Beach Vacation 2012

As you can probably see from the previous post, I did not spend any time posting from the beach this year. I completely gave in to the rest and relaxation! As if vacation with 3 young children is really rest, right? :) Plus, I left the cord I needed for downloading my pictures from my camera at home...hehe. So, in pictures (Beware! There's quite a few.) and a few words, here's our Beach Vacation 2012.

 Beautiful skies after our only and very short-lived rain from Tropical Storm Debby.

 Red flag still continued to fly for Sunday and Monday, but the warning was completely lifted by Tuesday morning.

Still enjoyed the sand even though we couldn't get in the ocean right away. Got our "glow gear" for walking on the beach at night!

 Ah, yes...the Hangout!! A must-go-to in Gulf Shores! Note: Try the Fish Tacos.:)

 Laugh if you must, but this is one of our traditions...Souvenir City, AKA "The Shark's Mouth".

The children just cannot resist the hundreds of Made in China treasures that await inside. Before we walk in, we have to snap the obligatory photo with the shark's teeth, and then Jan proceeds to give them clear instruction on the $ limit they have to spend on something. This year, we walked away with some colored stones for Mary Claire which she calls her "jewels" (one bag full for $4.99), and two boogie boards for the boys. As you will see in the next few pictures, the boys made good use of the boards for the rest of the week.

 Look who's ready to dive right in!

Looks like somebody enjoys naps on the beach as much as I do. :)

Feeding the fish at the marina in Orange Beach. We ate at a wonderful restaurant named Gratzie's. (An Italian Seafood place)

(Want another food suggestion? Everything we ordered was good, but the crabcakes were the BEST!!)

 Mimi and Daddy Nick

 As we finished our dinner, a boat docked right below where we sat on the covered porch and one of the guys yells, "Hey! We caught a bull shark. You guys wanna see it?" Yep, and there it is...all 7 feet and probably about 500-600 pounds of a bull shark!!

 Jan helped the men get the rather heavy fish on to the table you see in the photo and managed not to get the shark's blood on himself. A couple of others were not so lucky as some slipped in the blood pooled on the dock and at the base of the table. They said they caught the shark about 3 miles off the shoreline. The kids got to touch it and look at its eyes up close. What an experience!!

My three sea-goers!

Mary Claire keeping an eye on the ocean.

Our message in the sand this year...always in our hearts, minds, and prayers.

Go, Lucy! We love you!

Muscle Man #1

Muscle Man #2 :)

Both my muscle men with their boogie boards!

Let's catch some waves!

John Owen chill-axin' in the sand chair he made.

Mary Claire sinking her hands in!

Somebody loved going out to ride the waves with Daddy:)

While Jonah caught some wave action!

John Owen running back for more waves! I kept calling him "Surfer Boy" 'cause he was really good at paddling out and waiting on just the right wave to ride.

Fun in the sand!

Jonah(6 yrs.), Mary Claire(4 yrs.), and John Owen(9 yrs.)

Fort Morgan, Alabama

June 2012

Mary Claire and Mommy on our last night at the beach

My three babies!

We had a wonderful week together at the beach!

 It was hard to leave this place that we love so much.

Thank you, God, for a safe trip and time enjoyed together. I look at the ocean and sand, and I marvel at Your work in nature. I look at these people in these photos, and I marvel at Your goodness. I give thanks a thousand times over for all the blessings You give daily. 

Eyes on the Skies and Sea

Well, here we are. Our favorite beach spot...Fort Morgan! We arrived Saturday night and luckily, dodged tropical storm Debby. God's power over nature was evident! We saw some pretty impressive 7-8 foot waves Sunday from the storm as it sat out in the Gulf of Mexico and churned the water and wind. Admittedly, we were a little worried about it. One model showed the path of Debby heading this way, and forecasters were not sure which path this storm would take as we approached bedtime Sunday night. We went to bed not knowing what to expect the next morning. I assured the children that it didn't matter if the storm came ths way. "We are together, we are healthy, and there are lots of indoor things we can find to do," I explained. Monday morning brought beautiful blue skies and calmer seas. The wind was still pretty rough, and the red flag was still flying, but the tropical storm warning had been lifted for Alabama! Debby moved east. Praise the Lord, right?:) We are soaking up the sun, riding the waves, splashing in the pool, taking in the sights, eating seafood, staying up late, and just plain enjoying our time together. More posts and pictures to follow from Beach Trip 2012...

