Summer Camp

We lost our boy to church camp for the week. We've missed him terribly, but they've been posting photos on facebook daily and it looks like he's having a great time! I can't wait to squeeze his neck tonight! :)

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest!

Yep, you heard that right! Garola farm has reached an all time low high! Clipping chicken wings! Chickens can't fly more than two feet off the ground. So that's what we were told, it's also what we read. It's also hogwash! Either our chicken feed has kryptonite in it, or our chickens are dying for a new home, but they were escaping their newly built fence like crazy! It's secure! There is no way they could go under around or through it, they were going over! I'm not sure it was totally flying. I think they were hopping on the top of the run, then the coop, then the fence. Nonetheless, when Cade and I chased one over our 7 foot privacy fence and all over our 90 year old neighbor's backyard in a thunderstorm, I knew we had hit chicken rock bottom! NEVER again would I do that. So my very smart birdbrained husband watched a youtube video on how to clip chicken wings and then did it himself! Yes, youtube was his authority! He said to think of it as a haircut! It's worked, I think, I better not let the girls hear me say that, but no ones flown the coop in nearly 2 weeks! :) I'm really not sure what's more redneck about this video, our under construction, rigged up half painted chicken coop and messy yard (it's done now and looking much more chic), the half naked two year old in the background, or Cade's camo pj pants and very redneckish end comment to poor Ellie. Yes, I do know what's more redneckish, Cade wins!

candid shots

look mom, I hit it so hard, I broke the bat!


 pre swim self motivation dance!



  cute sisters eating bar-b-que



lazy gorilla on a lazy saturday (looks like someone else I know on a lazy saturday)



 clara's baby clothes quilt top, pre quilting!

California Gurls are Unforgettable aka daisy dukes, bikinis on top

It's over. The sassiest, most anticipated, yet very cute recital yet! When I left Cora backstage crying because she "needed her mommy" I wasn't sure what would happen as they took the stage, but it was AWESOME! She rocked that sparkly red jeep and high 80s ponytail like never before! What fun!

Gas Station Petting Zoo in Douglas, Georgia

You know you live in Georgia when, the highlight of your road trip back from Atlanta is a stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere that has a petting zoo to the side with more variety than Zoo Atlanta. The kids loved it. I was concerned as to how these rare animals were obtained by this gas station owner. Rob asked him, "How did you get all of these animals?" He replied, "oh, here and there," very casually as if PetSmart in Douglas, Georgia has a rescue group that comes in needing homes for bison and long horns!

Girls Room Re-do Sneak Peek

We've spent the first rainy week of summer vaca redoing the girls room.  It's not quite finished. We're waiting on new matching beds built by pop, Clara's matching quilt from my friend, and a few random accessories.  Here's a sneak peek at what turned out to be a bit darker than anticipated walls.  We call it mermaid turquoise. It's colorful to sat the least, but the girls LOVE it! :)

Too much fiber

This is one of those stories it's probably better to not share.  Definitley TMI, but it's so funny, I must.

Last week the kids had a sitter at the house for 3 days while I finished up my teacher post planning days. We love our sitter. She's precious, but she's a teenager.  She didn't know that it's probably not the best idea to give a two year old a fiber one bar even if it is chocolate chip. Fast forward to mommy's arrival home.  Clara is in just a diaper.

Me: What happened to your clothes?
Clara: They dirty.
Sitter: She had a messy accident. I put her dress in the washer.
Me: (in my head) That must have been some accident, glad I didn't change it! (still didn't know about the fiber one bar)

We took the sitter home.  I thought it was a fluke, so I let Clara resume to her potty training uniform, the birthday suit.
She's great about telling me when she has to go potty. No accidents in weeks. I'm on the phone, Cade runs in screaming.


Cade: CLARA THREW UP! CLARA THREW UP ON THE CARPET IN THE FAMILY ROOM! (the only carpeted room in our house, it was steam cleaned 2 days prior!)  THERE'S A BIG PILE OF BROWN THROW UP!

I go running in to survey the situation- I take one look and realize this may not be throw up.

Me: Clara, what happened?

Clara:  I throwed up from my fanny...

sweet girl of summer

Swimmer's Take Your Mark...

The Baller

My little man in action. He's enjoyed baseball a lot this year. How is it possible for him to be so big?