Kimeth Cometh

I've had this sweet friend for 20 years now. She has been one of my most faithful friends, always making a trip to come see me when we are home.

In fact, when she was in my wedding (as one of the 9 bridesmaids... I'm a Southerner...we have big weddings), I assigned to each bridesmaid one fruit of the Spirit that they had especially represented to me. Hers was faithfulness. And it still is.

She has a big heart and is now a foster mother, sharing her love and the love of the Lord with the kids she mothers.

Thanks for coming to see us!

Getting Papa On His Plane

I declare, somehow that boy knew his Papa was leavin' him. He followed him around every moment of packing and loading the car.

Papa told him to be the man of the house for the next couple of weeks. He said, "Act your shoe size (8), not your age."

Miss Middler became a bit dramatic at the airport.

And so, we began our two weeks apart...enjoying some quiet final days in the country, but missing Papa.

Goodbye, Memphis!

I took these on our last Sunday before heading out of Memphis.

Goodbye, sweet cousin! Let's just hold hands and pose for one more picture!

And this one turned out so beautifully of all three of them, I had to post it.

We love you and will miss you! See you in 2011!

Illegal Aliens

We were graciously given homes to stay in during our Memphis weeks. The very last week we were there, we had just one night that we needed to return a home to a sweet family helping us. So, rather than settle into a new home with all our little olive plants, we opted for one night in a hotel. If any of you have more than two kids, you know the problem already. Hotels only let two kids stay in a room with two adults. The alternative? Let some of my young-uns stay in a room alone? No way. So, what does a normal, sane set of parents do? Sneak them in the back door. Now, I am not publishing which hotel this was because what if they google it and read this post? We might be considered illegal aliens in their hotel. But then the problem came, what to do with the little aliens? There were all kinds of shrieks of laughter when the clerk knocked on the door with extra blankets and pillows...giggles when we crammed them (the aliens, not the pillows) into the closet until the clerk left. In the end, CC and I slept on the pullout bed. We started with three kids in the big bed. Then after much rolling and giggling, decided to put one of the three on the floor. Then we put Perma-Baby...ooops, I mean Sweet Cheeks, on the floor by the kitchenette. But what to do with the boy? They had no crib. So, we put him in the hallway leading to the bathroom, then set up an ironing board with a sheet over it, so he couldn't see anyone. That worked GREAT. Suddenly everyone had to go to the bathroom (I suspect just to see their chubby brother). Then he'd call out someone's name and they just couldn't resist peeking over the ironing board to see him. We were strict. We were very strict. No talking. Roll over to face AWAY from your sister. No laughing at Big Ben. But you know what? The next morning when we had made it through the night, I saw them all piled up on this one bed, and I had to take a picture. I told them, "This is what family memories are made of." And if any of you hotel owners recognize your curtains or bedspreads, this was somewhere down in Mexico.

S'more Fun

Our last night in Memphis, we met up with the cousins for a sort-of final get together. (Why is it a sort-of final get together? Because I stay in a bit of denial that all this good stuff will come to an end very soon.) The kids got to feed bread to the geese, which had certainly become accustomed to folks that feed the bread. They followed Twinkle Toes all the way back to our table.

My sweet sis-in-law brought the stuff to make s'mores. We can't get the stuff to make s'mores in Turkey, it was a special treat. (Did you know marshmallows are not commonly sold in Turkey because the gelatin that makes them poofy is made from a pig's snout, and obviously Middle Easterners don't do pork. You don't believe me. I'm serious. Look it up. Just don't boycott marshmallows, it's not their fault I educated you.)

We are going to miss you, Memphis cousins! Looking forward to s'more fun next summer!

Memphis Cousins!

We are so blessed that in both the cities we visit in the summer, we have great cousins. I recently mentioned to someone how very blessed I am by the fact that not only do we have same-age cousins on both sides, both sets are being raised in godly homes.

This cute cousin has to be shared. She is smack-dab in between Firstborn and Twinkle Toes. She does a pretty good job of being an amazing cousin to them both.

And these two...what can I say? Could they be any cuter?!

This is a perfect match, too. Miss Middler, our third daughter, is a tomboy. She makes a fabulous playmate for boys. Bugs? No problem. Wii car racing games? No problem. She's all over it. I don't think I heard one complaint, one tattle-telling, one gripe all summer. These two played non-stop when they were together.

The only problem is they have three, we have five. So we have to share a little. How is it that this little guy just KNOWS a boy when he sees one? The last day we were there, Big Ben refused to hug any girl goodbye, only his boy cuz.

How's your weather?

If you're anywhere near the South this summer, I am sure you'd love to leave a comment on this topic! Whew, it's been hot! Here's how we've cooled off, what about you?