July 4th Celebration

We headed back down to Lake Hamilton to enjoy a few days and to celebrate America's birthday! We had such a great time! The King's were so kind to offer us their lovely home on the lake.





Emerson enjoyed exploring while the big boys, Adam and G-Dad got the fishing boat in the water...




Ava Jane and Gigi...


Don't you think she could be a little Polo model?


G-Dad and the boys did some early morning fishing off the dock...the weather was so cool, it was pretty unbelievable for a 4th of July morning in Arkansas...it was oh so pleasant!





Lovin' on her Gigi...oh, and just try and take Chick Hicks out of her hand!



We put in at a different ramp this time, a little further up from Shangri La, at Ouachita Shores, we found a new cove that had a nice "beachy" area so we tied the party barge up near the shore and Whitney and Rob set up their hammock and were able to do a little hike up to the trail.




Ava Jane loved splashing in the water, Dad looked like the picture of relaxation, and the rest of us were just having a good ole time!






Peyton decided he wanted to try and ski on the board, and he got up the very first time! We were all so proud of him! It's so fun to be able to teach your kids to do some of the things you most enjoy doing; skiing is one of those skills you can enjoy for a life time, I sure hope he does!






Little Miss America had to take a siesta, are her stars and stripes not adorable?!!


All the girls




Whitney and I doubled together, it was so much fun skiing with her!





And here we are skiing on one ski, on one leg...who knew, we had these tricks up our sleeve?! If things ever get tight, we could always try out for the Cypress Garden Ski Shows in Florida, whatcha think Whit? This was by far my most favorite part of the trip, thanks for skiing with me Sista!


We headed back toward Lake Hamilton to grill out chicken and shrimp and headed over toward the bridge to watch the fireworks. I won't sugar coat it at all, my kiddos were beyond exhausted so taking everyone WAS.NOT.AN.OPTION. Mom took the hit and stayed home with the littles, the rest of us hurried off to find a spot to watch the beautiful fireworks display! The boys really enjoyed seeing all the colors. I must say, we didn't stay til the bitter end, we drove away as the finale was popping across the night sky, the boys were a sleep and this Momma was pooped out! The few days we had mid week, were so nice, what a treat it was for us!

Weekend In Review

Friday night we finally got to introduce the boys to Swiss Family Robinson, and I must say it.was.a.hit! The boys have LOVED watching it every day since then! It's one of those childhood favorites that both Adam and I have wanted to watch with the kids and it truly was so fun to see again after so many years!! Still love Fritz and Ernst, the gy-nor-mous python scene and the cheesy brotherly fights, its such a clean, wholesome family film, a definite movie to watch with your kids!


"No pictures Mom, let's just watch the show!"


Saturday we woke early in order to head to Bo Brook Farm to pick blueberries for the first time ever. It was really such a nice morning, the weather was much cooler which made it more bearable and pleasant! My sister and her family joined us too which was such fun!







When we got home the boys wanted to play outside while I prepped stuff for lunch. As I was warming it up, I looked out the front windows to check on them and found this adorable sight! So I took my new zoom lens and went and hid in the flower bed to capture a few candid shots of my precious three! Peyton rigged up the red wagon as a trailer by using a bungee chord to tie it to the back of his 4 wheeler...these kids are innovative for sure, and pretty well self entertained which has its perks!




Thanks to a good friend who loaned us his industrial strength power washer, we were able to freshen up the deck, it worked like magic on our siding, deck and outdoor rug. Adam did a great job and our kids thoroughly enjoyed watching him work while holding their ears. While the deck dried out we all headed to Home Depot, cause nothing says "fun" except a family of 6 traipsing through the deck stain aisle at the home improvement mecca! We went home and put the kids in front of a movie while Adam and I re-stained the deck. A big "thanks" to my parents who came and took them to the pool so we could finish the job. I must say, we completely stained our entire deck (which is fairly large) in right at 2 1/2 hours, that's smoking, don't ya think?!





Sunday was so pleasant, after church we ate lunch at Chuy's, let me just say, I think the only way we'll ever be able to endure the Chuy's wait, will be to head there right after church, other wise our four hood-a-lems won't be able to stand it! Even with being the third party to enter the door, we still had a 15-20 minutes wait and it was 10:45 AM, apparently they don't seat anyone until the kitchen is completely "warmed" up and ready...kind of interesting, but no matter, we enjoyed the breeze on the patio and the oh so tasty food. Brought back our days in Birmingham when we fell in love with the place!


Later, Adam took the big boys fishing while I rested and the babies napped. I don't normally nap, but I laid on the sofa and really enjoyed a little down time which was so nice. Our weekend was literally topped off with whipping cream and strawberries. Having some adult conversation with good friends like these is such a treat! Oh, SO, how I love your desserts...the decadent chocolate sack is divine, and I enjoyed it even more paired with my glass of wine. Thanks Spenst's for inviting us along!