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Jack is swimming like a little fish now, thank goodness. Niether one of the kids wanted to swim at an early age, and I never forced it for several reasons. #1: I have so many others battles to pick, why pick that one when I am always at the pool with them? #2: Swim lessons are very expenssive, and neither kid would let me teach them, so their punishment for being stubborn is the embarrassment of having to wear floaties. I know, I know, all parents should get their children swim lessons by age 2 for safety reasons. But I always knew they would learn when they were ready, and until then.....they could stay in the shallow end or wear floaties in the deep end. Period. Regardless, it looks bad on Eric and I when our Kindergartener can't swim in the deep end....so I got a little pushy this summer. He's finally swimming, and he is so proud of himself he can't stand it. And I get to sit on the side of the pool while he yells my name (over and over) and shows me all of his new tricks. He looks pretty cute in those goggles too.

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I grew sunflowers!!! Alert the media! I actually grew something!! Maybe someday I can have that vegetable garden I always dreamed of.

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Simba passed away yesterday. Eric and I figured we would have Brian, Allison, and little Hayes over to get their mind off of the heartache for a minute. We had a really good time with them, and they were able to relax a little. They are both hurting bad. Losing a dog after so many years is painful. My heart aches for them right now. I LOVE this picture. I laughed out loud when I saw it in my camera. Kaitlin played a little guitar for everyone and Hayes was soooo into it. She had gotten tired of it after a while, so Brian took over....and he has zero guitar skills. I love how Eric is dancing and trying to make Hayes laugh. They look like a bad mariachi band, but Hayes was lovin' every minute of it. And Allison was loving every minute of the break Kaitlin gave her by watching Hayes. She is a stay at home mom to a child who doesn't nap. Kaitlin you saved the day by giving her a little break. She's a fantastic babysitter. She better get used to it, she will have to babysit her bootie off if she ever wants a car!

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I got to take Jessica and Chad's engagement pictures today. Chad lives on a massive farm in Northeast Georgia where he and his family raise cattle and grow corn. It is absolutely gorgeous up there, and I was in hog heaven with all that landscape! Jessica and Chad were so easy to photograph. The pictures turned out precious. I can't wait to finish editing so I can show them how cute they are together. They had so many great ideas for photos that I didn't have to think. All I had to do was get the shot, so it felt like a lot more joy than work. Plus, I got to see Jessica and hang out with her future husband, who happens to be the nicest man on earth. Plus- It was a long drive up there, so I got to blast my old school music and enjoy a beautiful country ride, all by my lonesome. Congratulations Jessica and Chad!

Support Adoption

Click HERE to buy a t-shirt and support a friend of a friend's adoption of a baby girl from Ethiopia. :)

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colby + jack = colbyjack

They even have their own cheese!

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We ate at one of our favorite local restaurants tonight. It's right on the lake, so the kids get really excited about feeding the ducks at the dock. Eric and I love this restaurant because it faces the sun, so you can watch the sunset and relax to the sound of lake life. Except when your kids are fighting so bad that when the waitress asks for your order, you order tickets to the Dr. Phil show, because you're not sure who else can help your heathens. And when your child is whining so loudly that everyone in the restaurant is staring at you..... wishing you would eat and leave.

But the little ducks were so cute that I almost forgot how miserable of a time we had listening to Jack whine and Kaitlin tell him how annoying he is (over and over and over). Eric and I have gotten to a point where we are on the same team though. Issues with the kids use to cause issues between us. If the kids were unhappy, we were unhappy. But that wasn't working for us, so we've decided to join forces. We will not be conquered!

(Jack was lovin' those baby ducks!)

All kidding aside, I recently blogged about what a great time in our lives this was. Our kids were at perfect ages (no toddlers, no teenagers) and we were really enjoying them. And then we blinked. And those days were over. We now have a pre-teen on our hands, and I'm google-ing Parenting seminars in the area, and praying 24-7 for strength, kind words, and patience.

