Day trip to the beach with Nana

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about moving farther south is getting to go the beach more often, or so I thought. We have actually only been 1 time all summer and it was only for the night. Very disappointing!! Must change that!

Anyway, Nana took off work and we took the kids to Gulf Shores for the night. One night is definitely not long enough, but we had a great time. I took Linlee and Conner for a sand dollar hunt very early but we had very little luck. We all played on the beach that morning and in the pool until it was time to check out. Sidney had been to the beach when she was around 1 but didn't really remember it obviously. She was amazed and loved standing in the water and letting the waves bury her feet. That is one of my favorite things too. We left our hotel and stopped for lunch at Lamberts before heading back home. Love that place. I really want to go back soon!!!!

Back "Home".

Memorial day weekend we decided to take a trip back to Memphis. We had not been back since we moved in August. The strangest feeling was driving on 240 getting off on Nonconnah pkwy and having this overwhelming feeling that we were going home. We had driven that way for 10 years and never from the opposite perspective. Really tough. We stayed with the Fish which live .10 miles from our last house. As we passed "our" house, it just seemed natural to pull right into the driveway. Wierd feeling to pass on by knowing that someone else was inside. I guess with time that feeling will pass. Lots of great memories in that place.

The kids were ecstatic to see each other! They played endlessly the whole time we were there. The adults also stayed up late every night just catching up. So great to have close friends that you know will be with you no matter where life takes you.

The first day we broke out the sprinkler and let them get good and wet. We also set up the new trampoline which was a big hit for all ages!! It was so good to see them all together again.



Sunday we got to go to GBC and see all our church friends and then we met the Marlars for lunch. Those beautiful girls have really grown! We went back to their house and spent the afternoon just playing. Alecia had a great idea to make kids in a bubble and they loved it. So great to see our extended family again!


Monday I took the kids to the spray park to meet on of Linlee's Kindergarten friends. They had so much fun together!!


Tuesday we packed a lunch and Angie and I took the kids to the new playground at Shelby farms. That place is great!!! It was sooo hot though and thus a little miserable but we had fun exploring and also making edible art with our picnic lunches.


We topped off our trip with a visit to YOLO's with the Fish and Marlars, followed by pictures in the square. Lots of people when we all get together!!



Angie and I snuck away after this to go shopping for a little while. We had such a great time and after that outing, I will never hear "Baby got back" and not smile! :)

We tried to squeeze in a visit with everyone but it was just impossible. If we missed you, we will try very hard to catch up with you next time!!!

And this is how we all felt once the trip was over. Happily exhausted on our way back "home"

Our New Adventure.

Ben and I talked at length about the possibility of getting into the inflatable rental business. We decided to go for it and ordered them with hopes of getting them in time for Conner's birthday party. Well, his party was on a Saturday and they didn't arrive until Monday. Oh well. The kids had no idea we had actually ordered them, but they did know we were talking about it. Linlee even came up with the name of the company. Spring-dingy Rentals. Catchy I would say.

Siblings and Graduation

They love each other...(most of the time :))

Conner participated in Kindergarten graduation the day after his birthday so he had a busy and exciting week. He looked so big up there!!









High five to Dad when he was all done. Sweet.

Conner's 6th Birthday.

For starters, I ordered Conner's birthday invitations from snapfish. Wanted to do some cute, not your fill in the blank ones. Well, I put that he was turning 7 instead of 6 and didn't put the date.....not a smart move. Luckily they were somewhat fixable and we went with it.

We decided to host a swimming party since this is our first year with a pool and we thought it would be lots of fun. Once I made out the guest list and realized there could possibly be over 50 people here, I was a little concerned. Turned out fine though. Only about half showed up so it was manageable.

There is a lot to be said about hosting a home party vs having it on location (chuck-e-cheese, gatti town..). It is probably worth the money to do it on location but I really think he felt special and had a blast. Guess it was worth all the planning and work.





He requested a monster truck cake and pinata. I made the cake myself since it wasn't very difficult and I thought I turned out decent.



Conner's 2 closest buddies from K did come and they had such a great time together. We swam, had water balloon war, ate 3 ft pizzas and opened gifts. One of the biggest hits was the $5.00 buckets that I bought to put the water balloons in. The pool was a tad chilly (at least for adults) and so they used the buckets as hot tubs.



I just loved seeing the look on my little buddy's face all morning. Good times!

Easter and Mother's Day pics.

First of all, it is really sad that I have gotten this far behind, but that is just how it is...

For Easter, we had the West family over to dye eggs the Friday night before. My family has never dyed egs before so it was quite a treat. they turned out pretty.

Traditional Easter before church shots.


We went to Nana and Papa's house after church and ate with the family. The kids all hunted eggs and then went on a ride in the Gator with Papa.

For Mother's Day, Ben took it upon himself to make homeade polenta pancakes. Can we say DELICIOUS! So good in fact, that he won the make breakfast every Sunday morning award! He didn't know what he was getting himself into...



I am one lucky Mommy!!

Speedy Update

PCS had a fun run to raise money for their new elementary school campus. It was so fun to watch them run. They did a great job!



One of the best parts about living in a new place is all the suprises found in a yard that has been landscaped. The previous owner told me that there is always something blooming and he has been right so far. The azaleas (all 100+ of them) were gorgeous!!




We have had the best time enjoying the yard. The kids have flown kites, climbed trees, found trails and of course swimming in the pool has been great!



This is the first year we have tried our hand at a real vegetable garden. I have done tomatoes and peppers before but in pots. We started it from seeds and here is the just transplanted plants...

And here it is a few weeks later...

I am completely thrilled that nothing has died yet!
Linlee and Conner just completed their first season of Upward Soccer. As much as I am glad to have my saturday mornings back, we will definitely do it again. They loved it!




Random pics of our sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

I had the pleasure of going to the Children's Museum in Jackson with Linlee's class. Very fun place. I want to go back without a school group so I can really look at everything.





Ben's parents asked to take the kids on an RV outing to Percy Quinn State Park. We went along and then stayed in a hotel that night to hopefully get sleep. Well, it was prom night so no sleep for us! Despite this fact, we had a great time at the park fishing and exploring!