ROASTIN'

Roastin' in the still "feels like" 101 heat and humidity at 7pm, roastin' hot dogs for dinner, then roastin' marshmallows for s'mores before taking cold showers and heading to bed!

 (Roastin' done up on the deck using Jay's repurposed washing machine basin)

DANCE CAMP 2017

Ms. Erin, a former RiverPointe student (that Cora has had as a TA multiple times over the years), taught a couple of dance camps this summer. James and Cora attended this week's 3-day class for PreBallet/Level 1 students (Cora will be going into PreBallet and James will be in Level 1A this fall). They were so excited to spend 3 hours dancing each day, but were even more thrilled when they came home Wednesday telling us about all the other things they did as well (acro lessons with an obstacle course, "freeze dance" games, crafts, snack time, and "freestyles", where they got to make up their own dance moves to perform on Friday). I'm glad they had this opportunity and I think it was well worth the money to refresh their dance memories before real classes start in a few weeks! Of course, it also made me realize that they both need tap shoes (for tap/musical theater), Cora needs contemporary shoes, and Cora also needs new/bigger ballet shoes (James says his fit fine, which is debatable, but we'll give him a month and then ask again). Which then made me pull out the soccer cleats from last fall (they didn't play in the spring), and clearly those are now a couple sizes too small. Good thing we're headed to Jackson next weekend so we can stop by the sports stores!

They were asked to wear black and red on Friday, in honor of the Spanish dance they learned in jazz, to perform for the parents at the end of class.

(That's Maddie up there in the middle. We drove her to dance a couple of days since she was at the Y Daycamp with us this week. Cora has been dancing with her since she started at RiverPointe 3.5 years ago, though she's a grade younger (she doesn't turn 7 until next month). She and her older brother Thomas (who is going into 3rd Grade, just like James) also attend Bowmar, and the kids are excited every time they realize how many friends they already have at their new school!)

"Let them praise His name with dancing" Psalm 149:3

Here are my best effort at videos from the mini recital they performed at the end of class (it's hard to get two kids in the frame when you're sitting just a few feet in front of them at the mirror!) Ms. Erin had them dance to British and Spanish themed songs to get them ready for the Vicksburg History Production that they'll be dancing in this September:

 British themed ballet

Spanish themed jazz

NATIVE HIBISCUS

 Such a beautiful surprise in the garden this morning!

AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

They started the big fixes of our road before vacation and we'd hoped they'd get it done before we returned. No such luck on that, but a week later it was DONE! Isn't it glorious?!

(Yes, I am grandly celebrating the end of the last pothole-filled stretch of Nailor Road! We've waited a good long year since they started on the other end, near the kids' old school, completing the task in a few different sections.)

BEHIND THE SCENES AND THE NEW ROCA

(Yes, I know we have yet to post James' 8-year portraits, or upload them to Snapfish. I'm sorry grandparents! They are coming soon!! And we'll get Cora's actual portraits posted at the same time.)

Before we started in on Cora's portraits, we took a few siblings photos, just for fun.

Once Jay had his gear ready, Cora was more than ready to be the center of attention and pose for her daddy (in the 3 different dresses she helped choose for the occasion). I captured a few shots on my phone too because I just couldn't resist that corn-silk hair glowing in the sunshine (Jay had blow-dried it for her before we left the house, so it was especially straight and shiny, until the heat and humidity got her).

This dress was a birthday gift from the Kennedys. It has robots on it and it was Jay's favorite of the three. Cora loved the way it twirled!

We stopped at the tunnel on our way out of the park and the kids insisted on a few more photos before running through. After I took the pictures James pointed at the ceiling and asked me what kind of plant was growing there. Except it was a LARGE clump of daddy long-legs spiders. And there were quite a few clumps in the tunnel... which led to some good natured screaming as they ran through!

 We finished up right as the park was closing, and though it was still really early, we decided to do dinner out at the new ROCA location downtown (and it did not disappoint). We had a fun (Kindle-free!) meal filled with smiles and giggles, and I ended the night feeling so very happy. The two desserts we shared sure didn't hurt!

BRAINQUEST OUTSIDE

Sometimes these activities are highly entertaining for parents...

KITTENS AND CHICKENS

Cannon is becoming friends with the little girls...

 ...though he likes to play rough too (especially with Starfire)

 The chickens joined the view, then the kids...

Watching chickens feast on grass seeds is exhausting, apparently.

