With a heart of gratitude....

Serenity is in her 2nd full week of overnight camp and i have been worried sick that she would get homesick. This week she is at Camp Rising Sun (a camp Booper co-founded! Go girl! Im still so proud of her for this accomplishment!). One of the directors just emailed me the picture below and said she's having a great time!

Ahh! What a sigh of relief! I love that little munchkin so much and want her to have a great, fun summer more than anything! It is the little things that can make such a difference and I thank Melissa from the bottom of my heart for thinking to shoot me this picture! She made my day! Look at our precious pie.. those dimples are to die for!

I miss you Renny and am a wreck without you!

Random Updates

Quick post.... we've been house/dog sitting for some of our friends this week and its been awesome! A vacation from home, even in the same city, is SO GREAT! We've loved our new home for the week! Allie has loved it too! Allie has decided there is no other way to sleep other than in the bed with us.... until now! She found our friends children's little relaxing chair and decided it was just her size! I took this pic in the middle of the night... look at little demon dog! Isn't she cute?
Also, I never post any pictures of Powers and I and I finally took some this weekend, albeit goofy pics, but pics non the less! We went to a little city fest this weekend and found this big guy! We had a talk with him, which was really difficult! His head is right in the center of the characters chest, but it was impossible not to look in the inflatable heads eyes to communicate with him! I was cracking up because I was so uncomfortable talking to him! I had no idea where to look! He did tell us that it is really hard to knock him over and that he has people try to tackle him from the back all the time! Ha! Bless his heart! He was a super nice inflatable guy, though, and I'm glad we got to hear what a day in the life of an air man is like!

Goofy pics of us just being weird like normal!

We get Renny back Sunday! Whoooooooot! Im sure we'll have plenty of pictures for next week so stay with us! We love you all so much! Thanks for sharing in our little world with us!

It's our little girls birthday!!

We celebrated Allie Ballie Lane's 2nd birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday Demon Dog!!! As you all well know, we love her now and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world! She's the greatest little nugget ever!

We had dinner at the Toone's house last night and their two kids love Allie, so she was invited too! Allie, however, vacuumed all the dropped food from the floor, ate all the kids food during dinner (because they were just her height), and even topped it off with half a popsicle that Josiah dropped! She was fat and happy by the time we got home!

Anywho, happy birthday little bit! We love you and your weird ways so much!

Winker! Ha!Our little singing sensation.... She is something!

Serenade by the Bday Girl from Taylor Lane on Vimeo.

Two Quick Videos

Here are two quick video's for your viewing pleasure! I promise to get on the ball and post as things happen and not all at once anymore! Im sorry! I've gotten carried away with working on the house and haven't had any free time to update! No excuses though! I know our extended family has been waiting! Love you guys so much!

Super Fun Aunt Mamy got me this awsome hula skirt swimsuit! You should have seen the whole suit. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

hula girl from Taylor Lane on Vimeo.

And here are the kids just running around. I normally wouldn't post this, but i know the brett's love everything they can get!

Just being kids from Taylor Lane on Vimeo.

Beach Time

Last but not least, here are our pictures from the beach! Serenity LOVED the beach! The water was really clear and calm. There was a great, long sand bar Saturday so Renny spent lots of time way out there looking at everything that swam by. We were out there together watching minnows when a huge school of big time fish parted the ways between us! I was so proud of Ren cause she would pop up and scream 'AWESOME!!!!' I got a wee bit nervous. These were serious fish.... well, for me they were. Anything that could eat my hand is a little larger than I'd like for company....

The babies were not so sure about the beach. They've been before and have hence decided they are little pool people. Bless their little hearts, they both got sunscreen in their eyes first thing in the morning and it bothered them all day. They were, however, fine at sitting in the pool on the steps and telling everyone they saw to 'Mon' (come on) and get in with them! Caden's definitely going to be a swimmer. He would kick his little legs so hard! Renny's gonna be a top notch swimmer by the end of the summer! All we need is a few pruney finger days and she'll be set! I was so proud of all my little kidos!

Cold little tyke after a long day at the pool!

Pictures Galore

Please find below our weekend in pictures! They are in no particular order.... just all smashed up together! We had a great time and are so grateful to the Brett's for their teaching and effortless encouragement. They are an amazing family and really challenge me to raise the bar on being a parent and supportive wife. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family. We are all the better for it!

This is more like it....Just chillin. A little guy time for G Daddy and Caden!

