Playin' around...

On the evening we went to Isabel's school for "Young Author's Night", I was in the mood to play with my camera. I got a couple of good shots, but none that really stood out to me as being "great". This was last month, and I still hadn't posted the pics, I guess 'cause I thought they weren't "good" enough. But when I came across this folder and looked at the photos again, it made me happy just remembering the great evening we had together. And that's really what it's all about, isn't it?

Isabel, her girlfriends and her teacher, Mrs. Coleman. She is going to miss this little group of BFF's horribly next year!

Gabe cannot wait to be old enough to go to this school! The playground alone has enough stuff to keep him busy for hours; the only hard part will be to get him off of the equipment and into the classroom :) Thank God he's got a few years before he'll be at that point.

Joe took this pic; he does a great job with my camera.

Hope you have a blessed and joyful day today!

Girl's Day Out

Becky and I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since seeing the trailers on the TV at the Y, while we were sweating our buns off on those torture devices known as ellipticals. Today is finally the day...pedicures, dinner and drinks, and then the show. It has been way too long since I have had a girls night out, and I am so freakin' excited. I am so taking my camera, even if I look like a crazed tourist :)

Becky, I consider myself so blessed to be your friend. It's hard to believe we haven't even known each other a year yet; I feel like I know you so well. Very eerie how much we have in common, right down to our vicious poison ivy allergies. Working out has never been so much fun, and having a true BFF to confide in and commiserate with is priceless. You are the best!

I won!

For those of you who know me, you know that I am very unlucky when it comes to winning anything. I don't buy lottery tickets, not even scratch-offs; I have never won any contest where you drop your name in and hope to be picked. So...imagine my surprise when I saw my name on Becky Higgin's blog under the "winners" section! I won this new book by Lisa Bearnson, and I am so excited! I called my big sis, Michelle, right away (I knew she would appreciate my joy). Anyone who knows me knows I am a Becky Higgins addict; buying anything she publishes, checking her blog for ideas/recipes/just for fun. I just really admire her scrapbooking style, and I love her idea books "Creative Sketches". Although this book isn't by Becky, I also love Lisa B. She is the founder of Creating Keepsakes magazine, and though her style is different than mine, I still enjoy seeing her layouts and reading her ideas.

So, yay, I finally won! And since my new scrappin' room is almost complete, I will be ready to make some beautiful pages and cards when I receive my book. More pictures to come later.

Have a great weekend. Baseball games are canceled due to rain, so now I can lounge around with the kiddos until it's time for work. Sometimes I am happy to see the rain :)

Happy May!

I am so happy that May is finally here...one of my very favorite months, along with June and October. My "Apple Blossom" tulips have done so well this year; last year they were damaged by a late ice storm, and the year before that they were brand new. Isabel and I planted them together in the fall of 2005, and each year we add a few more bulbs to the landscaping. If you have never shopped with Breck's bulbs (a mail-order flower company), I strongly recommend them. They guarantee every bulb, and have even sent me replacement bulbs when a couple of mine didn't bloom. How's that for customer service?

Short post today...I have had a busy, exhausting day and am ready to put these kiddos to bed, read "Prince Caspian" to the older two, then lay on the couch, snuggle with my puppy (or husband, hmmm...hard to choose) and watch Gray's Anatomy and Lost. Finally, some new episodes! Have a great night.

Happiest Place on Earth

Nooo, not Disney...my happiest place (in Tennessee, at least) is this outlet mall. We got some awesome deals, and the best part was that it was "Tax-free Weekend"...how lucky is that? I have raised some good shoppers; Elijah, Isabel and even Gabriel had a great time going from shop to shop, although all Gabe really wanted was a "ooo Hot Wheel". I promised him a visit to KB Toys if he was a good boy, and it worked! One of my favorite stores is The Children's Place; it is the best I have ever seen. For $134, I filled a huge bag with outfits for all three kids...summer stuff, fall stuff, and pajamas! There is something so satisfying about getting a great deal! We didn't just shop, though; we rode carousels, ate ice cream from a vending machine (the kids thought that was so cool, for some reason), relaxed and had coffee and hot cocoa at Starbucks, and generally had a great time. God bless Tanger Outlet Mall :)

These next pics were actually from our last day, when Daddy and Papaw took the boys to the Go-Karts and the girls spent some more time at the outlet mall. Isabel was feeling very grown-up...she is just too darn sweet, that girl. After buying her some new earrings at Claire's, she said to me "Now we need to find something for you, Mom". How many 8-year old's are that mature? Not many, I imagine. I did finally find a few things for myself, although the search for the perfect bathing suit did not pan out. I HATE trying on bathing suits! Just when I think I am looking pretty good, working out three days a week and eating fairly well...then I get in that dressing room with those fluorescent lights, and I want to cry. Well, I digress...The rest of this day was great, and our ride home was uneventful, except for Gabe's tears when he realized that "Bo-vaction" was over and we were back at our house. Poor baby, I know how he feels. Vacation is fun.

