When I woke up yesterday morning , all I really wanted to do was enjoy a relaxing day at the beach with a few friends! I must have been crazy to think a day at the beach with 5 mommas and 16 kids could be relaxing.
Most of our beach babes!
And in between the moments of pure fear from not one, but two lost children during the day, there were many great conversations and lots of laughter. Those are the moments I wouldn't trade for anything. They are what keeps me sane these days! I am so thankful that the lost children were not my own, and everyone ended up back in their moms arms!
Luke napped on the beach during the chaos!
Fast forward to the end of a long day at the beach. You get the picture, hot, tired, and sandy! My car won't start. Again, I am thankful to be with friends who can give me a jump and help get me home. And while this is the last thing I want to be dealing with it isn't the end of the world. I make an appointment to get a new battery, make sure I have roadside assistance in the event this happens again (something I should have done before Donnie deployed), problems solved, right? Wrong! I decide I can jump my car with Donnie's truck to go get the new battery. Nope, he has a dead battery too, with all of our summer fun and travels I haven't been driving his truck once a week as I had planned. Now I need two new batteries. The Crow's saved the day again! Mark helped me jump both vehicles and get my car a new battery. I hoped after the drive the truck would be good as new. No such luck, it was dead again this morning. So after a minor melt down (I think I was due for a good cry). Deployment life is STRESSFUL! I pulled it together (with the help of Mark and Krissy), and I now have two new batteries and two working vehicles in the event of an emergency (God, I hope not).
The downs are usually followed by an up, and thankfully this was no exception. Luke ask me if he could ride his bike without training wheels. I tell him sure we can give it a try after I get the laundry out of the dryer. He goes on out to the garage to wait for me, I think . When I get out there 5 minutes later he has Donnie's tools and has taken off his own training wheels. There was no stopping this boy! He was cruising up and down the neighborhood in no time!
And this boy knows how to make his momma feel good. He told me that I am better than Dad at teaching bike riding. This probably isn't true because there isn't much I do better than Donnie, but I made me feel like Mom of the Year!
are so very special! I am thankful that time apart doesn't take away true friendships!
I love that I was able to see several old friends while in Texas. I had a wonderful weekend getaway with my college girlfriends in Austin!
Elizabeth, me, and Julie after an amazing overnight stay at the W!
I love that you can relax and be silly just like old times with girlfriends!
I love that the Army really can be a small place. I was able to visit my friend Karin who is at Fort Hood while on my way to Austin. Who knows where the Army will take us next?
John was able to spend the weekend with his friend Caden!
I love that as young as they are they know the importance of true friendship! It was as if no time had passed since they last saw each other a year ago. They picked right up where they left off!
I find that is true of my old friends as well. True friendship creates a special bond between people that isn't broken by time apart or separation. I have that same bond with my friends.
Jaime, Kristi and I were best buddies while in middle school.Jaime and I have been friends since 3rd grade, and it always feel like no time has passed when we see each other. It was great to all be together again!
I love seeing our kiddos meet each other and make new friendships!
Being an Army wife has challenged me in a lot of ways, but I am thankful for all of the friends I have made during Donnie's time in the Army. They love and support you in a way only an Army wife can because she understands the unique circumstances of your life.
The kids and I spent a wonderful day the Westcott Beach State Park with our friends, The Crows. Thank you for making this deployment bearable. I can't wait until our next day of summer fun!
Playing in the sand!
The boys in the water!
All seven kiddos buried in the sand!
"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
My dad arranged for us to stay at his cousins condo over the 4th of July holiday. It was an almost perfect (it couldn't be perfect without Donnie) family vacation. We spent a week of doing nothing but splashing in the water, boogie boarding, building sand castles, swimming in the pool, and playing games! The kids were exhausted at the end of everyday, and ready to do it all again the next day!
Katie looking for who knows what in the water!
Luke working hard to carry a bucket of water!
Building something really cool!
Enjoying the waves! The bigger the better!
Boogie boarding didn't ever seem to get old!
Luke spent hours on his board!
On of my favorite pictures! 1, 2, 3 close your eyes! The sun was so bright they couldn't keep them open for a picture!
Me and my beach babies!
No trip to the beach was complete without a swim in the pool before heading back home for the evening!
If we weren't swimming the kids were gaming! Who knew 5 kids could all link up on a DS game?
Hedbanz anyone?
Happy 4th of July!
We spend the 4th at my cousin Lindsay's house with my Aunt Linda & Uncle Bill. I love being able to spend time with family that I don't get to see often enough. It is so fun to watch all the kids play together.
The boys had to get shark souvenirs! Katie decided on a bottle filled with sea shells.
The Jokers being jokers on our last night in Port A!
Looking forward to doing it again when Donnie can go with us!
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