Our Weekend

Life never seems to be very dull around here. Our weekend was relaxed and fun. Besides all of the photos below, we also went to our community pool. We usually take the kids to the back pool that is geared more towards little kids. Well, we braved the big pool with the HUGE slide. Isaac took right off and loved it. I took Josiah down the slide the first time and didn't realize how fast it was. WOW! He and I both went under the water. And then Jay took Olivia down the slide. They all kept begging for more. Well, actually, WE all kept begging for more. Jay and I kept sneaking away to slide solo. I'm taking my camera next time. :)

The boys took their links and made tails out of them. The tails went way behind me in this picture. They played with these for two days!

wag wag

Okay, so I feel a little strange for posting this picture. But I can't help myself. This is a drawing done by Isaac. He says that it is a snake eating Satan, and that is Satan's foot sticking out of the bottom of the snake. Ironic. And a little different from the Batman drawings we usually get.

We spent the hottest afternoon known to man in downtown St. Augustine. Sweat was rolling down our backs. UGH! But it is such a neat place to visit. I want to spend a girls weekend in St. Augustine. Any takers??

In this photo, Olivia is listening to her voice echo in the cannon.

This cracked me up. The boys were pretending to be a statue. How did they think of this? I love the face Isaac was making.

I don't know what to call this man. Oh, Jay says that he has the last street musician's license issued by the city of St. Augustine. haha

He played "This Old Man" on the accordion and made the monkeys dance. He also made the boys pose with him for a picture. They obliged.

Walking down St. George Street. The street is made out of coquina shells and the shops are old and so, so fun! (Oh, and Josiah is studying his map.)

At the end of our time downtown, Isaac made a mad dash for the car (with air conditioning!!!) and Josiah made himself comfortable in Jay's arms.

I had to take a picture of a road that we drove down. This is what it looks like where we live (well, not in the developments...but around the area). I was shocked when I first visited. I expected all palm trees and open skies. But I love it and think that it's so beautiful!

We always pass by this carousel when we enter and leave St. Augustine. And the kids usually beg us to stop. We figured that after we dragged them downtown in the awful heat, we owed them some fun. :) They were SO EXCITED!!!

Isaac's all smiles.

Josiah was ready!

I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't realize how terrified Olivia looked. Ha!

I think she had fun.

The boys reading up on some Pottery Barn. My kind of guys!

All ready for Father's Day. The boys dressed themselves and did okay. (Josiah wore his blue Crocs...hahaha)

From The Kids

I love you Daddy, because I love you. You are such a great daddy. I'm glad you worship God. I'm glad that you are a very good daddy. I love how you play with us and how you love us. Why do you like to be a friend with me? Love, Isaac

I love you Daddy. I hope you have fun. Thank you for Father's Day. Are you having fun? Yes I am. Are you really serious? I think you are serious. I love you Daddy. Love, Josiah. I think you are having so much fun. I think I will come to church next time. I don't know. I love you because I just love you. I like when you wrestle with me, play costumes with us, play with us, and always have fun with us.

If Olivia could talk, I know she would tell you that you are the best daddy in the world. Her eyes light up when you walk in the room and Dada is one of her favorite words. I love to watch you with her. You both have such a sweet relationship.

Jay, thanks for being such a good daddy. I can't imagine being a parent with anyone else. You make life so much fun! I love you. Happy Father's Day.

Goodbye Kindergarten

Tonight we announced that Isaac was officially finished with kindergarten. We told Isaac that he could finish his last lesson, and then we would go out for ice cream to celebrate. He got SO excited that he ran back to our laundry room (where we keep all of our school stuff stored) to grab his workbook. I thought I heard crying, so Jay ran back to investigate: Isaac was sobbing. When Jay asked him what was wrong, Isaac said, "I'm just so excited." Jay and I were cracking up. We think that he was thankful to be finished with kindergarten (Learning to read, write and do math is tough!!!!) and overwhelmed by the thought of getting ice cream. Ha! By the way, we should have finished kindergarten a long time ago, but we didn't start until late September, and we took LOTS of breaks along the way. :)

an emotional moment

joy from finishing his test

proud

The best day ever!

Josiah learned a lot this year, too. He deserved a treat for playing by himself during school this year, for learning lots of new things, and keeping his sister entertained!

Olivia deserved a treat for being so cute. :)

Foosball!

I can't believe he'll be a first grader!!!

the best daddy...

ahhhh...

Look at all of the flavors!!!

guy time

Celebration Station. MMMMM...I love this place!!!

