Hudson turns 6!!!

Hudson had been counting down to his birthday for months. He could hardly wait to turn 6 and when the day finally arrived he was super pumped about his party.  

He invited just a handful of friends to an arcade party and it was the perfect way to celebrate! 

He got to go in the ticket machine and played a bunch of games that gave him tickets, which he scored big time on!

There was also laser tag, bumper cars and all sorts of 6 year old boy fun!

As we were leaving to head home he said it was his best birthday ever and I was so happy he had a great time celebrating.

Since he and Papa's birthdays are only one day apart, we had them over for a birthday dinner and they blew out candles on the brownies together.

The next morning he requested donuts with candles and a family hike at the Sope Creek trails.

We ended the night visiting with my brothers!  Cameron was in town for the weekend and Trey's family came over, too! 

Houseboat Trip

Last week we returned from our summer vacation and this year we did another houseboat trip. It was quite the adventure and maybe that is because the newness had worn off from last year's trip, but it was still tons of fun.  We had sickness, injuries, boat malfunctions, and rowdy neighbors, but we made tons of great memories and will be talking about this trip for years to come.

The kids were so excited to reconnect with our friends and really wanted to have matching tank tops this year!  These were the perfect thing for them to wear!

We found our way to 76 Falls and parked there most of the week. It is such a beautiful backdrop and the kids love swimming through the waterfall so it was the perfect spot!

We did lots of jumping, swimming, sliding, relaxing, paddle boarding and all things fun in the water!

There were several days that we would take our boat out for a few hours at a time to get off the houseboat and for a change of scenery.  Lots of wake boarding, wake surfing, and tubing.  

Kathy and I decided that next year we need a vacation with a few more amenities or at least a dishwasher, but it was fun while it lasted!  

And, all of the time spent with some of our very favorite friends made all the mishaps worth it! 

Handley is 10!!!

When I stop and think about it, my mind is totally blown.  I can't believe I have a 10 year old.  Handley had been very excited about her birthday and couldn't wait to reach the double digit mark.  

She was born on Father's Day 10 years ago, so to celebrate, Robby took her on a daddy daughter trip. They woke up early Saturday morning and left to go rafting on the Nantahala River.  She was so excited for this adventure!  

After that they spent the night in a fun hotel that used to be a bank.  Then the next day she got to go on a 10 year old shopping spree.  She was so excited to show me all her cute finds.  

Since she had a fun trip for her actually birthday we didn't really do a party this year, but instead she just picked a few friends and we had a girls day.  They got their nails done and we had a fun lunch at Cheesecake Factory! It was the perfect way to celebrate our birthday girl! 

Summer Swim Team

Another year of summer swim team has come and gone. I can't say I loved it, but the kids sure did have fun.  This was the first year that Hudson was old enough to do swim team.  His first practice made me a little nervous and I wasn't sure he'd be able to swim the length of the pool using the correct strokes.  However, on the day of the meet the adrenaline kicked in and that boy rocked it.  He did so well and we were all impressed!

My kids don't love the practices, but the meets are another story.  They love the social aspect and, of course, the concession stand!

Handley hurt her arm at cheer mid-way through the season so she had to miss out on the last few meets, but the other two had tons of fun.

It was a great summer activity, but kept us super busy and made the summer seem to fly by so I'm not sure I can say we'll do it again.  I guess time will tell!