Vacation in Destin

We were blessed again this summer to be able to go on a family vacation to the beach. Nana planned a trip to Destin, FL for our family and Tracy's family (and Nana, of course). We had an amazing fun-filled week. The condo that was chosen had the perfect amenities for our family's needs. It was beachfront so we didn't have to lug tons of stuff very far, it had 3 pools (one of them perfect for the twins), a playground, and drumroll please..........a basketball court. If you know our family very well you realize that we can never be too far from a basketball goal. The yard next to it was perfect for baseball, soccer, kickball, etc. Needless to say, we never got bored (exhausted, but not bored). One thing that was really nice was that the condo was a gated community. Check out the view from our room:

A typical day began with one of the younger children getting folks up first. Nana & Corbyn slept in the living room (where there were no drapes) so they were early risers as well. Tracy & I took turns preparing a smorgasbord of breakfasts while Nana, David, Randy entertained children or packed up stuff for the pool/beach. We were usually on the beach or at the pool by 9:00 am. Corbyn and Elijah split their time between the pools and beach. I'd say the majority of the time was spent poolside because the boys could swim there and shade was available for Matthew & Nana. We played "monkey in the middle" everyday and even had a "chicken fight" between Elijah/Tracy vs. Corbyn/me. Needless to say, the children LOVED this concept but the battle ended in a draw (basically Tracy and I got tired of carrying them around and we knew a "winner" wouldn't bode well so we dunked them simultaneously). Here is a slideshow of fun spent at the pool:

By lunch time, we were all ready to come in and eat a bite (except for Corbyn who got nachos daily at the poolside grill). The boys took naps and the big kids usually got to go on a shopping adventure with Nana or Tracy for souvenirs, groceries, or ice-cream. Once the twins got up from nap we would head back outside for round 2 of outdoor fun. We would go swimming again or play on the playground (if it was in the shade yet). The boys learned that we couldn't (or wouldn't) go to the playground/basketball court until it was in the shade. Here are pics from the condo & playground:

Each day had a few hours of time on the beach but we didn't haul toys out after day 1 since no one really stayed there for an extended amount of time. We would head out for a quick dip and splash around in the waves. The big kids and dads spent the most time since they were the most fearless. Tracy, mom, and I weren't interested in getting in past our knees even though we could see through the water. On day 4 there was a shark sighting about 10 feet off of shore which meant even less time spent in the ocean by me. Corbyn and Elijah were really good at riding their boogie boards and they fished a little each day with their little nets as well. Micah was pretty fearless when it came to the waves but Carson stuck to the shore. He would let Randy or me carry him out but didn't want to walk out into the water himself. One of Micah and Carson's favorite pasttimes was playing in the foot showers between the beach and the pools. They could have easily spent all day playing with shower heads and water hoses. Beach fun pics are below:

We took turns each evening going out to dinner while someone stayed home with the boys or took them to McDonalds which had a super indoor playplace. We all decided to be bold and venture out to Fudpuckers as a group one evening and it didn't go very well. Randy and I were given an opportunity to go out one evening by ourselves to Chili's and it was great.

Corbyn and Elijah got to go play miniature golf a couple of times (no score was kept). Everyone's a winner on vacation!!! Another fun event in the evening was hunting for frogs out in the yard. The kids found and caught (in their fish nets) 18 frogs one night. Big fun!!

Overall the trip was a success. As expected, it had its rough patches and stressful moments but we lived to tell about each one. Randy and I chose to drive through the night coming and going to avoid listening to our twin backseat drivers who tell you which direction to go as well as give permission to drive through green lights or demand that you stop at red ones (no right turns on red allowed unless you want a serious meltdown).

Thank you so much Nana for the amazing trip and for all of the babysitting hours that you put in to make sure everyone had some down time.

I also want to acknowledge Randy for being a trooper and taking the kids swimming most afternoons to allow me some time to read, rest, or take Corbyn shopping. He made a lot of sacrifices and I appreciate it.

Happy Father's Day

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

As difficult as it is, I have felt called to post this blog today. Its been about 2 years now since God called Daddy home and it seems as if he were here only yesterday. I can still picture his beautiful smile complete with those amazingly warm dimples. I miss him so very much. God's grace has healed some of the brokenness of my heart but I wonder if He will ever completely fill the void that Daddy left. I know that God is able but imagine that He leaves that special place there for just me so that I may close my eyes and see Daddy's face, hear his laughter, and know that he will always love his little girl.

I know that many of my thoughts and wishes are selfish for I want Daddy back here with me so desperately and sometimes I want that at any cost...until I remember. I can so easily remember the hurt in his eyes as he lay there wondering when God would ease his pain. After the Lord called him home I used to cry out and ask God why. Why would he place such a burden on my Dad? Why take away someone who loved others so sacrificially and served the Lord at every opportunity? To be honest, I still ask Him these things from time to time but I have come to trust God a little more each day and rely on His perfect plan. I will be the first to tell you that losing Daddy so soon would have never been in my plan for he meant so much to me.

Just today in the pastor's sermon he mentioned that there were 4 stages to parenting and that the last one was friendship. By and large this is one of the things that I miss the very most. Daddy was so much more than just a parent or provider. He embodied a friend to Tracy and me - one that could be trusted with any words, thoughts, or feelings. Daddy would always listen and respect what I had to say even when he disagreed. Sometimes he would guide me in the "safe" direction in decision-making and other times he would let me fall on my face just so I could learn one of life's valuable lessons (or as pastor said today - give me just enough rope to hang myself).

