My cousin, rock-star Nik, comes through townwith the Broken Bells

My cousin Nik is currently touring with the Broken Bells. They recently ended their US tour in Atlanta and Athens. Mom and I took the boys to meet Nik while he was in Atlanta at Center Stage. Although well behaved, I think Nik is happy to be without offspring at this point! Derek took the kids home and Mom and I went onto the show. Ben and Tom came later and we all had a great time. The next night, Marma and P'Bo watched the boys so Derek and I could go to the second show in Athens at the 40Watt. It was a great show and Derek and I both loved the music. The Broken Bells have played on Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon's late night shows. Nik was in great spirits and looked the same. I think it is great that he can do what he loves and hope that someday he can tour as the lead show. I wished we had more time to visit with him - but understand that he is working. We hope to get out to CA this fall to see him and the rest of the CA crew. Good luck NIk and enjoy your summer touring in Europe and Japan this summer!

Ellis Avery Photoshoot

My neighbor, Mandy Riley, has started her own photography business, Ellis Avery Photography, and we took advantage of one of her recent mini-shoots. She was GREAT. The kids kept her on her toes - but she rocked out some wonderful photos. If you like these - you should check out her site. Thanks again Mandy - these made for some GREAT father's day cards and gifts!

Mommy's Annual Girls-only beach trip

What a GREAT time! I cherish this trip and am super thankful that Aunt Babs is so wonderful to let us stay there. A big shout out to Nicole and her family for letting us come in and take a much needed break every year. This was the 4th time we all did this - we skipped one year (07) when half of us were pregnant. I am super thankful for my girlfriends. We still manage to have our monthly dinners every month - and on our 9th year doing so. I love each and everyone of them...Stephanie, Karen, Nicole, Lisa and Jamie. Jamie didn't come this year - too many other committments and challenges to get away...but that didn't stop the rest of us! Some quick pictures. Thanks Derek for watching the boys. I know it was great bonding time for you - and I loved getting away - I love you so much! Until next year...




This picture was taken for the kiddos. This is the biggest and best looking fishing ship I have ever seen. It looked a lot like a giant pirate ship. This was as close a shot I could get - but sitting on the sand - it seemed I could reach out and touch it...it was just that close.


We also saw several schools of dolphins and one sand shark! The beach was busy this year - we went over Memorial Day weekend.



Lisa's Baby Shower
It was a success and although we didn't really talk much about it while at the beach - we had a great time putting her shower together. We enjoyed mimosas while preparing the food and then followed up with white wine sangria punch (courtesey of Karen). I can't speak for everyone else - but i was feeling pretty good by "present time!" Congrats Lisa - can't wait to meet baby Davidson before the end of the summer!

Owen's 4th Birthday

They are all coming up in the ranks...LOL. Everyone is turning 4. It is so hard to believe. This time it was Owen. He decided he too wanted his party at Monkey Joe's. Thankfully - it wasn't as packed as it has been for other parties. The theme was pirates - so everyone got these foam swords. The kids had a blast - and so did the parents watching them.
Happy Birthday Owen!

Staying Busy - as always :)

Catching up with the Riley Family
We have been so busy - I say that a lot don't I? But we finally cornered our neighbors at the end of last month to come over for dinner. (Their schedules remain more packed than ours!) It seems like months since we have had dinner with the Riley family, but we all managed to squeeze it in. The kids had such a great time and the adults got to catch up. Carter has grown up so much and will be 2 in a few weeks. Madison is a whole head taller than Hatcher and the two of them ran around like crazy with Aidan and Carter following behind. Good times...good dinner. Maybe again soon! These were my favorite pics - the kids LOVED eating fudgesicles - especially Carter.





A trip to Home Depot
on a recent trip to the Home Depot, one of the staff was nice enough to entertain the kids and give them their very own apron. The picture was too cute not to share.



A familiar name...Hatcher
Derek was lucky enough to get some great seats at a recent Braves game and jumped at the chance to have a "boy's night." The kids and I got a call while he was out that we should look at email for a picture he sent us. It was great - one of the players for the Cincinnati Reds is named "Hatcher."

First trip at "our beach" (at Berkeley Lake) with the water low

I miss the water at our lake. Many of you probably know the story of our lake - it is built around one of the state's largest earthen damns. The damn was damaged/weakened during the fall when we had days of flooding and rain. The lake was several feet over its fullest and although the damn held back, the pressure that was put on it during the rains took a toll on its structural soundness. It is need of repair, and until money is secured, the lake was merely lowered to a safe level - almost 15 ft down from normal pool. So, where water used to lap our feet at the beach...sand still stretches for many more yards until you reach the water's edge. And, because the sand only now reaches the water's edge, to get wet means you have to get in the sinking mud. It surely isn't as much fun as it usually is, but the boys and I made the best of it. I wish we had taken advantage of the beach more last summer...if we only knew that we would soon be without the wonderful beach. And now the repairs will likely push into the summer of 2013. What's worse - is that this fall the lake will be completely drained for the next 2 years...no water for us next summer - at least not in our "backyard." So for now, we will enjoy what we can. Pictures of us all alone at BL Beach on a HOT summer day. (We would usually be surrounded by people with chairs and coolers and folks grilling or playing volleyball. Hopefully again soon.)


The poles you see in the picture above and below behind Hatcher's head are the poles that used help rope off the "safe area" for swimmers at the beach. The water was almost 12ft deep at those poles.