"A-M-A-Z-I-N-G"

"That's what my God is to me."

**I started this post last Friday, but time restraints and other priorities have kept me from posting this until today.**
The words above are the words to one of my favorite 2012 VBS songs! I have been leading the music for VBS at our church this week, just as I have for the last 2 or 3 years. It's a lot of work to learn the songs and choreography, but it's a lot of fun, too. And the kids love it! (I don't remember VBS songs being this fun when I was younger.)What better way to learn and remember important Biblical principles than through song and dance, right? (Well, my conservative Southern Baptist friends might say we could leave the dance part out:), but I just can't help but think that one day we will certainly dance before our Lord and sing His praises. Why not do that on Earth, too?)

Less than a week before VBS 2012 started, our sweet friend, Lucy, got sick. Really, really sick. Lucy's mommy, Kate, is one of my dearest friends. It has been painful beyond belief to watch my friend hurt. Lucy has fought brain cancer since February 2011, and she has fought like a champion! I will never be able to put into words how I felt when the doctors discovered Lucy's cancer was back last Tuesday. My heart began to grieve. And I began to grieve with my dear friend as it seemed all hope was lost. We began to hope and pray that Lucy would have no suffering and that God would show mercy.
I have no doubt that God can heal a person on Earth, if He so chooses. And, of course, I have not and will never stop praying for the ultimate healing of Lucy's cancer. The horrible and hardest part of this human existence, is that sometimes God chooses to heal a person by allowing their life on Earth to end so that they might be complete in Heaven.
As I prepared my troubled heart Sunday night and Monday morning for the start of VBS, I found myself grasping to the words of the songs I was about to teach. I prayed that my human hurt, fear, and doubts be laid aside as I faced these children who needed to KNOW and BELIEVE that our God is powerful and can do anything. Our God is amazing!!

Amazingly, Lucy has had some improvements and my heart rejoiced as VBS week came to a close and Kate sent me reports that Lucy was awake more and talking. And then 2 nights ago, I laughed with Lucy as she thought it too funny to put her rubber frog on my shoulder and then watch my overly dramatic reaction to this "yucky" amphibian touching me.:) We read a book together, and I watched with a joyful heart as she ate a little something and took some steps to the bathroom. I have to believe that God is trying to show us that He's more than A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! He has reminded me this week that I must cling to Him because He has power over all things, no matter what happens.
As I drove in my car this weekend, the words to one of my favorite Chris Tomlin songs came on and those words have been sounding off in my head constantly... "Our God is Healer, awesome in power." Why had I thought that the kids needed to know and believe it...I needed to believe it again!!
Who says VBS is just for the kids, right?:) Even the "big kids" need to be reminded of God's power and that we must trust Him even when doctors tell us there is no hope.
"Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God, You are higher than any other!"

The Tale of a 4th Birthday

Well, we did it! We celebrated Mary Claire's birthday "Princess Style" last night with friends and family. It was so much fun, the party and the planning of the party. While I physically and mentally feel somewhat "pooped" today, it was all worth it to see the story of Mary Claire's 4th birthday celebration unfold...

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful fair maiden named Mary Claire who loved to play dress up and be silly in hats.

Playing silly in the hat Mrs. Christi gave her.
Mary Claire said, "It's a hat like Mimi's!" :)

She loved strawberry cake with lots of icing and buttercream flowers.

Focused on what's important, right?! hehe

 Mary Claire loved all kinds of stories, but her favorite story was the tale of Rapunzel and her beautiful golden hair. One day, the Queen Mother asked, "My darling, Mary Claire, what would you like for your birthday this year?" Mary Claire knew right away what she wanted. "A Rapunzel party!" she replied. So the Royal Rapunzel Party plans began.

