Bailey's New Friend

Bailey & Kirsten

Bailey celebrated her seventh birthday while we were in Tennessee. She had two parties, one at each grandparent's house. It was great to be able to celebrate this special occasion with our family! She loved all of her presents, but she was especially excited about her new friend Kirsten!

Down by the River

Eli loved his first time in the river!

Anna Grace and her amphibian friend

The girls had a great time playing mermaid!

Mamaw and Eli enjoying the view

Uncle Jim and Isaac wading across the river.

Mark's mom was raised on a river in a beautiful area of southwest Virginia, and her brother Jim still lives there. Going to visit him is one of the highlights of our summer trips. I have learned to pack extra clothes, because the children love the river! Uncle Jim always buys the children special treats (this time it was M & M's, cookies, chocolate milk and Mountain Dew), and he is quick to pass out dollars whenever children are in sight! We had a great day at the river!

Catching Up

Eli's first time in the grass. He obviously loved it!
Quack!

"The Gang"

AAAAHHHH! It seems like I blink and a month has gone by with no blogging. I keep thinking that I will post when I have a big block of time, and it never seems to happen! So, here is a quick post to get me back in the habit!

We had an "action packed" trip to visit our family in Tennessee. Mark and I (and Eli too!) went away for a night to celebrate our tenth anniversary. It was very refreshing! I really appreciate my parents' willingness to watch our children! The next day we headed to Dollywood for some fun in the Smokies. Mamaw and Nanna came too, so we were not quite so outnumbered by our children! Mark and Bailey tried out most of the fast rides, and Isaac branched out and tried a few as well. Olivia and Anna Grace rode quite a few of the "kiddie rides", which were more my speed! It was lots of fun, but we were all exhausted by the end of the day.

Our three oldest children rode back with Mamaw and spent the night at her house without us. They always enjoy getting a little extra attention without us around. The rest of us headed her way the next morning and spent a few days visiting Mark's family. We made our annual visit to Mamaw's "home place" and the children waded in the river, splashing and skipping stones.

Mark drove back to Arkansas, and the kids and I stayed five extra days with my parents. We have several places that we always visit when we are visiting -- The Fresh Market (for jellybeans of course!), Dollar Tree, The Cove (park at the lake) and Chick Fil A (which is especially important now that we live in a town where there is not one!). My brother Bo and his girlfriend Lindley came over several times, and the children loved spending time with them. The time went quickly, as always. My sweet mom made the drive back with me, and stayed for a few days before flying back home (I got lost and she missed her flight, but we won't talk about that!).

I love the time time that we are able to spend with our family. I am thankful that our children have such a great relationship with their extended family. It is especially precious since we are not able to live close to them. Praise God for family!