Then a little cuddle time from Mom!

One of my fav's! Sweet kisses from a precious little peanut!

Another great one! Her highness....

Toots maxin' and relaxin'

Im adorable...

The hat was a hit!

G Daddy bought Caden an 'I'm a John Deere Kid' hat. HE LOVED IT! I think he only took it off to sleep. Of course, lizzy stole it for a few photo ops also! Check out this cuteness!

Little Momma Lovin!

Picture me rollin'....

The girls expressive

Im about to post a TON of pictures from the beach that are all kids, but from the votes I get, that is A-OK with most people out there!

I had to document... here is tootie having a conversation with Powers. She is at that stage where she just talks, and talks, and talks, and talks, and you have NO idea what she's saying but if you talk back to her, she's good to go for as long as you are! She also has the greatest facials! Whatever she is saying, she is REALLY into it! She's totally convincing! I'd buy whatever she's selling and I cant even understand what she's blabbin' about!

Here's her new fav face! What is this?! I think I did this as a kid... maybe she'll be a good swimmer... she's got the nose plug down pat!

Pizza, Ice Cream, and Bubbles... Off To a Good Start

Were off to the best summer EVAR! Renny pie has come to live with Powers and I for the summer! WHOOOOOOOOOT! We are SO EXCITED! Our first week is under our belt and it was... perfect! She was an angel, did all her chores without a lick of complaints, got to play with all our b'ham friends, then totally passed out every night from being exhausted... it's going to be great! Im so looking forward to it! She did want to push all birmingham has to offer in the first week though! I'd ask what she wanted to do today and she'd give me a list 12 things deep! Patience, dear child!

She has also experienced a few firsts with us... first attempt at buying a house , first visit to my new favorite place on the planet... the hoover library. (who knew you could still get things for FREE!! We went t-totally nuts!), first beach trip with the babies and Bretts, first Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream invention round table... maybe at the end of the summer I'll make a list of all our firsts... just for us!

Here are a few fun pics from our first summer with kids! (yet another first!)

Pizza as big as your head.... What could be better? Isn't she adorable?

Ice Cream Evidence

I love this pic! He LOVES catching bubbles! Go get 'em, tiger!

A memorial to a great horse....

Has anyone every seen the movie Babe? It's a movie about farm animals (that talk) but they all have these very distinctive personalities. By the end of the movie, you are moved to tears because you are so in love with these sweet animals. Minus the talking like a human, our family had our own horse version of 'Babe'.

Hanky Panky Rhea was my mom's best friend for 25 years. She and dad bought him when they moved to Columbus, he was 2 years old. Panky passed away this past week. In fashion, Mom stopped her world for the 3 days he was sick and spent it in the pasture loving and caring for her sweet friend. I am sure these last days were precious as the memories of our mischievous horse ran through her head!

Panky's most notable feature was his blatant disgust for men. Hated them. Never met one he liked! Im not sure how he knew the difference between men and women, but if you had one of each standing side by side, he would rub his head all over the woman, turn his cheek, and bite the heck out of the man! He was a true ladies man! He could charm the socks off of any woman that met him! Our most recent episode was when the Lane's and mom tried to go horse back riding. I have a video of Powers on Panky and he is being as stubborn as a mule! He wouldn't follow Powers's lead at all, kept trying to turn back for the barn, walking heavy and sloppy. Finally, Powers gave in and traded with mom. As you can see in the pictures below, he totally relaxed and just strolled along like the lazy old horse he's always been! I have to laugh just thinking about how he always got his way!

Mom was telling me the other day about earlier memories of Panky pulling garbage bags out of the back of the truck and dragging trash all over our fields, and biting at Barry's hair when he was a wee little tyke! He was the kids horse, gentle and never wanting to move very fast. I bet mom taught two dozen kids how to ride a horse with Panky as her guide. A sight I've never seen, but rumor has it he was also one of the fastest horses we've ever had! I can hardly believe it, he was normally slow as a snail, but if mom says its true, its true!

Today for mom, I just wanted to remember a great pet, a great friend, a great teacher. He was so full of personality... im sure we will never have another one like him! He was a charmer, and you could just see the 'bad little boy' in him! We will miss Hanky Panky. He's given us years of happiness and countless stories to tell. He raised us all and we are so very sad to see him go.

God, give him a big stall up there with lots of green grass and pastures to lay in. He was our delight and we will miss him so. We love you, Panky.