Summer Recap

Our blogging has been terrible this summer, because we've been out having fun!  Lots is going on with us!  I'll give you some of the most exciting summer highlights!

#1 Awesome Swim Season/ Pool Time!  Both Cade and Cora did Isle of Hope Swim team this year.  Cade is still one of the fastest swimmers around.  Although being only 9 and competing in the 10U age bracket, he's looking forward to next summer! Isle of Hope placed second in the city this year, but we look forward to regaining our first place title next summer!  We always love swimming in the summer.  Our littlest Garola even learned to get her face wet and jump off the board this year!

#2 Tybee- We enjoyed the two weeks that we spent at Tybee Island in June.  Thanks to the White Family for sharing their condo with us! It was great to have a vacation close to home because we got to have lots of friends come and play!

#3- Indiana- We always enjoy our summer pilgrimage to Indiana with stops in Atlanta both ways! You can't beat time with grandparents!

                                    always love seeing those Barta kids!!! We loved meeting Hadley!

                                                       Loving the Warrick CO. 4H Fair!

                                                                everyone caught freshwater fish!

                                                          Ohio River and Ice Cream

                                                  Fun and Horseback Riding at The Shrode's House

4.  Summer Birthday Girl
I'm glad at least 1/3 of my children have summer birthdays.  We had a fun, low key birthday sleepover with a few of Cora's friends!

 LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE GIRLS!

                                             Check out the big 7 year old with pierced ears!!!

5. Fun hanging at home.
I love summer. It's the best part of being a teacher.  I love cooking with fresh stuff from the garden, playing outside,  and just tossing the schedule aside.  Low key, stress free, ice cream eating, tire swingin', chicken lovin' summer!  Ahhhh...

                                                       Bailey and Clara! Total cuteness!

                                       Leia is getting along beautifully with Ellie the fence jumper!

                                                      Edamame, YUM!

                                                       

Hugs for Sweet Rosie

This past weekend we had to say goodbye to our sweet kitty, Rosie, of almost 17 years.  That crazy, spirited, sassy kitty cat really did serve her nine lives well.  I got Rosie from a family I babysat for when I was 20 years old.  Right from the start she was spunky.  Not your typical curl up in your lap kind of kitten, but she was playful and oh so cute.  She loved a 2 inch tall stuffed teddy bear that we called "bear bear."  Bear bear would show up in the most unusual places and for years, I'd think he was lost and then Rosie would pull him out of nowhere.  One year after I got Rosie, I met Rob.  She wasn't crazy about him at first (or anyone else for that matter).  She was sorta a one person girl. But as wild as she was, the minute you'd start to pet her, she would purr loudly.  Rosie was with me through 2 moves in college and then she made the trip to Savannah with Rob and I.  She moved with us 3 times in Savannah and survived 2 big doggy sisters.  Rosie wasn't ever too crazy about the kids until Clara came along.  She loved Clara because Clara loved her.  And in Clara's day Rosie had slowed down dramatically limiting her habitat to our master bed and bathroom.  Surprisingly crazy Clara was always very gentle and sweet with Rosie.  Clara's our animal lover and she'd seek Rosie out each morning until the very end and kiss and pet her.  Rosie's kidney's were failing and she rapidly declined over the past 4-5 months.  It's very strange when something that's been such a permanent fixture is suddenly gone.  Cade prepared a precious little headstone in our backyard for her.  He adorned it with hydrangeas cut from our front yard.  We're so thankful for the small things like pets that add so much to life.  We love you, Rosie!

Friend Camp 2013

We didn't waste a second of summer!  The minute school got out, we jumped into our annual Isle of Hope Friend Camp with Cora's friends.  This idea is so genius it still blows my mind.  All it takes is 5girls + 5 willing moms + creativity!  Our day was PAINTING DAY!  The rain didn't stop us!  We painted canvases, a mural, and finally each other!

Lala's Wedding

Just realized we haven't posted any pics of this fun, special, beautiful day!  Congrats to Aunt Lauren and UNCLE Andy!

flower girl kisses jr. bridesmaid

stud

Flower girls...Sloan, Grace, and Clara

The Future stars of So You Think You Can Dance

My great grandma still fist pumping at 92!

Uncle Andy doing the sprinkler!

prettiest bride ever!

So fun seeing my aunts and cousins!

girl of the year

We decided to partner with The Leukemia Lymphoma Society in a fund raising campaign new to Savannah this year.  It is called Man/Woman of the Year campaign.  Basically young business professionals compete in a extensive fund raising campaign for 10 weeks and whoever raises the most earns the title.  Our role....allowing Cora's cute face to serve as girl of the year to inspire people to give.  It was a TON of fun and the results were amazing!  They earned 202K for LLS that will stay in our area.  What can we say, who wouldn't be inspired by this face?

Our Limo Awaits...

the high life

Cora signing autographs

The Crew with winners standing directly behind Cora and Sam!

Book Character Day

SCPS's annual book character parade was today.  Here we have Waldo's girlfriend/sister??.


And here we have our version of her with her photo-bombing little sister.

I love my husband, but his sense of style needs some work.  He's a coach.  He wears coaching clothes.  This is his daily get up: khakis, some coaching looking shirt, and tennis shoes.

But this very day I could not stop laughing at what happened to him after school.  He walks into Parkers Gas Station on Victory Drive to pay for gas.  The lady behind the counter stares straight at him and says, "You cut hair?"

Yes, she did! She mistaked his coaching jacket, nylon, shirt thingy for a hair cutting smock!  HA HA HA!!!!