It's the time of year where we spend our evenings in the stillness of a southern landscape with the setting sun as our light and the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs as our soundtrack.  Our skin is bronzed by the sun's kiss, our bellies are full with home grown goodness, and our feet are bare.  Popsicles fill the freezer, the smell of sun block permeates the air, and dirty kids fill the bathtub night after night.  It's summer time, and we are so ready to fill this season precious memories of family time. Here is a look at our bucket list. 1. Memorial Day in Marion 2. Father's Day 3. Independence Day 4. Labor Day Weekend 5. Clay's Birthday 6. Emily's Birthday 7. Mommy's Birthday 8. Mandi's Birthday 9. Amy's Birthday 10. Nan's Birthday 11. Griffin's Birthday 12. Owen's Birthday 13. Papaw, Granny, Ms. Tina Birthdays 14. Shannon's Birthday 15. Eli's FIFTH Birthday 16. Popsicles 17

(The Night Nemo joined our family.) Two years ago Eli asked for a fish for Valentines Day.  Of course we delivered cause, ya'll, gold fish are cheap, and we like cheap!  In true toddler fashion my boy named his fish the most original thing he could think of....Nemo. I don't know if ya'll know this or not, but I'm married to the Fish Whisperer.  It's true.  About a month ago Eric saved our little under water friend from Fin Rot.  I kid you not, despite being the worst named disease in the world, it is a real thing and is typically fatal.  Lucky for Nemo, he belongs to the Fish Whisperer who took it upon himself to treat the water daily and even administer little fish antibiotics...ya'll I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.  Nemo survived Fin Rot and all was well in fish land until Tuesday night.  Eric was putting Eli to bed and came running into the kitchen with the whole aquarium.  Poor Nemo was no longer "gold" he had turned white a

Hey ya'll...once again I hit a little blog plateau.  When your life consists on wake up - go to work - eat dinner - play with the kids - go to bed - hit repeat, it seems kinda dull to document every little thing.  Please, don't think I'm complaining because I'm not.  We're in a nice, predictable routine, and it's wonderful...just not always blog worthy. Anyway, I just wanted to jot down some stuff in this memory book of mine.  Saturday Eric's parents came to see Eli play ball.  We randomly decided to go back down to Marion for the night, and it was a wonderful visit. Something was in bloom which means that Eric and I both have had serious allergy issues this week and sound like we've got "The Black Lung." I'm hoping that with summer finally upon us we can kiss all this sickness goodbye. In other news, our kids are growing up.  Eli has finally started going to bed alone.  He always sleeps by himself but needs me to lay with him

Tonight was Kindergarten Readiness night at Eli's school.  I cannot believe that my no-sleeping baby is about to start school.  I almost cried...ALMOST!  I may be a basket case on the first day, so I tried to hold it together. I think Eric appreciates the composure. Ha! He was able to tour the school and meet the teachers.  We'll find out later this summer who that lucky educator will be, but he's defiantly in good hands.  I could not be happier about his where he will attend.  It's such a wonderful community. I took a picture of him in front of the school sign, but then I got scared and decided not to post it.  You just never know who's reading. By the way, you can thank Safety Sam (a.k.a Eric) for educating my on stranger danger.  He's a good one, that man!

Since I stayed all night with Mom and Dad last night, I decided to go ahead and go to church with them, after all it is what my mother wanted on her day.  After the service we ate a quick lunch at Firehouse Subs, took some pictures, and hit the road.  Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done.  It requires sacrificing myself daily, and it demands that I live beyond myself in order to invest in the lives of two little people who suck me dry on a regular basis.. It means choosing ball games over spa days, soothing over sleeping, mini-vans ove sports cars,  and wiping baby bottoms over toning my own. It means worrying over every boo boo, crying over every broken heart, and questioning every decision I ever make.  It means moments of insanity as I deal with whining, crying, fits, and meltdowns.  It means falling on my knees daily before a Savior who promises to give me strength and wisdom in my weakest moments.  It means praising him for the woman who

