handsful

1992. Married 6 months. In our first home…a single-wide trailer that we were renting. With us and two big dogs, we were kinda squeezed in there, but happy as could be.

1996. First child, Abbey, was born after a couple of years of infertility.

1998. Second, third, and fourth children were born. Marley, Payton, and Ethan. Fertility treatments kicked in nicely this go round. Yes, I’m still holding on to the baby weight here and we both look exhausted.

2002. 10th Anniversary trip to San Francisco.

2006. Living in Florida…we followed Randy’s job to Florida from NC in 2004. Assuming we’d be there a couple of years, tops.

2008. Lainey joined our family. Still in Florida.

2010. And, then Dylan. We moved back to NC this same year, and rented a home on the water. Our home in Florida was still on the market.

2012. Back in NC, in our new home, our FL home finally sold. Feeling very blessed!!

It’s been an incredible 20 years, and in some ways it’s flown by. But, when I think of all that we’ve been through together…wow. It’s been a crazy, fun ride. Can’t wait to see what’s next…

On our last morning in Florida, some of us wanted to hit the beach.

I wasn’t one of them. I like the beach, I don’t love it. The sand is sandy, the water isn’t refreshing to me, and with my fair skin…it’s just a burn waiting to happen.

So, I chose to stay behind and pack. I’m such fun, eh?

Randy took just the girls. Dylan shares my opinion of the beach, and the boys chose sleeping in.

Thankfully, Randy took the camera and got some great shots.

Love this shot!

Looking for shark teeth

Abbey ended up finding several

Randy gave the camera to Abbey…

I saw this photo and immediately knew which beach they went to. The beach isn’t covered in fine sand, but instead has these tiny shells all over. Kinda crunchy under the toes :)

Our trip to FL and Power Up Clubs, 2012 was a huge success. Hope to make a repeat next year.

Even though KK originated in NC, we don’t have one close to us. So, we had to stop by the one close to our old neighborhood in Florida :)

We swam. A lot.

Every night, we watched the Olympics (this was the first night Ethan was supposed to have stayed at the church, but he stayed with us because he got sick)

A highlight of our trip was spending a day at Hope’s house! Dylan was so excited to have a day with his bestie from Luoyang. They were shy with each other for about 3 minutes, and then it was like old times. We’re so blessed to be able to continue this friendship and plan to until their eventual wedding. Ahem.

We enjoyed lunch at a local Asian place (predictable, eh?)…

Someone tried to steal a kiss and someone was playing hard to get…

Then, it was back to Hope’s house for playing and swimming…

The goofiness was times three.

The cuteness times a zillion…

Persistent little thing!

Randy did a lot of traveling. He spent days in Orlando, Jacksonville, and even Raleigh (flying in and out in the same day!) No pics of Randy working…what fun is that? :)

Next up, pics of the last day when Randy took the girls to the beach. The boys and I stayed back, to pack up (and sleep in a bit).

Earlier this month, we made our yearly trip back to Jacksonville, Florida. The big kids were welcomed back at our old church to participate in their week-long, backyard version of VBS called “Power Up Clubs”. This is their 3rd year since we moved back to NC, and we are so thankful for the time they get to spend with their beloved friends.

Last year, we rented a condo on the beach in St. Augustine, while the big kids roughed it staying at the church with the rest of the PUC teams. This year was different. With Randy’s new job, and his sales territory expanded to include most of the southeast, he combined a lot of working with a little bit of downtime. So, it was mostly me and the littles hanging out in Florida, while Randy traveled back to NC, GA, and FL.

To clarify what Power Up Clubs are…the kids are divided up into teams of about 7 (aged 12-18) with an adult leader. The teams visit 3 houses (hosted by church members) per day and put on 1 1/2hr clubs for the neighborhood kids that have been invited by the host’s. So, for the whole week, the kids do this 15 times, in the Florida heat (and accompanying thunder storms which ALWAYS come in the afternoons…). Plus, they stay at the church, church members provide three meals and snacks, and they end each night with awesome teaching and worship.

We always take Lainey and Dylan to visit each of their siblings clubs….

Payton was part of the daily skits. A pirate, as you can see.

Tagged!

He was also the Surginator…the guy who, under the strange influence of the lightning bolt, runs around screaming about how fun Power Surge (the end of the week carnival at the church) will be!

Lainey and Dylan loved the games…

Arghh

The day we visited Marley’s club, there was a HUGE storm coming. So, we ended up in the garage, which worked just fine.

She does NOT like to talk in front of others, so this was perfect for her. The boy read the script and she acted it out.

Freeze dance :)

Abbey’s club, next…

Abbey was full-out in pretty much all the skits. And, did a great job.

A game called “steal with bacon”…Puuullll, Lainey!

I don’t think it even occurred to him that the other guys were bigger than him…

This shot cracks me up. All the kids, being kids and not afraid to ask the hard questions, were asking him about his leg. He matter-of-factly explained that he jumped off the stairs and broke his leg. ?? Yes, he DID do that soon after we brought him home, but it’s not why he wears his “jingwa”. We had a talk about it later, so he’ll be better prepared when the questions come again.

The kids are loving the clubs!

Ethan’s turn. He was also in the skits…

Gave Dylan a much-needed ride during the games.

