handsful

Ridiculously behind.

Sorry.

Can’t believe Summer is over!  How did THAT happen?  We’re in school mode, with the big kids beginning their Mitchell CC classes tomorrow.  We will begin a couple of things with Lainey and Dylan this week, with their official start on August 24th.

So, what DID we do this summer?  Testify concerts, Testify tour, summer day camps, Acrofitness day camps, 5 birthdays, two kids got their braces off, family and friend visits, a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, sewing camps, boating time, sleepovers…

I realize that’s a lot to include in one blog post.  But, time is of the essence.  So below are some snapshots of some of the above.  I’ll add the rest in another post.

Enjoy :)

She’s 19 years old.  19!

That’s only 1 year from 20.

Not possible.

I was in the midst of a yucky winter cold here…not my best pic.

But, this post isn’t about me.

Abbey ALWAYS chooses her fav steakhouse for her bday dinner.

She loves the country music that they play.

She made us promise that they would NOT sing happy birthday to her.

She’s not a fan.

Sweet picture, right?  Can you tell what she’s holding?

Apparently turning 19 is cause for violence.  Daniel is shocked and alarmed.

Abbey and Daniel.  They’re so cute together.

We had to wait till the next day for her to cut the cake…and, let me tell you, it’s gooooood.

So, we celebrated the beginning of her LAST teen year.

I know she’ll make the most of it.

And, when those 20’s start.  Watch out :)

So, my last post was a month ago.

Oops.  Getting major slack from my kids about this.

It’s not my fault!  Summer has sped by!  I’m still waiting for those lazy summer days so I can tackle a few projects.

(The kids dual enrollment classes and Abbey’s community college classes begin Aug 18th.  Our other courses at home will begin the following week.)

Who am I kidding about projects?

But, I’ll still share a few of our favorite pics from the last month.

Buckle up.  This will be long.

I think I mentioned that I took Marley and her friends Kylie and Kailee to Hilton Head for a weekend.  It was her 16th birthday wish, rather than a big party.  Since I got to enjoy a first-ever trip to HH, I whole-heartedly agreed!

This is Marley checking out the view from the Harbour Town Lighthouse.

I also took them to go para sailing.  Randy and I did this in Mexico last summer, I knew the girls would love it.

One of the girls was a little nervous, given the height and water thing, but she immediately said she’d do it again in a heartbeat.  I’m protecting her identity ;)

Coming in for a landing!

View from our balcony…Randy’s traveling = hotel points. Our stay was free.

It was a great weekend, despite a few too many clouds.  They had their beloved beach day, we ate some delish food, and we spent both nights taking LONG walks on the beach.  I had such a great time with these girls!

Another summer highlight was our Family Weekend Vacation.  Despite our best efforts, we could never find more than 3 days that we were all available..no one working, or had other commitments with friends, etc.  I’m learning that, as they get older, they have these LIVES that don’t always include us. Makes me happy (they’re becoming independent young adults..gulp), and sad at the same time. I find myself wanting to re-live when they were all little.

Hindsight, ya know?

We decided a nice weekend in Atlanta would hit the spot…especially if we included a Braves game.  That always makes us happy! We also visited the Georgia Aquarium, which was super crowded, but also really fun.

After spending 5+ hours (yeah…) at the aquarium, we decided we were hungry.  And, since the theme for the weekend was “follow the crowd”, we had no choice but to head here.

Where is “here”, you ask?

The Varsity.  The ultra-famous burger joint that serves 2 miles worth of chili dogs per DAY.  It’s been open since 1928.  I mean, Elvis used to order cheeseburgers to-go several times a day.  It’s a legend.

But, when Randy saw that line, he gave me that “are you kidding me??”  look.  But, being the great dad that he is, we ventured in and enjoyed our Varsity lunch!  The kids were thrilled, because they’d come here on Testify tour a couple years back.

We then fought the traffic (again), and  made our way back to the hotel, and got dressed for the game..

I LOVE going to Braves games.  And, we’ve been to about 4 in the last few years.

They’ve won all 4.  We’ve got a good record :)

How much do I love this picture?  A lot.  These are the “Braves Girls”…we asked Dylan if he wanted a picture with them.  He sauntered right up there and smiled big.  Heartbreaker.

Abbey-girl.  The girl is busy being a young adult these days, and isn’t around as much as she used to be.  They’re all growing up so dang quickly.

Sigh…I digress.

I call this one “Payton contemplating entering the scary crowd of people”.  Remember the theme?  Get over your claustrophobia, dude.

Before the game, we hit the Braves store (of course, it was crowded), and picked up a few new T-shirts, etc.  Payton bought this…fans of Evan Gattis (Braves catcher) call him El Oso Blanco.  It means White Bear.  Good luck getting this back, Tater.

Braves win!!

The required pic of Randy and me, after the game.

Back to the hotel, and then we headed home in the morning.  But before we did, Randy managed to find a few locations in Atlanta where the Walking Dead is filmed.  This is one of their fav shows.  I always wimp out and go to bed when it comes on.

