Memorial Day Weekend!

So much fun for our family to spend several days swimming and playing with family and friends. We missed Claire Bear throughout the weekend, as she is spending the week with her best friends in Orlando. She calls us at night to re-cap the day and always seems to be on such a "happy high"....I am thrilled for her to have the opportunity.


Here are some pics from the weekend. 

First day of "summer break" going swimming...OF COURSE!

Picnics at the pool are the best!

Snuggle time...Ellie and Sam!

Patio playtime after naps. This is one of my favorite past times at our new house. Our patio is consumed with shade and there is a fan, so it doesn't get terribly hot. I love lounging out there watching them play. Ellie making ABC Daddy book, John David playing doll house (haha) and Jenna doing leaf rubbings. James was role playing Willie Wonka with his "magic wand" (aka sword)..

Afternoon swim in our neighborhood, our first annual Cove pool party...Yes, my kids swam twice in one day....and STILL whined about getting out once it was DARK!

Pizza dinner at the Cove Pool Party. 

Love this picture taking spot. Will have to do this each year at the annual Cove Pool Party!

Tough Mudder Run....BEFORE THE MUD!

AFTER running through mud, up and down mountainous terrain, through bamboo forest, climbing over haystacks, etc.....an obstacle course through MUD is just a fun, loving activity for couples to complete together....and yes, I beat him to the finish...hahah! I love him! 

My BFF running as well. She did AWESOME!

AND OF COURSE......swimming after the MUD run....

Uncle Phillip and Ellie

Poor Jenna Kat, smashed her finger in the pool gate...needed some rest time to recover! 50%pain, 50%drama!

POPSICLES!

LOVE THIS CRAZY GIRL!

Baking cupcakes at 10pm is just mandatory on the  first weekend of summer!

YEP, you guessed it....next day we took the kids to  another, SWIM PARTY!

These girls have been friends since birth. This is sweet Emma. Her mom is Delina Stearns, the  precious young mom I asked you guys to pray for when she was diagnosed with colon cancer last year....Ellie and Emma started daycare together when they were 2 years old. We have been close friends with their family for years. And we are SO thankful Delina is doing great. All clear scans and is healing wonderfully. PRAISE GOD!

Best friends for a looong time now. Started back in high school....Thankful to have them to "do life with"....Memorial Day tradition is swimming together at Christopher's parent house....for 7 years now!

Love her blue eyes...she is such my  passionate, determined, dramatic, sweet princess!

#cooldudes

Saying Good Bye to OM....S-U-M-M-E-R is here!

Well, another school year has come and gone....only difference this summer, is officially saying good bye to our Oak Mt. schools and the friends we have journeyed through life with the past 9 years. There is definitely some sadness in seeing this chapter of my life come to an end, but there is an abundance of joy and happiness in what God has planned for our future. I have a complete peace and heart "full" of joy as we have made our move. Life is about sharing Christ with others and leading others to salvation in Him, so moving forward into new schools, neighborhood,and community gives us more friends and folks to to hopefully do just that!

5th Grade Recognition Reception--So proud of her many academic and athletic accomplishments, but even prouder of the selfless love and sincere compassion she lives her life with!

Last Day at OMES...Krispy Kreme was just a perfect way to say good bye to Mrs. Dye and Mrs. Grant- two amazing teachers that have contributed to the excellence of Ellie Pate:-)

Oh how I will miss these girls. Claire and her best friends Leah and Mallory. We would  gather in my classroom each morning before school began to talk and pray. They helped me with First Priority on Thursday mornings. I am so grateful for their influence in my daughter's life. Servant's heart, selflessness, charismatic, and all around joyful personalities...

Our last time to hang out at my desk. She has  been  a beautiful part of my "classroom" mornings since she was 4 years old....the memories of the  mornings and evenings with her in my classroom are beyond precious to me.  I will always remember....

S-U-M-M-E-R.....First pic of our summer! 

Jenna and James and John David - last pic in Mrs. Joan's front yard! 

Joan Brock with Jenna and Cannon. These two kiddos have been in  home school together since 4 months old. Jenna doesn't know what school days are with out Cannon Russel! She will miss him so much. Joan Brock has made a huge difference in the lives of my three lil ones. She has loved them, nurtured them and taught them well. Yet again, another added blessing and "gift" God has given our family through Joan Brock and her home school. 

Surprise...you are going to Orlando with your best friends!!! We secretly planned  to send  Claire with her two best friends to Orlando. They had no clue until we met up with her friends to "go eat lunch" and told them they could grab some lunch on the way to ....ORLANDO! Had there bags packed and ready to go---it was an awesome moment for them. 

Galleria with Ellie...her absolute favorite  past time with just Mommy! Precious memories with her over the years doing this. 

DIVA!

Easter, Jenna 5th Bday, Becky & Rosey Visit, Boston, Ellie 7th Bday! ALL IN ONE MONTH!!

