Friends

From Collages

Do you have one of those friends that you've had since you were a child? How about since you were a baby? You know, one of those friends that you don't have to see or even talk to every week but the minute you get together it's as if no time has passed since your last visit. That's how Lilly and Payton are. They've know each other since they were babies, and pick up right where they left off the minute they are in the same room.

It's such a special experience as a mom to watch a friendship grow and bloom throughout the years. Seeing them go from toddling, babbling infants, to little girls and boys that have full conversations together about issues that are important to them - like food, imaginary friends, and the next game they are going to play.

Last week Payton and I had a wonderful mini vacation with Rachel and Lilly at their beautiful beach condo, and we definitely got to experience how much they have grown and changed. It was a wonderful getaway and full of fun moments and great memories.

The kids had an absolute ball swinging from the vines in the courtyard, playing in the water, discovering new sea creatures that Rachel kept finding in the ocean, and going on a pretend sea animal expedition inside the condo.

And even the fact that that Tropical Storm Bonnie rolled through while we were there didn't dampen their fun... it just gave them huge waves to "surf" on with the boogie board.
Thanks so much for inviting us Rachel & Lilly! We had a great time!

Summertime Fun

First, I have to tell you that our camera recently died. I haven't taken it to a camera repair shop yet, but I'm hoping it can be fixed. In the meantime, we are using our old camera, which doesn't quite compare to our newer one. So, I apologize for the blurry, dark, hard-to-see photos. Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto my post...

We've had a very laid-back summer lately. Lots of days spent playing with friends, lounging at the pool, and occasionally sleeping in! I've collected some random photos from the past month that I thought would be fun to share...

Our Busch Gardens pass includes their "Summer Nights" program where the park stays open later and they perform a light/pyrotechnic/gymnastics/dance/music show called "Kinetic." We went a couple weeks ago and Payton loved the show! Actually, we all really enjoyed it. It was kind of like a really crazy version of Cirque de Soliel. Of course he had to ride all the crazy rides while we were there too. Here are some photos of that evening...


Of course we've also had our share of rainy afternoon thunderstorms too. In which case, Payton and I often retreat to the guest room for a serious game of Mario Kart on the Wii. These other pictures are of our neighbors down the street whom Payton loves to play with under any circumstance - come rain or shine!


Lastly, I had to post these photos that Payton took the other morning when we were walking Rohy. The first ones turned out really quite good! Then the last ones made me laugh out loud when I viewed them on the camera. He's such a funny kid! Enjoy...