Zombies, ewww.

They’re sitting in front of someone’s house.  Rick’s maybe?  I dunno.  But, they were pretty psyched, as you can tell.

Ethan would have been in the pic, but he’d been sick off and on since the day before, and was feeling pretty lousy that morning.

Thankfully, he made the trip home fine.

What else this summer?  Lainey and Dylan went to a week of Y camp. Marley and Lainey had a week of Acrofitness camp.  We all had an awesome week of VBS, where the big kids helped in elementary classrooms (Ethan and Marley), a group of girls learning a dance for the week (Abbey), and as skit characters named Zip Quick, Wormy, and Billy Bass (Payton).  Marley is currently in the middle of two weeks at the beach with Kylie, and Abbey left this morning with Daniel for a few days at the beach with his family.

As is usual for us, our summer was full.

Maybe Fall will be a better time to finish those projects?  :)

We have a houseful of 16 year olds now.

Eeek.

They take their driving tests end of August.

Why do I complain about all the driving I do?  Soon I’ll just be worrying about all my kids driving THEMSELVES everywhere.

Birthday dinner…with family and friends.

They elected to skip a party this year…wanting instead to go on trips with us.  I took Marley and two of her friends to Hilton Head for a weekend.

Pics of that to come later…

The boys and Randy went to Boone to hike and white water raft.

Both trips went great…special memories made for all of us.

And, this concludes our July birthdays for 2014!

Forgive the late post, but we’ve just had 5 birthdays around here. Let’s start with our Independence Day kiddos…

Lainey 8

Dylan 7

Bags over their heads so they wouldn’t see what we were bringing in the room….big kids idea :)

We got Dylan a bike and had it fitted with a left pedal clip and straps.  As long as Randy gets him going, he can keep his balance and ride for quite a long way!

Lainey wears out our carpet on a daily basis with all of her tumbling…so, we got her a gymnastics mat.  She’s now wearing IT out.

Their choice for Birthday dinner?  One of our fav Asian places :)

These two are growing up quickly, it seems.

Our July 4th “littles” are blessings!

The birthday girl…

Those 18th birthday pics I promised?  Here ya go…

Everyone arrived, and Abbey gave them a “How Well Do You Know Abbey” quiz.  Her friend Chandler won and box of candy for getting the highest number right.

Then, it was time for everyone to get all dressed up…they had somewhere to go.

Which meant, of course, I pulled the camera out for a photo shoot.

Ladies first…

Marley, Eva Joy, Kayla, Christine, and Abbey

And, the guys

Nathan, Daniel, Aaron, and Chandler

The Marilyn pose!

Abbey and Daniel :)

And then, the limo arrived…

For the record, I’ve never been in a limo.  No fair!

The limo took them to PF Changs for dinner.  Randy arranged it ahead of time, and was told by the management later that the kids were great…very polite and a fun group to serve.  Nice to hear!

No pics of dinner…I assumed they’d take some with their phones!

Afterwards, the plan was to stop at a donut shop in Charlotte, but it was closed.  Drat.  Oddly enough, a highlight of the ride home was being stopped by the police.  The driver forgot to turn off his parking lights!  They scrambled to find the seat belts, and one kid broke out his phone to video.  Ha…

Once home, they changed into their comfy clothes and bashed Sponge Bob till he gave up his candy.

All the teens stayed the night, and we took them to church the next morning.

After church and Testify practice, it was time for her family birthday dinner.  Yes, the party continued, despite them being exhausted from staying up ALL night the night before.

Daniel came along with us…

A fight ensued…

And, she says she’s an adult now.  Sheesh.  :)

Once home, I made her pose for two more pictures.  Before she crashed on the couch and fell asleep.

Still can’t believe you’re 18.  I’ll get used to it.

So glad you had a fabulous birthday :)

They say time seems to go by faster as you grow older.

In my case, I’d say that’s right on the money.

Otherwise, how could my daughter…the one who blessed me with the title of Mom…how could she possibly be 18 already?

But, here we are and she’s 18 and I’m no longer that 30 year old “brand new, have no clue what I’m doing” mom.

Well, sometimes the no clue part still fits.

But, Abbey is growing into a young woman right before our eyes.  She’s a girl version of her dad.  Strong willed, , fun-loving, competitive, a true night-owl, loves the spotlight, prone to hyperactivity, fearless…

18 is a milestone year.  One that brings with it changes…something she’s NEVER liked.  But, I see her growing and embracing the future.  Just a bit.

I can’t wait to see where God brings her.

I hope to add some pictures of her amazing birthday party soon…the site I use to upload pics is having tech issues.  In the meantime, here are a few hints:  a few friends, semi-formal, hummer limo, dinner out, party all night.

I asked her today how it rated…0-10.  Without blinking, she said a 10.  :)

We’re headed out tonight for our traditional family birthday dinner.  At her fav steakhouse, like always.  I mentioned she’s not into change, right?

Happy Birthday, Abbey-girl.  We love you always…