And at the end of it all, Isaac decided to color a picture for me because "You are the best teacher I've ever had!"

Isaac, I am so proud of you. I have loved teaching you this year and couldn't think of a better way to spend my time. You are such a good learner and watching the light bulb go off when you learn something new is priceless. From reading your first sentence, to reading your final kindergarten book (Balto), you have continued to amaze me and make me so proud to be your mom. I love you so much and can't wait to teach you more! You are a sweet boy with a tender heart, and I know you will be a great man one day like your daddy. Happy Kindergarten Graduation, Isaac!!!!

Bloggy Blog Blog

Why have I not been blogging? I don't know, there is just too much going on to blog about. But here are some pictures of the kids from the past couple of weeks!

Oh...and me. :) I got a new camera and I was very excited about it. Of course, I have not used the camera, but I will.

Isaac's top tooth is falling out. :( This makes me very sad.

Kids having snack together. The boys pulled up their chairs close to Olivia. Very cute.

I was busy in the kitchen and heard music. Isaac was playing the flute (or straw), and Josiah was singing in the microphone (or miniature whisk). I love their sweet songs.

Josiah got Duplos from Gee and Buff for his birthday. It's by far one of the favorite toys in our house.

He REALLY wants to be a drummer when he grows up. I believe he will.

Josiah likes to put my head bands on his head and pretend is is David from the Bible. But here he thought it worked best as a comedic tool.

Josiah also likes to make Olivia be King David.

Still a comedian.

Still.

I love my window decoration. The kids made this for me with Aunt Lala when she was here. It brightens my day when I open the shades in the mornings.

Josiah helped Olivia clean up her water mess. He loves his sister, and he loves it when she plays with him.

Cooking together.

Sweet girl. This is one of her favorite things to do.

Goodbye Best Friends

Today was the last t-ball game of the season. Isaac really enjoys anything that he participates in, and t-ball was no exception. As we were leaving the field, he pointed to a boy on his team and said, "Mom, see that boy over there? He's my new friend and I'm really going to miss him." I asked his new friends' name. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know." I noticed the orange bat in the boys' hand and figured that's why Isaac liked him so much. (He always used his orange bat--Dawn, you influenced him so much. :))

Josiah also said goodbye to his new friend, Lacey. They really became bug chasing buddies. The two of them departed with a great big hug and hopes of running into each other at the pool. And somehow they scored cupcakes with the team. (If you look close enough to the photo of Isaac above, you'll see blue icing in his ear. How does this happen?)

Blog or Calendar?

These are the only pictures on my camera. We've been pretty busy, and we've been having fun. Last week Lindsey (my middle brother's wife) came to stay with us and watch our kids while Jay and I went to a worship conference. The kids had a blast with her, and Jay and I had fun getting to stay up late and chat with family. We miss family. :(

The worship conference was so great for Jay. He learned a lot and enjoyed getting to know some of the other ministers in our denomination, the AMIA (Anglican Mission in America). The AMIA is small and really is like a fun family. Seriously, it was fun.

The conference was also great for me. I made the 3 days a time to really get to spend with God. I read in my room and by the pool, worked out, and ate sushi. Haha. No, really, it was a very great time for me spiritually. But that's a whole other blog.

The boys start VBS tomorrow at a local church (not ours). I hope that they like it because I think it's going to be good for them to spend some time away for the week. I let you all know how that goes. :)

Jay starts IWS this Wednesday. We'll have two house guests (also IWS students) staying with us starting on Tuesday. Ray has always been Jay's roommate, and another friend of Jay's, Justin will be staying with us. The boys are pumped about sleeping on their cots. They would sleep on them every night if we would let them.

We will close on our house sometime at the end of June. We're hoping that we close before the 30th so that we can get some work done before we travel back to Texas on the 1st of July. Then we come back, finish up on the house, and move.

So, nothing too interesting to read about in our lives...I just pretty much wrote this all down so that I don't forget. :)

OH, WAIT!!! I also got a new camera. I upgraded to a Nikon D80. I don't know how to use it, but it looks fancy shmancy.

Beach With Aunt Lala

Lala (Lindsey) is here!! She had not been to the beach since she was 4 years old. So yesterday, we made her dream come true. :) I don't know who had more fun...Lindsey, the kids, or Jay and I watching Lindsey and the kids.

Lindsey's first step in...

She and Isaac spent most of their time together jumping waves. They ended up pretty far out in the water (for Isaac it was far).

Josiah didn't care as much for the waves. He stayed back with me.

See the pure excitement in her face? Thanks for a fun time, Lala!! We love you!