Our whine-fest ended on a good note, despite the mealtime therepy session with our lovely children. I got some sweet pictures of the kids feeding the ducks, we ate a yummy meal at sunset on the water, and we had a few laughs as a family. But, next time, Eric and I are going alone! (sprry kids, we love you, but your fighting is driving us crazy!)

This picture makes me laugh. I was laughing as I took it, actually. Ducks are ruthless, relentless, rude little creatures. They will hunt you down and demand food like nobody's business. They followed Kaitlin all the way into the parking lot. She was scared, but she was laughing.

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Kaitlin missed Aspen's birthday party last week, so we took her out for her birthday today. We ate lunch and got our toes done, and then went shopping so Aspen could spend her birthday money. I was glad to get of of the house after 2 1/2 days of marathon cleaning. The only problem is that now the house is so clean that I am obsessed with keeping it that way. It's great to have a clean house, but it magnifies how messy my children are. I can tell I am getting on their nerves about being neat, but they will have to get over it. I worked so hard and I want to atleast enjoy the cleanliness for a few days. I do get over the inital shock of a clean house after w while, but man it feels so good to walk around and not see junk everywhere I turn!

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And the ransacking continues.

I just realized that I only took one picture today, and it was this one. I originally intended to email this to Eric to show him that I moved his "office" upstairs, but now I see that its the only pic I took all day so its going on the blog......as boring as it is. Today I continued cleaning like the over-tanned granny on There's Something about Mary. I feel like a new woman already. But now that I'm looking at this picture, I gotta do something about those cords under the desk.

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I woke up this morning and decided I have had enough with my house. I really want to sell it, but I know it won't sell in this condition. So I started ransacking it one drawer at a time. Actually we started with Jack's toys. Carsyn comes over and dumps all of his organized bins out and mixes everything together, and then Jack freaks out because he can't find his "guys". So we organized everything, and Jack was really into it. We also decided to clear out his playroom and give his toys to charity. He never plays in it, and Eric needs a real home office- not a mini one in the living room- so we did that too. I did not stop all day. It feels really, really good to get organized. I have so much to sell and give away. I am pumped about how good it is going to feel when it is all said and done. :)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life! Starting with my Heavenly father, and moving on to my four fathers: My Dad (doo-dah), Cliff, Nick, and Paul. I love you all so much.

I recently came across this blog (thank you Eric), and was brought to tears by it. I am keeping it saved here because I want to always be able to find it, years from now, and be inspired by it.

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

I found some beautiful photos of fathers on flickr today. These were some of the ones that made me smile. You can never discount the role of a father, or grandfather for that matter. I still mourn over my lost locket that my dad gave me when I graduated college. It meant so much to me. I was more upset over the loss of that locket than I was over the loss of my wedding ring! (clearly, I lose things) The love and approval of a father is so unbelievably important for our well being as humans. I still remember my PawPaw and the way he made me light up on the inside. As a child, in my eyes,.....he was on the right hand of God. He could do no wrong. His eyes stared so deep into my soul, and he hung on to every word I spoke. He made me feel like I was the only little girl in the whole world. Oh how important the men in our lives are!! Today I thank God for never leaving me, always forgiving me, and for bringing me such influential fathers. My fathers have all taught me so much about life, loyalty, humility, hard work, generosity, acceptance..........and forgiveness. One must never be without forgiveness. Forgiveness is the heartbeat of the soul.

This photo made me cry. There is so much love in this man's eyes for this boy.

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Happy Father's Day handsome!  We love you to the moon and back! (that's for Mama and Scott)

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Eric and I went to a wedding reception at the Biltmore Hotel tonight. We had a blast with Eric's boss and his wife. We got to stay in Atlanta for the night with them at the Chateau De Stephens, as I like to call it, it's my fancy name for their beautiful home. They really know how to take care of their guests. Allison is my age, but has the hospitality of an older English princess. She left 2 water bottles on a silver platter in our beautiful suite (aka: the guest bedroom) and the fluffiest, whitest towels on earth ~folded to perfection~ on the bathroom counter. To make the weekend even more perfect, she cooked breakfast for us this morning as a Father's Day treat. It was soooooo nice to wake up to a fresh pot of coffee, breakfast, and the cutest little one year old boy on earth. And no, she does not read this blog, so there is no brown nosing involved. I am just being honest. We LOVE to stay at their place. It feels like a bed and breakfast. It was also great for Eric and I to have a date night. It's such a short time away, but such a huge part of a happy marriage. :)

