Camping in Kings Mountain

We wanted to take the kids camping and asked the Berrys and the Sloops to go along with us. We had a ball!!! We had a furlough day on Friday, so we headed up around 2:00. Ashley and John S. had to come up a little later, so John and all the moms had to set up camp! (I think they knew what they were doing when they decided to come later:))

It was cold Friday night!!!! I had to put Taylor Grace between John and me to keep her warm because her sleeping bag kept coming unzipped. I didn't get much sleep that way because I couldn't move. That part was miserable. We planned to only stay one night, so the next day John and I packed all of our stuff gradually. We ended up staying until after supper and the Sloops and the Berry's stayed another night. I liked doing it that way because we had all the fun, but were able to sleep in a nice warm bed.

We had a great time cooking over the fire, watching John collect all the wood, Shellie sharing her opinion, the kids going on hikes, the kids playing in the tents, etc... I love the smokey smell of a camp fire!! I asked the girls what their favorite part was and Mallory said putting Drew (3) to sleep. Taylor Grace said playing with Sydney. Ashley loved it so much, he wanted to go again next weekend. (Not going to go again that soon!!)

Painting the Kitchen GREEN!

We wanted to change the color of the kitchen, so I decided on Fusion green. We paid a guy to come and paint it. When I came home that afternoon I was so scared I had made a mistake. I took a picture of it and showed some teachers the next day. Everyone's reaction was, "WOW it looks great!" I didn't know if they were for real or couldn't say what they really thought. I was wanting to change it, but John assured me to wait until we got the curtains and all the pictures up. Well he was right! It made a huge difference. I love it! The green makes the cabinets and the curtains POP! I am glad we were brave enough to do it.

Camping in the back yard

We wanted to take the girls camping, but I wanted to stay home. So... we camped in the back yard. Mallory said, "I had more fun than I thought I would". It is great when you take technology away and everyone talks more and spends more time together. We reminisced, played UNO, grilled out, roasted marshmallows, etc... The girls went to bed really easy and John and I were able to stay up and talk. I love memories like this! It doesn't take money to have a good time.

Taylor Grace got Braces!

Taylor Grace got braces! She loves them and was a champ through it all. She got them on Thursday. Then on Monday had 2 permanent teeth pulled. Then the following Tuesday went back and had extenders put on the top back teeth. Later that weekend woke up with a HUGE knot on her lower jaw and had to go back for antibiotics. I would have thought that she would have been crying and miserable, but she barely complained. She went from looking like a 10 year old to a teenager! It is amazing how braces make a person look older.

GO Richmond Drive Tigers

Taylor Grace's cheerleading squad won first place in the district's competition for best routine! They worked hard all summer and had great coaches!!! All their hard work paid off. They were awesome! I couldn't believe how good 3-5 grade girls could cheer! WOW!

TG is a TERRIFIC KID!

Taylor Grace got Terrific Kid! She was the first one for the year for her class. Her teacher told me that when she got an email saying it was time to pick a terrific kids, she immediately knew it was TG. That's my girl!!! John, Mallory, Papa, and me were there to see it.

Baden Lake

Once again we had an awesome time at Baden Lake with the Shepperds! The girls click so well with each other. The big hit this summer was taking a WILD ride on the inner tube. Scott threw Harper and Mallory off and about did them in. Then he threw me off. I had to immediately go again for a good example of "If you fall off the horse, get up and ride it again."