We are LOVING summer!  I cannot tell you how much I love spending time with friends all day, hanging out at the pool, eating lunch outside, and having absolutely NO SCHEDULE!  I am a SUMMER GIRL, and we have had a great start to this summer.  Here are a few things that we’ve done over the last couple of weeks (although our summer just started one week ago.)

The last week of school, Preston’s friend Nash was at our house and the kids were hunting for lizards.  They were very successful at catching critters with my gardening gloves.  It was so funny!

Nash caught the lizard.

The boys were excited to create a little “habitat” for their lizard.  I’ve forgotten his name, but my friend Andria said, “That lizard is still alive and kicking.  Well, he’s alive.  I’m not sure he’s kicking.”  Poor tortured lizard.Then they found this little guy!

Preston wanted so badly to grab it.  He sat there for about 3 minutes looking at it with his hands like this…but he could not bring himself to grab it.  I can’t say that I blame him!

However, Lilly Katherine could not get close enough!

Nash came through again, and caught the frog!  He was so excited!

The poor frog was locked in here, until we decided to release him from his plastic prison.

And what was AnnaLeigh doing as they big kids were catching lizards and frogs?

Why she was instructing and pretending to take pictures, of course.

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Now that it is finally summer, Preston loves to come get in my bed after Georgia wakes up so he can come love on her…and jiggle her…and mess with her.  He loves her so much!

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I have spent as much time loving and kissing on my little Georgia Peach as I possibly can!  And by the way, she is a NEW baby!  She is happy, content, and more precious than ever!

I have decided that I want to freeze time right here!

4 months!

4 months is the absolute most perfect age, and I would like to freeze her here!  She laughs, coos, smiles, and loves me!  She can’t go anywhere, she can’t walk, can’t talk, can’t talk back!  She can sleep and sleeps often if given the opportunity.  She is big enough to hold and run around, and still small enough to be my little baby girl. She is happy and can play with her feet or hold a toy, but she is not old enough to reach and grab at things while I am holding her. I just want to stop time right here!  I love this little monkey…and she loves her little monkey! :)

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My beautiful, wonderful, precious niece,Tayler, graduated from High School last week!  I am so proud of the woman she is, and I am so thankful my baby girls have she and her sister as role models!  What amazing women God has placed in my baby girls’ lives!

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I have no words for these two MANIACS!  I could not find them in the house and then I realized they were in the backyard looking like this…

Just scooping poop in their pearls…and heel (singular) and rain boots!

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Nothing says summer to me like picking and eating fresh blueberries!

AnnaLeigh and Audrey

We went blueberry picking this week with this wild crew.  I carted my big stroller all over that farm to carry things like my camera and our lunch.  Then I didn’t take a single picture until we were finished picking.  Now I’m not even posting those pictures because Brad has our camera today.  Oh well, here are a few phone pics that Meredith and Carrie texted me.  One day we’ll be smart enough to take pics before we start, instead of taking pics of hot, tired, hungry children.

Please notice that little maniac in the bottom right corner.  It’s my nephew Truett.  He was NOT excited about a picture…and I love him so much!

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And finally, we have been seeing a LOT of these sweet babies lately.

These pictures were taken last week.  They are in birth order: Laurabeth, Georgia, Eva, Thomas, and Henry

And this week all of our big kids are taking swimming lessons, and the babies have gotten to hang out in the shade.

Yay for a fun start to summer!  I just pray we have many, many more days of summer fun.  I pray that I will be able to teach and train my children this summer.  We are working HARD on attitudes!  I also pray that my kids have fun with each other, with me, and that they will remember the fun times we had together and with friends!

-kate

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