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I could not let this project go by without posting a picture of Eric cooking, and me sitting at the kitchen island keeping him company. This is definitely a norm around here. He cooks. I clean. We are all happy. I usually do some of the sides, but many times I get to just sit and chat with him and watch the Master at work. He is very particular about his food. He really enjoys cooking, and puts a lot of love into his meals. But his favorite part is watching us eat. He sits and waits for us to take the first bite, and he loves to hear us ooooh and ahhhhhh over his art. He gives me bites of food off his plate, even though we are eating the same meal. He thinks his bites are better for some reason. And oddly enough, they are sometimes. My sister and I love to watch him together. It's better than TV. He could have his own show. All of his eccentricities come out in the kitchen. Thank you Eric for all the delicious meals you cook for our family. Your mom taught you well!

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Funny Story.

Kaitlin has a bad habit of leaving her leftovers in the fridge unlabeled, and I have a bad habit of eating them. The last time I ate her leftovers, she freaked on me....and I mean FrEaKeD, and I promised I would NEVER do it again. Oops, never say never. 

SO- Tuesday she brought home some leftover strawberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. She amd Mama ate there today, and were nice enough to bring home what was left of Kaitlin's cheesecake.....PLUS an extra piece for Jack. As I was unpacking the little styrofoam boxes from the bag of leftovers (leftovers are one of my weaknesses) I was delighted to see that one of the boxes contained a piece of cheesecake that still had a few bites left. I was in the middle of a conversation with Eric (and we all know I can't do 2 things at one time) and didn't give two thoughts to opening that box and taking a few bites of the deliciousness. I left a little bit in the box, put it in the fridge, and went on with my day. A couple of hours later, I heard a very loud scream that sounded like Kaitlin shouting  Moooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What followed this scream was something I won't record, but let's just say there were tears, and words, and she was Stark Raving M.A.D.

After her raging fit was over, she stormed to her room with eyes full of tears, and I could.not.believe what I had just done. I had promised her I would never touch her leftovers again. ever. And I did it without a thought. And BOY did I not realize whather reaction would be! I felt terrible. And a little scared. So I drove to Longhorn. We were about to sit down for dinner, but I couldn't eat. Keep in mind I have done this to her countless times, and she had finally had it. I know that the cheesecake at Longhorn's is not the same as Cheescake Factory cheescake, but it was the closest thing in the area. So Kaitlin was happy by the end of the night, I learned a very valuable lesson about eating her leftover's, and she learned one too (see photo above~ Eric and I laughed out loud when we opened the fridge and saw this today). Thank you Debi for calling me at the perfect time! God knew I needed someone to talk to on the way to Longhorn. :)

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This photo could be labeled "mommy's weak moment in the line at blockbuster."

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Ths kids love to take the expired ingredients out of the fridge and make mush with it. Carsyn got to get in on the fun this time and Kaitlin loves to be the one in charge of finding and measuring the ingredients. Todays mush smelled horrible, but they had fun.....so I didn't mind.

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I loved watching the boys play today. Jack is so happy when he has a bunch a boys to play with. I love this picture because of the sheer joy on Jack's face. You can tell Layton was having fun making them laugh.

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I'm pretty sure that this type of activity only happens in the south. And I'm pretty sure that I should have told them they can't eat the melon like this....on the couch....without a bowl....but at the moment, it just seemed like a lot more fun to let them do it. I say no so many times a day, and sometimes, I just feel like saying yes. And despite my ill feelings towards this giant, broken ship of a couch....there is one benefit to having it. If you spill something on it, you just wipe it up. Except for purple nail polish, but that's a story for a different day.

proof

I came home from running errands the other day, and saw Jack sitting like this in my favorite chair.....watching Spongebob. If this is not proof that our couch is uncomfortable, I don't know what is. (see post below)

