Summer nights (and days)

Don't you love summer evenings? Joel and the boys love to play football in the shaded part of our yard in the evenings. And after the sun goes down, they move to the backyard and jump on the trampoline. There is something about that thick air and all the bug noises and having no shoes on that makes summer nights so special. We've been soaking them up around here.

Carter is our official ant killer. (He got so carried away with is duty that we eventually had to refill the bottle with water. He takes this job seriously. So now all the ants are really just getting a bath.)

The constant swimming, jumping, and birthday partying got to this munchkin. He has been skipping naps here and there, and this particular evening, he fell asleep at 5pm and didn't wake up until 5:45 the next morning!

I caught this shot a few days ago. Boys hard at work and Emerson just hanging in there with them.

Our neighbor's pool has been our life this summer! I am so thankful for generous neighbors. We swim every single day, sometimes twice a day! 

Carter was practicing in the bath tub before his swimming lessons :) Both boys took lessons last week. It went sooooo well, and I was very worried it might not. I had been anticipating that week for a month. Swimming lessons are a toss up for most kids....some love them, some hate them. I knew it would be a toss up for mine too. But thankfully, they absolutely loved them and told me they were sad they were over and wanted to keep taking them. Praise the Lord! I had been praying and had ALL my friends praying that God would give them courage and excitement, and He did! I am so proud of them and so thankful that God cares about every detail of our lives....even swimming lessons. I really needed Carter to learn to swim this summer because next summer is going to be a doozie with Emerson on the move. He is doing so great! I think he will have it down by the end of the summer. He is determined to learn and thanks to our neighbors gets tons of practice!

The boys are still loving taekwondo and both received their white belts last week! 

Happiest baby on the planet.

We went to Sardis lake with a friend last weekend and had an absolute blast! The boys loved the boat and Carter even tubed with me! He is becoming shockingly brave these days. And for those of you who know us well know that bravery is not his strongest quality! It's like something has clicked in his little mind and heart, and he has become so confident and had decided he can do anything he wants! You have no idea how I have prayed for this in his little life. I am so thankful. Just so very thankful.

Joel wakeboarding...he is shockingly good and he didn't even grow up going to lake like I did! 

Three kids later, and I've still got it! Whoop!

Carter and me on the tube.

Little Miss Sister is only a tad bit proud of herself  and her new sitting up skills. I forgot to post her stats last week....21 pounds 6 oz! She is in the 101 percentile for weight, 97th for height, and 86th for head circumference! She is NOT going to blow away! She is so big, so old, so active! This week especially, she has become extremely active! She rolls all over the place, kicks constantly, grabs and shakes toys, flaps her arms constantly, and is just moving, moving, moving. She is going to be active like Carter was at her age. Watch out...when she starts crawling, I might not have time to post on here for months!

Look at that tan little stinker. I feel like he has gone from a baby to a kid this summer. So skinny, busy, and just plain big boy. Learning to swim without floaties, dropping naps, and loving legos. Time is really passing by isn't it? Might need to put a brick on his head. 

Hi!

Hi Everybody! I'm six months old today!

Headed to her check up...stats to come!

Sweet Summertime

Summer is just the best. I was honestly worried about this summer when May 22nd rolled around and preschool was suddenly over. The idea of three kids who can't swim....one being a baby, and the heat, and the countless days and weeks with no agenda sort of freaked me out. BUT thankfully, we have stayed busy and have had loads of fun. VBS, the beach, our neighbor's generosity in letting us use their pool every. single. day! and lots of friends to play with in Oxford has made for a super fun June. Let's hope July is just as fun and busy!

Got a funny pic of the boys before VBS last week.

Can you get over her and all her chubbiness? Muah!

Such a big girl sitting up. She loves her new view.

Everybody wants a piece of him.

I spent way too much money on nice goggles to help the boys in their swimming lessons next week. Let's hope they were worth the money. Prayers for a positive experience in our first swimming lessons please!

Sister has started veggies. As you can tell, she wasn't too crazy about them at first, but she seems to be warming up quickly.

Oh Coop. This is her world. 

He's so proud of himself.

The boys have started taking taekwondo. It is so stinkin funny. They love it. They get their white belts today after filling in their chore chart the teacher gave them. Exciting day today.

The Cavnars came for a visit and brought Caleb. Carter was sooo excited. He adores his older cousin.

And Julie adored this sweet baby. 

And so did Caroline. Caroline kept saying, "She's just so squishy!" Ha!

One of Joel's Father's Day gifts.

This me every afternoon. We head next door and swim, swim, swim. So thankful for our neighbor's generosity! So nice not to have to load up in the car to go swimming.

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer too!

This week's faves

It was VBS week for us this week. What fun we had! The boys loved it and hopefully learned a lot about the theme...God's promises. We have been blessed with a wonderful church that really focuses a lot on the children's ministry....very thankful for the investment they are making in my children. It is of eternal value.

Big boy who couldn't quite swallow the idea of VBS last year but this year had a blast! 

Coop ready to go....well he says he's ready to go as long as they don't make him paint at VBS. ??? Not sure why he was worried about having to paint. Carter is in love with painting...Coop apparently not so much. Ha! Paint and sand and mud...not his cup of tea. I guess he doesn't like anything that tends to stick to you.

Sister is working hard at sitting up on her own! Go, Sis!!!

And my favorite pic of the week. Hee Hee. Life is too much fun when you are five months old in a new contraption.

And my favorite devo of the week. Spurgeon. It's all Amen in Jesus. Enjoy.

I love the beach

I mean I absolutely love it! It's my favorite place in the whole world. My mom and I started going together every year when I was in high school, and we've both been addicted since! We still try to go yearly but now we have husbands and kids in tow :) A little different from our old girls' trips, but oh so fun! I look forward to going all year long. Here is a glimpse into our fun this year. 

Thank goodness my wonderful parents went with us! They were life savers. They kept Emerson during her naps, dressed and undressed kids, played with them, let Joel and I go shopping, etc. So thankful for loving, serving parents. Not to mention they are so much fun! Vacation with kids is so fun, but it's a lot of work. Having four adults to three kids made a huge difference!

This kiddo is such a hoot. He did not like the sand, so he spent most of his time at the pool. He loved the pool! He liked being in the ocean some, but he wanted nothing to do with that sand. Maybe next year he will befriend the sand :)

This one on the other hand couldn't get enough of the sand, the ocean, the seashells, etc... He loved it all. He was a sand maniac. He was laying in it and rolling in it. He is like his mama....beach lover at heart. He is absolute happiest with his toes in the sand.

 Hub is so great to take us on vacation every year. I think I'll keep him around. XOXO :)

My favorite pic of the whole week! Hahaha! I said, "Everybody make a crazy face...and they did!" How fun is that? Best grandparents ever. 

PawPaw from Carter's angle....Carter is our blooming photographer. Pretty good pic. 

Our crazy crew on our last day.

I forgot to mention that we stayed with the Cavnars on the way down. E was well taken care of by these sweet cousins of hers. Thankful for the pit stop to and from the beach and love being able to see family. They so graciously host us several times year!

So now we are home and it's back to reality. Sigh. But who am I kidding, I have a great life. I just like it when my life is temporarily transferred to the beach :)