Seven?!?!?

Dinner with sweet friends. Happy birthday to Sophie (tomorrow)! Can't believe she's already seven.

Is it really true?

How can it be that my girls head back to school just FOUR weeks from tomorrow??? Oh, it hurts my feelings. Ryan will be a junior and our sweet little Soph is headed to second grade. I am still trying to decide which one makes me feel older. We're not even going to talk about the fact that this is Ella's last year of preschool before she heads to kindergarten. They're gonna have to put me in a padded room at that point.

We are having a wonderful summer. Busy, but wonderful. Our yearly journey to see the Big Mouse was put on hold this year. But it won't stop me from looking at pictures from last year and smiling!

The girls just finished "Kids Kabaret" and now are in rehearsals with their daddy for "All Shook Up". "Kids Kabaret" was a fabulous experience for the girls. It was a wonderful experience for John and me to get to watch them just blossom on the stage. This little blondie had enough personality for about three or four little girls! Guess we could have seen that one coming. :-)

Ryan worked backstage for the show, so it was wonderful for her to get a new respect for the crew who works so hard to make it a great show.

John and I are headed to NYC this month. He has to go for work and it just so happens that I am going to be able to tag along. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I just love it. I love being there with my husband. It's where he proposed to me. We love Broadway. We get to NYC and it's like time moves so slowly. So funny to be in a city that's so fast-paced but feel like you have all the time in the world there.

We are also taking Sophie to North Carolina to see "Annie". It's her first "big girl" trip with just Mommy and Daddy. She's so excited, and so are we. We are literally going for about 36 hours! Fly in, eat dinner, see the show, go to bed, and fly home the next day! What an adventure. :-)

Then I'm off to Orlando for MOPS convention with some great gals from church. I've been once before and have been looking forward to this trip all summer. So, after a summer spent at home, I am packing three separate trips into a span of about two and a half weeks. Exciting and stressful all at the same time! 

Then John and I will head to California right after Labor Day for the annual Fox trip - always a WONDERFUL time. They take very good care of us. We get completely spoiled for five days. Our kids get completely spoiled by a sitter for five days. We reconnect with old friends. We spend time together. We come home refreshed and reconnected. It's always a special time that we are so very grateful for. This year is even more special because we get to stay an extra day in LA with some very special friends. Can't wait!

We've been planning a big surprise for the girls and were finally able to reveal it to them this weekend. We are taking them all to NYC to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thus, no trip to Disney World this summer. We are all so excited. It will be Sophie and Ella's first trip to NYC. It cannot get here quick enough. Broadway shows, Central Park, Museum of Natural History, Broadway, shopping, and a parade to rival all other parades!!!!

So, summer is going to end quickly enough. But we have lots to look forward to in the fall. :-)

Afternoon Delight

What's better than an afternoon at Ben & Jerry's? An afternoon at Ben & Jerry's that cost us nothing! The girls were in a neighborhood parade with their very best friends on July 3. The prize for first place costumes and decorations was a Ben & Jerry's gift card. They had such fun that morning and again today - picking out their treats and toppings and paying for it all by themselves. Sophie told me it was even better because it was at "Aunt Erin's ice cream store". I tend to agree, my love. I tend to agree.

Erin's Story

This is the link to the story that Fox 13 did on Erin's death and the dangers of drowsy driving. Mearl Purvis did an unbelievable job. I knew I could expect it to be good, but it turned out to be PHENOMENAL. Please continue to pray that the Lord will open doors for me to take Erin's story to anyone who will listen to it, and that they will think twice before driving drowsy because of her. 

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/070110-family-speaks-out-on-dangers-of-drowsy-driving