CARA BETH AND CAKE POPS

After a kitten-eating-a-donut Facebook post earlier this week, Cara Beth's mama and I decided that we needed to get the girls together before they headed out on vacation. So I grabbed cake pops from Cafe Paradiso during my lunch break for a special treat, picked the kids up early from Daycamp, and headed over to the Hearns. The girls played dress up (and crafts and kittens and who knows what else) while the boys played video games (Sammy graciously invited James to come play too - it was his first time playing Wii and he really enjoyed it). And, according to Cora, Sarah and I had a "chit chat date". Works for me... it was 5:00 long before we left ;-)

OH DEER

This pretty lady has been visiting our yard multiple times per day for weeks (one of our neighbors even sent us a photo of her in our front yard during his morning run while we were on vacation and asked if we were keeping her as a pet). As much as we hate having our monkey grass destroyed (especially when it's blooming), we really love having her around.

COOL CLOUD

I'm always interested in weather and on the lookout for storms, but my obsession with rain these days is directly related to the plant plot we're keeping at work... if we go more than 2-3 days in a row without at least a little rain, we have to go out and water our 210 potted plants. If you live here (or have visited between June and September), you know how miserably hot and humid it gets here in the summer. I find myself doing rain dances every few days...

P.S. This cloud did NOT dump (or even sprinkle) any rain on our plot at work. Boo.

MUSCLE MANIA AND EYE IMPROVEMENTS

Cora and I had our yearly eye exams this morning. Cora had a good time playing with everything in the office during my exam, then showing off her muscles anytime the doctor looked away from her and at her computer...

 We both kept pretty much the same prescriptions, but Cora's astigmatism is actually a little better. There's certainly a chance she'll grow out of it, but for now, we've ordered a couple pairs (one for home, one for school) of inexpensive glasses from Zenni Optical (amazing prices!) She's excited to get some new looks and I'm excited to have a pair that will stay strictly at home for homework and bedtime reading!

SWEET DREAMS LITTLE MAN

James watched an episode of We Bare Bears where they used a dream catcher to find their perfect home and immediately asked for one. I tried explaining to him that they don't (probably) work that way, but Gramma happened to have one in the closet, so he brought it home and hung it over this bed, wishing and hoping that all his dreams will come true!

ICHETUCKNEE SPRINGS

I already wrote a blurb about our day at Ichetucknee Springs (we went on Monday, the day before the 4th), so here are some pictures to enjoy (thanks to Uncle Jamie buying a disposable waterproof camera for us to use - thank you!!)

 Jamie says this photo looks straight out of the 80s. Visors on all.

 We did our best to keep the kids nearby, if not in arms reach. The current is pretty strong (stronger than we remember - or perhaps we're just that out of shape), and they are not.

 The watermelon kept Cora safely out of the cold water (she would have hated the float if she'd had chattering teeth the whole time - this way, she loved it!), but was plenty stable for her to lean over and watch the fish below.

 James got in and swam a few times (with an adult right next to him, just in case, don't worry).

 He got pretty cold and ended up in Gramma's lap a couple times!

 Ichetucknee Springs has a sandy bottom in places, but is mostly long grasses that are fun to swim along (but less fun to have tickling your legs if you're floating over a shallow section - better than a sunken tree branch in your bum though!)

 Floating group shot! (The disposable camera and bright sunlight definitely lent to the 80s feel of the developed photos...

 One of the tallest trees along the float-able stretch and Jean's favorite spot (you can canoe/kayak all 6 miles, I think, but the northern, southern, and midway point drop-ins aren't nearly as long (I think it took us about an hour to do the stretch from the midpoint.

 Cora got in once, then quickly needed some body heat to warm back up. Thankfully Uncle Jamie was a good sport ;-)

 After we floated twice (from the Midpoint and Southern/Dampers drop-ins), we drove up to the Headwaters and Blue Hole. We took the kids out in the water at the Blue Hole, right above the outpouring. The current was really strong, so it was hard to keep them in place to watch (and the water was especially cold and deep), but they got to see a couple of scuba divers (and even free divers) coming in and out of the cave! James needed a tow back to the dock (it's hard to swim against a current when you can't catch your breath due to being so cold).

 And that's a wrap. Floating the springs is such a cool experience. If you visit Florida, I highly recommend checking them out! Even in the off season, the parks are open (and the water feels warm when the air temperature cools down!), you just have to hike yourself to the drop-in points rather than take the in-season trams. They're even nicer (and the water clearer) when there are less people out on the water.