What an amazing mentor and coach he was whether it was in sports, education, or life - plain and simple. Anyone who knew Daddy would understand that I could fill pages and pages with accolades and memories of such a precious man but with this post I simply wanted to take these few moments to honor and remember someone who meant so much to me. My thoughts and prayers wouldn't be complete today without praising Jesus for the precious gift that He so willingly gave so that Daddy had the victory and is in His precious arms. I will see Daddy again someday for I too received the amazing and wonderful gift of eternal life in Him. May we honor our true Father on this special day!

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is

the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalms 73:26

Daddy's last Father's Day, 2006

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We miss you so much and can't wait to see you again!

Hot Summer Day in East Tennessee

Whew! It's hot!!! We are having a heat wave in East TN and unfortunately for us the only place the twins want to be is OUTSIDE! We have succumbed to playing baseball in the house (don't tell Grandma). Since the daycare has been closed it has fallen on me to keep them entertained each day. Thats a tall order with these temperatures. For those of you who know me - heat and I are not friends! I can go from zero to "not nice" in mere milliseconds (just ask Randy).

Due to the heat, I have decided that outside play is not acceptable without a way to cool off. This leads me to another dilemma. We don't own a pool and my husband isn't especially fond of running the water hose to slip-n-slide or sprinkle so we have to travel to swimming facilities (or the lake). Problem #2 - GAS PRICES! We have a season pass to Dollywood's Splash Country but can't afford the gas to go. We also like to go to the Oak Ridge pool but that also takes gas.

Today's temperatures required desperate measures so I improvised. I dragged out last year's inflatable kiddie pool, blew it up (with air pump in the garage, of course), scrubbed out last year's mildew, doused all children with sunscreen, threw them in, and filled 'er up. Let the fun begin!

Micah and Carson are always up for a good time with a hose. Corbyn and her friend, Beccah wanted in on the action but had to wait their turn. Micah and Carson had a ton of laughs and were so content as I sat in the shaded garage with sweat rolling down my back. The prep work was well worth the smiles I got in return (and we saved on gas!). There is a final dilemma though. If you look closely at the pics you will notice that when the boys got in there were two levels (tiers) in the pool but by the time Corbyn and Beccah got in, the lower level had deflated. Guess we'll need to spend some of our birthday money...

Vacation Bible School 2008

Although the week isn't over, I wanted to go ahead and submit these few pics on the blog while I had a "free" moment...

The kids and I attended our church's Outrigger Island themed Vacation Bible School (VBS). It was the first year for Micah and Carson to participate. They went to the 2 year old class. They put up a struggle each morning but had a great time each day. They were all smiles when I went to pick them up. Check out their cool little visors they made on Day 1.

Corbyn went to the 3rd grade class since you are placed into the grade recently completed. She had Mrs. Shelley (her AWANA teacher from this year) and really loves her. Corbyn is fascinated with her storytelling ability and had fun with her VBS friends. I hope this experience helps her to grow into the Christian that God meant for her to be and that she learns to walk in His word.

I taught a 4th grade class this year and had an amazing group of children. Preparing for it is exhausting but I always enjoy being with the kids and see them learn about God's truth.

We are thankful that our family has an opportunity to participate in this yearly event as the kids have a super fun time and I learn to serve others.

Corbyn's 9th Birthday

Its hard to believe that Corbyn is 9 years old. She is such a beautiful young lady and seems to have grown about a foot in the last few months. She had already celebrated her birthday earlier in the week with a girl's night out with some friends but her actual birthday was to be spent with family. We began the day with a special breakfast complete with chocolate chip pancakes - Corbyn's favorite (mine too). Then we had birthday gifts. Above is a picture of Corbyn with her special birthday gift from Daddy. Each year Randy has gotten her a piece to the Precious Moments Birthday Train collectible set. This year's piece was a horse and Corbyn was really tickled with it. She is always so anxious to find out what the next piece will be.

Micah and Carson got her a few DVDs to take along on our trip to Destin. We thought they may help to keep her occupied in the car.

Mommy got her a silver bracelet with a prayer box on it. Each year I get her a piece of silver jewelry as a keepsake. Randy and I also bought her first softball glove (I am so excited!) She has been asking me to teach her how to throw. She has gained a new love for softball and baseball by going to ballgames with me and knocking baseballs around in the yard with her brothers. Her batting is pretty good but her throw needs some work.

The original plan for the family birthday was to meet up at the Oak Ridge municipal pool but we found out around noon that it hadn't opened yet (oversight on my part - and don't think I didn't hear about it from several folks).

We hastily rescheduled an impromptu trip up to Dollywood's Splash Country (our first visit this year). Uncle Dave, Aunt Tracy, Elijah, and "baby Matthew" were gracious enough to throw stuff together and make the long drive up there. It meant so much to Corbyn for them to come. Nana also stopped in on her way home from Johnson City (visiting Aunt Mae).

It was a great day and the kids all had a great time (there was minimal grumbling from the adults regarding gas prices, long trip, heat, etc.) Check out the fun pics from Splash Country in the slide show below: