It's hard to believe another summer is wrapping up, and the girls start back to school on Monday! Here's a little bit of the fun we've had since getting home from Alaska at the end of June.
We were so proud to see Brock graduate from basic training down at Fort Benning!
We went to the Braves game on July 4th. We were really glad no one sat near the Hendersons, and we were able to join them for part of the game and the fantastic fireworks display!
This girl makes me smile. Such a beautiful young lady, inside and out. We couldn't stop laughing as we played paper sumo wrestling together.
Lily snapped this picture of Mia while we were hanging out around The Battery one afternoon. Love her to pieces!
We had such a cool experience one afternoon. Our friend, Ryan Lane, has started his own line of bbq seasonings and rubs along with catering. Our aspiring chefs were thrilled to visit his commercial kitchen and see what all goes in to it! They helped Ryan make our slider lunch, and then they got to help make the banana pudding dessert he was making for a catering event. Not only was the food delicious, but it was cool to see how everything is done. Keep up the good work Ryan!
Lily read a book about a young Japanese girl who loves to make origami cranes. Lily decided to challenge herself to make 100 paper cranes before leaving for camp. She did it! She worked on several a day for quite awhile and we hung them up on her ceiling as she went. Here she is standing on her bed to show them off.
Our family was happy to serve together at church one Tuesday morning to make sack lunches. These lunches are delivered to kids who receive reduced-cost lunches during the school year; during the summer, their families may not be able to afford lunches for them. It was a great way to show the girls how we can impact our community. They were in charge of putting a drink and a fruit in. Another child put chips in then I finished them off with a small dessert. The sandwiches are packed separately to keep them cold until they are served. Ryan helped pack up and move all the bags. This was a wonderful opportunity for our family.
One afternoon we headed up to Suntrust Park for a behind-the-scenes tour. It was so cool! We went just about everywhere, from the very top to the very bottom, to everywhere in between. The only place we weren't allowed was the locker room because a player happened to be in there. We saw the press booth, dugout, infield, wall of champions, Below the Chop party area, and several of the exclusive club areas. This was such a fun experience!
The girls were so excited to return to Camp Crestridge this summer! We moved to the 4th session of the season since we were in Alaska earlier in the summer. Lily was beyond thrilled that her friend, Emory McKeeby, was able to join her this year. They were both in Chickasaw 7 cabin while Mia was in Chippewa 2. They couldn't wait for the fun to begin!
Ryan and I stayed in Asheville an extra day after dropping them off. We visited the Pinball Museum which was a ton of fun. You pay one cover charge and then have unlimited access to so many fun pinball games and arcade games. We stayed for several hours playing pinball, Pac-Man, Mrs. Pac-Man, Frogger, Hamburger Time and the like. It was a great blast from the past!
It was wonderful to get letters from the girls or see pictures of them online while they were at camp. Crestridge is such a special place!
Even though I knew they were having so much fun at camp, I couldn't wait to pick them up! Back together again!
Mom came with me to pick up the girls this year, and she thoroughly enjoyed being back. They brought the former Cherokee belles up to introduce themselves. Most of them were from recent years who are now counselors, and there were a few from the early 90's who have daughters there. When Mom gave her name and said "1961" there was a lot of applause as people recognized there are now 3 generations at camp!
The girls were gone for 2 weeks. The first week Ryan and I had lots of fun dates and time together, but the second week he was actually serving in Lebanon. It was so quiet around the house with just Decker and me there! On the way home, the only thing they asked to do was "please watch Descendants 2 and have pizza for dinner." How could I say no to that?!
A couple of days ago we had the back-to-school picnic which is always a fun place to catch up with friends and get excited about the new year. Lily was happy to see lots of friends, and I managed to snap her with Isaiah Grace, Reagan, and Danae. Mia had fun too, but I was never able to get her in a picture. She was having fun with her friends, and I was enjoying mine!
I managed to get them both when we got home though.
Ryan and I got tickets to go see Postmodern Jukebox and Straight No Chaser at Chastain. We bought a table and loved sharing it with Jeff and Elizabeth Smith and Travis and Jamie Hamrick. They both had incredibly wonderful shows and the weather was a little warm but nice, especially for beginning of August. This was a great night!
I think it's safe to say we've had a great summer!
