It's the Dad Life

It's been a busy two weeks with the rents in town. We've been lunching and shopping, swimming, and playing non-stop and it's been fabulous.  Today, I drive my momma to the airport which is always hard.  But, I'll have the company of the Bestie with me today and then we'll hit the International Mall for a little retail therapy and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  That should soften blow. 

Last night my Mom and I were sitting on the couch relaxing.  We were exhausted from an evening of playing at the park, wrangling kids in the tubby, dressing them, and feeding them.  We were unwinding, watching mindless TV, updating future blogs, and decompressing.  Well, Hubs comes rushing over with his cell phone in hand and he says "You have to watch this."  Um, my heart stops.  Hubs sometimes has a sense of humor that is worlds apart from my mom's and I was a little bit hesitant, okay, a lot a bit hesitant and slightly fearful of what he was going to show us.  I wouldn't want my Momma to be floored, shocked, appalled, or embarrassed by whatever the Hubs finds funny at the moment (BTW, I love that about him). 

So, he shows us this.

You're welcome.

I did it

I ventured off of the AV mode and took a few pics manually this weekend.  This was my very first click! (And don't laugh at my flowers.  The torrential rains we had over the 4th, washed em out, and nearly destroyed them.  I'm trying to talk them back to health)

and then this:

and...

And then, since I was having so much fun exploring my camera, I decided to try out the timer.  I totally figured out how it works, but didn't quite figure out how to get everyone in the shot.  I love the baby head in the corner. 

Happy Monday! 

The Enchanted Garden

Last Saturday, we packed up the kids and my parents and drove 10 minutes up the street to the Botanical Gardens.  Now, I've lived in this town for 7 years, have driven by the entrance gate hundreds of times and never once stopped to see the beauty that lies behind the gates and right on the coast. 

I gave Cam a five minute lecture that went something like this:

Me: Camdyn.  We are not allowed to touch the flowers and the plants inside this Enchanted Garden.  If we touch them they will kick us out.

Camdyn:  Kick us out?  But, God says it's not nice to kick.

Me:  I mean, they will ask us to leave, not really kick us.  It's just a phrase.  But, please, do not touch anything. Please.  Please.

So, we grab the umbrella, pack up the buggy, and head in.  We tour their indoor greenhouse, the butterfly garden, and a house that was built back in 1936, all the while dodging tiny rain droplets, and breathing the fresh air.  We take in the view of the water, the boats, and the gorgeous flowers.  Camdyn, is quick to remind me that I shouldn't touch anything, even if my shorts inadvertently graze a plant.  She asks questions about the plants, and she looks but never touches, which is huge for her, because she is known for popping the tops off of every flower she sees.  All the while Chloe sits in the buggy and points at herons and flowers.

Now, I'm not a Botanist or a Professional Photographer, so I can't do these plants

justice.  But, I do know that they were a sight to behold.

Especially, two giant trees, they may have been Banyan trees, I'm really not sure, but their roots systems were exposed, and the trees were intertwined in each other like they'd been the best of friends for centuries.  The kind of friends that grow in to each other and the kind that know that they will always be side by side and weathering it all for years to come.   It was spectacular to view, and even more fun for the kids to climb and wander around. 

We spent the bulk of our visit under these trees where the earth was dry and the air was cool.

And here's Gramma and Cam - that's one HUGE Tree

And after we'd spent two hours wandering the garden, only slightly soaked, we headed back to the car and Camdyn asked, "Mommy, why weren't there Princesses in the Enchanted Garden?" 

Because, my love, God was there instead.

We Built a Memory - Wordless Wednesday

Let Freedom Ring, Let the White Dove Sing

I love that song.  Martina can do no wrong. 

Ya'll this was a busy weekend.  The weather was crap, but we made the most of it.  Please excuse most of these pictures.  There were few moments where the weather cooperated enough for me to pull out the "good" camera.  Also, remember that I said my parents are in town?  So, that means I'm spending my evenings hanging out and enjoying their company instead of editing pictures and making cute collages.  It truly sucks for you, but hey, I'm enjoying it! 

Here's the weekend in pictures.

This was taken on Friday morning before school.  The girls are dressed in their red, white, and blue, for their school's 4th of July celebration.  They are looking at a huge egret across the street.  I love how Cam is standing with one hip cocked to the side and Chloe is right next to her like her best friend. 

This was taken the same morning.  I cropped and adjusted the gray scale. 

Love the expression on her face, and her wispy hairs.  Cute.

On Saturday, we went to a pool party at the Stiff's House.  Chloe and Abby are sitting on the ledge together.  I didn't bring Chloe's swimsuit and as soon as she saw all of the kids in the pool she wanted in.  So, we borrowed Sawyer's swim shirt and a swimmie diaper and she had a blast.  She looks like a boy, but who cares!

And then there were fireworks Stiff Style, which basically means there were a ton of them and they were fantastic!  Here Cam and Madie watch in awe.  Now, it was pretty dark out, and I had to bump the ISO all the way up.  This was taken without a flash.

