Returning from our second trip to NC of the summer:
When we first got there, as usual, the kids both had to have a bowl of Great Grandma's pinto beans. The next day, Sadie ate beets for supper. Jesse asked me, "What is wrong with this kid? How many little girls love PINTO BEANS and BEETS?!" They were very happy to see Great Grandma, and she was "plumb tickled" to see all of us. :)
We went to lunch with Amanda and Grandma on Friday, and had some good BBQ... the kids liked the hushpuppies, too (you don't see many of those around here!). The girls and I also went shopping with Great Grandma and she found some good deals on shoes for them. That night, we went to a restaurant built like a "Chicken House," an old timey Italian place with Mamaw and Papaw. Unfortunately, the power was out. It was HOT in there, but we perservered and had some great lasagna. Sadie's favorite part of the whole night was when she had to go potty and we had to take an oil lamp into the bathroom with us so we could see - she thought that was so cool!
On Saturday, Josie started calling Great Grandma "Gen-Vee! Gen-Vee!" They also reiterated, over and over, how Cameron, Caleb, and especially Scotty are "Funny! He's funny! Oh, he's funny!!!" We rode the golf cart, of course, played on Cameron and Caleb's new swingset/slide combo, and had a generally fun time up at Angela and Scotty's house. Then we had lunch with Uncle Garry and Aunt Sharon down at Great Grandma's. I love just hanging out like this with my family. The kids all piled into the pack-n-play and pretended to be bears in a cave, and then Cameron told them all stories. Then, we went to Louis and Brenda's for a pool party for my birthday (and Chasity's - we 
haven't had a "joint" birthday party in 15 years!!). It was so much fun... we got in the pool, sat around and talked, played with the kids, and they even got us a cake! The best part was getting a bunch of beans that they canned just for me! Sadie accidentally mashed Hailey's finger in the screen door, and with much ado, FINALLY apologized to her. Sheesh... it's hard to get kids to feel like saying they're sorry, even if they really are sorry! Sadie talked to me about it later, and said how she felt bad for doing it, but at the moment, she just couldn't seem to bring herself to apologize.
haven't had a "joint" birthday party in 15 years!!). It was so much fun... we got in the pool, sat around and talked, played with the kids, and they even got us a cake! The best part was getting a bunch of beans that they canned just for me! Sadie accidentally mashed Hailey's finger in the screen door, and with much ado, FINALLY apologized to her. Sheesh... it's hard to get kids to feel like saying they're sorry, even if they really are sorry! Sadie talked to me about it later, and said how she felt bad for doing it, but at the moment, she just couldn't seem to bring herself to apologize.Saturday night, Papaw and Sadie built a kite one night (from scratch) and she got to measure AND hammer in the nails. They did all the work outside the garage on the cattle trailer (note the picture of both girls pretending to be cows). What a great time! Papaw put a red tail on the kite and found some string, but alas, there was NO wind at all. Sadie can't wait to fly it, so we're hoping for "some breeze," as 
she likes to say. After they finished with the kite and we were back inside, Sadie wanted to play with this glass angel figurine of Mamaw's and Papaw told her that she couldn't because the wings might break off. She said, "Well, that's okay." He said, "No it's not! Have you ever seen an angel without wings?" She said, "Yes.... YOU!" He laughed... and said that he was pretty far from being an angel. It was sweet, though.
she likes to say. After they finished with the kite and we were back inside, Sadie wanted to play with this glass angel figurine of Mamaw's and Papaw told her that she couldn't because the wings might break off. She said, "Well, that's okay." He said, "No it's not! Have you ever seen an angel without wings?" She said, "Yes.... YOU!" He laughed... and said that he was pretty far from being an angel. It was sweet, though.We went to Uncle Thomas and Aunt Elizabeth's house for a cookout on Sunday after church, and we were all ready to get in the pool when it came the first (and hardest) rain of the entire summer. It was a real "gullywasher," as my Daddy would put it. It rained SO hard that we ran inside the screened porch and ate our hamburgers, dumplings, and Oreos with Britt and Natasha. The kids were somehow left unattended by the candy bowl in the living room, and helped themselves... by the time I found them, Josie's "tummy hurt!" and there were candy papers all over the floor.
Josie was a crazed kamikaze at the playground on Monday before we left... she ran up the slides, tried to come down upside down an backwards, and when Papaw pushed her on the "chicken" swing, she just yelled, "Higher! Higher!" She is a nut. We had a really good time, and they were great on the way home... they just talked... and talked... and talked.... According to Jesse, they get this trait from me, not him. 