Really? Already????

School is in the air....the smell of new backpacks, lunch boxes, fresh crayons, erasers, markers - it's everywhere!

And honestly, I'm not too thrilled about it.

I mean, part of me is.  The kids are looking forward to seeing friends again.  Sarah is very excited about being in first grade.  I'm GLAD they feel that way.  However, this morning as I was thinking about it (for the gazillionth time), I realize I am really going to miss them not being around.  Even my little headstrong one (haha).  We have been so busy this summer, but for the most part we have been busy TOGETHER.  Now, a different kind of busy is going to set in.  Instead of us doing things as a pack, it will be a matter of each one doing his/her own different thing (which I do encourage - don't get me wrong), and Charles and I will become the overseers/shauffers/cheerleaders of these things.  It's time to clean off the dry erase board and start filling it up with daily routines and schedules.

Ugh.

Having four kids with (for the most part) different interests makes for a busy schedule.  That is okay though.  If someone has an interest in something and is willing to fully commit to it, then we will do our best to make sure they can participate.  Soccer season is about to start, and I am VERY excited about that!  I love watching them play!  This year, three kiddos will be playing.  That potentially means three different teams and practices AND games (GULP!)  I still have not decided if I want to request for Sarah and Ava to be on the same team.  Sarah will try to helpful, but she tends to dominate.  Ava needs a chance to spread her wings without Sarah trying to take over.  It would be convenient (for me that is) for them to be on the same team - but I don't think it would be good for them - well Ava that is.  I guess I just convinced myself didn't I?  Haha!

Alright then...time to stop whining about the impending doom fast approaching school year.  Summer 2012 was a great season for us, but now it is time to move ahead.  It is kind of like half time in a football game.  We stopped, took time to huddle together and refresh ourselves, now it is time to get back in the game.  (However I'm secretly looking forward to the next "time out"!)  Whoop Whoop!!!!

Love Me Some Vacation!!!!

Vacation....next to Christmas, it's my most favorite time of year.  It means lots of laziness and family time.  I know some people go on vacation and run themselves ragged - and sometimes you have to (going to Disney is a prime example).  Beach trips are different tho.  Once we get to the condo, we unload the car then head to Wal-Mart to stock up on food for the week.  A typical day is waking up late, eating a little breakfast, heading to the beach/pool, lunch, rest while it is hot outside, then back out for more beach/pool time.  Most nights we cook dinner at the condo (because with 6 people it is much cheaper to eat in) then maybe go to Sonic for 1/2 price shakes!  We do venture out "into town" to eat at Lambert's (a MUST), go to the outlet mall, and souvenier shop.  Honestly, we just enjoy being around each other and that is what we want to do...well...that and play in the ocean too!  We collect shells, bob around in the ocean, Sarah, Zachary and Josh ride the waves on their boogie boards - it's just the simple life for a whole week.  Here's just a few things that added to the list of memories:

Sarah and Ava's love of water (Sarah especially!)

Lots of boogie boarding...the kids are quite good!  Sarah doesn't have to know that she and Zachary were probably stung by jellyfish...they are such troopers!

Balcony time - Ava LOVED sitting on the balcony - especially to eat breakfast (or anything for that matter).  Two nights in a row she asked me to sit out there and hold her until she fell asleep in my arms :)

Food always tastes better at the beach.  Even a peanut butter sandwich was amazing!

Ice cold Diet Sunkist...Pringles...ice cream sandwiches (not necessarily together)...yum!

Banana boat riding and parasailing.

Lambert's...catching (sometimes dropping) the rolls...fried okra...fried potatoes...sweet tea... (again yum!)

Walking off the meal from Lambert's at the outlet mall

Searching for seashells

Josh convincing Charles to take a bite of his what appeared to be green apple or lime snowcone when in actuality it was dill pickle.  Yes - it was quite funny!

Ava throwing Zachary's necklace off the 4th floor balcony.  Then the next day she was falsely accused of tossing Zachary's cell phone charger off the balcony.  Said charger was found in the bottom Zachary's backpack a few hours later. (Yes - Charles did apologize to her)

Harious laughing that ensued when Ava said she could not sleep without her blanket (we had her convinced her blanket had been tossed off the balcony) and my response to her was, "Well, Zachary can't sleep without his necklace or phone charger!"  I was trying to drive home a point.  The family wasn't helping...

Only once did one child almost get left at a gas station...he still doesn't know that happened.

Jellyfish...little fishes...ghost crabs...lots of sea creatures

BTW...iPhones are so great on a trip.  We found places to eat, a much nicer Wal-Mart, used the iPod feature to listen on the ride home...such a great little tool (even if reception was not the greatest.)

No child wore swimmies this year...yay!

And the BEST part?  This year we did NOT get locked out of the condo!!

So....It's Been a While!

Goodness!  It has been so long that when I logged into Blogger, I didn't recognize all the "new" stuff!  It has changed drastically.  I know I need to update pics...they are a year old...but that will come later.

So, what has everyone been up to the past six months?  I have missed my on-line "journaling".  Great therapy, but I got tired of only writing about (or FEELING like I was writing about) my strong dislike of shopping and the war between Kroger and Wal-Mart.  There is only so much of that one can take.  Also, I am NEVER on the computer at home.  Thanks to the iPhone, it really isn't necessary - however, blogging from a phone is so not appealing.

That being said, I have decided that I need to get back into this.  If anything, for my kids sake.  This is something for them to be able to look back on in years to come.  It is all about them (well, mostly).  They can read about the funny stuff, the serious stuff and things they will likely forget or maybe even never knew about.  I regret not blogging about the great Disney trip of Christmas 2011. I did make notes on my phone, but no official blog.  :(  We did take a gazillion pics tho.  I think it is a memory that will live forever in spite of my lack of writing about it!

So let's just fast forward to June 2012. 

Sarah and Ava both had birthdays this month.  They are now 6 and 5 respectively.  WOW!  Time has flown so quickly (as any good mother would say!)  Really it has.  They aren't toddlers...they are little people! Their little personalities are unfolding more each day.  I think I now have a little Zachary and a little Josh on my hands,,,how I love my kids!

This is the thing that has been weighing heavily on my mind lately.  On the day of their party, I had been reading the blogs of two very sick kids (Trey Erwin and Lucy Krull - click on their names and go their respective blogs if you aren't familiar with their stories), and on this particular day, neither Lucy or Trey were doing well at all.  It weighed heavily on my heart because I just could not fathom what these parents must be going thru.  I looked at my own kids and thought about the party we had just come from and was so thankful for all the giggles and fun that had been had that day.  I thought, "I am so blessed."  Then just as quickly as I thought it, a small voice inside asked, "And they're not?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

These families are no different than ours.  They love the Lord as much as we do.  Their faith is an amazing testimony of what God is doing in their lives...even in the midst of the storm.  It was as if I was saying I am blessed because my kids are healthy.  Okay, I guess I am - but do you understand what I am trying to say here?  We are all blessed.  In spite of circumstances, we are all blessed.  When we are rejoicing in life's victories, we are all blessed.  When we are grieving in the pit of despair, we are all blessed.  It is easier to feel it in the good times, but it still holds true in the tough times.  I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before....but it does make me think twice about using the phrase "I am blessed.  Well, maybe not using it --- maybe just the context?  You know what I mean... :-)