June Road Trip - Florida Friends

One of the hardest parts about taking such a short trip to Florida is that we had very limited time to balance between family and friends. When we only make it to Florida about twice a year, it is really hard to see all the people we would like to. We did manage, however, to see a few...

We met up with my friend Valerie at Chuck E. Cheese one day. The girls had a blast with her daughter, Lillian. 

Afterwards we went to their house and got to really enjoy little Miss Sophia. I love babies and the girls do, too. 

One top wish on our Florida list was to visit Downtown Disney so we could pin trade. The girls and I had gotten into pin trading when we went to Disney last November, and then I bought the boys some pins for Christmas so that they could join in the fun, too. So I asked my friend, Jenn, if she could meet up with us in Orlando and we had a fun afternoon together. The only downside to taking 6 kids to a crowded tourist area is that I really didn't have much time to 'visit' with Jenn. Next time we will have to pick a more relaxing place. 

Here are the kids in front of the Lego store:

 Jenn and me.

The kids were begging to get something in all the shops we went to, but they were limited to spending their own money. So when we found puffles on sale at the Disney Store, they decided to get some. 

As we were leaving Florida, we managed to squeeze in one more visit with friends in Jacksonville. It was just a quick lunch at Chick-fil-A, but it was fun to see them again. The boys really hit it off and were asking to see Oliver again as we continued our journey home.

5+4=9 well behaved kids!

Me and my friend, Rebecca.

June Road Trip - Nana's Garden

My mom has the most beautiful garden. Posting photos of it seems like an injustice, because it is so much more amazing in person. When my parents moved to their current house, instead of installing a traditional pool in the screened-in porch, they opted for a double pond and waterfall. In the years since, my parents have put in countless hours of work (my mom doing all the tending, my dad being her technician and willing laborer). A couple times each year they participate in pond & garden tours, and they get some recognition for all their hard work. To me, it is therapeutic to sit and enjoy the garden - a calm and peaceful sanctuary. For the kids, they love to run around and look at all the fish, to hunt for jewels in the rocks, and to race a set of balls down the creek.

My children have such distinct personalities. I love this photo.

This is my favorite flower in the garden... I love how the vine is suspended. 

 See? Such pretty flowers!

 There are plenty of koi. 

 A closer look at the waterfall.

The girls went around and collected the flowers that had fallen.

Will made sure that he wasn't left out of the photo fun.

Jacob, on the other hand, was too busy running around to slow down for a picture.

I see the beauty in my mother's garden and I praise God for His wonderful creation!

June Road Trip - Part 2

After our short stay in South Carolina, we headed down to my parents' house in Florida. We only had six days to visit so we tried to pack as much fun into those days as possible.

My parents have a community pool in their neighborhood, and the children LOVED it. I guess there are advantages to living in a subdivision... we sure do miss the pool we had at our condo in Hawaii.

One day my dad and I took the kids to Turkey Creek Sanctuary. Although it was as hot as a Florida summer day, it wasn't too bad when we were able to stay in the shade.

To me, Florida has a quiet beauty that can be found away from the beaches, believe it or not. I enjoy remote places much more than the crowded beaches.

My dad also gifted a Red Ryder BB Gun to the kids. I'm not sure who was more excited about this - the kids or me - but we had a blast shooting one afternoon. The gun was a bit too big for the little ones to handle, but Addie was the perfect height to use the trashcan as a prop.

Pretty good for her first try!

Bella was big enough to handle the gun by herself, but that made it a bit harder for her to aim.

 Three on the target, two above. Not bad! 

Jacob, however, had a hard time handling the gun. He didn't want to use a prop, so that was tricky. 

He only got three on the cardboard. The two others were misses. 

Will went last, and had a lot of help from Grandpa. Unfortunately, he didn't hit the board at all. Maybe in a couple years we can work on it some more.

We also spent a lot of time playing games with Grandpa.... Uno, Racko, Blockus, and Rummy (with Bella and me only). We introduced him to Pass the Pigs and he was not impressed. Those darn piggies wouldn't cooperate for him!

Nana was there, too... but usually behind the scenes (she's a bit camera shy). However, the kids sure did enjoy down her delicious food! 

I wish that we lived closer to my parents, but I know that is highly unlikely to happen while we remain in the Navy. For now, we'll have to cherish our visits. 

June Road Trip - Part 1

This spring I was feeling homesick for my parents and knowing that they wouldn't be making a trip up to Virginia in the foreseeable future, I decided to take the plunge and drive down there with the kids, without Jake. As Jake has a pretty demanding job, and since we are taking a family vacation later this summer, he was unable to go with us down to Florida. So I got on Google Maps and tinkered around with routes, and managed to talk two friends along the way to opening up their houses to 5 people for a couple nights. The Lord has blessed our lives with such amazing and generous people.

So our first stop was in South Carolina. We visited friends that we met on our last tour in Mississippi, who had recently been stationed in SC. The have 4 children (with one more on the way), so we had quite a houseful of kids! We had fun hanging out around their house, went to a park, followed with Sonic slushes, and had water fun in the backyard.

I tried to get a good shot of each child. 

Jacob and his friend, Christopher. 

Will has a slight obsession with water hoses. If he ever gets his hands on one, he will only stop if you demand it. Too bad for him, I make him stop all the time.

On our last morning before we headed out the door we lined the children up by age. In the photo from left to right, the ages are: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 2. We thought it was pretty cool.

Me and Michelle (and baby-to-come).  

We had a wonderful visit and sure wish we lived closer to our friends!

Growing Up

One day when Jake headed out to mow the lawn, I heard a tap on the window and looked out to see Jacob helping his daddy. He's still a bit too young to really control the mower alone, but it won't be long until this chore gets handed down from father to son! 

I just love these guys!

Rainy Day Fun

It has been quite rainy here this spring/summer. One day the kids went out to play and I grabbed my camera to snap some pictures from the front porch. Free fun - my favorite! 

I also tried my hand at a couple raindrop photos. I like how they turned out!

Thank you, God, for the rain you provide!