Chick Magnet

I recently told my husband that our son, Nolan, was one of the cutest kids ever. I even said, "he is totally a chick magnet." This picture proves my theory to be true! It seems like everywhere we go, women run up to him and rub his red hair, and tell me how adorable he is. Well, recently we were at a festival, and a girl with a camera ran up to him and said, "I HAVE to take his picture for the paper!" So, we agreed, and Nolan was more than happy for a chance to shoot someone with his new bubble gun. She got a much better picture of him than I am ever able to. He's usually running in the opposite direction, and so I have lots of pictures of his back. Maybe, just maybe the bubble gun is the trick!

"When You Are Through Changing, You Are Through"

Last Monday changed my life...forever. I know, it's only Pre-K, it's only 3 hours a day, it's only a minimal introduction to the next 13+ years. But, I couldn't help the way I felt as I took my 4 year old to school, to the care of another adult for the first time ever. I've been home with Ava since the day she was born. Yes, Paul and I have "getaways," but she is with family and close friends during those times. Now, I had to drop her off with complete strangers. As I drove away that first day, a flood of emotions ran over me. I was sad that my baby was growing up. I cringed at the thought that she will be in school every day until she graduates. There's no going back and it's like we just accelerated the growing up process! Then, I looked at my sweet boy and thought about how much I would treasure this time with just him and myself. I thought about how much I could accomplish with only 1 child (I actually went grocery shopping that very first day:)). After I got home, Nolan wanted some Buzz Lightyear mac and cheese. So, that's exactly what we did. We had a mac and cheese breakfast date.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17
My children are two of my good and perfect gifts from God, and even in these times of change and craziness, He is unchanging...my rock and my fortress.

I have decided to embrace this time, this point in our lives, praying that I've at least somewhat done my job in preparing Ava to take a small step out into this very big world, and embracing this most precious time I have exclusively with Nolan. Two weeks into it, so far so good. :)

Disney, Disney, Disney!!!

I think we all have days when things are off. They just don't seem quite right and we know we are missing something. Well, I'm having one of those days, and the "something" I'm missing is Disney World! I miss everything about it. I miss getting excited when Mickey waves at us during the parade. I miss getting soaked on Splash Mountain. I miss Dole Whips! Oh, how I miss Dole Whips! I miss listening to my husband ask what fairies are present at the meet and greet, and then ask about each one by name as the cast member told him he was the only man ever to name every fairy. I miss trying to beat my high score on Toy Story Mania! But, most of all I miss the excitement our children had on their faces every single time we went to the parks. I have also realized just how spoiled I was to have had Disney passes for 15 months, and I know what I want for Christmas this year:) I completely took them for granted and even remember turning down a couple of trips to Disney. Never again! I guess this "time off" will make it all the more joyous when we return.

Nolan

I thought Ava needed to share the spotlight with her little brother. So here are some of Nolan's great and some not-so-great moments!

Cat Cheer Clinic

Ava and Karson

Getting down to "George of the Jungle."

Here's the little cheerleader...notice she has high hopes wearing a Gator shirt! Maybe someday she'll cheer at BHG! Or should I say The Swamp, "Where only Gators get out alive!" Muhahaha!

Resurrection of the Blog????

I'm not making any promises, but I'm going to try to resurrect our blog. I guess life just got in the way...well, not sure if it was life or the fact that we have an incredibly SLOW internet connection at our house! So here's hoping...and a few of my favorite photos just for fun!

Beach Bum

Our baby loves the beach! In the first picture, she is collecting seashells, which didn't last long. She was completely drawn to the water. We took her in for a while and when it was time to go, Paul had to pry her out of the water, which mom captured in the second picture. Another of her favorite beach activities was chasing the seagulls. That's what she was doing in the third picture. Much fun, but very exhausting for mom and dad.