When the big day arrived, Mary Claire was so excited to share her celebration with her friends and family. Every guest came dressed in their best and joined in as Mary Claire celebrated her 4th birthday.

And a wonderful celebration it was!

There was a princess cake!

The Rapunzel doll cake!
When Mary Claire saw it Friday afternoon, she yelled, "Jonah, come look at my cake!! It's Rapunzel!"
And when she saw the hydrangeas I had arranged in the jars with tulle tied around them, she exclaimed, "Oh, those are beautiful!" It was the BEST reaction ever!:)

 And jeweled crowns for everyone!

Making jeweled crowns with friends is so much fun!

The Royal Princes enjoyed games with guests!

Boys will be boys, right?

Royal Cousins, Hardy and Mary Claire

There was food for everyone.

The cupcakes!

The Queen Mother, also known as the Royal Cook, served the food. And it was the best that "GOOGLE" had to offer for a Princess Rapunzel party! Mary Claire loved how each food symbolized special parts of her favorite fairy tale, "Tangled".

Braided breadsticks--Just like the golden braid Rapunzel would wear!
The Queen(Cook) was up until the wee hours of the night making these.

Apples for Maximus, the horse in "Tangled"

 Alas, the Queen did NOT take a picture of the Angel "Hair" Pasta and sauces that were served.

Undoubtedly, she was swept away into the arms of the handsome King as he arrived at the celebration.:) 

 The King and Queen! :)
(I wasn't comfortable in the dress, but it made Mary Claire happy to see me in it!)

 The candles were lit, the crowd of special guests surrounded the Princess,

4 perfect candles ready for singing "Happy Birthday!"

 and the Queen's father led everyone in a special "Happy Birthday" song.

There's the birthday princess!

 And as the sun began to set, the Princess and all her friends were escorted outside

 and watched with great anticipation as

(Oops! Somebody's princess gown got in the picture! hehe
But don't you just love the way she is sitting and watching for her surprise? Just like a princess...)

 the floating lanterns lifted into the sky in honor of the beautiful Princess's 4th birthday!!

Princess Mary Claire presented all of her guests with special gifts and then wished them farewell. And when the King and Queen kissed her goodnight, Mary Claire feel fast asleep with a smile on her face and a warm feeling in her heart.

The End

We love you, Mary Claire!

May all your dreams in your heart come true, and may you always find happiness in all that you do.

Happy 4th Birthday!!

Crossing the Finish

No, this is not a race story. haha I guess it just feels like a race we have been running the entire month of May. I have several things to post here so I'll just dive right in...

I was very proud, and a little sad, when Jonah graduated from Kindergarten this week. Where did the time go? He looked very handsome at his graduation and did a great job singing the songs they had learned for the program. Here's some pictures of my handsome graduate.

Ready to leave for school! It's graduation day!!

Mimi and Jonah

Granddaddy and the special graduate!

Ms. Mandy Lynch, Jonah's kindergarten teacher
Thank you, Ms. Mandy, for a great year!

A Mother's Day gift to me from Jonah. It has been on the fridge for the last couple of weeks, and I want to remember it and exactly the size he was when he finished kindergarten.
To My Sweet Jonah:
I love you, Jonah, and I am so proud of the big boy you are becoming. You have been a really good boy in school this year, and Ms. Mandy said it was wonderful being your teacher. She commented on how funny you are. You are smart and sweet, and I can't believe you will be in 1st grade in August! Always do your very best in everything you do.
Love,
Mommy

The day after Jonah's Kindergarten graduation, we attended John Owen's Awards Day at school. He was presented with the Citizenship Award and he received the Principal's List Award for making all A's on his report card for the whole year!!

Way to go, John Owen!

I am so proud of you, John Owen!
God has blessed you, and He has blessed me by giving you to me!:)
Never take what God has given you for granted. You can do anything you put your mind and heart into!