Part of me wants to 'give up the blog' because I truly don't have the time to invest in it anymore, but part of me knows that this is the only record I have of keeping up to date with what is going on in our crazy family! Here are pictures from Easter, Jenna's birthday, Becky and Rosey's visit, Boston Marathon, AND Ellie's birthday!!!!. Beautiful memories...hundreds of pics to remember all the moments. Pure joy. A depth of thankfulness that is hard to put into words. As I continue to keep record of the beautiful moments we have as a family, I will always be reminded of the grace that we are covered in daily by our Savior.

EASTER

Easter Morning...

First Easter picture at our new house...love how natural Claire looks holding onto everyone!

Same spot we took Easter pic last year after church...

Egg hunt at our new neighbor's house...IN THE DARK! hahah

JENNA'S 5TH BIRTHDAY

Jenna Kat is 5 years old...officially:-)

Ellie making mango-berry smoothies for Jenna's tea party!

FIVE

Claire's precious friend Leah!

Sweet friends having SMOOTHIES!

Jenna and Hannah Grace (I cheered with her mom, Jane, 15 years ago)

Papa and Mamaw....grocery cart and baby doll....Happy GIRL!

Nana...keeping Jenna 'IN STYLE'....

 BECKY AND ROSEY VISIT

Yay! Becky and Rosey finally made it....all so happy to see them...look at  those smiles!

GREAT HUG! FEELS so wonderful!

Whooooohoooo.....
Becky and Rosey spent ALL day making sure these girls have their trampoline back at our new house!

Tradition....Jenna goes to build -a-bear with Becky and Rosey

A love that is 'indescribable'....

PRECIOUS!!!

Morning after they left...JD said, "Where is Becky and Rosey?" I told him they had to leave and he said, "DON'T tell me that@!@!@...I hide from you..UGH"

Jenna woke up to find Becky and Rosey had left.....picture worth a thousand words....Enough said!

BOSTON MARATHON 116TH

My 2nd Boston runner's shirt!

THE  BEST meal we had in Boston was at John Harvard's at Harvard Square. It was delicious!

Harvard Sq.

Going for a run together around the Charles River

Praising my Lord!

Acting like an idiot!

I love this guy. He is incredible to me!

Church near Boylston St.

Glad I know which race in life is truly most important!

Riding the bus to the start line!

FINISHED! 3:58....felt wonderful, no pain...just dehydrated!

AHHHHHH! SO thankful...thankful beyond words

LOVE

Penny from Heaven....Finding a penny by itself is a quiet  reminder and symbol that someone in Heaven is thinking  about you. My mom shared a story with me many years ago about "pennies from Heaven" and it is amazing where and WHEN we find them. It always seems to be during important, profound moments .....As soon as I stepped on the Subway train there was a single penny on the floor....gave me chills!

ON the train headed back to airport...20 min. after I crossed the finish line!!!

Add caption

We made it to the airport. Flight was leaving 1 hour after the time I completed the race. I even took a lovely bath in the airport sink!!!! But look at that medal hanging around my neck...WORTH IT!




 ELLIE'S BIRTHDAY

My beautiful girls....all dressed up for a party. Even Jenna has on her "princess cape"...hahah!

 

This picture is funny because the spray butter is right in the very center....

Officially THE BIRTHDAY morning! April 21, 2012! 7 years old..."FINALLY"

Birthday breakfast....4am....before Becky and Rosey left to fly back to Utah!

Ellie's first Spend the Night Birthday Party....

She asked for a "Kitchen" party. Those of you who know her well, know that she truly has a love for cooking (AND EATING) and also serving good foods to others. She asked for her four best friends to spend the night and "cook" yummy foods with her. She planned the menu herself. 

*Homemade Parmesan pizza 

*Smoked ham and cheddar croissant rolls

*Fresh strawberry and vanilla soy smoothies

*Brownie sundaes with cool whip and candy bar crumbles

*Dessert Cookie pizza with chocolate stuff Oreo crumbles iced in cool mint cream cheese with chocolate syrup drizzle.....

She is definitely ....ONE of a kind..kinda girl:-)

Chocolate stuffed Oreo with cool mint cream cheese icing,crushed on top of a sugar cookie....
yes, she created the recipe all by herself!

Show time....singing and dancing and "acting".....these girls were purely entertaining! 

Gourmet breakfast, planned and prepared by ELLIE PATE!

Making strawberry smoothies with Vanilla Soy, fresh strawberries and  Cool Whip!

So, as I reflect over this  month and all the "memories" we have created in our family....it is undoubtedly not an option to quit my blog. This blog began on account of our boys and the story we felt needed to be told to give other families who were dealing with high risk pregnancy or premature birth, inspiration and hope, however, it gradually evolved into a record keeping of what is going on in our family throughout the year. I would love to spend more time journaling on my blog, but the season I currently live in doesn't allow daily blog journaling...hahah....I will do my best to keep updated on here and just be thankful, VERY thankful for all the moments and memories I have to blog about!