I loved this picture of the two of us. I hope we have many more moments like this, just being together and enjoying the day and loving being mother and daughter. I am so blessed...I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but I feel that it's so important to count your blessings. Do you know that old church hymn, "Count Your Blessings"? One of my favorites. Here are the words:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,Count your many blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,Count your blessings, see what God hath done!Count your blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buyYour reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,Do not be disheartened, God is over all;Count your many blessings, angels will attend,Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

All I can say is "Amen" to that.

Saturday: The Hike

More vacation...Saturday dawned with a beautiful sunrise, which I captured just before the sun peeked over the clouds. The view from our cabin was awesome; I can't wait to do something special with this picture.



After a yummy, home-cooked breakfast (the advantage of staying in a cabin over a hotel room: being able to cook instead of eating out for every meal), we loaded up in the van (again!) and headed for the Smoky Mountains National Park. The best trail for the kids and Mamaw was the paved Laurel Hills hike, 1.3 miles one way to a very pretty waterfall at the top. It even wore Gabe out! We climbed rocks, saw a millipede, looked for bears, touched the waterfall, pretended to swing on vines and just had a great time making memories. The last time we did this hike, Isabel was Gabe's age and Elijah was five years old. Man, the years do sneak up on you. That's one thing I love about coming back to the mountains over and over; comparing the memories then to the ones we are making now. Isabel didn't remember this hike, but Elijah did. I wonder if Gabe will. If not, then at least we have the photos and scrapbooks to remind him :)

Setting off up the mountain, Gabe in the lead (though not for long...he was distracted by every puddle, rock, bug and stick in sight!)

Once at the top of the climb, Gabe did not want to cooperate with us taking pictures. I was a nervous wreck, imagining him falling down the side of that mountain. There were Danger signs posted everywhere, and one older man slipped and fell right in front of us. Quite enough adventure for me...I was ready to face the excitement of the outlet malls after this!

Papaw didn't make the hike...after 1/10th of a mile, he started feeling short of breath and having chest pain, so he turned around and went back to the van. He is in utter denial about his health, which is extremely frustrating for the nurse in me. He cancelled his appointment for an angiogram last year, and hasn't gone back to the cardiologist since. What can you do with someone like that? He is the last grandpa my kids have, since losing my dad, my grandpa, and Joe's grandpa all in the same year ('05). I pray for him to come to his senses.

I have one more set of pics to post tomorrow...hope you enjoy sharing in our vacation. Gabe is still begging to go back to "Bo-cation" every day, and I have to agree with him; this was our best one yet! Now off to the real world of laundry, cooking dinner and taking kids to after-school events. Ahh, life.

Road Trip! (Day One...)

Friday morning dawned drizzly and overcast, but we didn't care...we were headed to "Bo-cation" (Gabe's version of vacation) in Tennessee! Only half an hour off schedule, we hit the road at 6:30am, hoping to miss downtown Cincinnati rush hour. Here's my view from the back seat, nestled between Gabe and Isabel, with the puppy at my feet. I know that God was with us on this entire trip. How, you may ask? Here is how I know:

No car problems (other than gas costing $3.50 per gallon)
No fighting (between the kids OR the adults)
Good weather on two out of the three days we were there
Beautiful scenery and an awesome cabin
We were all healthy (except for Bob's period of chest pain, which resolved itself)
We made great memories, and none of us wanted to come home, especially Gabe




The first thing the kids wanted to do was jump into our hot tub. The cabin had a wrap-around porch, and Gabe ran about three miles a day, taking laps round and round. Definitely one of the kids' favorite things to do.

When Gabe saw this firehouse putt-putt golf, there was no talking him down. We ate dinner first, telling him it wasn't open until after all bellies were full. I don't really think he bought that, though, because he fussed all through the meal, begging everyone in sight to please please play dolf! (even our waitress, who totally backed up our story on having to eat dinner first).

Love this action shot! Once he figured out to turn the club upwards, he had it. He even got two genuine hole-in-one's!

What a great shot! Joe didn't play with us, but he got some really good pictures from the sidelines. The course was in the center of a shopping area, so Mamaw, Isabel and Daddy shopped while we played. Papaw and Elijah played a round on their own, so the antics of Gabe didn't stress anyone out. I just had a terrific time watching him have so much fun. I can't wait to scrapbook these pics!

Parting shot.

More to come later. Now I have a pile of laundry as big as Mount Everest looming before me (how does that happen in four short days? Definitely a mystery to me). TTFN.