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 :)

Payton and Elaina’s prom was last.

They were both rockin’ the coral pink.

We took pictures at the lake in her neighborhood.

Hardest part about this photo shoot?  Keeping them from goofing around.

Which actually gave us some pretty cute shots afterall.

Payton was trying to re-create last year’s pic…

See?  Is it just me, or do they both look SO young here?

Randy wants it known that Payton is NOT taller than he is yet, this picture just makes it look like he is.

And, I’d like it known that I WAS standing in a hole for this picture.  Or, maybe Payton really is a tall guy.

Love this one.

Sweet.

Winner of the most unique prom picture ever.

Another prom season is in the books.  :)

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!

It’s that time of year.

The weather is turning warmer (finally), the pollen is beginning to build up, allergies are flaring up, my lilies are peeking out of the ground…and, teenagers are busy renting tuxes, buying dresses, getting their hair and nails done, and posing for tons of pictures.

In fact, three of my teens did just that last night…attended our local homeschool prom.

And we’ve spent the last few weeks getting ready for it.  After a relatively quick search, we found Abbey’s dress, shoes, and jewelry.  We rented the boys tuxes from a gentlemen’s clothing store downtown, ordered corsages and boutonnieres (am I the only one who can’t spell that without checking first?), and spent the day of the prom taking Abbey for a mani/pedi and a beautiful up-do.

Hope you enjoy the pictures…

The boys were ready first (shocking, right?).  I told them I wanted a picture of them in the doorway.  This is what they gave me.  Goofballs.

Yes, I’m that short.  I don’t mind…I’ve got two very handsome boys.

And then, Abbey was ready.  She looked stunning!  Her boyfriend, Daniel, was already at the house waiting.  Before taking pictures with him, I wanted a quick sibling shot.

We then drove to a park to meet the boys dates, and their friend Trevor and his date, to take photos.

Flower time…

Here’s EJ and Kailee

And, Payton and Elaina

Abs and Daniel

Ladies

Gentlemen

Because this is Abbey’s Senior Prom, here are a few extra shots :)

Did ya’ll think I totally forgot we had a blog?

About 2 weeks ago, we hosted a birthday bash here for Marley, Payton, and Ethan and their friends.  I was going to blog about that…and, then remembered that I failed to blog pics from Lainey and Dylan’s party with THEIR friends a couple of weeks before that.

So, we’re going back in time a bit.

There’s a cool place in Charlotte called Bounce U, with lots of indoor bounce houses, slides, and climbing walls.  Perfect place for a bday party with 6 and 7 year olds!

This was a big hit…the kids climbed through layers of fabric straps (kinda like webs) inside this very tall structure, and then slid down a slide.  Out of all the kids there, Lainey, Dylan (prosthetic leg) and their friend Anna (born with spina bifida) were the only ones to make it to the top…several times!  So impressed with their “never give up” attitude!  (that’s Dylan at the top in the pic)

The cupcakes were Batman theme (the kids choice), so this was just right for the party :)

Marley joined in the fun, too!

Make a wish!

Batman mask…loved it!

Thanking her friends for her presents…

Everyone agreed, it was a fabulous place to “party” for your birthday!

Approximately two weeks later…the trips finally found a date where they WEREN’T busy, and we had their birthday party.

They started the evening with a neighborhood scavenger hunt…oddly enough, no pics of that.  They were divided into 3 teams with about 6 kids on each (Marley, Payton, and Ethan as a captain on each).  We drove them to a near-by neighborhood with a list of things they had to either find and bring back OR take a picture of on their phone.  They experienced some very friendly neighbors (all three teams came back with a t-shirt) and some very unfriendly ones (a couple of doors slammed in their faces).  In the end, EJ’s team won.

Once back home, they scarfed down 6 pizzas (the kitchen looked like this, or worse, the whole night) and then it was time for the game Marley planned…

We put out sheets to cover the floor, paired everyone up guy/girl (a couple of girls paired up because several guys said “no way” to this game), and broke out the make-up and blindfolds.

Girls blindfolded, guys endure the agony…

This next part we’ll call…”the guys revenge”

After filling a trashcan full of make-up stained baby wipes, it was time for…Cake!  As usual, EJ wanted a cookies and cream ice cream cake, Marley wanted a vanilla with buttercream frosting (that her and her friends made that day), and Payton wanted a warm apple dessert.   They requested a “group” bday song this year :)

M’s cake close-up…tie dye!

Anyone up for charades?

It was around this time (midnight or so?) that I was fading fast…Randy always takes the “night shift” with these late nights, so I bid everyone goodnight.  The kids split up into two groups…one watched a movie, while the other went down to the Shop and had an impromptu dance party.  In the morning, I was up early(ish) and put out a quick breakfast for everyone cause most of us were due to be extras at a movie set at 10am.  :)

So, with July gone, the 5 birthdays are over and done with.  The next family birthday will be Jack, the top dog around here.  He’ll be 11 in September…or 77, however you wanna look at it.