John Owen and his 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Barbara Ewing.
Thank you, Mrs. Ewing, for a great 2md grade year!
You are a super sweet and special teacher.

Yesterday(Friday), I finished up my last day at school, so Summer has officially begun for us!

Woo-hoo!!

Now, can you guess who's special birthday we are getting ready to celebrate?

This is the birthday cupcake magnet we use to countdown every family member's birthday!
Mary Claire keeps asking, "Is it today?" :)
As you can see...one more day!

She's having a Rapunzel ("Tangled") party next Friday night, and she is so excited!
Post about the party will follow. I have a special surprise planned for her party that I think she is just going to LOVE!
Waiting to reveal it is so hard...

Today, I cut some beautiful hydrangeas from the hydrangea plant growing beside the house.
When Mary Claire wakes up from her nap in just a minute, I know she will love these!

So, here we are...
It's Memorial Day weekend, and we are crossing the finish to the end of May.
Last night, we had a great time by the pool with our friends, Crystal, Scott, Ebby and Brock. Today, we have been back poolside and just relaxing before we head over to my friend Nora's in Arlington for a waterslide party with the kids! Great day for a waterslide!
As I finish this post, I have also just finished a strawberry cake and some cupcakes for Mary Claire's birthday tomorrow. While I cannot claim to have the cake decorating talent my friend, Christi, has, I think Mary Claire will like it. And that's all that matters.
She's calling me now to tell me she's finished with her nap.
Birthday posts later.:)

Tale of a 10k

MIM (Memphis in May) 10k was held this past Friday night. But NOT in Memphis...it was in Tunica, MS. A few miles down the strech of roard named "The Blues Highway". The 10k was the kick-off for the Memphis in May Triathlon Weekend. I had no intention of doing the triathlon, but I signed Jan and myself up for the 10k a few weeks ago, and asked my mom if she could babysit. Two days before the race, Jan came down with an infection and Friday morning, he was at the doctor's office where he received orders to not run or get hot. I could have gone by myself, but Jan did not like the idea of me going alone or the fact that the money would go to waste. (Probably more worried about the latter there. haha)

When I called my mother to tell her about this, she volunteered to go with me. She even said she would take Jan's place in the race if the race officials would let her. So, as it turned out, it was just the two of us, my mom and me. On the ride down to Tunica, she kept asking me if she should do the race, that my dad was worried about her getting too hot. Let me explain. Mom has been suffering from a series of sinus infections, and is presently on another round of antibiotics. She didn't do the Go Lucy Go 5k for this very reason, and she has been trying to take it easy for the last few weeks. But, Friday, she said she felt o.k. enough to do this race with me, and the race "people" let her take Jan's place with no issues, so we set out to find the START line.

It was HOT! Probably about 85 or 86 degrees at the start of the race. There was a slight breeze which kept it from being hotter than it could have been, I guess. I have not trained nor run much at all in temps over 80 degrees. Believe me, I know this is something I will be doing this summer, and I am not looking forward to it. I don't do running in the HEAT well. At the finish of mile 3, I was incredibly hot. Long stretches of flat road in the sun...whew! I also felt some chills, which made me think back to the fact that I not hydrated much during the day nor eaten like I should have. And then, I started thinking about my mom. If I am this hot, she is probably hot, too. I began to worry. I began to think about turning around to find her. I began to think that my finish time didn't matter, and making sure we both finished this was more important.

I took it as a sign when at my mile 4 and her mile 3, we met on the road. I slowed down and turned around, as she was saying, "You are the 20th female. I'm o.k." :) She had been counting the female runners that passed her to see where I was in the ranks. Too funny...Here I was worried about her, and here she was, worried about me and how I would finish in the race. I am usually worried about where I finish, but not this time. "I'm going to finish with you. It's hot," I said to her. She didn't argue with me too much. She had been pouring water on herself at the first 3 water stations, so she was cooler than I was. We jogged/walked the rest of the miles together, talking and laughing, especially when one of the football players at one of the turns reacted so dramatically when my mother told him she was 64 years old. It was priceless!!

