Campin' with the kids!

In honor of the Great American Backyard Campout (and the fact that Kate loves the idea of camping), we joined thousands of other families across the country and turned our backyard into a campground!

We brought out some fun old fashioned games....horse shoes and drop the clothes pin in the bottle.

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Then, after playtime it was time for food!

Jon built us a great fire in our fire pit using the wood from our recently chopped down tree.

Hotdogs & S'mores....YUM!!!!

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Yes, I like my marshmallow flaming! I really don't know if there is any dessert better than this!

Finally, after all of our company left it was time to settle into our little tent with popcorn and a movie. Around 11pm Gabe was ready for his crib, but Jon, Kate, & I stayed the night in the tent (in our living room without bugs and heat!). We had a great campout and look forward to many more nights like this in the future!

Lunch Dates

Thursday, since Grandma had her own lunch date, we decided to meet PawPaw at Cracker Barrell for some food and lots of fun!

After lunch we headed outside for even more fun with the rocking chairs!

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And today the kids and I went to the park for a picnic and then were met by our friends Mrs. Sarah & Madeline for some fun in the (very hot!) sun!!!!

The kids were having fun taking lots of pictures, and while they were of course all very cute, this serious shot of Gabe was my favorite!

Happy Birthday Alana!

Happy 4th Birthday Miss Alana!

Thanks for letting us come be a part of your special day!

After cupcakes, the kids were too hot to play on the playground.

But at this park, Kate & Gabe have just as much fun playing in the fountain!

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After a couple of hours splashing in the little fountain, it was time to go home for Gabe's nap. However, I decided to take a small detour to our new favorite coffee spot (Fast Eddie's if you're local!). We each got a $1 kids Dreamsickle....it was delicious!!!!

The kids and I had a fun day at the park and then a bit of time relaxing outside of Fast Eddie's on their big picnic tables

It might be super hot outside, but that's not going to stop us from having fun!

Indoor Fun

Being only June and with temperatures already over 100 degrees!, it looks like we will be playing inside or in the water most days this summer!

We actually haven't gone to McDonalds or Chick-fil-A much after going everyday while in Atlanta, but we did make a quick lunch stop and the kids insisted on pictures with Ronald McDonald! :)

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Also this summer, we are so excited that Kate gets to take Summer Ballet! She will officially begin ballet in August, but gets to go twice a week through the summer with her friend Riley and is loving it!

Giving Gabe a kiss before heading into class....

Then while the girls are off dancing, the boys, Gabe & Liam, have free reign of the lobby!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

"If I am your Princess, then you are King of the World!"

Kate and her daddy have a very special bond that only seems to grow stronger and deeper with each year. Jon, thanks for all that you do for us, for working so hard and for being our provider, and for loving us. We love you so much! Happy Daddy's Day!

This year Kate picked out her own card for Jon and also got him a very special book, "Dance Me, Daddy" that came with the accompanying cd. This song, 'King of the World' sung by Point of Grace, as well as 'The Cinderella Song' by Steven Curtis Chapman, are Kate's two most favorite songs....and are in every way Princess Kate!

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And you should see Gabe's face light up the moment he sees his daddy pull into the driveway each afternoon!

Gabe loves his "Da-ey!"

There's another amazing dad that certainly can't be left out today, and that's my dad...or as he is most often called, "PawPaw."

We love you PawPaw!!!!



And, although we couldn't be with you today, we want to wish WaWa (Jon's Dad) a very Happy Father's Day! We miss you and hope to see you again very soon!





Kate wanted more pictures!

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After naps and a bit of relaxing, we met back up with my parents for Jon's other present. Gabe helped decorate the present too with car stickers, but then he took them all off and put them on our refrigerator. :)

Jon's big surprise....A Giant Rocket! This 7 foot rocket really does shoot about 100 feet into the air. We all had a blast!

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Our recovery team!

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Camp E.D.G.E.

Wonder what we have been up to for the past couple of weeks.....? Well, wonder no more! The kids and I went to Camp E.D.G.E. to "Experience & Discover God Everywhere!" For the second year in a row, I have had the privelege of teaching Vacation Bible School at a local church. And this year I was given 11 amazing and VERY active 4 year olds! Had Kate been in my class, she would have seemed calm....now that should tell you something about my kids this year! But, exhausted as I was at the end of each day, I loved every moment of VBS and look forward to next year....I just might slip sedatives into their snacks. :) Just kidding!

Me & My Fireflies!

(4 kids are missing from this picture)

Each year I make a collage to send home with the kids to show some of the fun things we did at VBS.

Here is this year's "Fun Times."

Welcome to "Mrs. Deanna's Fireflies"

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My room. Decorating is fun, but can I hire a crew next year??? This is alot of work!

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And all that work gets DESTROYED on the last day. I lined up my class, counted them down from 5 and let them go WILD!

It was bitter sweet watching my mountain come down....the kids LOVED this activity!

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To celebrate a fun week (actually two weeks for teachers and our own kids), VBS ended with a program and cookout Friday night. Kate wanted to sit with me and reminded me that the kids from my class weren't my real kids! I love you Kate! I wouldn't trade you for any other kid in the world!

Gabe sat with my parents for the program since Kate & I were on stage. But, after the 1st song he insisted on coming up too! After all, he too spent two weeks at Camp E.D.G.E.! Notice Gabe front & center.....he didn't even look around to find me! My baby boy is growing up!

Speaking of Gabe....he won't be able to officially start VBS until next summer, but he still had a great time in the nursery with Miss Katie and several other sweet ladies. He was in there for 2 weeks straight, 3 hours a day, and didn't even cry once! I think my little Sugar Bear is ready for school! But, he still has another year before starting school as a Yellow Apple.

And Kate, well, she was a MOOSE!

That's right, she lucked out again this year and was able to have

one of the best VBS teachers at Camp E.D.G.E., Mrs. Terri!

Also in her class were a few of her best buddies, Emma, Walker, & Griffen.

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One of Kate's favorite crafts from the week....a playdough flower bouquet.

Thank You to everyone who made this such a fun time for us again this summer!

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