Scooting to School

Wednesday morning our alarm went off bright and early. It was the signal that summer was officially over and it was back to the "old grind"! No more sleepin' in and no more lazy days sittin' poolside! It's now time for our fall activities to begin and our days to be filled with homework and soccer practices;).

Corban started the second grade this year.

I can't believe I have a second grader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is always a little apprehensive at the start of a new year, but getting the teacher he wanted made the beginning of school a little easier.

Every second grader hopes to get Mr. B! He's the only male teacher in the school and used to be a clown before becoming a teacher. That will give you a little insight into what kind of personality Mr. B has!

He seems like a ton of fun and I am praying this is going to be a GREAT year for Cor!

"A" will be a BIG kindergartner this year, but our county has the staggered start program, so her first day of school isn't until Monday. She is super excited and can't wait to be at school with Corban!


She is keeping busy though with several pre-school get togethers.

It's been a GREAT way for her to get to know other girls who will also start school this year too!

I know God has big things planned for both "A" and Cor this year and I can't wait to see how much they grow, learn, and mature!
Looking forward and trusting Him for a GREAT year!!!

Celebrating 77 years!

Sunday evening we all gathered at my parents house to celebrate my sweet Grandpa's 77th birthday.

My Grandpa is such a wonderful part of my life and I love him so...... much. Not only is he such a special part of my life, but plays a vital role in the life of my kids as well. They ADORE their great- Grandpa! He LOVES the Lord and isn't afraid to tell anyone about his relationship with his Savior!
He truly is a blessing to me and my entire family!

"A" and Riley had a blast celebrating Grandpa!
After a dip in the pool, these two enjoyed some birthday cake!

You think Hud enjoyed his cake too!?!?!?

Of course...hanging out with Aunts and Uncles is the BEST part of getting together!

Timmy and Hud!

Playing with cousins is always such a special treat!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!
What a joy to honor and celebrate you on your special day!!!

"A Day At The Park" for foster families

Saturday, we spent the day at beautiful Cane Creek Park!

Our family, along with several other foster families, were invited by our county DSS to enjoy a wonderful "Day at the Park"! Many of the sweet social workers we have worked with were also there with their own family's as well.

I know "A" seemed to enjoy seeing all the familiar faces that have had a hand in helping her and her mom over the past several months. It was nice to get a chance to hang out with other foster family's and their precious kids too! I know it was comforting to "A" to meet these other kids, and realize that they too are in similar situations as herself.

The day kicked-off with a delicious catered lunch. We were served hamburgers and hot dogs, along with ALL the yummy fixin's!

After lunch, we headed straight to the paddle boats.

Shane took the older three for a ride, while I stayed on shore with the babies.

After the paddle boats, it was time for some Putt-Putt golf!

The kids had a BLAST playing and both Cor and "A" managed to each score a hole in one!!!

They were ecstatic!

Even Sophie and Hudson tried their hand at some golf!


Too cute!!!

And if that weren't enough fun for one afternoon---we STILL had yet to pay a visit to the playground.

So off we went...

The babies had fun in the swings, while the big kids enjoyed time running around and playing with each other!

Riley

Miss "A"
aka---our little monkey

My two SWEET girls!!!

We were hoping to enjoy a cool swim in the lake too, but the afternoon got away from us, and before we knew it it was time to head home!

Oh well, just one more reason why we will definitely be making another visit to this park again soon!!

Looking forward to it already!

Hit or Miss

My favorite place in the whole entire world to shop is Goodwill!

Yes............ Goodwill!

I'm not sure if it's because of the deals you can find, or the thrill in the hunt itself that I love more, but I heart the Goodwill!
I normally try and stop in our local store once a week.
And if I'm ever looking for something in particular, it's always the first place I try.

Saturday I was out and about, so I decided to stop in and see what treasures I could find! Now, sometimes you find something GREAT, and other times--- nothing!
You just never know--and that's part of the fun!

The area of the store that I always check out first is the furniture section.
Again, you just never know!
Saturday, I was so excited when I stumbled upon this adorable chair.

It was in PERFECT condition, PERFECT for my sweet Sophie, and even more PERFECT...the PRICE---$8.99!
SCORE!!!!
I was so....excited to get this chair home and show it to my Sophie.
Needless to say, she is head over heels in love with her new chair!

I also bought two "new" sundresses--(I wore this one to church on Sunday),
a top, a pair of shorts, and a beautiful "new" pair of shoes for me!
Oh...and I got Sophie a "new" bathing suit cover up (for next year).

All that, and the chair for...$30!
Now THAT'S a GREAT deal!!!