We held hands as we crossed the finish line and they announced us as mother and daughter. 6.2 miles (approx. 7.3 miles for me) done on a hot Memphis evening...then we wasted no time making our way to the food and drink tables!:) A race to remember for sure!

Love you, Mom!

What Can I Say About May?

I sit here tonight with a million things I could post about. Things just seem to accelerate in the month of May! It's like a race to summer break and then AHH...

Maybe, just maybe, we breathe a little slower and let time slow down just a bit to enjoy the ever-seemingly shorter summer days. For my boys, May kicked off with Field Day at school. A day to enjoy friendly competitions among classes, a celebration of year end assessments completed, a day of no schoolwork...just fun and games! And what beautiful weather both boys had for their field days!

Ready to play at Field Day 2012

Jonah did great in the Musical Hula Hoops competition:)

John Owen reloading...I can't remember what this toss-and-catch game is called, but they loved it!

Then it was time for the 2012 Go Lucy Go/LeBonheur 5k!

We were all super busy with plans for this special event, and our family is honored to be a part of this. Our community, as well as people beyond our community, have been extraordinary in helping us to raise some MAJOR money for LeBonheur Children's Hospital for 2 years now. Our plans are to keep going with this!:)

And it's all in honor of one super special and strong little girl...Lucy!

Here's a few pictures I managed to get on race day.



Mary Claire and Elise enjoyed the beautiful face painting we had at the race!

A new favorite picture!
A friend shared this with me on facebook, and it makes my heart happy every time I look at it.
My mom holding my little girl's hand as she crossed the finish line at the Kids' Fun Run. And the fact that Mary Claire is reaching out to give her buddy, Raygan, a high five is priceless!
I give thanks for this as I look at it.
Go, Mary Claire!

Unfortunately, Jonah had a little mishap on the track. Another little boy's shoe fell off, and Jonah did not see the boy bend down in front of him. He toppled right over the boy. I did not see it happen, but a friend brought him to me so that I could check him out. Once we determined he was o.k., Jan put him on his shoulders and went back with him to help him finish the race. I caught this moment with my phone camera when they crossed the finish line. I was glad Jan used this moment to teach Jonah that we always try our best to finish what we start, even if we have to help someone finish or be helped.

Rolling right along...
This past Wednesday night, John Owen and the children's choir at church performed their production of "That's So Daniel!" It was incredible!! They all did such a great job. Their hard work paid off, and I pray that the Biblical lessons they learned through this will help mold them into Christ-like young people.
(Our whole family knows the songs and dialogue! Mary Claire is still asking me to play the CD in the car, and sngs the songs to the top of her lungs!)

Great job, John Owen!

A good looking group!

And it wouldn't be a weekend around here without a party, right?!

We celebrated a special birthday! Our dear friend, Preston, turned 5!

His party was at the TN Safari Park in Alamo, and it was fantastic.

As you can see, Mary Claire enjoyed the icing on the cupcakes...

 She's got him by the horns!!:)

 Mary Claire and Mills feeding carrots to the giraffe.

 Mary Claire "hanging" with the girls.:)

 One of her favorite people, Mary Leslie!

Yes, and if you are wondering why I have several pictures of Mary Claire and not the boys, it would be because the boys were all over the place! Having fun with friends is hard work, and snapping pictures of them at "work" is hard, too.

Here's a good group shot I got before they got off of the trailer.

Happy birthday, Preston! It was a "wild" party at the Safari Park, and we had so much fun!

Well, that's about all I can put into words tonight...Oh, except that I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! My "group" showered me with handmade cards, flowers, lunch at a "fancy" restaurant, a sweet "love" letter from my husband, and a little bit of rest time. I got to enjoy a good run with my friend, Laura, this afternoon and spent tonight with my own mother for an hour or so. I am blessed beyond measure for several reasons, but mostly because I am called "Mother" by 3 beautiful people that God has given me.

Blessed because I have a wonderful Christian mother who continues to teach me through example of what being a mother is all about.

I love you, Mom!