Hellooooooooooooo there!

Well, well, well... you decide to "take a little time off from blogging" and five months slip away!

To say that the past few months have been busy would be the understatement of my life.

Here are just a few things that have happened:

• Brian and I went to San Francisco
• Payton graduated from elementary school
• Parker graduated from preschool
• Payton attended his first sleep-away camp with our church
• We met my cousin's twin daughters for the first time when they came to visit from Utah
• Went on a cruise with my side of the family
• Went to Texas for 4th of July
• Brian's parents moved to Tampa
• Went to NC for my grandmother's 97th birthday
• And of course fit in lots of trips to the beach, camps and much more along the way!

Phew... I'm tired just looking at that list!

But they were all fun and meaningful events and I wouldn't change one bit of our crazy, busy lives.

In just a week and a half my little "boys" will be starting kindergarten and middle school. I simply cannot believe it. I can vividly remember Payton's first day of kindergarten and how I gave birth to Parker while he was in that grade. And now here we are, both of them starting a new chapter in their lives.

I too, am excited for some changes this fall. I will begin working with Brian at his mortgage company. It will be part-time and obviously flexible enough to help out at the boys' schools and whatever else pops up. But I am excited to get involved in the family business and get back into the "working world" after a 12-year hiatus. And don't worry mom... I won't be doing anything with numbers. :) I will be working more on the marketing and customer relations portion of the biz.

So, with that quick update, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from the past five months...

When we went to San Francisco we visited one of our best friends from college, Jason, and his wife Kate and their two beautiful boys. Jason took us to some wineries and we visited all of his restaurants in downtown San Fran.

Kate, Jason, Brian and me at our favorite winery, Iron Horse.

One of the most fun things we did in San Fran was take a boat tour that went under the Golden Gate Bridge. We lucked out with fantastic weather that day! Definitely a "bucket list" trip!

 Once we got back from CA, reality kicked in and this Mama had to prepare for BOTH of her boys to graduate their respective schools (cue the tears!).

Parker & his best bud, Ben at graduation

Walking down the aisle to the "Pomp & Circumstance" music (yes - I was a crying mess!)

Payton all dressed up for his 5th grade dance. Everyone thought his blue hair was "so cool!!"

Payton's graduation day. We could not be more proud of him! He was awarded the highest-ranking Presidential Academic Achievement Award as well as pins for all of his extra-curricular activities. Such a stud!

Parker with his 2nd cousins Kate & Maddy. Even though this was the first time they had met, they were instant friends, and I fell even more in love with my cousin's sweet daughters.

The girls came to Tampa to hang out with us for a little while too. We all bonded so much and were so sad to see them go. I know my cousin Wendy would be so proud of the beautiful, smart girls they have become.

Instead of renting a beach house this year, my parents decided to do a family cruise. We all had such a wonderful time. The cousins loved every minute of it!





After the cruise, we tagged along with Brian on a work trip to Texas. Fortunately, we had a couple of families to catch up with while we were there.

Our first stop in Texas was to visit our friends Tony & Claudia and their boys Nathaniel & Nicholas. Payton & Nathaniel have been friends since they were babies. It was so fun to see them together again.

Our second stop in Texas was Brian's friend, Kenneth. He put on one spectacular fireworks show for 4th of July (we're talking professional-grade fireworks for like 30 minutes!)

This was our crew of crazy kids at Kenneth's house!

Next stop... an 11- hour car ride to NC!

We had such a wonderful time in NC visiting my grandmother for her 97th birthday. I sure hope I inherited some of her amazing genes! She's still a spunky little thing - full of smiles and laughter.

And I always look forward to spending time with my Aunt Bobbie, who lives in CA. She means so much to me. Ever since my cousin Wendy died, I feel like we've become so close. I love every moment I get to spend with her.

This was most of the crew from the weekend in NC (minus my kids who were already in bed).
From L to R on top: Dad, Uncle Brent, Uncle Bob, Uncle Herb
From L to R on bottom: Cousin Chris, Brian, Aunt Bobbie, Aunt Linda, Grandma, Mom, Aunt Cheryl, Cousin Trevor, Cousin John.
I'm sitting in front with my soon-to-be Cousin-in-law, Michelle,  holding my Aunt & Uncle's dog, Desie.

It's been an amazing few months, and a whirlwind summer, but one that we will never forget!

I hope you all have been safe & happy and surrounded by those you love. 

Cheers!

Stact