Beautiful Morning

There are some things about the morning that are beautiful - birds singing, a colorful sunrise, the quiet stillness. Some things are just full of beauty.
Then there are other morning things that have a hidden beauty.
This is what we call "I can get up on the potty all by myself, Mommy. And when I can't figure out how to turn around, I'll just glare at you like it's all your fault." There is hidden beauty there. Really. There is.

This is what we call "bed head." Again, the beauty is hidden.

Don't you see it?

A Cliff's Notes Version on July & August

For those of you who depend on this site to keep up with what's up with the Baders, I offer you my apologies for this overdue post. Sitting in front of the computer has turned my stomach sour lately, so I've neglected my blogging duties. Here's a brief log of the past couple months.

Caroline painted for the first time. It started tame . . .

and ended wild.

Anna and Luke spent many a summer day pretending to be one thing or another.

Caroline turned two.


Luke spent a lot of time with his BFF, Colton.

We spent a few days with my parents in Sweetwater.
Anna caught a fish.

Ryan and I celebrated 10 years wed at my uncle's cabin. We hiked to this cool waterfall, played tennis, ate out, went to a baseball game, & saw some lovely fireworks.

We went to Six Flags and a Braves game with Ryan's little league team.

Anna and Luke started school.


Anna turned eight.


And now it's nearly September!
Our lives are busy with work. (Ryan is still the youth minister at Grandview, and I'm still teaching ballet part time, and babysitting one day per week.)
The kids are involved in their activities. Anna does ballet and choir at the arts center. She also takes piano and plays soccer. Luke does tae kwon do and basketball. Caroline just poops on the floor. She's too busy for any other activities.

A Taste of June

Oh, the places we go! June has been one awesome, busy month. I'm working on separate posts for all that's been going on, but here's a little taste:

We spent the first week of June at Camp ACC. We tried to get muddy as often as possible. I really do so love doing muddy laundry. I love how it affects the following three loads of laundry and was just tickled pink to have some.


Anna and I participated in a ballet program. It was entitled "Genesis" and was about creation. I was a tree (think "ent" Tolkien fans) and Anna represented a season. Can you guess which one?

We headed from the stage to the beach. Hilton Head with my sister, brother in law, and mom was a lovely get-away.


We'll just skip over the part about someone turning 31.

One day's rest, or maybe I just packed all day, then off to Washington DC.

We headed from there to Puebla,Mexico where we met some awesome Mexican folks and worked ourselves sore.



And now for a sneak peek of our next adventure!

First Place

Well, the season's not over yet, but Ryan's baseball team is currently in first place in the American League. We've really enjoyed some nail biters lately. Go Lightning!!

And now . . . for the winner of the "Cutest Fan" Award:



And the "Sweetest Fan"

And "The Joker"

Boy, Caroline sure did get a lot more press than the other two. Why's that? you ask. Three words: cheeks, curls, chub

My camera just can't control itself.

May Mania

May is a crazy month. Besides having a neighborhood yard sale, church sale, preparing for our ballet program, and honoring graduates, Anna & Luke have had some fun things going on at school. The both dressed silly for spirit week which ended with the annual walk-a-thon fund raiser. They call it a walk-a-thon but it's actually run-a-thon. They both gave it their all and raised a nice chunk of cash for the school.

They also had a festive Cinco de Mayo party one evening that featured some Mexican dancers, food, and pinatas. Our whole family enjoyed this evening, especially since we're preparing to go to Mexico next month.
They've also taken a trip to the Bristol Theatre, had a field day, and class pool parties. Their social lives are leaving our's in the dust.

Bravo!

Anna had her first piano recital this week. She played a lovely duet with her Gran/piano instructor. We were so proud. She has learned so much this year and was very confident about playing in front of a crowd. Sorry Grandma and Grandpa, we video taped her playing but I've yet to learn how to put it onto the computer. Believe you me, when I figure that one out, I'll have loads of funny clips to share from the past years. Hopefully those will be coming soon. For now, here's a lovely picture of Anna and Gran.

Summertime?

On April 25, a good two months before summer, we took the kids swimming at their PawPaw's pool. Our good ol' Tennessee weather never ceases to amaze. Although the water was freezing, the kids were thrilled and actually swam quite a bit. I was perfectly content to sit in the sun a observe the fun, but Caroline had other plans. She promptly fell right into the pool just so I could join in the freezing fun. I'd just like it to go on record that I have saved the lives of all three of my children countless times. Just in case there's ever any thought of my going into a nursing home one of these days, I'm keeping track.