Life goes on....

I've been thinking alot about family lately. 

And each time I do, I call (or facebook) a family member just to say Hello. I can't imagine what I would do if something happened to them. I grew up in a large family (7 siblings)...and on top of that, Mom and Dad grew up in large families. So, there's family ALL over...literally. 

I love Facebook ♥  Some may not be particularly fond of it; All the social networking, people knowing too much about you, etc. But I find it's one of the BEST ways to keep in contact with family. After that, the phone. And lastly, snail mail. I ♥ snail mail. It brightens my day to see a handwritten letter in the mailbox. Bills get boring. :)

But, back to family...I'm kind of having withdrawals from not talking with my mom this week. Each time I've called she's been out of the house. And since she's not a computer person, she doesn't get to see and read all the fun things that happening in my life right now (via facebook or the glorious blog)

All this rambling to say...Take the time to tell your family that you love them. You never know when it will be that  last "I love you" ♥ My heart goes out to my family on my dad's side right now. They are learning that "life goes on..." Please continue to pray for them after the loss of my cousin, her husband, and their baby girl. Life does go on, but let's not forget those who made such an amazing impact our lives. I was thinking today...I never remember a time that my cousin wasn't smiling. In my eyes, she was always on the upside...never a negative, always a positive. I, as a distance relative, miss her pins on pinterest (she always found the cutest decorations, the best accessory pins, and the coolest things to do with kids). I miss those ♥ I miss her positive postings on Facebook. They always brought a smile to my face and inspired me to do something positive that day. I think of how much I miss her as a "distance relative" and think how her mother, father, and sisters feel. I love you all. And I'm praying for peace and comfort during this time of healing.

Fun with friends

A few evenings ago, we headed off to the park to play til the sun went down. The kiddos had a great time. They usually always have a great time when Daddy goes to the park with us. 

After we got home, our neighbor and her girls were outside playing. We ventured over to say Hello and then ended up sitting down and letting the kids play some more. We broke out some glow sticks and Sweet Tea!! Yes, perfect East Texas evening. All the kids had a blast with the glow sticks...making different patterns, circles, etc. 

Then they took to just tossing the glow sticks in the lush grass and playing "pick up sticks" :)  

My neighbor had a sprinkler system on timers...well, we talked her into turning them on early and taking the kids by surprise. Oh, yes!! it was the best surprise EVER!! 

I love these last few evenings before school starts back up. But mostly, I love time spent with family and friends ♥

The flash caught the spray of water and not the kiddos' reactions to the sprinkler surprise...Hey!! it was worth a spot, though.

Glow stick evening

 summer evening of fun

We pulled out the glow sticks the other night. I got the kids to make different patterns with them. Then they spun them around while I took pictures. They would spin and then run over to see what their picture looked like. They LOVED it!!

Lily made hers super long..different colors and then swung it like a lasso...she's a cowgirl :)