Lucky Seven

About a month ago, this super cool kid I know turned seven.

The birthday morning!

 

He was really excited about all the sweet cards his sister made for him.

 

James and I made him a hollowed out book. 
It took a while to make but he really
loved it.

The birthday party! 

I'm sure there is a way to take great photos at a skating rink.  I however, I don't know that way.  Just be happy you're seeing them and don't look too closely. 

Carly and Johnny

 

Mark, Joshua, and Kaleb

Miss Pipey
Can you believe how grown she looks?

Making a wish
That's Mary Elizabeth peeking over the bench.

Piper, Ruby, and Storrie
Rachael (Ruby's mom) in the background.

 

Micah, Stephen, Fisher, Mark, and baby Rebekah's little legs.

 

Nikos and Onora

 

Ruby and Fisher

 

Could they be any cuter?

He was so happy he chose a party this year.  He loved having his friends around him to celebrate!


The birthday evening! 

Family party time at Nana's. 

Aunt Judy, Fisher, DJ, and Pipey

 

Again.

Fisher getting his hoop on.

I just LOVE this one.

Nana made his favorite pie - Key Lime.

That is a happy boy.

Getting a great picture out of 4 wiggly kids is super fun.
DJ, Piper, Fisher, and Matty

And a little impossible.

Movie time.

Our sweet boy is such an amazing kid.  We are so lucky.

JKFP


p.s.  James leaves for Frankfurt tomorrow.  :(  Keep us all in your thoughts.

Freak Out

I think I'm freaking out.  No, I know I'm freaking out.  My mind is filled with the...WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???'s involved in temporarily moving your household (minus one adorable tiny dog, four chickens, and a pet fish) to another country.  WHAT AM I THINKING??  I mean, which few toys will we take?  Can we really live without the birthday banners?  What of Fisher's school stuff will we take?  What will I have to make/acquire when we get there?  Which books will the kids take? (cause I'm not sure we can get english ones when we get there) Who will my kids play with?  Will German children be nicer this time around?  Will they still suck?  (not to generalize here, we just didn't have super great experiences with the locals kids last time) Where will I find yarn to knit?  Who will cut our hair?  Wax my eyebrows?  Computer cords?  Hair dryer?  What will become our new grocery staples?  How will we cook with them?  What if we get sick? What if Piper has asthma problems?  What about doctors?  How am I going to pull off Christmas (in three weeks)?  How badly will we miss all our family and friends?  What if what if what if whatifwhatifwhatifwhatifwhatif???

Take a breath.  Make a list.  Take a breath.  Make a list.  Take a breath.  Make a list.

Okay, I think I'm done.  For now.

And because you deserve cute pictures after all that...

Near sighted

Far sighted
It's a lot scarier from this view, huh?

Relaxin'

JKFP

The girl who loves chickens.

Our sweet Pipey is such a chicken whisperer. 

She thinks of them first thing in the morning.

She takes them food scraps ALL DAY LONG.  I think she intentionally doesn't eat sometimes so she has something to take out.

She cries when we go on vacation because they can't come with us.  She seriously asked why they couldn't come in the car on our road trip.

This is right after we got back from NC.  Also, I love how
these are taken at different times but she's wearing a princess
dress in each of them.

So tell me...how is she going to survive such a long trip in another country without her girls? 

Quite the lead in huh?  We are getting our ducks in a row for another trip.  James has a ticket for October 17th to head back to Frankfurt.  It's a longer project.  We're looking at approximately 18months and the kids and I plan to be there sometime in early December.  (Before Pipey's Dec. 4th birthday if at all possible.)  So there you have it.  Get your tickets to come visit!

JKFP & Bob

Pipey Sings: This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

joining Soule Mama.

Celebrating the 4th

So yeah, I'm a day late and a dollar short but I thought you may enjoy a recap of our 4th of July adventures (two months late).  We had tremendous fun.  The kids and I were in NC and we went to my great great uncle Gene Blanton's house at Moss Lake. (that makes him my children's great great great uncle - which kinda blows my mind that they actually met him.) There was a fish fry, playing in the lake, riding on a boat, eating ice cream and watching fireworks.  My cousins had procured a large supply of fireworks and it was a very different experience for us.  We were right under them and my dad got amazing pictures.  (he took all these pictures)

Investigating

Serious fun in the lake!

Found a rope.

Yep, in the lake in their clothes.

That's better.

Suit up!

 

We got a boat ride too!

Piper took her ice cream on the boat.

He loves boats.

Really.

The sun is starting to set!

Almost time for fireworks.

Sparklers.

Sparky and the sparklers.

This one is my favorite!

Nothing says family like blowing stuff up together!