Highlights from the "noke"

Besides checking in on our cute little house in roanoke we were able to catch up with some great friends.

The boys loved the time they were able to spend with our neighbors Hunter & Brian. I on the other hand got to spend time with their mamas!

I got to spend some time chatting with Jennifer at Hollywoods . . . yummy! However, the company was way better than the food and the time was way too short. I did get to hold sweet little Addy. She's so soft and and I love the way babies smell.

and time with a favorite friend. That is always wonderful. Thanks for making the road trip Jillie!

3 Little Pigs ~ need I say more

JM got to catch up with one of his buddies too during our time there. Unfortunately the rest of the family was out of town.

All that to say, we all spent time with friends, relaxed, visited our favorite restaurants, & left the house move in ready!

i'm happy because . . .

~ my main man returns tomorrow!

~ we saw our roxie this week

~ JM's wonderful sister has graciously taken care of roxie during this transition

~ i've had time to create
i have adorable undercover crates & buttons to prove it

~ i've had wonderful time catching up w/ a few of my favorite girlfriends

~ the boys & i discovered a new to us treat ~
Sweet Frog a yummy place for self serve frozen yogurt in a variety of flavors to choose from and then you proceed to the toppings bar.

~ pool time i LOVE the pool

~ new opportunities for the boys to make new friends at our new church

~ ben has another super sweet SS teacher. she has been warm, welcoming, loving & nurturing through his anxious 1st couple of weeks. she sensed his apprehentions before we "officially" came when she met him early on. she sent him mail w/ pics of all of the children in their class and has made a point to encourage him in a way that he is not the center of attention. (very important w/ this little guy)

~ my parents came to see us this week

~ we are heading to roanoke later this week which means getting to visit w/ some good friends while we are there

~ it also means a meal at 3 Little Pigs

~ and a view of God's beautiful mountains

~ the amazing way God allows things to happen

~ playdates for the boys w/ their buddies

~ i LOVE summer time

~ i've been introduced to bun bun bags & looking forward to helping jenn

~ we have such wonderful family & friends who allow us to stay in their homes as we continue to "house hop" through the summer.

~ there's still plenty of summer left to enjoy

Peeks into our Summer Fun

I did take pics of Jacob in the big ole bubble bath too

but he made me promise not to put them up on my blog.
Ben fell asleep while we were fixing dinner the other night.
Too cute!

The boys seriously spent an hour painting these!

time & little money well spent!

Make it with Mom Monday

Here's our menu from last night.

Jacob wrote out our menu while I was in the shower. Actually he wrote a few choices for us to vote on. Can you guess which we made?!

Cheeseburgers, salad, fruit, & sweet potatoe fries

(have you had these yummy lime chicken burgers from Trader Joes?)

Cracker Chicken, green beans, fruit

(it's really called poppyseed chicken - it has crushed crackers on the top

i love his name for it!)

Pasta Alfredo, salad, good bread, fruit

(sounds a little too similar to last week)

Papaw really wanted pasta so that's what we went with. I did however get the goods to make the other well thought out meals for this week. I didn't get much help in the preparation from the boys but they were playing really nicely. So that in fact was helpful!

Summer Fun

Thanks to Family Fun Magazine

we've had some great SkamFam Fun

making Sponge Balls.

This is our variation.

For each ball we cut 3 sponges into 3 strips.

Then we stacked the strips on top of each other
into 3 rows and laid on top of a long piece of string.
(doubled for extra long play)

We tied the bundle up

REALLY tight.

JM's finger came in handy to hold the ties!

We wrapped it back around a few times for added strength.

That's it.

Our boys along with their cousins

played with these forever yesterday.

Well for over an hour anyway!

They made up games and

just had an all out water fun fest with them.

I highly reccomend them for easy summer entertaining.

When they were done I made repairs.

I rebundled them and retied them.

Now they are ready for another fun water day.

I'll try to remember to take pictures of the fun next time.

Make it with Mom Monday Menu

ok so it's a little late! but here's our menu from this past Monday.

Baked Spaghetti

Salad

Bread

Fruit Salad

Ben's learning how to cut.

and Brownies that the Home Owner Friends left for us!


We've been staying at some special sweet friends' home this week. I was thrilled . . . so thrilled because we got to cook & eat as a family . . . on the screened in porch. It was such a nice evening.

11 years & Counting

While I realize that you may have read my man's blog

and may even think that I copied him in doing this post

but you are incorrect!

I just didn't stay up last night until midnight so that I could post first!

