Beach Fun!

The beach at Anna Maria Island is just gorgeous. The kids had a great time snorkeling, collecting seashells and playing in the sand!

Just Beautiful

Erika took some really neat pictures!

Vacation

Well, I have lots of pictures to post so I'm trying to organize them is some sort of fashion. The guys had a real good time hanging out, enjoying the sun, snorkeling, and playing the Wii. The ladies had just as much fun too!

Vacation Reflections - Take Two

What a wonderful vacation we had indeed! But, it wouldn't be a vacation without some mishaps along the way, wouldn't it? Well, here is goes....

-I forget the large package of chicken (from Sams Club) at home that was going to feed 14 people for dinner. To Publix I go to replace it.
-Claire has a sore throat and is taking it easy. Erika and Hannah concerned about getting it.
-Emma being supervised by Josh and Claire up in a tower. Yikes!
-Josh gets a bathing suit rash and begins walking like there is something in his pants. He thinks about wearing a speedo next time! Mom says no..hee hee!
-Josh' wounds from a scooter accident burns in the salt water. Tim puts superglue on the wound and he proceeds to play
-Matthew... let's just leave it at that!
-Emma throws up and is sick for a day. Erika and Hannah are now freaking out!
-Jon hits another boat with our rented pontoon boat. His backseat drivers do not help him!
-Someone pooped in the pool. Yuck! It was not one of our kids. Management begins the cleanup.
-Walking on a flat pier with no siderails with 8 children wondering who was going to fall in first.

Now, here are some highlights!

-No one got too burned
-The kids got along so well
-Memories were made
-Biblical fellowship was very evident
-Devotions happened
-Worship time on Sunday

And, we are looking forward to getting together again next year!

I hope to post some pictures soon.

The 4th of July

We decided to stay home for the 4th of July because the next day we were going on vacation. Tim bought a few fireworks for Josh and Erika to do at home. We spared just a minor injury with Josh...a little burn from the lighter.

Reflections from Vacation

Well, I am sitting here beachside in our lovely condo just enjoying my family and friends. So far, our vacation is going smoothly. Okay, so we are only two days into our vaca... no broken bones, no sunburns at least not yet!

I am thoroughly enjoying being with my husband and kids as well as two special families who joined us. The atmosphere is so laid back that we've just been having a blast!

The beach over here at Anna Maria Island is breathtaking and the sunset. We have a tower above our condo which we can walk up and watch the sunset. It is just beautiful up there!

Most importantly, I thank God for his provision in my life. He has given me a wonderful husband, kids and good relationships!

Well, I got to run. We are heading to the beach! I don't want to miss out on all the fun!

Vacation Here We Come!

Well, we are really looking forward to our family vacation coming up. This year, we decided to stay close to home and go to the west coast of Florida. Check it out. http://www.palmislevillage.com/ We leave Saturday for a fun filled week with a couple other families that will join us. This place looks really cool and the beach is just right there. I'm looking forward to this time away spending it with friends and family.

Beach Day!

Friday, we went to the beach with a bunch of people. Erika, the photographer, seemed to capture some pictures of the kiddos having fun in the ocean.
I found that sliders worked well under Josh' bathing suit this time. The last time we were at the beach, the poor boy had a nice rash! Well, I think I've taken care of that!
I can't wait to go back to the beach. It was a blast!

No Shoes, No Service!

So, what do you do when you get to your destination (orthodontist) and your 10 year old leaves his shoes at home?

Well, you send your daughter in without you, sit in the car, windows rolled down (because you don't want to run the car because of gas prices), sweat profusely in the 93 degree heat, and try to have as much fun as possible for the next 45 minutes!

Yes, this kind of stuff happens pretty regularly in this family. And, the funny thing is, I don't have babies or toddlers! We just have Josh! A young boy who keeps us going!

In Full Bloom

Erika took some pictures of God's beauty in full bloom. Can you name these flowers? Or, is one a weed, one a flower, and one a bush?

NY Trip

Here are some pictures that Erika took while up in NY visiting my parents. She has become quit the photographer. I know what she will be asking to get for Christmas. Oh... maybe I should just give her my camera and I can get a new one!

Doing Hard Things

Well, while Erika and Josh were in NY visiting my parents, I spent some time reading, cleaning, organizing, getting curriculum ready for this coming school year, spending time with my hubby and catching up with some friends.

However, the book Do Hard Things by the Harris twins was in my opinion really good. The premise of the book is to do hard things for the glory of God. They use the term "rebelutionaries" which means people against low expectations. And though this book focused on teens, it certainly applies to everyone. I was very challenged and look forward to putting into practice by doing some hard things. In addition, Erika will be reading this book for part of her schooling next year. I just can't wait to go over it with her!

It's A Bird..Finally!

Well, after about 6 months of having a bird feeder in our backyard, we finally spotted a red cardinal! We were thrilled to say the least. I wonder how the bird seed was seeing that we have not changed it out since we set the feeder out? Gross! Anyhow, Josh was able to catch this shot. In fact, the bird came back the other day! I was so happy for Josh as this was one of his school projects!

Homegroup Pool Party

We had a homegroup pool party at the Black's house on Sunday. What a wonderful day of enjoying each other's company. The kids had fun in the pool (so did the big kids...Chris, Matt, Tim)! We ended the evening by watching Tim, Peter, Matt and Paige on the trampoline doing some acrobatics. Okay so two of them could claim they did some neat tricks. Sorry... no pictures of that!

School is Out!

Well, school just officially ended. Erika completed her first year of high school and will be entering 10th grade! Josh is entering the 4th grade. We will continue to do some school over the summer like reading and math.

Here are some summer goals.

1. To be purposeful with our time
2. Keep active not busy
3. Have fun
4. Enjoy spending time with each other
5. Cultivating friendships

I'm really looking forward to a wonderful summer with my kids! We have a couple camps, family vacation and the kids are going to visit my parents for 8 days! What is everyone doing over the summer?

Ouch!!

Well, for the most part, this year has been relatively safe in terms of bumps, broken bones, wipe outs etc.. Thank you, Lord! Here shown is Erika's leg in which she received a bike tire burn..ouch! It took a long while to heal with yuckiness happening in between! And, Josh received a baseball to the eye... ouch as well! His eye went through some fun and pretty color stages. All and all it has been a safe year thus far! What about you and your family?

Beach Day & Celebrating Josh' Birthday

We celebrated Josh' birthday on Saturday at the beach. He invited the boys from his basketball team and a few others to join us for a beautiful day at the beach. We could have done without the sharks though. Even though I didn't see any, others around us some some! I heard that New Smyrna is infested with sharks! It actually is a little scary. Anyhow, Josh had a great time and it was very relaxing for the parents. Everyone said it was one of the best days they have ever spent at the beach. Who would have know...I really didn't plan a thing. I guess sometimes that's the best way!

Mother's Day

What a wonderful day I had and was blessed by my husband, Josh and Erika. I was showered with gifts and cards. And, Tim cooked for me! I just love being a mom and look forward to many more years with my children! Sorry... I'm usually the photographer in the family and have limited picture of the day!

Josh Turns 10!!

It's hard to believe Josh is 10!!! His birthday was May 7th. We celebrated with a small family birthday party last week. And, this Saturday, we will go to the beach with some of his friends from his basketball team. We have surely enjoyed Josh. He really is a blessing to our family and continues to be a means of grace in our family.

Homegroup Fellowship Sunday!

Our homegroup (plus some guest) got together a couple Sundays ago to eat and fellowship. The Siedlecki's hosted it at their house which was just recently built and they have plenty of room to house us all. It was such a lovely day of hanging out, relaxing and enjoying each others company.