They discovered FireWorks!!

Well, it finally happened!! Noah and Rachel had their first up close experience with fireworks! Ever since the stand across the street opened, Noah has been begging us to get something. Last night we gave in and bought about $10 worth of stuff - sparklers, smoke bombs, etc. - all pretty mild stuff! So, here are a few pictures of our evening!!

Recent Happenings!!

It's summertime, and while life has been a bit more relaxed, it has still been busy. We have spent days at the pool, gone to the library, attended a family reunion and just had a lot of fun in general. Noah is enjoying the reading program and activities at the library. He has already turned in his first log for 5 hours of reading time and has already logged an hour on his second log sheet. Rachel is enjoying her dance class and thinks she is quite the ballerina princess.
Here is one of my favorite shots from the Reynolds family Reunion this past weekend. Rachel definitely has her own unique way of eating watermelon!!




We really enjoyed the reunion. Roscoe had a good time exploring the farm and found a real treasure in his eyes. Here are some pictures of an old car the used to belong to my cousin Butch:









I thought they turned out pretty neat! Roscoe actually liked these in black and white. We may be going back up to the farm for the 4th of July, so hopefully I will get some more fun pics. There are all sorts of neat old things to photograph up there!

Have a great rest of the week! I will try to post again before the week is over!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my Mom's 59th birthday.
She has been near my heart all day, and my awareness of her being "gone" has been very acute. That being said, I also realized today that Mom is more "with" me than ever. I see her in the strength and independence my children possess. Those are both traits she taught me and I have tried to pass along to my children. In ways I may have been TOO successful. I see her in the way I view my husband and how I appreciate the things she loved so much about him. I also see her in myself. I sometimes joke about turning into my mother, but I would consider myself blessed if that were actually the case. I find myself saying and doing things and thinking afterwards, "That was something Mom would do!!" Sometimes it is surprising, sometimes it is inspiring! My Mom is a wonderful, loving lady who taught me so much about life and loving your family and friends. I look forward to the day I will see her again and have the chance to thank her for all she taught me and just to say, "I love you, Mom." For now, I send this simple wish - "Happy Birthday, Mom!!"

Busy week!!

We have had a busy week!! Monday the kids and I ran errands and then went to the swimming pool. Tuesday we went to eat lunch at McDonald's with my friend Tiana and her three girl. From there we went to the library for their YoYo demonstration (needless to say, we had to go buy yoyos before the day was over!!LOL!) Yesterday was spent playing with cousins and just kind of hanging out. We also baked some peanut butter cookies which we took to church to share. Today we had the cousins here again. Rachel also attended her first dance class this afternoon. she really enjoyed it and is excited about going back! Let me tell you, for 45 minutes of entertainment, you need to watch a preschool dance class in which half of the girls are first-timers!! It was quite humorous! I did manage to take a few pictures and am sharing them here in a slideshow. Please forgive the quality of the images - they were taken through a window with a film over it that made it hard to see through. My camera had to be set at ISO3200, so the pics are very grainy/noisey. BUT - they are what they are : memories of Rachel's very first dance class!



Tomorrow, we are planning to visit Roscoe at lunch, go to the bank, and then go hang our at the pool for a while! Oh, and I am hoping to squeeze in a quick trip to the farmer's market!! I am so wanting some fresh tomatoes and a canteloupe!!
So, that's about it for our first week of summer vacation! I hope everyone had a great week!!!