Guess who's in training?

Yep....we are trying to get John David potty trained. I had hoped to have him trained before summer arrived, but I waited too long and decided that I didn't want to start just before a long road trip. So we have started and hopefully it goes well. Wish us luck!

Lunch with Hermana Heath

I was so excited to find out a few months ago that my cousin Leanne was going on a mission. And even more excited when my mom told me she was going to Houston on her mission. I really hoped it was our mission, but she's in the Texas Houston Mission, not the Texas Houston East Mission. Anyway, we decided to see if we could take her out to lunch since we were going to be in Houston today. So we called her mission president and got his permission. He talked about what a wonderful missionary she is and what a difference she is making already in her area. I thought, "Wow! She's only been in the mission field a few weeks. But I guess it doesn't take people long to see how great you are when you're as wonderful as Leanne." So we called her and met her and her companion for the day (she was on exchanges) and took them to Olive Garden for lunch. It was so fun to see her and hear about her missionary experiences. It made me think of and miss my days as a missionary.



You can tell from her countenance how happy she is in the service of the Lord. We are so proud of her and the great example she is to us all!

Lady Cajuns Team Party

Sarah missed her last 4 softball games while we were gone. Luckily, we got back in time for the team party.



It was a swim party at Bella's house.



And the girls had a blast!



After swimming and dinner, they gave the girls a trophy.



They ended the season 9-2.



Thanks for a great season Lady Cajuns! We look forward to next year!

last minute fun

We headed over to Kristie's house on our last night in Albertson. Sarah tried to load up on that sweet Jaxon sugar.



John David had fun with Charlie's toys.



And all the kiddos had fun on Charlie's slip-n-slide.



Kristie and I had a fried chicken cook off. I said mine was the best, Kristie said her's was the best, and everyone else just said they were both good. How diplomatic. :) Then we took some self-portraits. We're so cute!



Squishy face pic!



Crazy/scary pic! :/



Oh how I love my sweet, silly sisters! We had a great time and look forward to next time! We love our Tarheels peeps!

Cliffs of the Neuse State Park

We brought a bug back from Camp Singletary.....and not the creepy, crawly kind. I would have preferred that kind to the stomach bug that each family got a taste of after coming home from camp. So after a couple of days of "sharing the bug" and being stuck in the house, we were ready to venture out for some fun. We met my brothers, Neal and Cory, for lunch at McCalls.....because I just couldn't go back to the bayou without some Carolina BBQ and collards. After lunch we decided to go to the Cliffs. It had been a long time since I had been, and I am so glad that we decided to go.



They have an awesome visitors center now, and the kids loved it!



John David's favorite thing was the boat....of course.



They had so many interesting and interactive exhibits.



Ewww!







It was very impressive!



After checking out the visitor's center, we wanted to go swimming, but the water was low. They had been doing repairs on the dam and were waiting for the water level to rise back up to normal. So we just walked around a little and enjoyed the beautiful view.







My cute, sweet babies!



It's so fun to take them to places that I used to go as a kid.



We'll have to go back next time and hopefully get to swim!

Visiting Daddy's Grave

We went to Daddy's grave today. Even though it's been two and a half years, it still seems unreal at times.....until I make a trip home. And he's not there. Time has made it more bearable, but I sure do miss that rascal!

Why We ♥ Camp Singletary (2012 Edition)

*It's okay to get a little crazy!*



















(Just don't swallow your mustache Grandma ;)



What a crazy, but cute bunch!

*Going to White Lake!*













John David bought this boat with the spending money that Paw Paw gave him. Fifteen dollars well spent.



He and Ethan had the best time with it! They would take it out in the water, and then come back to shore every few minutes. When I went to ask why he kept coming back to shore, I overheard him say to Ethan, "Doggone it! We ran out of gas again!" Ahhhh....that explains it. Funny boys.



The boys also had a fun time chasing the ducks.







Jessica was the hero of the day. She blew up almost all of the floats.



And you can't go to the lake without snacks.







Sarah was so happy when Aunt Kristie brought baby Jaxon for her to play with.





And you can't go to the lake without working on your tan a little too.





John David was so funny. He wanted to go lay with Sarah and Marleigh and catch some rays too.



I think he got bored pretty quickly, but he sure was cute.



*And going to Singletary Lake too!*

Even though we may refer to it as "Snakey Lake", we love going there.



I mean.....look at how pretty it is!



John David's boat worked great at "Snakey Lake" too.



The big girls had a great time jumping off the pier.





And it's even more beautiful in the evening.















These girls were cracking me up with their posing.





We all stopped to watch the beautiful sunset.







Absolutely gorgeous!
*Canoeing*

This year Uncle Neal and Uncle Cory took turns taking the kids on a ride in the canoes.





Katie and John David didn't want to go, but Sarah was so excited.



She loved it!









Then Uncle Neal took Aunt Melissa on a little ride out to torture her . I'm not positive, but I think he may have enjoyed it a little more than she did. Some things never change.



*Cousin Time, ALL THE TIME!*

This is one of the main reasons why I feel the need to go home every summer.































*Cuteness, cuteness EVERYWHERE!*









Sorry Melissa! I couldn't leave this cute picture out! ;)



I love this picture of John David talking to Aaron while we were at White Lake one day.



























*Free entertainment*

One afternoon Merry Grace was on a roll telling us some of her stories. She is just too funny! And adorable!


And then John David wanted to share some of his stories too. Most of his were about guns and alligators. Go figure.



Then the older girls entertained us with some of their dancing and acting skills.









But the highlight--which sadly was not captured on my camera--was my sister Melissa doing her cheerleading dance from 7th grade. I'm not sure how she remembers it after all these years, but I can assure you it was priceless!

*Watching Melissa work*



Bahahaha! Just kidding Melissa! ;)

*It's a good opportunity to impress everyone with your muscles*

John David was cracking me up. I kept asking him to look at the camera and he would show me his muscles.



Impressive!







And I love that Ethan showed off his muscles too this time.



*It's okay to jump on the bed*

One night as we were trying to get the kids ready for bed, I caught the boys jumping on the girls bed.



They were having so much fun that I didn't have the heart to tell them to stop.



So what did I do?



I did what any good mother would do.



I got out my camera and documented this sweet memory.



My how I love these sweet, silly boys!




*Playing in the sand*

Another highlight of Camp Singletary is the sand that is everywhere!







The kids love it!



*There is beauty all around!*

Seriously.....it really is just beautiful. And you can't help but feel our Savior's love when you're surrounded by his beautiful creations.













We even got to watch a gorgeous sunset the night before we left.





*Being together and making memories!*

But the absolute best thing about going to Camp Singletary is just being with our favorite Tarheels and making priceless memories with them.




































Thanks for the memories everyone! We love you!