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This is Jack....doing something he does daily....with a very cute look on his face....despite the fact that I tell him over and over not to. And this is our couch....well, pieces of our couch. I despise this couch. While I am very thankful that I have a couch, I would really like a different one. And did I mention that Jack likes to take apart the couch and hide in between the sections? When Eric and I bought this couch, we were not told that it comes apart on its own....when you sit on it, or I would have not paid 2 cents for it.....much less thousands of dollard for it. I knew it was a sectional, but was ot aware it didn't stay hooked together for longer than an hour. But Eric had to have it, and he still loves it....despite the fact that it comes apart (broken into 3 sections) daily. And did I mention that you can't lay on it? I know this seems strange, but the person who designed this lovely ship thought it should have cup seats.....like an airplane. So you can SIT on it, but if you lay on it....or your body feels like its riding a wave in the ocean. Not what I envisioned for a piece of furniture my family would spend thousands of hours on. The bright side? We have a couch. Many people don't. That is a blessing. But someday....when I accidentally put it in my front yard with a for sale sign (one dollar), I will buy myself a new one that is comfotable and soft and in one piece. :)

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One of our favorites summer activities is night swimming. We love it because there aren't many people at the pool this time of night, we don't have to put on sun screen, and Eric and I can sit and talk by the pool while without getting too hot. This picture turned out so pretty. That is Kaitlin and Jack and Kaitlin's friend Megan under the mushroom/waterfall. Looking at this picture makes me happy.

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It's not everyday that you walk outside your house and see your next door neighbor watering his flowers with a giant snake around his neck.

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Kaitlin has been playing hairdresser a lot lately. She decided to cut the hair off of everything in our house that wouldn't tell her not to....which thankfully only included her dolls and this wig. Her American girl dolls now have very stylish layered bobs. I am actually very impressed at her hair cuting skills. I thought for sure when she told me she was going to cut their hair that she wouldn't be very good at it, but I was wrong. She actually did a good job. And the cutest part of her little adventure with scissors was when she came bouncing down the stairs looking like a blonde Betty Boop with a huge, and very proud smile on her face. Who knows....she may very well end up being a hair stylist some day!

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We hung at the park with Angie and the kids today. We took tons of pictures, but this one was my favorite because everyone was in it! I love summer. Sigh.

Bye Bye Hip Hop!

Kaitlin had her dance recital last night and she did awesome! We've decided to go in a different direction this year with dance. She'll start Jazz in August, and seems to really want to join the dance company in a few years....which means ballet and lyrical dancing are just around the corner. We'll see. Hip Hop dancing is fun to watch, but some of the music is not okay with me. Her teacher did a good job of keeping the music and the dancing clean, but I'm afraid that if we keep her in it....that may not always be the case. And if there is any kind of music that makes my skin crawl....its rap. She did look pretty cute in those marshmellow pants though......and the girl can DaNcE!

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Why not allow the kids to play in shaving cream......because really......what's the harm? They had fun, and I got a great picture out of it. And I got to get ready for Kaitlin's recital while listening to the sound of hysterical laughter instead of whining.

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Poor guy.....I guess this is the result of not having a brother.

i heart faces photowalk

Angie and I had a fabulous morning, strolling a beautiful cemetary (wierd, I know) with our Nikons for the I heart Faces Atlanta photo walk. We talked, and talked, and snapped, and snapped, and talked some more. We were both wiered out by the lack of people (or living people) to photograph and felt a little out of place for the most  part, however, I think we both needed to step out of our comfortable surroundings and do something different. Conclusion? I like to photograph people. And flowers. But this type of photography aint my thang. Maybe someday. The bright side? I got to hang with Angie (kid free) and talk photshop, lenses, and cameras, and a little bit of life. Thank you so much mom for babysitting the kids! I enjoyed the "me time".

Here are a few images from my day in the sun. This cemetary is really beautiful. I think all cemetaries should be this beautifully designed, and kept.

Hey look- your getting your money shot Angie!

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Love me some Cam Bam!

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fun times at the pool

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fun times at the bounce house