Happy 4th of July Ya'll! This is how we do it in the South...

On the 4th of July we packed up the car and headed down to Cowpens SC and spent the day with friends and family.  We had a Redneck Independence Day as Ranee (my sis-in-law) called it.  We spent the day eating, swimming, making homemade root beer, and shootin' guns.  Aaron even got to shoot a M-16.  Who owns M-16's you ask?  Good ol' boys from Cowpens that's who. 

Aaron, just floating.  And yes that is you in the background Jake.  He was concerned he wasn't in the picture.

Riannon getting ready to try a front flip.

Jake in the middle of a front flip that kind of went sideways a little...

The big kids: Jake, Elliot, Alex, Della, and Riannon.

Don't you wish this was your backyard?  I do.

The big kids built forts out of all the rafts for most of the day.

This is just some of the arsenal...If we ever get attacked I know exactly where I am going.  Aaron saw me posting this and said we will probably get a call from the FBI. :)

Ranee and Amanda, 2 of Charlie's Angels.

Aaron shooting the M-16.  I really missed the best picture.  His face after he shoot it.  Like a kid in a candy store.

Riannon smelling the root beer.

Jake got a little too much sun and didn't drink enough water so we spent a little time inside rehydrating and letting the ibuprofen kick in.  This was their game room, fully equipped with this game, pool table, pin ball machine, air hockey and all the action figures you can remember from the 80's.  This is a almost 10 year old boys dream...

If you don't know what the South Carolina flag looks like than you should look it up.  I am not from SC but I admit it is the coolest state flag.  It was being recreated right in the backyard that evening.  A Palmetto Tree with a crescent moon.  The guys tried desperately to snap a picture with there phones...I had to take a picture of them. :)

My camera is just a point in shoot (that I LOVE with all my heart don't get me wrong.) and I couldn't get a good picture with it any more than they could with their phones!

Night swimming..

Glowing wrist bands for the big kids...

...and the little girls. 

The frog we shared the pool with that day was glad when we were done swimming and he came out of hiding.

This is a picture of the guys hurriedly moving the fireworks away so they wouldn't all light up at once.  Just a few seconds before this the fireworks were all about a foot away from the lite ones...

Happy Birthday America! I am thankful to live in the most amazing country in the world.  I am also thankful for our forefathers that through Heavenly inspiration established and fought for this free country.  I am also extremely thankful for all of our soldiers that have fought and continue to do so for all of us to be able to spend Independence Day this way.
(Sorry we didn't get to see you Nana and Papa Harmon.  We will be heading back done soon.)

Picture a day in May, Day 13: What we did today...(after we did the stuff we had to do..)

After work and school we headed to the Monroe Mall with my friend from work, Sharlene and her daughter Autumn to check out the animals that we kept hearing so much about.  Customers kept coming into Bi-Lo (local grocery store) and telling us all about the amazing array of animals in a tent in the parking lot.  So we decided that we would take the kiddos and check it out.  Despite the 86 degree weather (yes already...one of the downfalls of living in the South) we had a really fun time.  See for yourself by the next 1,000 pictures I took:

Jake and Autumn riding on a camel. 

Posing with a lion cub. 

The handler smelled a wee bit like alcohol...I'm just sayin'...But seriously look at that sweet baby!!!

Posed with a snake.  I hate snakes...a lot.  For some reason I can survive with out fleeing if they are in a large box and if I can't see it's head.  Did I mention that I hate snakes?...And someone actually choose to pose with this snake rather than the lion cub.  I freaked at that and had to flee...

A sweet Lama.

Feeding the goats and cows.

A kangaroo.  I felt so bad for the animals...What a crappy life...They were adorable though.

The black leopard we were trying to wake up to get a good picture of. We were calling it like a kitty cat...It didn't really work.  You can't see from the picture but it had beautiful leopard spots in different shades of black.

The white tiger was snoozing too.

They both woke up when the lady that smelled like alcohol came over to check them out and make sure they were okay.

And they got to pose with the lion cub again because they couldn't find the first one they took to print for us.

After seeing all the animals we went to CiCi's pizza for dinner. Sharlene and I talked while the kiddos played a few video games.  It was so much fun to get out and do something for the second weekend in a row! (I still haven't posted what we did last Saturday...I will get to it..)  Aaron was at home trying to get some much needed rest.  Last night was his first night off from 3rd shift after a week off (I haven't posted about that either...I will...), so it is going to take some time to get back into the swing of it!

