Back At It...

Well, Miss Aizley is up and about! Minus the somewhat diminished appetite and the nasal voice that she picked up after the surgery, she is back in business. "At least I won't be sick this 4th!" Let's hope not!!

We are moving straight into our busy summer with the 4th of July party we always host (if you're in the area, stop by!), 2 week long swimming lessons, the county fair and vacation all within the next month before the new school year starts August 4th! What happened to the days of starting school AFTER labor day?! Anyway, we are trying to take it all in.

The weather has been unbelievable for the past week. Upper 70's in TN at the end of June! We have been spending a lot of time outside just soaking it up, throwing balls back and forth and riding bikes. The local favorite is taking our slightly overweight beagle for walks down to the pond and back.

There's something about a boy and his dog...

I love this pic!!

Remember me telling you about our animal conspiracy?! This guys showed up one night. The picture doesn't do him justice. He was huge!!


We have been enjoying the beauty of our surroundings. With the large amounts of rain and the cool temps, we have had some amazing blooms throughout the yard.

I love the orange Lilies.




Colton's fave is the Daisy since that's the name of our beagle.



This is Aizley's favorite. She loves the neon green center.



Throughout the summer, the kids have been tackling several "Betcha" projects. We call these things "betcha's" because I think up something for them to try and learn and give them a time frame to do it in. If they accomplish the goal, they get money deposited into their very own vacation fund to spend in any way they want on vacation. We all need a little motivation, right?! So far, they have learned all the books of the Bible, some children's songs and are currently working on the 50 states. As an added bonus, I treat them to something special each week. It may be ice cream, new flip-flops or a trip to the local pool.

Colton chillin' while...

Aizley couldn't wait to jump off the deep end...

...and the tall water slide.

Finally, my shy water baby worked up the courage to tackle the slide.

By the end of the day, he worked up the courage to jump off the diving board. This is huge for Colt! He is very timid of the water and is a fairly weak swimmer. With moma setting in the water by the board, he would walk to the end of the board and fall off. At least he built up his confidence. My nerves on the other hand were a wreck!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th!!