Becky took this shot of Cam with her camera.  Love that she is making the letter "C" for Cam.  Of course, from Cam's perspective, she wrote it backward.  We have to work on that.

Now it's the 4th of July.  I have some cute pics I wanted to share from my pocket camera, but didn't get them on the computer last night.  We started the day by going to church.  They did a sermon just for the children and had tiny, child sized chairs set up right in front of the stage.  Cam loved it, and she sat and listened and now she'll probably never want to go to her Sunday School class again.  But, it was fun and I was so proud of her for doing what she was supposed to do.

Then, we braved the rain and went to McD's.  Chris crawled up in the playland slide with the Chloe.  He's 6'4", it was hilarious to watch all of him squeeze through those tiny tunnels and the whole thing only swayed slightly.  Those pics are fun.  I'll post them here, later. 

The Hubs doing anything for his little girl

And then they emerge from teh slide together, and she is one happy little girl!

Then, we went to a birthday party on the beach.  It was overcast and the skies were threatening, it rained a little but not bad.  The weather was cool, which was perfect.  I have a few pictures of Chloe playing in the sand. I'll post those here...Later. We enjoyed good food, and good company and then we came home and showered up for the fireworks. 

Chloe ate about a pound of sand, but she never once said it tasted bad

After Chloe's bath.  She's dressed and ready for the main event.

This was the only picture I took of the girls together in their coordinating 4th of July outfits.  And, it sucks  because I can't take good pictures indoors, they all look yellow.  Truthfully, the lighting in this room is horrendous.  But, it's where the kids always are....I'll figure it out one day. 

And, then we met up with friends and walked down to the water to view the fireworks display. 

Our family is on the left.  Notice that my buggy is the only one with beer in it....

Thanks for taking this picture, Toni!

And then my girlfriend, Toni, went to take this picture of Sophie and Cam rushed up and jumped in.  Because the kid loves a camera, and Sophie. 

And, then we got down to the water, and Cam sat on the seawall, which makes me nervous, but she sat there while I tinkered with my settings, and took this picture.  It was taken 10 minutes after the pics above...it was dark...really dark.  I bumped up the ISO, didn't use a flash, and somehow was able to see the image.  That in itself is amazing, SOOC.  This was the last picture I took of the evening.

And then we watched the fireworks, Cam peed in some bushes, and we went home.  The girls were tucked in their beds by 10:15 and everyone slept in until 9:15 on Monday morning.  I can't remember the last time the kids slept past 7 am.  Amen!

And, today, it looks like the skies are clearing a little bit, and hopefully, we'll see the sun a little this week.  I have some fantastic pics to share this week, including the building of a birdhouse, and a trip to the Botanical Gardens, which was smashed into this weekend with the rest of the events listed above.  I told ya we were busy!

Happy Monday Tuesday!

Saturday Playdate...and I'm a Guest Bloggin'

If you're lookin' for me, you'll find me playing at LeeAnn's house today.  I'm guest blogging for her as part of her Saturday Playdate.  This is a first for me, so if it didn't go well, be a dear and lie to me.

So go ahead and clicky clicky on over there and read what I'm yappin' about and then stay awhile and see how awesome her kids are and what life is like in LeeAnn's world! 




Happy Saturday and I hope ya'll enjoy some pre-4th of July festivities....I know I will!

The Thursday Thanks

Wow.  Here we are at Thrusday all ready.  If you haven't noticed, I've been a bit long-winded this week, so I'm gonna make today short and sweet.  Here are 10 things that I am Thankful for this week!

41). Advice from friends and e-friends who provide me direction/support when I don't know whether or not I did the right thing by doing nothing. 
42).  My parents arriving safely and spending the week with us.
43).  Independence Day...because we live in a great country and we have many, many, precious freedoms that were born on the 4th of July.
44).  Our new iPad, because it's sleek, and fast, and cool, and now the hubs and I can internet at the same time. (doesn't it look huge in this picture?  Really, it looks huge, but it's not, just about the size of a hard back book, but thinner)

45).  Snails that come out in the rain and provide an opportunity for a science lesson with my 4 year old.
46).  The word "kwa-ker" (cracker) because it's Chloe Belle's first 2 syllable word and reminds me how fast she's growing up
47).  This doggie, who lets Chloe take food out of her bowl while she's eating it, and never growls or snips.  I think she loves the kids as much as I do.

48). Sleeping through the night.  After 10 days of Chloe's illness, it's high time we got back to all nighters
49).  Liz.  She keeps me sane, keeps me laughing, and makes this place feel like home.
50).  Friends who love and excel at photography, because they guide me, encourage me, and inspire me. And friends who offer to try and figure it all out with me, one week, one lesson at a time.
**I just have to mention this, because it NEVER happens.  I just hit spell check and not one yelllow highlighted word in this whole post.  WTH?  Something is wrong!...maybe spellcheck is down or something.