The ocean...finally..

We finally got to go to the coast. We have planned these few days for months.

It ended up not being as long as we first planned...

But who cares...

Three days at the beach is better than three days at home ;)

The minions had never seen the ocean..
save when Stormy was one we lived in Charleston for a few months.
But of course she doesn't remember.

The look on their faces was absolutely worth the drive and the short stay and
too much sun that we dealt with after..

When we came across the marsh on the bridge and topped the ridge
so you can see the ocean ...
The size of their eyes ... They were amazed.
It was awesome to see it.

They never wanted to do anything else the entire time.
Of course that was fine with me..
I love the ocean, the salt, the breeze, the sounds...
As a matter of fact..
the night we returned we booked a long weekend
in October ;)

This one...
98% of the photos of her...and I took over 700 the first day ;)
Were of her profile or the back of her head. haha
She looked for shells the entire time. Or was on her belly
in the surf.

This one loved building and playing in the sand..
Loved it.
I loved watching him too...
from my chair, underneath my umbrella with my cool drink next to me
 and my camera in my hand ;)

We have one more week until school begins...

*heavy sigh*

We still aren't ready...

Still in Summer vacay mode.

But alas..

Next week is open house 

then a few days of fun stuff planned

then it is back on that schedule.

Part of me is ready..

Part of me will go kicking and screaming ;)

Girl Minion

Where has the last school year gone?

I mean weren't we just having Christmas parties?

This one had a full year of fourth grade.

She laughed, loved and learned with her friends.
A lot.
Now, they will be gearing up for fifth grade.
The is the last year at our wonderful Elementary school for her.
Stoney will still have three more years :)

She finished the year with perfect attendance.
Last year she missed one day due to surgery, but
not for lack of begging the Dr. could she please wait
until Summer? :)

She also finished the year with all A's and two B's.
Wow.
Her teacher's were nothing short of amazing.
You know the kind you wish you could take with you
until she graduates?
Seriously.

She has started swim team this summer.
Two-a-days even.
A week ago she could only do free style and could not dive (correctly).

Almost two weeks later...
She can swim the back stroke, the breast stroke
and the butterfly...
The butterfly?
Not an easy thing. She does it with ease.
She amazes me once again.
Oh, and she can dive correctly like she has
been doing it forever.

Her first swim meet is next week.
She is nervous
I'm nervous for her.
Most, if not all these kids have been doing this for a few years.
I just want her to have fun.
Tough thing for a competitive ten year old.
I mean competitive in every sense of the word.
We shall see...

I hope your summer is off to a great start.
My countdown is on for the beach ;)

xoxo
Rox

I hope everyone has a a hair raising weekend! LOL

Happy Fourth of July!

Be safe and stay cool.

Hanging at the park a few weeks ago. 

Stormy came down the slide and was full of electricity. :)

Enjoy yourselves and your three day weekend!

Ciao,

Roxanne

Family

SO... For the ... I don't know maybe since the 50's or 40's maybe longer..

we have had a reunion on my Mom's side. 

My grandmother had 11 brothers and sisters...

So we have a lot of cousins.

They are spread far and wide.

But each year.... usually on the second Sunday in June...

We try to get to together.

It used to be much easier... we all sort of lived in the same area of Alabama.

So we would have large turnouts.

Now it has dwindled but we refuse to let it die.

This year it was held in Gadsden, AL at

Noccalula Falls .

It was hot, but up on the mountain there was a pretty steady breeze.

The Falls were a bit sad.. Drought conditions have left the Falls to a trickle.

We had folks come that had not been in several years ...

It was so good to see them.

Looking forward to next year already and

hopeful to see some of the cousins before then :)

Hope you guys have something fun planned for this weekend.

We are staying low since next weekend is a Holiday weekend.

For you photographers...

These were taken all in Manual or Aperture mode.

It was high noon.. hottest part of the day with the worst lighting.

So most are washed out from the sun :/

Ciao,

Roxanne

Roller Derby Princess

Two weeks out so far and it feels like more... just saying. ;)

I am behind on blogging. We have been at the pool or out being busy everyday.

And ... you know.. It has been like 187 degrees.. I mean seriously..

There was no easing into Summer this year for sure.

Stormy was invited to a skating birthday party a few weeks back. 

Stoney decided he would rather eat pizza and playing on the climbing apparatuses.. ;)

For her first time in an actual skating rink... I was impressed.

I mean she taught herself...

At home...

on carpet...

And very little hard wood or vinyl...

In Dora skates no less that she got for her birthday back in '08 I think...

I mean... she is doing something I never learned how to do...

I am so proud of her. She never hesitated. Never said she was
 scared or had any fear at all.

She rocked it! And was even moving her head and hands to the beat
when a little Bieber hit the air waves ;)

Hope everyone is keeping cool and hydrated...
August is here with all it's fury.
No wait... we've only been out of school two weeks.
It just feels like August.
Blech...

Ciao!
Rox

A Longing...

 OK.. It has been a HOT mess here.. and by hot.. I do NOT mean it has been

shorts and flip-flop weather :)



Last Sunday night started the Southern version of the Ice Age.

We got this gorgeous, lovely, fluffy snow falling and swirling in the form of these beautiful,

large, white snow flakes.. It was really beautiful! It was... We were told maybe 2 inches.. Great. That is just enough to play and it will be gone in a day or two...



We got up Monday morning and it was about five inches... It was beautiful and quiet.

The kids played and threw snowballs.. I even got a few solid pics

out there before my hands froze in place.





Then.... Then it started to happen... The sleet.. the frozen rain. It put a nice shell over all the snow.
Think... Dairy Queen.. a vanilla cone dipped in the chocolate that gets hard as it dries.
That is what it turned into... And not near as enjoyable as that
cone would be.. let me tell you.

So It went from over 5 inches of fluffy snow to... a few inches of ice.

It basically shut the ATL..

D - O - W - N.

Believe me.. No school for a week!! A week mind you.. Unheard of around these parts.

No trash pickup. No school. Nothing is open. Interstates and all roads..

Shut down.

Huge trucks and passenger cars stranded on the side of the road for days.

No deliveries to the grocery stores. If you could even get there.. there

was nothing on the shelves.

It was a HOT mess.



And to top it all off... The temp didn't go above freezing until Thursday... So for over four days
we were iced in.
Good. Times.



Can you say... Cabin Fever? Can you say.. Mom, I'm hungry.. (again)
It's all fun and games until you have done everything you can possibly think to do.
And you have eaten everything in the house... (with no way of getting more)
;)
What I would have given to have had access to that trampoline up there.



SOooo... I'm sure you're asking yourself..
Why is she posting THESE pictures while she writes about an ice storm.
Well, since you asked, I will tell you.
1- I haven't uploaded my pictures from the snow yet.
2- As I was cleaning off my hard drive of 2010 pics I found these.
3- They reminded me of how warm and breezy that late Spring evening was in our friends
backyard.
4- How I LONG for it to be that weather again!

So.. For the Record... I am done with Ice. I am done with Snow.

I love living in the South.

I have a whole new respect for you guys up North.

I do.

I don't know how you do it.

Bless you and all that snow and those freezing temps you have every year.

My Hat is off....

p.s. I will get those pics uploaded soon. I mean the kids and I have only been together

now for 10 days.. We still have two more to go. Ha!

Monday is a Holiday!

 What Luck.... not  ;)

I am either going to have start praying harder...

or start drinking.

Seriously.