Stressed!

Thanks so much to all the staff and volunteers at our church for putting on Vacation Bible School! They all do such a great job and my kids just love it. Colby was singing the songs at the top of his lungs last night in the shower!

Last Thursday through Sunday, mom and I were in Chicago for a big scrapbook trade show. We returned in the wee hours on Monday morning. It was a very busy weekend, but we got lots of great stuff for the store!

Now, we're trying to get ready for vacation. We're off to Alaska where the temperature is only in the 50s during the day and the 40s at night. And, of course, the kids need clothes b/c last year's pants are a little too short and their sneakers are a bit too snug. Do you know how hard it is to find long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts right now?!? We went to Target today and all my kids wanted were shoes. Have I mentioned that they both have serious shoe fetishes?? They both loved the Converse sneakers. She got pink, he got camo. A much cheaper solution than Vans! THAT is why I love Target so much :)

I still have so much to do before we leave. Finish up a laundry list of to-dos for the store...register for the cruise...wash...pack...find a pair of pants for me (I HATE shopping for me!)...locate a money tree...clean the house...take Reese to the doggy "spa"...find someone to feed my fish...pay bills...and prepare for the flight to Seattle by going out and buying one million snacks for the kids. They'll be so loaded up on sugar by the time we get there, they won't sleep for 2 days :)

So, the moral of this story is two fold. Thanks to all the VBS staff for taking my kids this week and gettin' a little Jesus in them! (And thanks to Tiffany who took the kids ALL afternoon yesterday so that I could get some work done....you are the BEST!) Second, check back in August. I should have some GREAT Alaska pictures posted by then.

Bye :)

Cub Scout Camp

Let me just say...the boys are LOVIN' camp! Despite the rain, we had a great day yesterday. We (the moms) were glad to have ponchos, but the boys could have cared less.

Ask them:

1. How to play Pokeen with their shuttlecocks
2. Why a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife
3. How they made their scout uniform organizer
4. Who was chanting the loudest
5. How they dug for gold
6. Can they tell you the name of a type of rock
7. Can they tell you something about campfire safety
8. What mom hit the target during Archery (oh yea baby, that's ME!)


Colby has already asked me to sign him up for next year!

Happy 4th of July!

Thanks to Doug and Tiffany, we had a great time today! Good friends, delicious food and awesome fireworks! The kids had a blast with water balloons, tattoos, water guns, glow sticks and sack races. Plus, they got to watch fireworks with 3D glasses...how very cool! The fireworks were incredible, despite the little fire. And, the shrimp...delightful!

Thanks again Doug and Tiffany - we're already looking forward to next year!

Another day at the beach...

Another day at the beach! Wow...we really are spoiled living on the coast. Today we went to Little Island with the Robinsons and the Gibsons. All 6 kids got along great...they dug, boogie boarded, swam, jumped waves and dug some more. At one point, the three boys got pulled out by a pretty strong undertow. A little scary for all involved, but thankfully all ended well. Colby was really freaked out by the whole situation and swears he's never going boogie boarding again. We'll see...

Even though the day started off very smokey (from the wildfires), it cleared up and we got to see dolphins!

The Halsey's come to visit!

What a fun week we've had! Our friends and old neighbors from northern Virginia came to Virginia Beach for a vacation. We hung out, went to the beach, swam in the pool, visited the Aquarium, had a BBQ and caught up with everyone's busy lives. The kids played together PERFECTLY! Colby and Bret are 6 months apart and Chase and Marisa are 6 days apart. We could not have asked for a better visit! We miss them as neighbors, but it's nice that we've maintained our friendship :) Thanks for a great visit Chip, Cary, Bret and Chase!!

Pool Party!

Our cub scout boys officially crossed over from Tigers to Wolves, and we had a pool party to celebrate! Thanks to Judi for hosting such a fun event :)

We swam, ate and made tie-dyed shirts (thanks Rachel!) in preperation for camp in July. Courtney, Kim and I are so glad to be a part of such a great group of boys!

A Day at the Beach...

What a fun day at the beach! On Friday, we went with the Erwin's to Little Island at Sandbridge. The kids kept themselves busy all day long digging for sand crabs, boogie boarding and jumping the waves. Kim and I were able to sit, relax and catch up. Summer is officially here!