Girl time!

Gracie's been going to Vacation Bible School all this week (and the next one) with her buddy Felicity. These two are very similiar and have so much fun together. They can also argue like only girls can, but they seem to make up fast and really enjoy being goofy. I think they get that from their moms! :)

Botanical Gardens

On Tuesday the kids and I headed to the Botanical Gardens with our moms group. The kids were not that into the flowers, but they loved the big art structures they could climb on that were all over the gardens. This was our first time to the gardens and they were beautiful, however, I think to really enjoy it I need to go back without the kids :)

One Year

Well one year ago we were just arriving with our HUGE u-haul full of all of our belongings. I was so excited to see our new town and so sad to have left everything I know behind me. I cannot believe that an entire year has flown by. God has proved to me once again just how in control He is. I NEVER thought I would move anywhere, especially the midwest. But God knew better, and I listened, and here I am. I am enjoying all of the wonderful blessings He is giving us. I miss the beauty of the mountains, the oceans and the cool ocean air, but I'm finding new beauty in areas I would have never looked. I'm also loving that my life has slowed down so much. I'm really living in the moment and taking each day as it comes. What I love the most is that Wade is home all the time. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with him. He loves his job, it pays well, and he's so relaxed. And finally we get to all eat dinner together as a family. It has also been so nice to pay all of our debts off, and for the first time have a nice amount in savings AND checking, it's just been nice to find that everything is so much more affordable. And the biggest surprise of the year was having my ENTIRE family move out here. That was the hardest part about moving away, but God knew the bigger picture and it's so wonderful to see it unfolding. I feel so blessed that my kids get to have BOTH sets of grandparents close by...that really is rare today. I just really feel blessed. God has given me more than I could have ever asked for. I still miss my home sometimes. I can't wait to take the kids back and let them enjoy the beach and the mountains. I miss my wonderful friends who really are the cream of the crop. I miss those friends that know you through and through. I'm excited to get to get to know my new friends here, but I wish I could take all of you back home and package you up, and fly you out once a month. :) So, it's been quite a year, a crazy one full of changes. I can't wait to see what the next one will hold, I can only hope that it will be as good as the last one. One thing is for sure I will still be blogging! I'm hooked!

Another warm day!

It got up to 85 today and it was HOT! I got the slip and slide out for the kids, and that was a hit! Enjoying a summer day! Gracie's a pro at the slip and slide What an action shot! Charlie didn't like this one at all! You got me mom! All cooled off!

Fun in the sun!

Today was a beautiful summer day! Finally the rain took a break! It got up into the 80's and with no humity...it felt wonderful. The kids had a birthday playgroup in the morning at a local park and they LOVED every moment of it. Then the came home and BOTH TOOK NAPS..WOW! Then one of our friends invited us over to play in their pool. The kids had a blast...and they were exhausted...and so am I!! :)

Walking back from the carnival, the kids needed to sit down and take a break My two kiddos Charlie and his pink panther...:) Daddy and his girl

Carnival

We had a neighborhood bbq and decided to take the kids about a mile down the road to a carnival that the local Catholic church was putting on. The kids had a really good time! Our next door neighbor Severine, Charlie and Gracie on the carousel Gracie on her FIRST big kid roller coaster, she was just barely tall enough! You can see her little head peeking out, she was a little scared, but super excited! Charlie was sad that he wasn't big enough to go with sissy...:( Notice the cotton candy all over his face. And Gigi gave him a pink panther that is over 20 years old..and he won't let it go! So I took him over to the cars and he LOVED it...:)