Fire Station Picnic

Once a year, the local fire department provides a hot dog lunch for the community and invites kids of all ages to sit in the fire trucks, try on the fire suits, and enjoy their open house.


















Eric enjoyed putting on all that gear.  And I must say, he looks quite handsome!

We've attended 12 of the 15 annual events, and this is probably our last time to have one young enough to enjoy the inflatables.  We've had lots of memories over the years! 
 

The snow cones added the perfect touch on such a hot day!

Hidden Surprises

Can you find the 2 surprises in the picture below?

1)  The first is that we have furniture in our living room!  For 2 years, we've only had bean bags.  Then one day, my husband and son were driving home and passed by a "Going Out of Business Sale" furniture store.  Realizing this must be a great opportunity because furniture stores NEVER use that advertising gimmick, they decided to stop.  I was given 1 hour to decide between black leather sofas or black leather sofas that recline.  I chose the former, reluctantly, or they were bringing home the one they wanted.

2)  The second surprise is that our older two are actually getting along, watching a Live feed together of the World Cup.  Go Team USA!

Father's Day

Ever since the GattiTown in Greenville closed down several years ago, the kids (and Eric) have missed it. Their pizza buffet was part of our Sunday routine with the same friends for 8 years.

So this Father's Day, it was no coincidence that Eric decided to choose his meal at their closest partner, GattiLand in Spartanburg.  The extra hour drive to get there would be built into the outing.

Our friends agreed to join us, and it was a commemorative occasion.  The dads both got in for free, and the kids made up for the savings by spending the extra cash on games & trinkets.

After the pizza, Eric asked the family  to help him with his newest home project.  This one needs a new door jam, new flooring, lots of holes patched, wallpaper removed, new paint throughout, and new landscaping.  It's a big project, but he plans to have it ready for show in about 3-4 weeks.

Our oldest was the best hired hand who actually worked diligently.  The two younger ones just kept each other occupied until they convinced Mommy to take them home.

Biking the Swamp Rabbit Trail

 This weekend we took advantage of the beautiful weather and hit the bike trails.

We rode for about 2 hours from Greenville to Travelers Rest.  Although the older kids sped ahead, they'd call us occasionally to let us know where they stopped on the trail.






















So proud of the youngest one for riding 7 miles!

Baseball Game

It's professional baseball season again, and with school out, the family decided to head to the ballpark.

We didn't have tickets yet, but there are usually plenty available for purchase at the box office.  However, once we arrived, we were told that the game was sold out.  Bummed, we decided to head over to a local pub for hot wings.

As we walked away, a sweet lady came over to give us 5 tickets!  She had purchased some for extended family, but they also bought tickets and had too many.  Very grateful for that, and she didn't even want to be reimbursed!

We enjoyed the game, pretzels, drinks, ice cream, and even the annoying glace from my son each time I took a picture.  :)

















We decided to leave before the 7kth inning stretch.  As the older kids ran to the car, we waited on the trolley.

Last Day of School

The little one asked Mommy to come to her 1st Grade award ceremony, and it was really cute.  She received the "Best Writing Award" and another certificate for reading 100 books during the school year.  She has had this teacher for two years, and loved her!  

Our little one reminds us frequently that she is a 2nd grader now.  And do you know what all will happen during 2nd grade?   Oh, just give her a call and she'll tell you.  She turns 8, gets her ears pierced, plays volleyball, receives her First Communion, becomes an alter server, takes a tour of the new 3rd - 5th school, moves up in soccer, etc......

After school was out (only a 1/2 day), the best babysitter in the world took her siblings to the pool.

Once our son realized there were 6 girls there (all in his grade), he decided to hang out a while.  Summer fun begins!