Professional photos...sort of...

Okay, so I hate the time, cost and wait for professional photos. It was always a hassle with Sam, and since I'm not a hassle-kind-of-girl, I thought I would attempt it myself. After all, we have a great home and amazing neighborhood! Plus, Neil thinks I take great photos...and let's face it. A spouse's support is priceless.

Anyways, here are a few of the "pro photos" I took of my beautiful boys!

Pic-a-nic Fun

We had our annual family picnic with NorthStar. It always includes an old-fashioned baptism in the lake, where each year 50-100 men, women and children are baptized before a huge crowd. It's really moving.

Of course, Sam isn't ready to be "dunked", but that didn't stop him from having fun in the (nasty) lake water! And, yes. He was fully-dressed! Neither Neil or I remembered to put on his swim trunks.

Christmas in July!

I am a big supporter of Cobb Christmas, and they hosted "Christmas is July" on the Marietta Square in an effort to start off the toy collection early. There were crafts for the kids and a reading of "Elf on a Shelf", plus Santa was available for pictures!

Sam couldn't be bothered with any of that fun stuff, though. He played the whole time on The General replica...just like he always does.

Luckily, Luke was a trooper and gave me a great souvenir!

A real adventure

We went to American Adventures and Sam had lots of fun climbing, sliding, shooting and sucking up balls in the Foam Factory! Luke had lots of fun watching Sam. Can you tell?

Messy mouth...

Everybody knows that butternut squash is only good when you get it all over your face and hands. (Abby tried to help him out by licking off the leftovers!)

Luke loves his food.

Family fun night!

To close VBS week, the kids performed all the songs they learned for their families, including Wiki Wiki. Then, we were all treated to snow cones and popcorn, and the kids were able to jump in all the inflatables one last time. The weather was amazing for a mid-July evening, so everyone had a blast. (Well, everyone except Neil. He was rear-ended on the way home from Alabama, so he missed all the fun.)

Aloha VBS week!

Sam attended Vacation Bible School this week at Summit. He has had such a great time, which is especially wonderful considering Summit will be his school for pre-k starting August 18th! The theme this year was "Know, Speak, Live the Truth" (Psalm 86), which you can see on his t-shirt.

The kids had a daily Bible lesson, jumped in bouncies, played in sand, sang and made crafts. Today is the big finale known as "Water Day". Needless to say, he was raring to go this morning with his swim trunks and big smile!

You can also see all the crafts he made, including a Christmas in July ornament!

Catch me if I fall!!!!

We went rock climbing at Escalade Climbing Gym, which is only about 2 miles from our house. I never even knew it was there and it was so cool! Neil, Sam and I all climbed. Luke watched.

I have to say that going up isn't nearly as difficult as coming down! It was pretty scary, but I'm so glad we did it and I just might want to do it again...one day.

Big Ol' Boy!

Luke had his 4-month doctor's visit. As usual, we couldn't wait to see how "big" he is, and here are the results...

Weight: 17 lbs. 4 oz.

Height: 26.5 in.

Yes, he is only nursing and, yes, he gained 4 lbs. and grew 3 inches in 2 months. What can I say? I produce cream! (That's straight from his nurse.) Oh, and that smile above is after 5 vaccinations!!

The best pizza EVER!

We had a tour of Big Pie in the Sky yesterday. Everyone had the chance to pick toppings for a slice and see it baked in the big pizza oven. It was so delicious that I bought a large pizza to go!

The restaurant's motto is "Slices bigger than your head!" and it's true. They even have an Extra-Large pizza that is 30". (I don't think the box would fit in most refrigerators!)

It's my new favorite local eatery and it's only 2 miles from our home!!

Splish, splash...

We finally took Luke to the pool. The water has been too cold and the sun too bright, but last night was perfect! He seemed to enjoy it...especially watching the big kids.

Check out his cute little swim trunks!

Hot dogs, glow sticks and fireworks!

We had several families over to celebrate the 4th. Our neighborhood has an AMAZING fireworks display every year that we can see from the comfort of our driveway. Couple that with great food and you can't go wrong!

Luke even enjoyed the celebration. He stayed up to see the show and wasn't bothered by the loud explosions in the least.

Happy 4th!!

Acting like a monkey!

We went to Monkey Joe's and Sam had so much fun that he is currently taking a nap! It is such a neat place, but it was pretty crowded. Of course, even with all of the crazy, screaming kids running around, Luke managed to get 30 minutes of shut-eye. He is such a little trooper!