Things I Learned at the Lake

Izzy is growing up way too fast.

So is Chip.

18 month old little boys are insanely busy and share none of their energy with their parents.

Nothing wears my kids out like life at the lake.

Izzy is braver around her friends than she is with just us... wouldn't ride a tube with me, but hopped right on with the big girls.

I could float for hours.

Nothing says "me time" like a napping house, a good book, and being stretched out on a float on a screened porch.

I didn't miss my computer that much even though we were gone for 2 weeks.

Maybe I should try more time unplugged.

Izzy still comes running to me with most news, but occasionally she doesn't and that makes me a wee bit sad...

I'm still sometimes surprised by how much our family has lost in the last 3.5 years. We took a great picture of the kids, Izzy, Chip, and Natalie, piled on Aunt Nik Nik. Love the picture and there are smiles all around. Had to wonder though, what it would have been like with a nearly 8(!) year old Catie and 6 month old Aiden piled on.

I could listen to my kids laugh all day.

Izzy loves nothing more than being around other people.

I hope that Tre' and I raise Iz to think for herself, esp. during her teenage years.

Visits from family and friends sure are nice.

Nothing says, "aaahhhh," like a hot shower after a day at the lake.

Geocaching is fun.

I love vacation, but nothing beats coming home.

Strawberry Pickin'

This is a favorite springtime outing for me! I LOVE strawberries and I love taking the kids. I have to admit that I think Chip ate as much dirt as he did strawberries today! :) He also managed to swallow a few strawberry leaves. My how times have changed from the first baby!!! :)

Tired tonight and counting down the days until school is out (FOUR!!), so I'll let the pictures tell the story...





Couldn't help but add a couple of pics of Catie from the same strawberry patch several years ago. :)

Wow, It's Been a While!

I cannot believe it's been so long since I've written here! Blame it partly on FaceBook and partly on a really busy summer!

We have had an absolutely AMAZING summer!! The beach, the lake, the beach, the local waterpark... lazy days, busy days... Cousins' Camp, the sprinkler, Bible School. It's just been great! I love the laidback feeling and the later nights w/ kiddos. The no rush to bed and the hang in your pjs after you wake up. We have lots of pics and I'l try to get some up soon. I plan to be better about writing here, b/c I really want to record all the stuff Izzy and Chip are up to, so that I remember it and that they get to hear about.

So... that's it for now. Summer's done and the "real world" has arrived. We've got to be up and at em early in the morning. But... here's to more consistent writing!!

Normal

Today was a really great day! A really great, normal, summer day. Chip went to hang out w/ GaGa and Poppy and Iz and I met up w/ some friends and headed to a nearby waterpark. It's a great spot for kids w/ lots of stuff on the sprayground and slides just their size. I loved watching the look of sheer terror on her face as she flew down the slide, and then hearing her beg, "do it again Momma, do it again!" as soon as I pulled her up from the water. She is definitely going to be more of a thrill-seeker than her momma!!

This may sound strange, but there are still times when "normal life" stops me in my tracks. It does not feel "normal" to me yet. I've been a mom for nearly 7 years, but much of that time I haven't been a "normal" mom. Catie was sick for so much of her life and the "rules" we had to play by were so different from those of normal kids. There weren't lots of playdates w/ big groups, long days at the waterpark (she had a hard time w/ heat and most of the time couldn't have made it all day), we weren't able to attend church regularly, she didn't get to go to VBS. All that is OK! We made good w/ what we COULD do and I know she lived full and happy and well... And so, now, w/ Izzy and Chip as we join in on some playdates, spend a huge chunk of the day running through the sprayground and swooshing down waterslides, attending church more regularly, and getting ready for VBS next week... as we live. normal. life. I'm simply shocked and grateful at how wonderful it is. Perfect? Nope, never is... but pretty dad-blamed good!

