Southern Wedding

At a plantation home of course.

 

followed by a photo booth, cotton candy, glow sticks and a band.

The girls were in heaven. 

Casualty

 

Between the spiders and the lizards, we found this guy cornered by the dog one night.

BBQ tools in hand, Patric got him.

Stalking the Army

Up in that cone on the hummingbird feeder.

 

Waiting.

 

Army Amassing

We've seen some big spiders in our day,

 

we've never really seen them amassing. 

Back At Home

 

We trailed Patric by 24 hours while we were making our way through the amusement park, so he did some laundry.

He did have a new knob ordered by the time we returned.

Alida Heaven

 

We used to seemingly only go to the zoo to give Alida a carousel ride.

 

 

 

She is still in heaven.

 

Nick, well I don't know what he is doing.  After the smile during the 200 foot drop, he can't be terrified by this.

 

 

 

Ben took one look at this thing while it was going by, turned to me and said:

"Oh that's great mom.  Real appropriate for little kids."

 

Amusement Park Recovery

 

And Patric left us to go to work from Charlotte, and we made our way home--stopping at Six Flags over Georgia.  Where we all rode this.

 

 

And Elaine clenched so hard, she bit her own lip open.

She did teach me to close my eyes during the loop-ti-loops, which is amazingly helpful.

 

 

And Ben just said, "I want to ride everything."

 

And he did.

After the one above, he told me he was glad I wasn't on it because I would have hated it.

 

 

And the Scorcher.  The first one I ever let the boys ride by themselves.  Nicholas scraped by on the height requirement.  And then, while they were out there, they shut the ride down for "Technical Difficulties."  I could help but wonder if Nicholas had slid out and was hanging from a tree somewhere.

 

 

But, they finally showed back up.

 

 

Zoom in on this--he is all smiles and his hair is straight up.

His neighbor, not quite as excited.

 

 

Straight up hair from dropping straight from up there.

 

 

And then the girls took me for a drive.

Just a few more grey hairs for me.

Post-Celebration

 

We headed over to this.

 

 

And the Stubers hit Carrowinds on the day the power died. 

 

 

Fun undeterred, we hit the hotel pool.

 

For hours...

But they couldn't quite stack four.

Graduation

Erika--Congratulations!

And thank you for hosting a host of family.

 

Grandkids and Grandpa.

 

And play.

 

And feasting.

Happy Father's Day

 

Our Dads.  Our hearts

 

 

And our heroes.

 

Happy Father's Day, Patric!

Ever in motion, and ever at work.

We love you.

Don't You Dare

 

Make the first words out of your mouth when you see me at the end of the day for the first time, "What's for dinner?"

 

Unless you have consulted the oracle there and can affirm a positive answer to each of these questions.

 

I am not a servant.  We are a family.

 

School Days End for Now

Last week we waved the last hang-out-of-the-bus-and-blow-kisses-good-bye to the last day of school. The last day of school (and really the last week) was 'optional'.  Well, it was maybe if you're not in our family.

And Elaine wins the Stuber most improved over the course of year award. She is amazing and brilliant, but that girl already has the social skills of a teenager, which gets in the way of paying attention from time to time.

 

And Alida was our only child to receive a perfect attendance award.

And, I can't even count the number of certificates for good reading she has brought home this year.

 

Smart kids, all of them.

Benjamin reluctantly gave me his letter announcing that he'll enter some harder classes next year because his grades were so good, and he points out that there is an option for me to choose that he not be placed in that program.  Nice try, buddy.

Here the fourth graders are leaving elementary school and heading to middle school next year.  Middle school?!

 

And Nicholas. 

He's good at everything it seems, but this is a parenting victory happening here.

He is applauding for the first place winner of the fastest one mile in school, which was not him.  He was third, by three seconds.  We often laugh about his running nemesis, who he can't seem to catch by just a few seconds each time.  We smile that even though we have a good time ribbing him about his nemesis, he has the poise to genuinely celebrate his competition's first place win anyway.

 

For us: no stitches, no trips to the principal, no office referrals this school year=success.

Our garden grows

To our first, small Harvest.

These will all go to Elaine most assuredly.

Nicholas will get the tomatoes, of course.