Roommate Reunion

I have to start this post with a big "Thank you!" to my sweet husband. Somehow I was blessed with two weekend getaways in the same month this summer. It is rare that I get a chance to reunite with my college and high school friends, so I am so grateful that I have had these opportunities. I love that I can confidently leave Jeremy and the girls for a weekend, and know that not only can they survive some time away from Mommy, but they can also have fun while doing it!
This past weekend, I got together with my college roommates, Tara, Tiffany and Jennifer, down in Pensacola Beach, Florida. We had beautiful weather, and enjoyed most of our time floating around the lazy river at the pool. It's a rough life, I know. It was so great to be together with these girls and catch up. I love that we're still close, and have so many stories from "back in the day" to share and laugh about.
Ladies, you hold a special place in my heart, and I love you. I can't wait until our next reunion!!

Kingdom of the Son

"Sarah Safari"

The girls and I had a great time at Vacation Bible School this week. We had a safari, "Kingdom of the Son", theme that was based on The Lord's Prayer, and over 300 children in attendance each day! Claire was a "Goofy Gecko", I taught the 4K "Lovable Lizards", and because I was teaching, Emma was able to join in the fun with a Young 3's Ladybug class. Today, the church hosted all of the parents for a Closing Celebration to share the songs we have been learning through the week. Although I am completely exhausted as this week comes to a close, I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a wonderful ministry. We'll be back next year!

Claire is Officially 6!!

I'm pretty sure Emma may be signed up for gymnastics soon. There is no way she is going back to the waiting room after this!

Birthday girl in the middle of our parachute bubble. . .

Movie night with Mommy & Daddy!
Claire had all of her friends lined up for the show.
(and her lip gloss well applied!)

Shout it from the mountaintops! Claire is now 6 years old!!! She has been waiting for this day for MONTHS, and we were thrilled to help her celebrate it. We started the day with some yummy chocolate chip pancakes and family presents. In the afternoon, we had Claire's girlfriends join us for a gymnastics party. They all had such a great time hanging from the bars, running around, and jumping on the trampoline. Emma was so excited to finally get into Claire's gym. She was unstoppable!
Claire's special day ended with dinner at her favorite, Five Guys, and a movie night with Mommy and Daddy. It was such a great day. It is hard to believe that our oldest "baby" is now 6. We are so proud of her. What a wonderful 6 years it has been!

Lake Martin Reunion

Friday night, we drove the boat to Sinclair's for dinner.
The sunset was beautiful!

Baby Plucker on board!

This weekend I traveled to the lake for a fun little getaway with my best girlfriends from high school. "The Six Musketeers" have been together as a whole since 8th grade, and man do we have some stories to tell! It is always fun to get together and pick up right where we left off.
I love you girls!! Thanks for adopting this "Air Force Brat" as one of your own. :)

Hands-On Fun for Everyone!

Owen being tortured by his mom in the chamber of tornado force winds. . .
(please excuse the flash blob on the glass)

Zip line!!

On Wednesday, Stacey and Owen came to town for a quick summer visit. While they were here, we decided to introduce them to our downtown Science Center. We hit all four floors of hands-on fun, and in turn were able to successfully accomplish the goal of wearing the kids out in a fun, exciting way.

Independence Day 2011

As you can see from the picture above, Emma darted out of our kid group shot.

"Popper" fun for everyone!

Mountaintop seats for the show. . .

The best my camera could do to capture a finale shot. . .

It was a rainy one, but we had a great 4th of July this year! We were able to get together with our friends, Laurie and Jeff, and their little boy, Allen, for a cookout and fireworks viewing. Before leaving to watch the "Thunder on the Mountain" fireworks show, we had some fourth fun of our own with sparklers, smoke bombs, and "poppers". Although Emma and Allen enjoyed these things, Claire unfortunately caught a little spark on her arm and since has vowed to "never use or look at" another sparkler again in her life. Hopefully, time will heal her wound, and she will be ready to try again next year. Sparkler incident aside, the kids and adults alike all had a great time celebrating America's independence.