A Busy June...

Wow, what a busy month June has been! We started off the month by celebrating my nephew Braylon's 6th birthday. It seems like just yesterday that he was born, and now here he is, old enough to have his very own 4-wheeler!The middle of the month brought more drama! My poor accident-prone child once again managed to do the un-thinkable...she ripped her big toenail off! We ended up having to go to a specialist for some injections & to have the remaining bit of nail cut out....it was not a good day to say the least. On the brighter side, it is healing great and I just hope we do not have any further problems with it. Molly and I have spent the last few days in Daytona at the beach while Eric & some of his friends went fishing at the St. John's River. We had a great time and Molly loved playing on the beach... The boys caught around 800 fish in 3 days on their trip, so needless to say, they had a blast as well! We have another OB appointment this Friday & should be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl...that is, if we decide to find out. We're still flip-flopping about it! June was very busy, but I have a feeling July is going to be even busier!

Summer's Here...

I guess now that

school,

tball,

dance,

and cheerleading are over, there's nothing left to do but

enjoy the summer!

It's Official...

We have a Pre-K grad on our hands! It's hard to believe our little girl already has her first year of school behind her!

We've been...

No, I didn't completely forget about the blog...it's just been busy around here the last few weeks. However, I do have a really good excuse! See...

We've been busy sharing our exciting news that Molly is going to be a big sister. Our new little one should arrive around Thanksgiving. And, although the first 8 weeks were a breeze, this week the nausea has definitely set in & it hasn't been fun at all!

We've also been busy with t-ball...

And Easter...

And turtle racing...

And Benefit Fund-Raisers...

And, of course, trying to catch a nap when possible...

Good Golly, Miss Molly

Last Thursday night was Molly's debut of her dance solo, "Good Golly, Miss Molly." I was a nervous wreck all day long awaiting her performance & wondering how she would react to being on stage all alone. She, along with her fellow "Ferbettes", started off the night with their group dance. They did such a great job! Then, it was off to get her dressed for her solo. I, nervously, returned to my seat & saw our sweet little girl walking out for her debut. She got in position...I held my breath...And, then...I had NOTHING to be worried about at all...She did a WONDERFUL job & absolutely loved doing it. I cannot wait to see her do it again! And, maybe, just maybe, I'll breathe next time!

Motherhood: Being REAL

The Velveteen Rabbit has always been one of my favorite books. Recently, one of its passages made me think about being a Mother:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.

"When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

~ Margery Williams The Velveteen Rabbit

What a busy month March has been already! I am really looking forward to this weekend with high hopes that it will be pretty weather that we can get out & enjoy.

Eric & I enjoyed our recent trip to Washington, D.C. with exception to having to be away from Molly for so long. We really learned a lot about a few bills that are currently in front of our Representatives that could have a major impact on farmers and the agricultural industry. We met with several Representatives (including our own District 10 Rep. John Barrow) and with Senators Chambliss and Issakson.

But, by far, our favorite part of the trip was getting to meet & spend time with other young farmers from Georgia. We made a lot of new friends that we hope to continue to keep in touch

with.Last Thursday night, Molly competed in her school's beauty pageant.

It was her very first pageant, so I was a little nervous about how she'd do on stage... However, she did pretty good for her first time and even got 3rd runner-up. We were very proud of her!She came off stage saying, "I want to do that again!"

Saturday, Molly & I were honored to be part of my cousin Stefany's wedding. Stefany was such a beautiful bride, the wedding went off without a hitch & the weather could not have been more beautiful. It was a wonderful day!