March Inn

Why"March Inn?" March Inn was the name of that magic place where I spent my summers growing up. I have alluded to this place before, and I probably will again. March Inn is no longer standing. The waters of Katrina rendered it unlivable so my children will never know that "March Inn." That makes me sad. In fact it brings me to tears whenever I think about it. I want my children to have their own "March Inn," and I want to capture our lives as they are growing and changing. I invite you to "march inn" to our lives. My hope is that you will catch glimpses of the real world. You will see our creations. You will see our chaos. You will see our affection. You will also see our frustrations, fears, and disappointments. Enjoy your march!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Truth About Camp

Confession time....A couple of posts ago I said that we went to camp.
Okay, we didn't really go to camp, and neither did our children, really.  We did however have some camp experiences, and I think I am safe to say we all wish we could stay. 
Stephen attended Rookie Day at Camp Alpine and afterward Mary Frances took a tour of Camp Desoto.  They both let the rest of the family tag along.  Most surprisingly, Betsy didn't want to leave after our tour guide gave her a Camp Desoto t-shirt. 
Frank and I both grew up spending a month of our summers at camp.  And then in college we were both camp counselors.  Frank spent his time at Camp Alpine as camper and counselor, and I spent mine among the pines at Camp Mac as a camper and counselor and also at Camp Greystone as a counselor.  We both feel that "Camp is Good" - I checked there is no shirt, but in our minds there should be.  For both of us our time at camp was instrumental in our lives and helped define who we are today.  We are both thankful for that experience.  There are lots of great camps out there and at some level camp is camp, but on another level not all camps are created equally.  If I am going to entrust my children to the care of someone else for an extended period of time, I want it to be a great camp. 

Whether going to camp or not a weekend trip to Mentone is a nice getaway.  I've had a few opportunities to stay in lodging at the Alabama State Parks, and each time I have been quite impressed.  Our cabin was perfect - by no means ritzy but definitely everything you need {two rooms, a bathroom, sitting room, and kitchen} and more {air conditioning, a front porch with rocking chairs, a fire ring and ample room to search for firewood, a trail to the river}.

And now, my children and I are thinking toward Cousin Camp. 

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Sweet Sixteen

Thank heavens we aren't there yet as far as birthdays go.  My Sweet 16 reference is for 16 sweet children all well under the age of 16.  Over the weekend, we were at the lake with our Bible study.  Call us crazy but for the fourth summer, we have had our small group and their families to the lake for a weekend.  That means that 12 adults and 16 children were all under one roof, not for a day, or even a night but instead for an entire weekend.  That's a lot of mouths and a lot of time together.  And you know what, it is easy.  I know you think I am crazy, and I probably am however I find this weekend to be not only easy but also fun!  It is one of our summer traditions that I really look forward to.  As I searched my archives I realized it is not something I have written much about.

In years past, we have spent lots of time on the boat ~ endless tubing and picnics.  This year there wasn't much of that.  Instead we created our own Olympics Games.

The oldest two children were appointed as captains to draft the teams.  {You can tell they aren't used to picking teams in a back and forth fashion because I of all people was the first adult to be chosen.} 
Once the teams were decided the first order of business was to determine a team name and create a team flag.

And then the games began ~ an impromptu eating competition!

 And then the next morning ~ the opening ceremonies and torch lighting.


I am missing pictures of the actual events because I was too busy running around the house with a greased watermelon among other crazy events!
Key Spectators
It was fun!  and different!  and memory producing!
 
Sweet Walker removed himself from the group on Saturday night, found his blahblah and crashed on our futon.

Not this one...
S'mores = Yummy

Thursday, July 18, 2013

"Remind Me"

Sometimes, especially during the summer I need to be reminded of how much I love my job as mommy. 

As I uploaded pictures the other day, these images were just what I needed...


 







T.G.I.F.
 
Oops, it is only Thursday ~ well have a good weekend anyway!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Case and Point!

I told you we are tired...
This is Betsy after a long day of running errands - sometimes it just has to be done.
Thank goodness I was able to transfer her to her bed and she was able to take a stellar nap which was helpful for the rest of our day...
We had a swim meet - the last of the season...
Who knew putting a swim cap on could be so fun!
My babies are troopers.  Sitting and waiting for hours on end is not the most fun for anyone.  Particularly for the four and under set when it is HOT and you can't even dip your feet in the pool.
Oops..
The best seat in the house!
Who is that?
What a nice way to be welcomed home after six days without seeing your family...
 

 Check out this heat winner...

Double Trouble
 Still being patient...
Mary Frances finally got to swim in a relay.  She has been wanting to since the first meet of the year.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
 
The pictures of these girls waiting for their relay takes me back to my years on the track and cross-country teams, but that's another story for another day. 
Through all the splashing water, I hope you can see a precious girl who has worked super hard this summer to improve her times in each of the three events she swims, a girl who has spent hours practicing a racing dive, and a girl who does not want to miss a single practice.  In fact, she would be happy to do two-a-days everyday if I could make the nap schedule work.  I'm sorry that I can't!

 
Like I said, we are tired...  
Post swim meet and dinner

He's still got that ability...

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Day is Done

We are all tired!

 
 


 
At least I am going to say that is one of the reasons there has been such a lull in my posting.

Monday, July 15, 2013

More of the Same

For those of you who visit this site looking for updates on what we are up to or wanting to see how my children are growing and changing, I apologize for the lack of posting.  I just can't seem to motivate myself to take the time to create a complete post.  In the past, I have had ideas for posts bombarding my brain and often my "draft" folder is full of unfinished posts.  Not this summer...

This summer I am void of ideas or events that seem blog-worthy.  Well the latter isn't quite true.  My children have done many wonderful things that probably should be documented, but I just can't seem to find the words to fill you in on my children's notable moments.

Frank has even diligently sent me material in the form of photographs from his phone.  I just can't make it happen...I guess I should apologize, but I don't necessarily feel the need.
Instead, I will try to recap some of our summer highlights:

We've celebrated a birthday ~

We've attended several Barons' games ~
 
 We've done some travelin' ~ well really Frank has and he let Walker tag along
We spend our mornings at the pool ~
 

We love "lake living" ~

 


We are completing some work on our house~
We can't get enough of our cousins ~
 

We went to a wedding~
We rode horses - well make that a pony ~
We went to camp ~
We have spent an enormous amount of time at the sewing machine ~
We can't believe it is the middle of July!