God's Army just grew by about 50 kids!  We had a really fun Primary Activity today.  We did a B.O.O.T. (Building Our Own Testimonies) Camp with the Winder Ward.  We found the basic idea on Sugardoodle and then my awesome sister, Virginia, helped come up with ideas and certificates. 

I was only able to take a few pictures so if anyone else took some, (Jamie, Jaime, Joanna?) I would REALLY appreciate it if you'd share!! THX!

Here's what we did:

Winder/Fort Yargo B.O.O.T. Camp

Station #1 : Spiritual/ Physical Examination

Drill Sgt Wiley did an AWESOME job making sure the recruits were cleared for duty!  Then they split into groups and received their dog tags before moving on to the next stations.

It's time to go back to school, and therefore time for the proverbial  "What I Did This Summer": essay, or in this case, a list.

Let me start by saying that I realize that it is only August 1st and there is *technically* plenty of summer left---especially here in the South.  But, seeing as school starts tommorrow (BOO!) it's time to tell you the best things of this summer.  So, my list:

This summer....

....I quickly grew tired of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" but couldn't bring myself to tell the two dancing girls to choose another song.

.....I listened to the sound of late night giggles and a pinky promise to do more giggling the next day.

....I watched several Barbie "musicals" ("Never had a job before......")

....I swam with mermaids.

....I "camped" in with two "explorer girls."

....I read love notes and hung special pictures on walls

....I eavesdropped on Kaydee teaching Abby letters, numbers and words.

....I taught a future med student how to make Broccoli Salad ("This is GREAT, Mom!! Now I can make this in my apartment while I'm in Medical School!")

...I helped Abs make the perfect blueberry muffins.

....I overlooked the "just five minutes" of talking that continued for hours (and inevitably turned into giggling) every night.

...I played at parks I never knew existed.

....I had FUN and fell in love with my girls all over again.  (After all.....girls just wanna have FUN!)

This summer is flying by waaaay to fast!!!  There are only two weeks until Kaydee starts school again!  BOO!!!

We're officially finished with our summer traveling--we had a great week + with Meema and Pap.  We got to hang out with Gammie and Babu, Abby got to celebrate her birthday a little early with a new Dora bike from Babu and a Dora microphone from Meema.  We went to the Science Center in Pittsburgh and played at Rocky Gap State Park with Aunt GoGo, Uncle Jeff, Addie and Isaac.  The girls played the Wii and splashed in the pool and got to eat at Poky Dot's TWICE.   Both girls were up at the crack of dawn every day, and went to bed giggling every night.  One night (after hearing them up laughing several times) I went upstairs to lay down the law and Kaydee said, "I know, I know.  We're going to sleep now.  But we made a pinky promise to do lots of giggling tomorrow."

We had lots of fun!!  There are lots more pictures in the July 2010 gallery.

We just flew in from Utah.....and boy are our arms tired! (HA HA HA!)  Actually, since we woke up at 4am to get to the airport, we're just plain TIRED.   But home safe and that's what matters.

We had a great trip to see Greema and PopPop! We also got to spend lots of quality time with Aunt GinGin and Grandma Bagley, we visited Uncle Cody & Aunt Dottie Jo to see their new basement (COOL!) and got to see LOTS of family at the 150th Pony Express Re-Ride.  We also played at the park, jumped on the trampoline, went to museums, had picnics and hot dog roasts.  We went to This Is The Place State Park, Temple Square and the Willow Springs Ranch. 

There were several "firsts" this trip:  Kaydee and Abby slept in bunk beds for the first time (THANKS, AUNT BETH!!), used an out-house for the first time (THANKS, UNCLE DON!), entered their first telephone booth (not operating, of course), and thanks to some museum trips the girls were introduced to a telephone booth, glowing rocks, a telephone switch board, among many other things the girls thought were "cool". 

There are lots and lots and lots of pictures in the June Media Gallery and 365 Gallery!

