Life's a Beach

  What can I say? Our trip to the beach was wonderful. Sun, sand, pool (more pool than anything), naps, great food, fun family, and two precious little boys who had a ball.  

These pictures say it all:

If Luke doesn't have his ever present paci in his precious little mouth, his tongue is taking it's place --
see below:

Me explaining making wishes in fountains!

Had so much fun!!!!

Saying "Bye-Bye" beach...

See you next year!!! Miss you already!

Garden update

Our garden is FINALLY starting to grown lots of weeds vegetables and flowers and I can't wait to actually pick something. After our tomatoes died twice (due to heavy rains), I think we are going get to enjoy some homegrown tomatoes this summer after all. That is the main reason Rob said he planted the garden was for the tomatoes. And if I hear Rob say nut grass one more time I will scream -- Rob and the grass are at war and I think the grass is winning as you will see in the pictures. Ugh! However, so far it's been lots of work for the guys fun and we have two precious garden hands (and a garden dog) who are

loving watching our "garden grow!"

Reed pointing to our tomatoes!

Corn

Tomatoes (I think...)

Not sure, but looking great!

Squash -- yummy!

The first signs of zinnias -- I absolutely can not WAIT for these to bloom! Easiest flower to plant from seed and in my personal opinion, the most beautiful and Southern flower of summer!

My little punk rocker -- "up, Up, Mommy"

...and I'll leave you with yet another Southern flower that I love -- the hydrangea

This one is in our yard and this is the first year it has really thrived and I am thrilled!!!

It has over 20 soon to be bright pink blooms.

from Nicole Nordeman's "Every Season"

Every evening sky, an invitation

To trace the patterned stars

And early in July, a celebration

For freedom that is ours

And I notice You

In children’s games

In those who watch them from the shade

Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder

You are summer

Praise God for the sun, rain, laughter of children, and each blessing He gives us!

Beachin --

Had a great weekend with my girls from college! As always a very large time was had by all and we enjoyed our time together immensely! It's hard to believe we've been doing our trip for 11 years.
Back to reality for all parties involved -- lots of reality around my house this week (i.e. sick baby!)!

p.s. this verse was e-mailed to me today and I love it:

Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.  

Philippians 4:8

More fishing fun...

Aunt Kristen sent me these pictures from our fishing trips and I thought I'd share 'em...

The fantastic fisherman

Sweet daddy and baby BB!

Girls Trip...10 years and counting...

Every year since our Senior year in college, my BFFs from college and I have taken a beach trip. We haven't missed a year and I am leaving today (YAY!) for our 11th "girls weekend!" It is always tons of fun catching up with each wonderful woman (weird calling us women b/c we all feel like we're 20 year old girls again when we're together). Between us, we have been through lots of boyfriends, engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and birthed around fifteen children!! We've laughed together, cried together, shared secrets, big accomplishments, and heartbreaks. We reminisce about our college years and how much fun we had and how we'd all do it over again without changing a thing! We know just about every detail about each other and after all these years, we pick up just like we're walking into one another's dorm room in McKee Hall. I am so blessed to call these ladies my friends. 

Love you girls and looking forward to a wonderful weekend together with y'all! 

Okay -- all sappiness aside, we've been e-mailing back and forth all week and the e-mail subject line has been "Beach Week" -- have laughed OUT LOUD a lot!!

I've been trying to gather pics from every year of our trips and realized that years 2000 - 2004 I was not in the "digital" age, so I will have to scan those in later. Of course, with everything else going on I have not had the extra 10 hours it would take to scan those in -- here is 2005-2009:

Girls Trip -- Destin 2005

I got a little toasty -- can we say sunscreen please!!

Girls Trips -- Destin 2006

The year of the Preg Nancy
Me {pregnant with Reed}, Nikki, and Vikki were due within weeks of each other

Girls Trip -- Destin 2007

What was I thinking with the short hair?

Girls Trip 2008 --  Oktibbeha County Hospital, Baby Boy, Luke!

(this is, however, the only one I've ever missed -- don't know how y'all got anywhere without me!)

Girls Trip -- Destin 2009

Love you girls! Looking forward to a wonderful weekend with you all!

...will give all the details (well maybe just SOME of them when we return) -- can't wait!

Almost 2...my how time flies!

Today I ordered my baby BB's birthday invitations! They are from Address to Impress (my talented friend and sorority sister, Hillary Jordan's company). Luke LOVES planes and every time one flies over our house (which is several times a day since we live near the little Louisville airport) he says, "pane, pane," and points to the sky. He's excited about his "Pane pa-pa paa-tee" which means Airplane Birthday Party in Luke-speak. I couldn't resist the matching calling cards that will be for Reed and Luke to give at birthday parties AND picked up a few grad gifts too while browsing through the Address to Impress catalog. Hillary has some great designs -- I love all the watercolor whimsy! All of this (and so much more) can be found on the Address to Impress blog!

