





Now that I'm a mother to two beautiful little ones, this day has taken on new meaning. Being a mom is a special blessing. I know there are several times in the day I have to remind myself of this, but I wouldn't trade any of it. Here's a note that I've seen a few times, and I think all moms definitely relate...

BEFORE I WAS A MOM:

Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

To all moms out there...know that you are special! Enjoy this day!

Loving my kids~
Laurie

Play the violins, 'cuz I'm talking about LOVE!

Friday, May 2nd was our 16th wedding anniversary!!!! Now, we actually had our first date October 31, 1987. So that puts us together for nearly 21 years! (I choose to erase the six month "hiatus" during college when John was having issues!!! HAAAA!) Anyway, can I say that these past 21 years have been spent with my best friend?!?!

We had ten years of married life before kids and had some amazingly fun times - we set up camp on a volcano in Hawaii, we've done canopy tours in Costa Rica, gone boating around St. John USVI, toured the Pacific Coast Highway and we've camped with the wild horses on Cumberland Island just to name a few! Then after ten years we decide to take on a new adventure...kids!

These last six years as a family have brought many new high, lows and in betweens, but everything has been experienced together with my best friend! He is an incredible father to Sam and Lily (No others that I know of!) and he's an incredible husband to me!

Check out these pictures...big hair and all...to see our progression over the years!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sickening to some, but wonderful for me! And I thank God for "us" everyday!

Love~
Laurie