BFF♥

Though I complain about my dogs quite frequently, I must say that Chanel is a good dog. If I must have dogs for my child to grow up with, these are the right ones. Look at all that Sage puts Chanel through, and she never moves. She actually loves it. I love these pictures.

What a good sport.
Look at both of them smiling.
Give me a kiss!

This picture makes me laugh because Chanel was in "Sage's classroom," and Sage is being such a teacher to her here. You should have heard her.

Prayer Request

Me: Sage, would you please pray for my back?

Sage: I don't want to. I'm not even a doctor.

4th of July

This year, for the 4th, Travis's sister, Denise, and her husband, Doug, along with their 4 kids were in town from North Carolina. Instead of them having to go to 3 different houses to visit parents and step-parents, we had everyone at our house. All together, I think we had 21 or 22 people here, and it wasn't too crazy. ALSO, SAGE got something very special--a new playground! This was SUCH a blessing. Chrissie had been searching for one for her kids and found one in the paper that was being GIVEN away to anyone that would come and get it. This turned out to be no small task. Unfortunately, for her, it was way too huge to go in her backyard. Thankfully, she told the lady that she still wanted it (there were 8 people behind her that wanted it), and Travis and Sean went and took it apart in 2 days to transport it to OUR house. Travis is going to pressure wash it and stain it, and it will look good as new. This would have cost us 3 or 4 grand to build! The kids had a blast between that and the pool.

Kylie
Climbing up into the tower or "her house," as she calls it.
Sage and Brandy, who turned out to be Sage's favorite.
Sarah
Denise and one of the twins (I have no idea which)
Sage in the tunnel

Sage and Brandy (again)--isn't that sweet?
Grandmother, Sage and Meagan
Doug in the tunnel
Kylie
Travis's Dad and Sarah
Then it was off to the trampoline.

Thing 1 and Thing 2
All the kids playing!

Words of Wisdom

I was thinking about some quotes that I grew up hearing or reading, and it occurred to me today that they've become more true than ever as I've gotten older. Check them out:

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." (LIVE THIS WAY)

"You don't have to floss all of your teeth, just the ones you want to keep." (story of my life)

"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

"If you hurt me once, it's your fault. Hurt me twice, it's mine."

"Ignorance is bliss." (Can I get an AMEN?)

"You're going to miss this."

"Bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping someone else will die."

"You get what you pay for." (I've found this to be true 90% of the time. EVERY now and then you find that gem of an item that is just as good as the real thing.)

"Because I said so!" (This IS a good enough reason now that I'm a parent.)

"This time will be over before you know it." --my mom

"If you have 5 real friends, you're lucky."

"What goes around comes around."

"Love never fails."

"Money doesn't buy happiness." (Though, I'd like to have several hundred million just to test this to the fullest extent.)

And lastly, I'd like to add one of my own for those growing and learning just like me...
"Don't try to swing on a trapeze bar at 25 years old the same way you did at 10 years old without expecting a trip to the doctor for a prescription of darvocet and steroids."

1+1=Crazy

I think the following pictures explain why these 2 together are more than my nerves can take. Notice Mayer leaping.This is Mayer flying over top of Chanel. I don't know how I took this without getting plowed.
In mid-run...

Water Family Fun

We've had a really busy past few days with Travis's sister and her family being in town. Sage has had a lot of fun playing with her cousins. We've got lots of pics from the 4th of July, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to sort through them yet. It was nice to have an evening with just the 3 of us, and I think it shows. Sage made a very exciting discovery this evening too. Check it out in some of the pictures to follow.

This is pretty much where she stays most of the time, unless she has her raft.

Check out that FORM! Back hand spring baby!
Ha, yeah right.
LOOK! SHE CAN TOUCH. SHE'S WALKING!

Have a drink, Chanel.

This is cool and terrifying at the same time.

"Chanel! Come on in!" (with force, she will)
HA! Trying to get out as quickly as possible.
Such a big girl

Summer Time

It has been 100 degrees here for quite some time, but our first official swim in OUR pool was Thursday night. Sean and Chrissie drove in so that Sean could help Travis with a little project. More on that later. Of course, the kids had a blast. They've seen more of each other lately than they're used to, and they love it. Actually, so do I.
Sage and Harrison swimming.
I love this picture.
Popsicle time.
Cheers!
Almost that time!!!
Sweet
Hmm, what are they looking at out there???
Cute, cute.