Weekend Recap

This has been a rather quiet weekend. We kind-of played it low key, which is always a nice change of pace for us!

Shane took on a new position at work, which means A LOT more travel for him during the week! When Friday evening finally rolls around, we are always SUPER excited to have him HOME and have him all to ourselves again!

We celebrated his homecoming by having a pizza party at the pool Friday night!

This little girl was sure happy to see her Daddy!
She didn't let him out of her sight ALL evening long!

Saturday, we ran a few errands, got a few things done around the house, but mostly we PLAYED! We took a walk over to Cor's school (where "A" will be going soon too) and played on the playground for a while. We've been walking over there as much as possible in hopes of getting "A" more comfortable at her new school and new surroundings! I think she's getting excited and doesn't seem to be one bit hesitant about starting school! YAY!!!!

Saturday night we had a movie night! Everyone brought their pillow and blanket into the playroom, and we made a great big comfy bed on the floor!

Riley and Soph snuggle up together!

Sophie is waiting for the movie to begin!

Silly kiddos!

Crazy Hudson had fun jumping on everyone as they tried to watch the movie!

Sunday morning we headed to church.

It was the last Sunday the kids will be in their normal classrooms because next week is promotion Sunday.
Everyone will moving on up into their new classes!

I have had the privilege of teaching Corban's 1st grade class this past year.
They are all now GREAT BIG rising 2nd graders--sniff, sniff!
Can't believe it!!!

I'm definitely going to miss this crazy bunch of kiddo's!

Just Some Girl Time

Last Saturday, Shane took Cor and Ri to the Panthers Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium. The rest of us decided to fore go the excitement (and heat) of watching a Panther's football practice and stay home. So while the boys were gone and the babies napped, "A" and I had (our first ever) uninterrupted girl time!
Well...What does one do with uninterrupted girly time?

Let's see...we started with manicures, then went on to pedicures, and finished with little makeovers.

"A" got to pick out a treat while we were at the flea market in Myrtle Beach.
She choose some sparkly play makeup and nail polish.
So Saturday afternoon, we opened it up and went to town!
We ended our fun afternoon by reading a "Fancy Nancy" book!!!!
LOVE me some Fancy Nancy!
(I started buying these books a while ago and reading them to Sophie.)



Seriously...I'm not sure who enjoyed our time more...me or "A"!!!

I {heart} girl time!!!!

The outtakes...

...and I thought taking a decent picture of all my own kids was next to impossible.
It was nothin' compared to the attempts at taking a picture of my parents and siblings.
Now granted, there WAS a HUGE storm brewing and large cracks of thunder could be heard booming over our heads, but all we needed was just.ONE. decent. picture.

Was that too much to ask?

Take ONE...

Lightening strikes and thunder booms...
My sister Allison is about to bolt and my brother Steve is ready for this torture to be over!!

Take TWO...

Thunder cracks again and Steve is out of there!
We are all annoyed that Steven left and beg him to come back for just one more try!

Take THREE...

Steve begrudgingly returns and shares with us his lovely countenance---not!
Oh well...good enough!

Oh Riley...

Today I walked upstairs to the playroom and found THIS!

"A's" mom sent over a TON of princess dress up clothes for her to play with.

"A" wanted Riley to dress up and play too, so she got
him ready for the ball!

Oh sweet Ri...one day you are gonna kill your mama for posting this... LOL

Why we LOVE Surfside Beach...

So we got back in town late Friday night from our annual beach trip. We all had a great time (minus our multiple visits to the ER HA!!--see previous post) and are already looking forward to our trip next year. Believe it or not, but this was actually my 23rd year vacationing at

Surfside beach!

As we were driving home from the beach, I asked the kids to name their ten most favorite things about the beach this year. Each of them eagerly started shouting out what they LOVED most about our trip!

Here's their completed list...

1. Hanging out on the beach and jumpin' the waves !






2. Building sandcastles and sand turtles in the sand.




3. Getting ice cream from the Yum Yum Shop!

4. Hanging out on the Garden City Pier.




5. Catching sand crabs with Daddy.



6. Getting to hang out with Daddy ALL week!!!!







7. CORN HOLE!

8. Kayaking in the ocean.

9. Splashin' in the pool!

10. Being with ALL their Aunts, Uncles, and Cousin





Growing up, my brothers, sisters and I always counted down the days until our summer beach vacation. We looked forward to it ALL year. I love that now I am able to take my own family on the same vacation I so enjoyed as a child. I loved seeing my kids get so excited and anticipate our family beach trip this year.
Surfside beach is such a special place for me and now it's becoming a place where my kids are making their own life-long memories.