Live. Laugh. Create. Inspire.

This summer, we had the privilege of going with J’s parents on a cruise, celebrating their 40th anniversary. Or, a screws, as N and J called it. Our camera broke just after the trip and the pictures remained trapped on the camera until recently when we bought a new camera and were able to use it to get the pictures off the old one.  Even though it is long overdue, I still wanted to post pictures from our trip.

N and J were super excited about all of the adventure that came with sleeping on a boat. I, on the other hand, was super surprised when I saw how SMALL our cabin was. At first glance, I was really worried about how in the world we would get everyone to sleep. But it really wasn’t a problem at all. Everyone was always tired from the days activities and welcomed the rest! N and J’s beds folded out of the wall, on top of ours. SK’s pack and play sandwiched in a corner.

We loved our excursion days to the beach. N especially loved discovering the underwater kingdom of snorkeling for the first time.

J and I had taken a picture in this same hammock a year and a half ago when SK was in my tummy. It was fun to be back with her again, and to celebrate the gift of her life by taking a picture in the same swing. Oh, much has changed in our lives in this short amount of time!

There was also much fun to be had aboard the ship as well.

There was lots of dancing, each night at dinner. Some moves, I wish  my kids hadn’t learned…ha ha…namely the ones that go with the song “how low can you go” ahem. Lots of booty shaking goin on! As you can see in this picture, N and J dancing and a booty!

The 40th Anniversary couple!

My favorite picture from the trip:

What an all round fun time we had. Thanks Nane and Dede for being married for 40 years and for inviting us to celebrate with you!

That is exactly what we did this weekend. Saturday was a double header birthday party day and the second party was a superhero party at PUMP IT UP! Everyone was ready to GO when we arrived.

We all had tons of fun.

J and A’s nonstop action was a force to be reckoned with!

N had a blast as well but I must say that, hands down, SK had more fun than anybody! She was ‘one of the big kids’ and was proud to do everything they did. She even sat at the kids table and wore a mask with her best bud.

By the end of the party, she was absolutely loopy with sugar and the sheer fun she had experienced.

They were so ‘PUMPED UP’ after the party, that they came home and re-arranged the furniture to make their own PUMP IT UP in the living room! They jumped around chanting “The cake tastes better if you yell PUMP IT UP” which was what the girl who ran the party told them and they wholeheartedly believed her.

Actually, two parties on the day before daylight savings was a beautiful thing. The kids were so exhausted that they all slept in, accounting for the extra hour the next morning. So, of course, we were early for church again and took our usual Sunday morning picture.

If anyone wants to plan their child’s party on the day before daylight savings next year, count us in!

We had a Ninja, Rapunzel and a Turkish belly dancer for Halloween.

I know, I know, who dresses their 16 month old as a belly dancer? I was shopping in Turkey 2 weeks ago and couldn’t resist. Actually, I was gonna resist but the friend who I was shopping with talked me in to the purchase. She even contributed a little toward the cause. Peer pressure. I’m thankful for friends who push me to live a little instead of being practical all the time. SK looked so cute and seeing how proud she was of her outfit made it SO worth it!!

Of course, the Ninja’s favorite part of the night was getting to scale a wall to save a princess while alligators slowly swam in the moat below, waiting for one slip to end his act of heroism….Well, not actually.

If you asked Rapunzel what her favorite part of the night was, she’d say “playing with friends” Such relational beings, we girls! With friends like these, who could go wrong?

Where else do you get free cotton candy! N and J began counting down the minutes until Halloween from the moment they got out of school that day. And, the fun of the evening didn’t disappoint!

For months leading up to this fall, J wanted to take dance and N wanted to take karate. After much research, we found the perfect place for both of them. Neither of them have been the least bit disappointed. J loves her ballet bun, twirling in front of the mirror and dancing to “lolly pop, lolly pop, oh holy holy lolly pop” (her version). N is read to bust a karate move at a moment’s notice and is planning on being a ninja for Halloween.

My favorite part? The friendships they’re making along the way.

This summer, we had the privilege to attend Pine Cove family camp. I’ll write the story of how God orchestrated this sometime in the next few days. The week was a tremendous blessing for our family. We each grew spiritually through the amazing investment of the staff in our lives. We grew as a family and had a blast in the process!

We loved dressing up for theme nights and participating in all kinds of creative, family fun!

The kids loved the counselors and we were blessed to see the strong positive influence they had on our kids lives.

It was the  hottest week fo the summer and we spent lots of time in the water.

I was mostly known as SK’s mom for the week. She captured the hearts of many with her generous hugs and smiles.

In my 6 years of motherhood, I have never felt as free from responsibility as I did throughout the week of family camp. There was always an attentive staff member ready to jump in and help with the kids. We were poured into as a family and left filled to the top!