That title might be misleading.

We’re not celebrating 45 of anything…just 3 kids turning 15 :)

Warning:  I’m gonna sound like a mom here.

I can’t believe they’re 15?  I look back at pictures of them when they were babies (and Randy and I were bleery-eyed parents, who slightly acknowledged each other as we passed in the hall…), and wonder where the time went.  In some ways, those baby days were eons ago.  But, at the same time, it’s flown by…

With 5 birthdays so close together, we decided to do a combo-dinner for all of them.  But, how would we EVER get them to agree on ONE place?  Once we thought of a day trip to Boone (Randy’s idea, actually), having dinner at the Dan’l Boone Inn was easily agreed upon.  Nothing like having bowls and plates of delicious (healthy?  eh…) southern food placed in front of you, with promises of more if we just ask.  It’s hard to leave there hungry.  Impossible, really.

So, we left that morning for Boone, and our first stop was the Mast General Store.  Love that place, and they have barrels and barrels of old fashioned candy.  Given I have a sweet tooth (or two), I have to restrain myself.  But, I did come away with a bag of jaw breakers and a couple of sugar daddys.  Yum.  The other kids chose a few favorites, and they we decided to attempt a trip to Linville Falls.

I say attempt, because it’s done nothing but rain lately and the skies looked a little angry.

We started down the trail, and noticed that everyone else seemed to be going the other direction.  Hmmm.

Payton had the camera, and was snapping pictures of everything.

This lone yellow leaf really spoke to him…

Dark clouds turned into thunder, and then some sprinkles.

Back to the van for us.  Just in time, too, it started raining hard.  We decided to bag the idea of sight seeing and head to the restaurant.

We had to wait outside, in line (typical for this place) and ended up meeting a family with 5 adopted children from China.  As we talked, we both realized that we follow each other’s blog.  Actually, hers was one of the first ones I ever followed, even before we were matched with Lainey.  Meeting them was one of those sweet God surprises.

No pictures of us eating.  I mean, who has time to take pictures when you’re eating salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, fried chicken, biscuits, baked apples, ham biscuits, corn, slaw, and a choice between three desserts?  Not us, that’s who.

After dinner, we walked…with difficulty…outside for some picture taking.

All the birthday kids.  Posing with a bear.  Of course.

They have a party with their friends planned in a couple of weeks.  They have no idea what they’re doing, but they keep telling me they’re working on it.  We’ll see.

Happy Birthday, Marley, Payton, and Ethan!  We love you!

I know, I know…I’m almost 3 weeks behind in getting Marley, Payton, and Ethan’s birthday blog up. But, despite my continued camera / memory card / photo issues, I’m gonna get it up here. We’ve got plans to possibly trade in our cameras for a newer, better, and easier to use camera soon. And, we need new memory cards badly…as evidenced by the complete LOSS of photos that I took today while on the boat. Trying to let that one go…

I know, I know…I’m almost 3 weeks behind in getting Marley, Payton, and Ethan’s birthday blog up. But, despite my continued camera / memory card / photo issues, I’m gonna get it up here. We’ve got plans to possibly trade in our cameras for a newer, better, and easier to use camera soon. And, we need new memory cards badly…as evidenced by the complete LOSS of photos that I took today while on the boat. Trying to let that one go…

Taken today, with my Iphone. The triplet pics I took ON their birthday were “eaten” by my memory card.

They’ve aged SO much in this last year. They’re all (yes, all…) taller than I am now. Payton is quite a bit taller than the other two.

Are they even the same kids?!? Especially Payton!! Time is flying…

But, they’re still goofy. Always will be, I hope.

For their party, they chose roller skating and then a movie/sleepover at the house afterwards.

Marley, far left. Payton on right. These were taken with…yes, my Iphone. I’ll stop complaining eventually.

Can’t remember how many friends that attended, but we needed our big van, our friend’s mini van, and Randy’s landcruiser to get them all back to the house :)

Marley will just love this shot…

I think that girl in the back is wanted by the authorities. Heh.

Ethan looks miserable, surrounded by three girls huh?

Lainey and Dylan’s first time skating…they were out there nearly the whole time and did great!

Quite a crew

After making the trek back to our house, the kids all crashed in the living room to watch present-opening.

His favorite junk food…someone knows him well.

Yes, we had three cakes. Marley chose marble cake with butter cream frosting…Ethan wanted a cookies and cream ice cream cake…Payton wanted my apple dumplings!

Yes, we sang the song THREE times.

Randy, as usual, took the night shift with the kids and they all spread out to watch a movie until late! Sleepover (not much sleep was had!) and then the party was over as parents poured in the next morning.

Happy 14th birthday, Marley, Payton, and Ethan!