When we got home we showed them how much Sadie has grown and then after they left, some how this happened:

Sadie's first experience with a sprinkler. :)

Needless to say, she loved it.

And so did Jake. 

It was a good day.  I almost forgot!!!!  I also told my boss I had to have the summer off  (...I didn't have the heart to tell him that even in the fall I won't be coming back to work and working 5 days a week like I have been...) and he said he would keep me on the payroll as long as he needed to without working me because he didn't want to lose me.  Cool!  I am going to be down June 8th (Jake's last day of school) and go in once a month to help with tags (pulling tags when sales end and putting up new ones)!  YIPPPEEEE!  The countdown for summer is really on now!  This time we actually know the official last day of school so we really can count down!

This weeks Highs and Lows...

Have you checked out the awesome blog Memoirs of Mrs. Harris ? You need to if you want an awesome take on the highs and lows of life and motherhood. When she decided to link up and see what other peoples highs and lows were for the week I had to do it! Here are my highs and lows for the week...

High: We had an awesome play date today that made me clean up the piles of stuff...
Low: Jake was a witness to me "stuffing away the stuff"...His bottom drawer of his dresser is refilled with all the clothes he out grew that I just took out of it...and several other random things I didn't have time to find a home for. To this he said something like "what did you do with my mommy? That was a kid thing to do!"

High: This play date was for me and Jake. Erin is a great friend of mine and her son is a great friend to Jake.
Low: Did we just contaminate our friends with sick germs...(you will see why I say this next...)

High: We made heart shaped home made pizza's to continue our love week.
Low: Almost immediately after eating it Jake was in tears with a stomach ache. I don't think it was the pizza, the rest of us are fine. The stomach bug is making its rounds at school and it may have just found its way into our house.

High: Penny and Pooha (in-laws dogs we are puppy sitting) are SO fun to have around! Our home is in need of a dog bad.
Low: Unfortunately we don't know Pooha's (she is an older dog), "I really have to go pee you crazy humans! Let me out NOW" face because the poor thing tinkled in Jake's room while I was getting him settled with a puke bucket by the bed, just in case...

High: My legs are recovering from my exercising the past couple of days.
Low: The reason they are recovering is because I didn't exercise today...

High: Monday is Valentine's Day and Aaron doesn't have school or work!
Low: Since Valentine's Day is Monday and grocery stores are busy for ever holiday imaginable, I have to work from 10:30-7 (might as well say the best part of the day...I hardly ever have to work any time other than when Jake is in school...) on Saturday. I am missing Jakes' b-ball game...bummer!

High: It snowed last night and already melted with no ice problems at all!
Low: It didn't snow enough to give us the chance to have a fun PJ day off...maybe next time..

Do you have highs and lows from the week you want to share? Come on people venting always make you feel better!

New Years Eve...Ringing in 2011!

We were ready to ring in the New Year and we partied "families with kiddos style": Early! The Powell's (my sis and family) got to our house that evening...maybe 6ish...(It was 12 days ago after all. I can't remember everything! Yes, that is right the date on this post says differently, but I am just now getting to New Years Eve on 1/12...I posted the title and saved it so that it would be back with my 2010 posts...).We had the snacks already and the Gariety's came to party with us. Jake and I were the only ones that ended up staying up until midnight (well I am sure the Gariety's did too, but they headed home early to get Morgan and Cole in bed). Aunt Tina and Uncle Allen gave up a little after 11. They had just gotten back from Colorado so jet lag was setting in...not to mention they drove 8 hours to get to our house...Also, when you have kiddos, it doesn't matter what time you go to sleep, they always get up early! We also partied early because Aaron had to leave for work at 9. How do people work these crazy hours and schedules all the time? We are only going to be doing it for a couple years and we are counting down until life gets back to normal!!!!

All the kiddos playing. Sam is a pro at smiling for the picture, but just at the last second going to a crazy face without you knowing...Can you tell which one is my funny nephew Sam?
Everyone...
..except Cole-he couldn't fit in the picture! Wait a second...Where is Morgan?...
Ben and Uncle Allen. Ben is sporting one of Jake's hand-me-downs. Looks pretty good for boy #4. That is what I call getting your monies worth out of it!
Cranberry ginger ale in my favorite fancy glasses. I think of my mom every time I use them because she got them for me for Christmas last year. The straw wouldn't stay put but it was still fun!

Happy New Year! May 2011 bring more wonderful memories with family and friends!