And, wore the lightning bolt :)

Drip, Drip, Drop is always a favorite “get wet” game at PUC.

I love being able to “spy on” the big kids, by taking the little kids to see them at their clubs!

Next post, hanging out in Jax, and visiting friends in Orlando!

the NC mountains.

And, we’re blessed to be so close to them. It takes us an hour to arrive in Boone, NC…the hometown of Appalachian State University. We like to hang out downtown, right in the midst of the student’s hang outs. Local diners, antique stores, Mast General Store, etc. It definitely has a college town feel to it, and the hippie vibe is always present. :)

Then, just a few miles down the road, you can jump onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and take in some free rock climbing and gorgeous views.

Check out the day we had about a week ago…

The van we parked beside. Peace, baby…

Our first stop was the Mast General Store. The first one was built in 1882 in Valle Crucis. The one in Boone was built in 1913. It has clothing, housewares, local products, and tons of candy sold by the pound. The kids are drawn in by that last one. Course, so am I.

Shopped out, it was time to check out the scenery. Randy was holding Dylan by the overall straps to get this shot!

Me and my little girl…

Whatta ya want?

Explorers!

Conquerors!

Abbey tries to make a new path

Marley is content to enjoy the view

Spiderman showed up while we were there…

Dinner time. Southern style.

Finished with yummy dessert!

It was a great, mountain day trip :)

As I mentioned a while back, we hosted a Spanish exchange student for the month of July. We tried to provide a fun time for Hayde’, with lots of American experiences.

Her month is over now, as she left to return back to Valladolid, Spain on July 26th. We will miss her!

Here is her time with us, in pictures…

First picture of her, as we met her at the airport. She seemed very tired, and also ended up getting sick because she said the airplane food was no good! (She made sure to make a sandwich for the flight home)

The big kids were still on tour with their Testify choir, so it was just us and the littles at first. We went to a museum downtown and let the kids (and us) play.

jellyfish!

A lesson in the pulley system :)

We joined the other students and host families to watch the EuroCup, where Spain and Italy were in the championship game. Spain kicked some Italian booty and won easily!

With the big kids home, we quickly introduced her to the lake. During her time with us, we went boating about 4-5 times. I lost count. I think the lake was her favorite thing.

Abbey and Hayde’ realized they both love volleyball and, despite the incredible heat, went out for a short volley.

Soon after this, it was the birthday weekend frenzy where she went roller skating with the big kids and joined the teens for party food and a movie.

The kids played Scene-It…Abbey gets a little competitive with this game. (Is anyone surprised at this?) I think Hayde’ enjoyed watching her as much as playing the game itself.

More boating. Hayde’ LOVED tubing and decided this day to try kneeboarding. She got up on her first try.

Lainey and Dylan LOVED having Hayde’ around, and she was always extremely sweet and gracious with them. I reminded her more than once that she could say “no” to their requests for playing, holding them, etc. She would usually just smile or laugh at me :)

We took her to a certain restaurant (rocking chairs on the front porch, checker tables, gift shop…) to introduce her to southern food. As hard as we tried, she still declared on the day she left “Spanish food is better”. Ha!

While Hayde’ was here, Randy’s brother Tony, his wife Dee Dee, their 6 kids, and their dog came for a weekend visit. It was a full house…

Samara gave them a little makeover and hair session.

A kid pile-up!

We quickly realized (and her dad confirmed for us on Facebook!) that Hayde’ could shop with the best of them. She had a long list of things to buy for herself, her family, and friends. I think she loved every minute of it.

One day, Hayde’ informed me that she wanted to make a traditional Spanish dish for us. I was thrilled, and the girls jumped in to help. I don’t recall the Spanish words, but it translates into “Potato Tortilla”. It reminded us of an omelet with potatoes, but creamy and delicious! I’m hoping I can somehow copy it, but I need to find out the ratio of eggs and potatoes. Marley helped her to turn them on the stove, which was very precarious!!

Oh, I wish we still had them…(and, yes, those are tomatoes and corn from our garden!)

It’s not a great shot, I only had my phone camera…but, this shows the 3rd water sport that Hayde’ tried and succeeded in. She’s a natural in water sports :)

Another shopping trip, this time the outlet malls. Abbey tagged along, too.

More shopping, but this time just playing around. Lainey and Hayde’ share the same taste in shoes! She did spend this trip grabbing up some American foods/snacks that she’s learned she likes. Mac n’ cheese, rice crispy treats, and veggie straws to name a few!

Since we’re only about an hour from mountains, we had to give Hayde’ that experience. She did some exploring, we visited an old general store that sells candies by the barrel, and then attempted (again) to turn her into a southerner by eating at the Daniel Boone Inn. I think I’m still full from that dinner.

I’ll be adding the rest of the mountain pics in a separate post later on ;)

On her last night, we asked her what kind of food she’d like for dinner. She chose Mexican, so we took her to one of our fav places, Sauza’s.

And, then it was time to take her to the airport. One more errand beforehand…she wanted an American flag to take back and we found a beautiful one. Then, we all climbed in the van to wish her farewell. Not goodbye, because we’re hoping she can come back next summer :)

Our month with Hayde’ was fabulous, and we hope she can look back on her month and smile, remembering the fun we had.