Some people say the madness comes in March.  For us it comes in May.  It seems that the end of the school year always brings a wave of craziness. Lucky for us, this year the wave also brought Aunt Dottie Jo!!  She flew in for a visit last Wednesday and left late Sunday night.  And at least she won't go home saying that our lives are boring:  Within minutes from leaving the airport we were stopped in a massive wreck on I85.  All but one lane (of SEVEN) were blocked.  So we had plenty of time to enjoy the night skyline of downtown Atlanta.  An hour, to be exact.  At 11:00pm.  We finally squeezed past the wreck.....just to run into a second one.  Some luck, eh?  We were just thankful that we were only delayed and not the ones in the wreck.

Abby was so excited to share her favorite Thursday activities (story time at the library and lunch at McDonald's).  Then Kaydee shared HER favorite Thursday activity by taking Aunt DJ to her last soccer game of the season and end of season party.  Frankly I don't know how Dorothee (aka Dottie Jo) stood the excitement.

Friday was Kaydee's Field Day.  I dropped her off at school, drove home to pick up Abby & DJ and just as I walked in the door the phone rang.  It was the school nurse with words no Kindergartener wants to hear on Field Day: "Pink Eye." (I swear to you she looked fine when I dropped her off!)  So I turned around and went to get her. Of all the days to have to leave school before the first bell even rang! I felt so bad for her.  She had been looking forward to this day for WEEKS---the school REALLY builds it up--it is a HUGE HUGE deal. She was crying when I picked her up, cried all the way home.   Aunt Dottie Jo and I did our best to make it up to her with a trip to the mall, a new stuffed puppy and a ride on the carousel.  (Don't worry, you germ freaks--I made sure Kaydee washed her hands every five minutes so she didn't spread any germs around town.)   We also played in her new sprinklers from Meema.  Of course it really didn't make up for missing Field Day fun with her friends.  Poor thing.

Saturday we went shopping and out to lunch and played games and basically had a fun day.  Sunday was church and more games, Dorothee made us yummy chicken alfredo for supper and then we all loaded up in the truck to take her to the airport for her trip home.  It was so sad.  Abby kept saying (in her pitiful little voice) "I miss Aunt Dottie Joooo." 

This is Kaydee's last week of school (GLORY HALLELUJAH!) and she's enjoying all of the themed days--today was Camping Day (they ate s'mores). She's also enjoyed Picnic Day, Circus Day, Baseball Day, Clifford Day.....you get the idea.  Her graduation is Friday....so the May Madness continues!! :-)  There are lots of fun pictures in the May Media Gallery and 365 Gallery---go check them out! :-)

A great big shout-out of thanks to Pap and Meema for the new back yard and play set for the girls!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for your help!!!!!  WE LOVE YOU!

Spring has sprung!! Well, it sprung and then Summer sneaked up from behind and shoved Spring aside and now we have 90 degrees and beautiful sunshine!!  Of course, Thursday Spring plans to fight back with some rain and lower temperatures....we'll see who wins.

We had a fun Easter weekend--Pap came down Friday to help us re-landscape the back yard and put up a new playset for the girls.  Saturday and Sunday were General Conference--working on the back yard in between sessions.  MeeMa also gave Kaydee the canopy bed she bought in 1971 before she was even married---there are pictures of Kaydee's "new room" in the April Gallery. 

I've spent the past few days putting Kaydee's room together--moving and re-moving furniture to get it to fit into her tiny bedroom.  I think she's finally ready to settle in. 

MeeMa is flying down on Wednesday to enjoy the rest of the week with us.  YAY!!!

For pictures of Easter, working in the back yard, and Kaydee's new room, see the April Gallery.

Daddy went to the race in Bristol this weekend with Pap and brought back some souveniers.  And today Kaydee brought home a book from the library about Kurt Busch.......

This morning I took the girls to have brunch with Barbie at the Winder Library---they LOVED it!!  They made bracelets and crowns and had their fingernails painted and ate cookies and drank punch.  BIG success!!