First Day of 7th and 2nd Grade!

 It is truly hard to believe that we are the parents of  7th and 2nd graders!  I can still remember as it was yesterday bravely walking both of them into kindergarten and then sobbing once I got into the car.  Well, there is no more sobbing....a little cheering these days.  But they were glad to be going back today and seeing all their friends and teachers!  I pray for a wonderful school year for both of them!

 Sweet little Claire ready for school!

 Sometimes sweet Jesse growing leaps and bounds!!

Packed full of stuff for the first day of seventh grade.....

Back From Paradise...

 Well, Lance and I just returned from 6 days in Paradise, AKA St. Maarten, where we celebrated our 40th Birthdays.  While we were very fortunate to go to Orange Beach in June with our entire family, this was a beach of an entirely different nature! The views and scenery were breathtaking everywhere we went.  The weather was in the 80's with an almost constant breeze....There were little mountains on both sides of our resort, which we did not hurt the views from our balcony!

 One of the outdoor eating areas in the resort.  Everything was just feet from the bright blue water.

 One of the outdoor bars.  On the other side of this bar was the pool, where people swam up for their beverages of choice!

 Lance decompressing......

 Another view from our balcony.

 A 10 minute walk on the beach took us to Phillipsburg, the Dutch capital of St. Maarten.  There were cute shops everywhere, and this little dock, where the local kids where having a blast jumping off.

 This church was just a few minutes from our resort on the beach.  Turns out, Christopher Colombus founded St. Maartens and named it after Saint Martin of Tours.....

 We had a blast riding these jet skis with no one in the water for miles, so Lance, knowing his need for speed, booked it up to 50mph.....

 One of the highlights of our trip was a little visit to Maho Bay, which is just another beach on the Dutch side of St. Martins.  The island is so small the runway starts on the beach, so people and photographers come from all over the world to watch the planes take off and land just feet from you.  In the US this would never happen, which made the trip even more enticing.  Also, the noise sooooo loud.  

 

The 727 (I believe) was only about 30 feet over our heads....hats and sunglasses were flying off everywhere! You can watch what we saw on theis link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlTNj6IWey4

 

 Great...this pic makes me look even shorter!

 OK, so normally I don't take pictures of strangers on their balconies, but all week another couple was there and the man could totally pass for Sammy Hagar. Lance insisted it was him, but being that Lance is no music expert, especially since he thought Sammy Hagar was the lead for AC/DC, I decided this was just a look alike, and a tad younger than the real Sammy for sure!

Our last photo before leaving the beautiful island and back to reality!!

July in the yard.....

 Well, for all of you out there who know me at all, I love doing in my yard...planting, watching for wildlife, feeding my hummingbirds, etc....thought I'd show that while my yard is a work in progress, I'm loving all my blooms right now!

 

My lilies, lantana, and petunias are just the colors I was hoping for this year!

 Funniest thing we have skinks everywhere!  Blue tails, other kinds (no idea of their name), but we love them.  Apparently they eat mosquitoes, so we love that....however, Claire is covered with them right now, so they need to eat more!!

 This year, Lance, Claire, and I planted a butterfly garden.....so far this is what's blooming!

 Sweet potato vines, impatiens, and petunias abound on the back yard deck....

This skink was caught in between the bricks near my vinca...I think we have about 4 just living in the vinca!

 

This afternoon Jesse and Claire spotted 3 baby blue tails skattered around the garage....this one is tiny!  Can't wait to see how big they will have grown by next summer!

So it finally happened.......

 Well, it finally happened.  I don't know how, but boom I woke up and now I'm 40.  WOW.  Well, I've decided to just make the most of it and enjoy the blessings I've been given.  Many of which are in the pictures I've posted today.  I was surrounded by my sweet husband and kids, mom and dad, brother, sweet mother and father in law, and my sister in law and niece. I even received a giant bouquet of flowers from my grandmother!  It was a lovely day.  The kids made me breakfast AND lunch.  Mind you they are 12 and 7, but for breakfast (2 hours later) Jesse and Claire had made delicious crepes with fresh strawberries.  They worked really hard on them and I was proud of their effort.  They "pampered" me all day with whatever I needed and foot massages galore!  Jesse even offered me a pedicure but I kindly turned that one down..... We all had dinner out and then went to mom and dad's for presents and cake!  A perfect day.

Since Lance and I both turned the big one this year, instead of presents we are doing a trip together in July to St. Martin's.  Can't wait!!!

 Father and son staying out of trouble I think!

 Jenny with her dad and brother

 I absolutely love this picture of the girls bringing me my cake....delicious!

Let's hope 40 is as fabulous as my 30's!!!

Annual Family Vacay 2013

 Well, as usual, we had an absolute blast on our annual vacation this year!  Per the last 6 years, we made our annual jaunt down to Montgomery, AL to see Claire's friend MG, who was adopted from China at the same time in our travel group!  The girls had a blast reconnecting, comparing sizes, and it was if they didn't miss a beat!  We are so grateful for the hospitality they offered us!

 

 The girls showing off their original pictures from China

 Claire playing nonstop on the beach!

 This year, we had the pleasure of Lance's sister Jenny and her daughter Gracie to join our huge family for most of the week!  I think they both had a ball!

 Little Lance in training.....

 Big Lance......

 Mom with our sweet little cousin Annabelle

 The kids after helping Lance with their creations!

 Uncle Tommy and Jesse are almost the same height!!!

 Lance and Uncle Tommy are NOT almost the same height!

We are truly blessed to be able to take our vacation with family every year and look forward to it all year long!  I admit, I was not great at taking pictures this year, as I was too busy enjoying myself!  We had the pleasure of Mr. & Mrs. Hollingsworth and cousin Keri for most of the week as well.  I think they had a great time also!  The weather was perfect, and cooler there than in Memphis!!!!

Lots going on this summer, so I promise to post again very soon!!  Love, Gretchen