Amy graduated from college today, and my parents threw her a celebration reception.  We were supposed to have a ball game, so we skipped the ceremony and headed up for the party.  It ended up raining, so the game was cancelled but that meant more time with family.  The kids were actually pretty good car riders which was a blessing since I took them by myself.  Eric stayed behind to look at cars, work on the yard, and put up the pool! We don't make it to see either family nearly as often as we would like, and when we do get to visit we run ourselves crazy trying to make our rounds.  It was such a blessing to have everyone all in one place, and I'm pretty sure the kids loved the attention.  I was supposed to head out after the party, but since the kids hadn't napped I was afraid the would be sleep the whole way home then be up all night when we got back.  I decided to stay the night and leave in the morning.  It ended up being a great decision. 

Our dear friends, Gabe and Tina, welcomed TWINS into the world yesterday.  They are alreay wonderful parents to Owen (4) and Parker (18 mo.)  I can not image having four children so close in age, but if anyone can do, it's the Adkins.  They are such an incredible couple, and these four babies are so blessed to have them as parents.  Eric and I were going to run to the hospital on our lunch breaks, but Eli heard us talking about it and threw a fit to see Owen.  We decided to wait until after work and go as a family to meet Duncan and Maggie who are the sweetest babies.   Eli and Owen had the best time playing and even Ellie and Parker were social this time. We have loved watching our families grow over the years. Eli and Owen are one week apart, Ellie and Parker are a few months apart, but Eric and I are happy to let them be overachievers...no twins for us. Ha!   Here are the four oldest.  We can't wait to add Duncan and Maggie to our mandatory photos.

Tonight was the first Wednesday night in several years that I have missed church intentionally.  I suspected that it might happen with the transition into the new schedule.  I thought I might need a week or two to get it together, to perfect the new routine.  I even thought there may be a Wednesday or two skipped in an effort to spend quality time with Eli who tends to have the hardest time adjusting to change, but to my surprise he transitioned beautifully, and I found that I better manage my time and resources when working. Turns out Ellie girl is the one who isn't adjusting well.  At first I chalked it up to teething, then all the sickness, then her inability to communicate, but in the end deep down in my gut I knew she was crying out for attention. We've literally been home one night a week for several weeks in a row, and I think it is taking a toll on her.  After much prayer I decided to cancel all evening commitments with the exception of t-ball and the occasional w

Today at work I took a picture I needed on my iPhone,  and when I went to import it, all my old photos for some reason popped up....and then it happened. I got hit with that wave of reality that reminds a momma's soul that time is moving faster than should be allowed.  Picture after picture of my babies moved across the screen and with them the last year of my life. I've mentioned this before, but it was a tough year.  We were hit with some unexpected expenses, and we dealt with a challenging stage of defiance from our preschooler as he exerted his independence all the while losing night after night of sleep thanks to round two of the bedtime wars. Tucked in there was also the search for a new job, an attempt or two (or billion) to lose weight, and a general quest for perfection, although I wouldn't have called it that.  I probably would have said, "self-improvment" or some other bologna.  For the sake of time let's call a spade a spade...I was chasing

For the past month we've been a bunch of sickies. First Ellie, then Eli, then Ellie (again), then Eric, then Mommy.  I'm here to tell you that I AM OVER IT....OVER IT!!! Last week I cleaned the whole house, every square inch of it was disinfected with Lysol, bleach and other harsh chemicals which I feel zero guilt about.  The next day I broke out in hives. Ha!  Oh yeah, all the snot has led to a few sleepless nights which I am also completely and totally over.   Oh yeah, I also had to work late Thursday and Friday...and all day yesterday.  For the record, I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. What I am saying is that today has been a family day. The house is messy, the laundry is high but the laughs are loud, and that's what it's all about! So, we're aiming high for the upcoming week.  Our goal is to go five whole days without a single trip to the doctor's office.  And if it wouldn't be too much to ask, we're also h