In the Good Ol' Summertime

Ah, the sights and sounds of summer! The honeysuckle scent in the night air, the sound of crickets, tree frogs and cicadas singing in unison and, of course, the watermelon! What more could you ask of summer? She brings her beauty - green grass and trees, gorgeous flowers and glowing sunsets - with grace and then just as gracefully, she fades into fall. Her carefree (or school-free!) days become just a memory as the rhythm of autumn sets in.

While we are still enjoying summer, I wanted to share these photos of the kids on a sweltering summer day last week. Yes, along with all the beauty and serenity of summer comes the heat. But the heat is bearable with a little water from the slip 'n slide, and a little watermelon in the hand!

Here are some photos of Lauren, Mitchell and their friend, Maria, enjoying some tasty Hope watermelon. They had been having some fun playing on the slip 'n slide and then drying off on the swing with a slice of watermelon to quench their thirst.

Hope's motto is "a slice of the good life".

The good life indeed! Here's the proof:

We'll be heading out in the morning for our summer vacation! We have been so blessed this summer already, I almost feel guilty taking a wonderful vacation on top of everything else! We would appreciate your prayers as we travel. We are excited about seeing my family in North Carolina, but we will miss our church family here.
As Christians, we can celebrate our "good life" in Christ 365 days a year!
Praise the Lord!

Happy summer, everyone! :o)

Some of My Favorite Photos

Hello, Friends, neighbors and countrymen! Lend me your ear...uh, I mean eyes! I am very behind on sharing photos, so here is a run down of some of my favorite shots from this summer. I do hope they don't bore you.

Oh! And Laci is doing better, thanks for the prayers. She goes for a re-check of her ears on Thursday, and I'm not sure when we'll see the ENT yet. I'll keep you posted.

Have a great day, and thanks for your friendship!!

Laci covered herself up and snuggled up with her baby when I put her down for her nap recently. She stayed this way long enough for me to snap a photo! :]


Hamming it up for the camera!
I love Leslie's rosy cheeks in this photo.
Here's little Laci trying to look busy!Lauren built a house of books! So, when you're done reading them, don't put them away, build!!

On June 21st we all got to go swimming at the Powell's house. We had such a good time! Here are my favorite pictures!
Nice goggles!! We didn't know Mitch knew Obama! Here's Terry with Barack Obama!! Wow! Okay, it's not the real thing, but a great likeness, don't you think??
Mrs. Joyce Powell has gorgeous petunias!!

Here's Lauren and her Dad in a self-portrait
On our date a few weeks ago, Terry stopped by KFC to get us drink on the way home. He told the drive thru lady, "Give me a Mega Dr. Pepper" Well, we had no idea how big "Mega" was...now we know! (half a gallon?? No, we didn't finish it...not even close!)
Leslie thought Dad's brief case needed a remodel
Here's Laci in her cutsie (did I just say "cutsie"? Whoa. That's a little too...sweet for me. I mean darling)little swim outfit that Mrs. Joyce had at her house. I just love this photo!
"Look at me, Mom! Isn't this fun??"

Playing dress up!
"Boo!"
Two sweet girls just hangin' out together.
Laci is feeding her baby! And she's sharing her own drink! Now that's love! :]
I tried to get a photo of Mitch's missing tooth, and then he lost another one, so I'll have to get a better photo! You can kinda see the hole in the lower right side in the middle...does that make sense??

Having Fun in the Water and Sun!

We have two sweet kiddos living right across the street from us. I know that they're sweet because I go to church with them! Nicholas and Maria have been a blessing to my kids. They ride bikes together, play at the "big tree" together, and jump on the trampoline together. One day about a week ago, they joined us for some fun in the sun on our slip and slide. It was such a joy to see my children enjoying the friendship of others kids their age. What a wonderful blessing!
In Texas, we were never able to use our slip and slide for a couple of reasons. #1. The grass had too many burrs and thorns for them to run barefoot on it. #2. Fire Ants were literally on every spot on our lawn. Every time we used the water hose, they came out of the ground in troops. We have not taken for granted the lovely green (and burr free) grass that we enjoy here in God's Country ;], or the fact that the fire ants are fewer!
I thought you might enjoy these photos!

Laci's first time in. She's getting some help from her sweet big sister.

Terry had fun spraying them with the water hose!! (He got pretty soaked as well!)

Laci enjoyed her first foray in the the world of water fun! In fact, she kept getting in the way of the kids wanting to slide! She just wanted to sit and splash. I need to get her a kiddie pool, I guess!

Here's Laci drying off in the hot sun, boy did they all have fun!!