Avery beach style

Why would you wear a bathing suit at the beach? Avery doesn't

Well, she doesn't wear anything.

Oak Island, NC Part II

Annalee is off and running... A sweet father-daughter moment

Shelby getting her hugs in for the day

Aunt Liz takes the girls in the water

Sand

How did I get sand there? And there?

Ugg, sand!

Everywhere!

Oak Island, NC Part I

We went to the beach for a little family time. Oh, so fun. Actually, my parents and my sister Liz and her husband Tommy took the big girls for the whole week. Shane and I brought Avery down and stayed on Thursday and Friday. Annalee played with my Dad's new puppy all week long. I am not sure who enjoyed it more. More pictures to come...

Impostor

Shane likes to tease Shelby calling her an, "impostor!" He says, " Are you the real Shelby?"

"What's your middle name?"

She says all giggles, "Lynn-he-he-he-he!"

He says, "Ok, real Shelby Lynn, I love you."

Babysitting on the Farm

I like to have friend's over. I like it when they leave their kids to play, but, just so you know... You may return to childern that are very dirty, may or may not still be wearing all of their clothes, and probably will be ready for a really, really long night of sleep. That is what happens at the farm. Bring 'em on!!

Four months, and loving it

Meet Mr. Personality. Reece is such a blessing to our family. His dimpled smile lights up a room. We can be with friends and he will smile and everyone stops talking and takes a moment to share the joy. This really happens. All the time. He has been rolling over for a while, but he recently is strong enough to play in the exersaucer by himself. He still likes to be held, a lot. That is ok, because the days are getting cooler, which means wearing him in a sling is not so miserable. I love to use slings, but when you have lots of space to cool in the hot, humid Summer, it gets a little pricey. So we kept the windows open a lot and that means it gets very hot and humid inside. Therefore, holding a baby close to you all day gets a pretty hot and stinky to be quite honest. We like having a boy around and I spend lots of time daydreaming about his future years running around, helping Avery catch frogs and bugs. We love our Reece Man.

My Favorite Spot

This is my favorite spot in my house. It is in my kitchen and I can keep an eye on everything. There is lots of light in the daytime, but even at night, I love the lamp. The couch, was my grandmothers, and the hand-painted table was my mom's. It reminds me of my house growing up. I love color, I love memories and I love light. So of course, it would make perfect sense that this would be my favorite spot.

Chicken coop coming soon!

Shane and the girls spent the weekend working on the chicken coop. Oh, and taking breaks to ride the dirt bikes. Thanks Steven for the ride!

Messy

Yes, I let my kids eat cake batter and get messy. Of course, only after they have stripped down to their undies and stay "outside please!" p.s. sorry for the blurry picture

Really Dancing in the Rain

"Mommy, Can we go dance in the rain."

"Of Course you can."

I am fairly certain this conversation would have ended differently if it were not for an incredibly inspiring story a friend shared from stage about an experience with her children dancing in the rain. She ended the story with tears in her eyes and a crack in her voice saying, " I would not have traded a thousand sunny days for that one dance in the rain."

Thank you Friend.

"Oh, Say Can You See..."

The joys of being serenaded by a three year old. You should try it.

I didn't do it...

OK Daniel, I didn't do it. Seriously. Tammy definitely instigated the arm around her shoulder thing. But really, they are pretty cute.

Dancin' in the Rain

I went to a Ladies Leadership Conference for our business and one of my friends was in charge of decorating. The theme was "Dancin' in the Rain." We took pictures of Annalee and then used the silhouettes to decorate the stage.

Hair-cuts and Oreos

Sooooo, Avery cut her hair, or maybe Shelby did, hmmm, not sure. But, I left it for a long time. I had my friend and hair stylist come over to do mine and my mom's hair, and she said she could fix Avery's "cut". We gave Avery a couple of oreos and told Brynn to have at it. Avery emerged with the cutest stacked bob and a chocolate covered face. Thanks to Brynn, the stylist with the fastest-hands-in-the-east, Avery did not have a sugar-induced coma, and only suffered through three oreos.

VBS Drop-out

Avery didn't really drop out, but she was too young to attend. She waited patiently for her big sisters to be done.

Happy 4th of July!

The beautiful pillowcase dresses are from Shane's mom, Pattie. She is awesome!

Bye-Bye Summer

So I know that it is now very close to Fall, but I couldn't pass this set of pictures up on my Binge Blog Session. This was a day Shane was home from work and we spent the day working outside, running around in bathing suits (not I, but the kids:) and enjoying the family. I made a HUGE plate of nachos with all the works, including fresh avocados and a BIG bowl of berries. Great lunch on the porch. Bye-bye Summer, we will miss you.

Baba

My Grandmother, "Baba", sent the dress home with my Dad for me to take a picture of one of the girls in it. I believe my Great-grandmother knitted it. Avery was a willing model, and I am forever grateful to capture such a sweet memory.

Hey, Mister with all those Sisters...

Reece, 2.5 months old