The Eleven Things I Love About You!

1. As silly as it sounds I love your teeth! I remember them the first time we met and I still love them today. They are perfect! Of course they make your smile even more amazing.

2. I appreciate that you enjoy shopping! I’m especially thankful when it’s helping me find stuff. It’s pretty cool that you like to shop more than most men. You have a great eye for style for our home, clothes, etc.

3. I’m so thankful for the wonderful way you lead our family. You are such an example for our boys of what a man after God’s heart entails.

4. You value quality time with me just 1 on 1, boy time with well, the boys, & family time. You realize the importance of all three and cherish it.

5. You treat our parents all wonderfully. You show your respect & admiration for them in so many ways.

6. You are an encourager. This is such a gift than I get to benefit from. I’m touched by the confidence you have in me even in the things I don’t feel capable of. I also enjoy watching you encourage others whether it’s the boys, youth, friends, or ministry partners. When doing this you are also instilling such a confidence in those people.

7. You are so good at helping the boys learn from their mistakes. I love to listening to you talk to them even in discipline. You help them become aware of their choices and even have a way of making them realize things on their own.

8. When you have that deep belly, giddy, silly laugh that you just can stop and your eyes start watering. I don’t even have to know what was so funny ~ laughing with you is incredibly fun!

9. I love being wrapped in your arms watching a movie (or falling asleep during a movie). So warm & cozy!

10. Your yummy breakfasts are always delicious. Your offers to fix dinner are always welcomed. You graciously clean the kitchen after I’ve fixed dinner and dirtied every dish in the process.

11. You are truly my best friend. I’m thankful for our story, growth, laughs, crys, challenges, transitions, chats, & prayers.

The picture is a little old

and we have had more pictures taken together since

but I wasn't wearing this sweet shirt.

Last year we were going to have a big ole wedding party reunion.

hmmm . . . we bought a house instead.

So we thought we'd have a big ole party

this anniversary our 11th on 7/11

hmmm . . . a contract on our house will do.

we will have a party but will have to wait another year

we will get a contract but may not be today

party or no party

contract or no contract

i love my husband

happy anniversary squeaky

Sneak Peaks

It's been a while trying but we finally connected up with one of my favorite high school friends who just happens to take wonderful pictures. I've been wanting some of our growing, tooth missing, kindergarten starting, active, precious, gifts from God, super, boys. I've also been admiring Cindy's for some time now. She's tried to give me tips. While I enjoy taking pictures, I just don't have the talent she does. We met up in our hometown Lynchburg and had a wonderful time. The boys had a fabulous time which doesn't happen much with picture taking. Check out our sneak peaks. They are already talking about the next time! Way to go Cindy. We're looking forward to family ones in the fall. Hope that works out!

a Favorite

Have you taken a peep at what Elisalou is up to? Her blog is truly one of my favorites!

~ i LOVE her photography

~ i enjoy reading about their 3 boys

~ & now their little itsy bitsy baby girl

~i like her style through out her home

~ & her "pocs" (that's what i call bags, purses, pocket books, whatever you call them) i love them too!

she's teamed up w/Inspired Room to have a give away too!

POP on over & take a PEAK at her POCS.
You're gonna love them.

Somethings to Create

It's no secret that I love to create ~ lately though i'm having fun finding ideas, making them my own, & putting them on a list of things to do. I brought some of my favorite supplies with me to Richmond, some are packed up, and some are in my craft closet in Roanoke. So in the mean time, I'll just keep blog hopping searching for more crafty inspiration and adding them to my list!

I love these milk crate cover ups

How about these adorable buttons

I think this board is cute and would be a sweet gift for a youngster


I love all these free paper templates

of course I can't wait to get back to work on this

Good thing Ijust happen to collect jars ~ when I saw this idea in the family fun magazine while waiting at the eye doctor. This is something I don't have to wait to make as I have most of the stuff with me!

Summer Lovin

I've been so excited for school to be out ~ summer is my favorite time of the year. I was easily inspired by this to do something similar. So for me, these are my summer favorites.

cookouts
maymont
dinner on the porch
glow sticks
lightening bugs
jammer days
outdoor movies
sprinklers
grilling out
fire pits
smores
later bedtimes
longer days
together
fireworks
flip flops
tan lines
fresh fruits & veggies
outside entertaining
popsicles
tall glasses of iced tea
watermelon
picnics
swing sets
books on blankets in the back yard
boat rides
gelati celeste
sun block
freckled face skammer boys