If I let it, it could make me sad for the things Catie missed... but I also know that she was, at least I think she was, satisfied w/ the pace of our life and the day to day way we lived. I watch little girls who are the age she would be now and I am amazed at how grown she would be. Strangely, being around girls that age is usually a comfort to me... It's the events that get me and that's completely the opposite of how I thought it would be. I confess to being incredibly sad on the last day of school b/c she would have finished kindergarten and gotten her first real taste of summer break after a full year of schedules and routines... and there were tears when she missed what I know would have been her first spend the night party... I guess it's always going to be those "firsts" that get me.... all those "normal" things she would have done. Thankfully they don't come as often as they did that first year.

So, this weekend we will honor her life and try to raise a little more money for research so that kids like her get the chance to try on "normal" life...



Oh sweet girl, I miss ya tonight. You would have loved standing at the bottom of the slide and watching Iz's face as she flew down and you would have cracked up at you brother tasting his peas tonight. I do wonder where you would fit in the mix if you were here... would you be Queen Bee, keeping tabs on everybody (it's a big job w/ that sister of yours) or would you kind of be off doing your own thing and letting the little ones be? I tend to think you'd want to be in charge, but who knows... I DO know that you are now filled w/ far more joy than any of us can even begin to imagine.

Dad and Iz are off on the golf cart making a trash run. I'm hoping they bring a few blueberries back. Izzy loves them as much as you did... she's starting to ask about you from time to time. I like that. It's hard for her to understand where you are though. That will come with time and I'm grateful for the chance to tell her Catie stories. I think I'm going to go relax and curl up w/ the new book I'm reading. Love you sweet girl... Eskimo, butterfly, Daddy, and NikNik kisses to you.

And We're Back

We have been enjoying the summer! We've been to the lake and to the beach... soaking up some sun and water and going through lots of sunscreen -- you gotta love the spray stuff. Iz has enjoyed the water and spending time w/ folks she loves. She's definitely easier at the beach than at the lake... at the lake the water gets deep so quick that you really have to stay right on top of her. At the beach, we usually go out at low tide -- Tybee's south end is sooooo great for little ones at low tide. There are great tide pools and the adults stay cool in the water while the kids run around and splash and, as Izzy loves to do, cover themselves in sand.

Some pics to share...


Checking out a book w/ Uncle Chad (he and Aunt Tati are expecting their first baby in November, a boy, we can't wait!!)


Giving loving to Natalie (who just turned 1!!)


If you only knew how many pictures we had to take to get this one!!


And check this out -- they're both still!!


Hanging out at the lake


Check out that wild hair


With Sara Beth -- and escaping from the picture


We were going for a cute pic in their matching pjs -- Sara Beth finally just held her head towards the camera b/c Iz kept escaping!!


Happy Girl!!!

The other reason I haven't posted much lately is b/c of some computer issues. My keyboard was going a little nuts, kept typing numbers instead of letters. So when Tre' brought his laptop home, I would catch up on e-mails, but no time for blogging. And... I kept falling asleep at night before I had time to call Dell to see what the deal was. So today, I decided to call Dell while Iz was napping. The nice man at Dell said, "have you tried pressing the number lock key on your laptop?" Oh my gosh!!!!! It seems that at some point, about 3 weeks ago, Iz hit the number lock key... and so, I haven't been able to type on my computer for THREE WEEKS b/c I didn't hit the number lock key!!!!! :) Can you believe that? Too funny! Oh well... you gotta laugh!!! It was easy to fix and we're back in business now!!

A Note or Two

Thank you God for air-conditioning!!!!! Good gosh it's hot! The heat index here today is like 117-118. That is just insane. We're staying inside and doing as little as possible.

This is just a quick post... I've been meaning to put up some links to some of our friends who could really use some extra prayers, and I just haven't done it. So... here goes.

Super Ryan is one tough kid who is battling relapsed neuroblastoma. That, in itself, is more than enough for one family to handle, but they've just learned that his mom, Missy, has breast cancer.

Ben has recently relapsed with leukemia. His journey has already been long, so this is tough. He's just achieved his 2nd remission and will continue treatment for quite some time.

Summer has relapsed AML. She is starting another new chemo this week that will be very tough.

I know all of these families would welcome your encouragement and prayers. Your words really do go a long way in helping these families day to day.

That's all for now... I just wanted to get those links up. I'll update you on us later -- so long as we don't melt!!!!!