Blog Break

Well, it seems that I have taken a summer vacation from blogging and it is definitely time to catch up on some happenings! We filled our summer days with lots of fun stuff...I'll just let the pictures tell most of the story...

Now that the entire family is outfitted with wheels, we have been hitting the road for bike rides with the kiddos. Carson trails behind Greg on a crazy cool 1/2 bike and Mia rides behind me in a baby seat. Our favorite ride is on Saturday mornings to an awesome little breakfast place for fresh OJ, egg sandwiches and homemade pastries...then we ride a little more ;-)

Mia seems to really enjoy her little spot on the back of my bike. She never seems to complain anyway...

Maybe that's because she sleeps almost the entire time!!!

We beat the summer heat at our new favorite place...the Dunedin Sprayground.


Hangin' with Daddy.

Having fun at a MOPS playdate.

Hey, this floor has sprung a leak!

It's the newest craze...

We loved spending our summer evenings on the beach...it's just too crazy hot during the daytime hours (especially for Mia.) We met up with Aunt Andi and Aunt Becky at Fort DeSoto to check out the newest, coolest way to get a serious core workout, hang out with dolphins and get a great tan. It's called paddleboarding and Andi is hooked!

Carson loved trying out his skills on the board...he is such a little beach bum.

Oooh, what a pretty sunset!

Click here for a photoshow of our paddleboarding adventure:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Jq5Ac7FZ

More summer fun

We spent a couple of days at Disney with friends from Texas. It was such fun for the kids and we saw things this time that we missed the last. We even had breakfast with some of the Disney characters...who is the biggest kid of all?

Magic Carpet ride...where's the nitrous on this thing?

A big splash at Typhoon Lagoon

My brother went to Disney World
and all I got were these silly ears!

We spent a lot of time in the pool this summer too.

Another fave destination...the Hands On Children's Museum.

Bye-bye pink bathroom!

We spent a few weeks this summer remodeling my parent's bathroom (circa 196o's.) It was a bittersweet moment prior to the demolition hammer's first swing. After all, this is the bathroom I learned how to potty train in, got ready for my prom in, and could position the three mirrors to get a perfect view of the back of my head.

This bathroom served us well...all seven kids and Mom too. Countless showers, flushes and arguments over who goes next in line!

The cabinetry came from Ikea. Very cute and economical too. The only problem is you have to assemble it with these crazy picture instructions. At times it was very frustrating, but Greg and Dad managed to get it all together.

Can we fix it? Yes we can!

Ta-dah!!! Mom is in love with her new bathroom with stylish grab bars, extra tall sparkling toilet and pretty onyx mosaic tile accents. She says she spends more time than she needs to in there just because she loves it so much!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Carson's school hosted a special celebration in honor of Grandparent's Day. The kids sang songs and gave handmade cards and gifts then shared refreshments after the show. Inside the card, it read:

Grandparents and grandchildren,
Together they create a chain of love
Linking the past with the future.
The chain may lengthen,
But it will never part.

After the party at school, we came home to celebrate Nana Marsha and Greg's birthday too.

Our kids are so blessed to have such wonderful and loving grandparents.

So many cousins, so little time!

Carson and Mia have been so blessed over the last few weeks to spend some unexpected time with cousins from far and wide. They have come to visit from Rhode Island, Palm Bay and Texas this summer, and Carson has had a blast getting to know them a little better. Today we spent the day with Sierra and Cole from Houston while they spent this week with Nana Marsha and Grandpa Larry. Carson had a big time swimming, playing Legos (sorry, Cole!) and invading the toy box. Mia was perfectly content getting loved on the whole day. Of course, they both slept the whole way home and when Carson opened his eyes, he sleepily said, "I miss my cousins."

It was fun for me to see how they are all growing up to be such sweet, smart and lovable kids.

Big thanks to Nana Marsha and Gpa Larry for hosting a great day and fabulous lunch for all of us!

For a photoshow of more pics from the day click:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/cI5sR8kR

Sisters in town!

Greg's sister Ruth and her family made their annual pilgrimage to the Daytona Nascar race this week and while in Florida, hopped over to the West Coast for a little family time with John's mom and us. Cheryl and her boys were also in town, so it was a great opportunity to all get together. We had lunch at our house and hung out for the day. All seven cousins were together and Carson was in HEAVEN! It was a nice visit...

The gang's all here

Dad and daughters

Cheryl, Alec and Adam

A couch full of cuties!

John and Megan

Cool in the pool

Happy Fourth of July!

We celebrated the Fourth at home this year with a cookout and fireworks show. Mia sported her all-American colors while Carson and his tractor were hard at work making it a special celebration...

We loaded up the trailer with fireworks and met up with neighbors in our cul-de-sac for some pyro-fun.

Ka-BOOM! Carson was not quite into the noise of the fireworks. He spent most of the night in my lap with his ears covered. He kept saying "fire is scary!"

He was brave enough to hold a sparkler though.

At the end of the show, he gave little Connie a ride back to the house.

Swap Till You Drop

Beyond being economical, eco-friendly and a great excuse to clean out your closet, a swap party with the girls is far more fun than a yard sale with strangers! We all brought together our used treasures that we no longer cared to keep and had a shopping spree for FREE. Totally guilt free shopping :-) From clothing, accessories, books, CDs, DVDs, plants, housewares and decor, we shopped till we dropped. My take: a 13 piece Dr. Seuss library, over 50 music CD's, 2 dresses, 3 pairs of comfy capri pants and some fall decorations. After the party, the remains of the day were donated to a charity called The Women of Hope Clothes Closet, a church group in Seminole who help outfit women with free clothes, many of whom are seeking jobs and trying to get on their feet. They were so thankful for the donation...I would recommend sending your things their way. http://www.seminolefirstbaptist.com/

Jewelry shopping with Aunt Andi

Some books for Mom

Just what my hubby always wanted!

Oooh, this is a good one!

Happy Half Birthday Mia!!!

I know it is totally an over used phrase, but it is so true...kids grow up SO FAST. Just a theory, but I think the second is faster? At our six month visit to the Pediatrician, Mia tipped the scale at just over 16 pounds and 26 1/2 inches long. She also got the go ahead to start eating cereal, fruits and veggies. We also got her ears pierced (harder for me than it was for her, she was smiling within half a minute.) A month of many milestones: she now easily rolls onto her tummy, says Mama, got her first tooth, sits up alone and had her first Mommy and Me swim lesson. Mia is really blossoming with personality...she laughs and squeals, enjoys people, adores her brother, plays with toys and is super sweet and lovable. How did we ever live without her?

Six Month Portraits

First eats! Rice cereal, yum.

I love my new earrings!

First swim lesson at home

Thank God for teething toys!