Camping

Back in May we went camping with my brother & his family, one of our cousins & his family, and our parents.  Great times - and looking forward to doing it again Labor Day weekend!

Fun in the mud before heading out to the park.  A boy's paradise!

 The 4 kids "testing" out their fishing poles before heading to the lake.

 Adam and Jacob

 Brad stepping in to help.

Lia gets a piggy back ride from Uncle Brad. 

 Dennis & I; Adam & Lia

My parents. 

Us 

my soul, my Mom, my heart

all 3 are equally important to me - just in different ways 

 sweet, sweet boys - love them all 4

We celebrated Nana's birthday that weekend too.  Here she is in all her glory with her babies. 

Virginia Is For Lovers...and Families

“Virginia Is For Lovers” is one of Virginia’s tourism mottos by the way.

 My Dad had a conference to attend for a couple of days in Fredericksburg so Mom & I and the kids had free time on our hands during the days to explore the area.   We did have a few hours for all 5 of us to go exploring one morning.  We went to downtown to walk around for a while.

A fun little Diner we found.  Note the signs running along the top of the wall.

This one cracked me up!

A friend of mine who lives in the area told us we HAD to try Carl's ice cream.  It did not disappoint.

 The sign on this building was interesting to me too.

 beautiful blooms

What kind of tree is this?  They were beautiful and everywhere around the city.

ahhh...my friend Kay.  She played a roll in David and I starting to date the first time.  It was great to get to see her again after several years.

One day we drove Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park.  The beauty took my breath away.  If you ever get a chance to travel there you really should.

 On our way back to GA we stopped to have a picnic.  Jacob insisted that we needed to have a picnic on a red blanket under the trees.  He wanted to do this when we were up at the top of the mountains but it was just way.to.cold.!  So, he got his wish in North Carolina. 

Good times with Papa and Nana.

And to prove that I was on this trip...here I am too!

love, love, love this boy

At the end of our Skyline Drive trip we went to Monticello.  Another place well worth visiting.  But...ummmm...yeah, I can't find any of those pictures. 

Virginia was a great place to visit - I want to go back again as there is so much to see.  The truth is, though, this TX girl got a little claustrophobic.  There are a LOT of trees there!

Remembering

We said good-bye to the new life we thought would be our 3rd baby one year ago today.  This past year has definitely been filled with a roller coaster ride of emotions.  The sharp pain of that loss is gone now, replaced by a dull ache.  There is not a single day that goes by that I don't think about him/her.  I don't dwell on it, but I certainly do remember.  And wonder.  And wish.  But I can't change what isn't.  So I love what is.

You never said you're leaving,

you never said goodbye.

You were gone before I knew it,

and only God knows why.

A million times I've missed you,

a million times I've cried.

If love alone could have saved you,

you never would have died.

To some you are forgotten,

to others just part of the past.

But to me who loved and lost you,

your love will always last.

~Author Unknown

A mother never forgets her babies.

Fun With The (extended) Fam

WARNING – CUTENESS/PHOTO OVERLOAD AHEAD 

One evening Daniel and Cindy (David’s bro and sis-in-law) were gracious enough to host a fun dinner for us and the T. side of the family that live in the Atlanta area.  Their house was busting at the seams with laughter and good times.

The three older kids had a GREAT time telling secrets to each other, laughing hysterically, telling more secrets, laughing again, telling more secrets...you get the idea.

OK kids - time for another group shot!  Could there be a cuter group?  I think not.

Lia, Ella, Liam, Jacob, Addison, Noah

Now time for a little Tio fun!

Boys being boys.

Addison and Lia having a great time "fixing" that table, and rocking those boots!

 Sweet kisses for Tio.

Zack & Lydia (David's cousin)

Debbie & Tio (Jorge)

David's Aunt & Uncle

Daniel

David's brother

Mark, Jacob, Tio

some of the "Brown Eyed Handsome Men" in the family

 Noah and Jacob pretending like they're asleep after all the excitement of the day.

Thank you Daniel & Cindy for making our day with you so fun!  Can't wait to do it again!

Georgia Aquarium

I’m stepping back in time a bit to get my blog caught up. Back in April the kids and I took a trip with Nana and Papa to GA and VA for a couple of weeks.  One day my Dad, Sister-In-Law, and I ventured out to the Georgia Aquarium, all six kids in tow.  If you’re ever in the Atlanta area I would highly recommend going. We had a great time!

Just before walking into the aquarium...part of our crew:

Liam, Addison, Noah, Jacob

An attempt to get a photo of all 6 kids...it didn't work out exactly how we were hoping.

Noah, Addison, Ella, Liam, Lia, Jacob

The older three kids thought they were so incredibly cool with their map.

They were having a serious discussion about what sections of the aquarium we had already been, and where we needed to go next.

One of the portals (is that what you call it?) the kids could climb into to get up close an personal with the fish.

I don't remember which exhibit this was but Noah was making sure he got plenty of pictures with his super cool camera.

This was a tunnel that you walked through/rode through one of the aquariums.

Still Here

Just popping my head up to let you all know we are still alive - just enjoying our summer.  This is how we're spending most of our time...it's too hot to do anything else!  I'll get updated on here one day, but for now, the pool is calling again!

Hope you're enjoying your summer too!