In other news, we had a great Mother's Day weekend in Tupelo and New Albany. Boys surprised me with a gift certificate to Libby Story (my fave)!! I ran in the Gum Tree 10K Saturday morning then the boys (Reed, Rob, Luke, Uncle Kyle) went back to Spring Lake in Kristen's neighborhood (where our first fish was caught) and Reed proceeded to catch 8 fish -- that is right 8!!!!!! Rob said he couldn't bait the hook fast enough and he would have caught another one -- I guess all the "Trailer fishing" paid off! Luke didn't fish, but L-O-V-E-D throwing the fish back, which Reed wanted no part of.

Just wanted to say how blessed we are to have such wonderful mother and what a blessing it is to be a mother! Thanks Mom and thanks Reed and Luke for letting me be yours!

Garden and Gun

Well, there may not be ANYONE who reads my blog, but I am announcing to my 6 followers that I LOVE the new publication Garden and Gun!!! A girl who interned in the corporate communications department at Southern Progress became an editor here after she was a decorating editor at the now defunct (and my favorite magazine of all time) Cottage Living. Her name is Haskell Harris and she has a great blog about decorating. The magazine itself is fabulous with stories from all over the South, as well as food, decorating ideas, and traveling suggestions. The chef/owner of City Grocery in Oxford, John Currence, does a blog on food, which is neat too! Also, Julia Reed (click on this link and scroll down to her bio), who grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, and is a contributing editor at Newsweek, writes for the mag.


Anyway, if you are from the south and love Southern culture, Southern artists, Southern authors, and basically anything from the South (which I DO), subscribe to this magazine...I've even caught Rob flipping through the pages (I guess he would since gun is in the title). This was the article he loved:

So, do not pass go, do not collect $200 -- just go out and get this magazine!!

Buffalo, weedeaters, and funny kiddos

This post is going to be all about the Buffalo Park field trip I went on with Reed

but I wanted to share a funny picture first!

So, I love the picture above because it's funny -- it makes me laugh out loud when I look at it. Reed is on the far left "weedeater" and Rob is in the background weed-eating. Luke is basically just doing what it is that he does best...which is wandering around doing his own thing (I'm just glad he wasn't saying, "up, Up, UP" -- this is my cue to carry him around for the next three hours.). Anyway, I've said this before, but when the are old enough to ACTUALLY mow the grass they will HATE doing it -- hopefully I can use these pictures to prove they love it!

I love this one because you can see Reed's goggles that he MUST wear while weedeater (he doesn't say weed-eating). And speaking of saying funny things, Luke is now referring to Reed (every time he calls his name) as Reed Yates...Rob picked Luke up last Wednesday from day care and Reed had ridden the bus to church already and Luke goes "Where Reed Yates" -- too funny! AND luke says "Have that" all the time -- I can't do ANYTHING without him saying it "Have That".

Okay, so on to Buffalo Park.
It was fun to be together with Reed on a day we are normally at school and work. His little 3 year old class was taking a field trip and I was able to go (YAY -- I think!).

Here we are apon arrival:

I don't know why in the world he does this -- so embarressing! DID.NOT.WANT.TO.TAKE.PICTURE!

SO this was the last group pic (and thankfully the last fit) I made him be in -- the end. We did have a wonderful time! It was a gorgeous day and so much fun seeing all the animals!

Happier!

Buffalo grazing...lots of room to roam!

Loved the zebra (they also have a zeedonk (zebra/donkey) -- interesting, I know)

Allen, Reed, and James -- love this picture of the backs of their little heads.
Reed was in heaven riding on the tractor trolley!

Here we are together -- had so much fun!!!

Graduation days are here again!

In the spirit of graduation, my best friends from high school got together this weekend for a night of lots of laughs, memories, and updates on each of our lives. Since I kept EVERYTHING from high school (even my report cards -- ha), I brought along my scrapbooks and tons of old pics. We are going on 15 YEARS since our High School Graduation -- so so so hard to believe.

Here we are way back when:

Here we are now all grown up -- haven't changed a bit ;-):

So much fun catching up with everyone -- we are already making plans to get together again soon!

Before heading to Jackson, I also attended the graduation ceremonies at Mississippi State where my cousin Charleigh was graduating. Hard to believe she is graduating already. I can remember going to the hospital when she was born!

AND last but not least, my mom and I had the pleasure of hosting a senior party on Sunday night for our friend Bailey Hartness. Her mom, Maria, gave me a senior party when I was a senior so we wanted to do something for Bailey. We had a skating party at Skate Odyssey in Starkville and it was SOOOO fun! We hosted it with two other couples and we all skated and had the best time. I hadn't had on a pair of skates since my last visit to the same rink in 1992 and we skated to "My name is Luka, I live on the second floor" and "Sweet Child of Mine" -- wow, the music has changed!! The kids had fun too!!! They were all so sweet and precious and it made me think of me when I was a senior, especially since I was just together with my high school b/f/f's "reliving" our glory days. Aaahhhh, the memories. 

Some I would redo, but most I wouldn't -- made me who I am today, I guess!

Congrats to the Winston Academy Seniors 2010 and to sweet Charleigh Alford on her college graduation!