We love our Auntie Kim!!

Savannah, as her usual charming self, made this memory. Lauren-laugh-a-lot is always ready for the camera. We spent the morning talking about everyone in our family; what they're doing, where they're going and when they're going to visit us!!
La & S co. wanted to send a post card to Auntie Kim who's not feeling well. So we did 3 of Kim's favorite things this morning. We took pictures, sang songs and painted our toenails.
As a kid I was lucky enough to live close to my cousins which made for some great adventures. One of my favorites happened during a black out in Houston in the middle of a scorching summer. Mom and Dad were out of town and Aunt Kim was in charge. Our strict bed time was ignored to take a trip to McDonald's (in our pjs) for ice cream cones. It's my first recollection of actually thinking a grown-up was "cool". Kim's spontaneity was always the highlight of absent parents...we have pictures of gift-wrapped walls to prove it.

i heart spring

but don't we all. Upon completion of 4 super-loads of laundry (thank you Nick) I began the ritual of forced servitude on my children. They carried stacks of panties and piles of play clothes back to their dresser drawers under my watchful eye. The child laborers had barely completed when to my great delight I saw that we had washed only 2 pairs of socks...Eureka, it really is spring!!
The general scent of sunscreen wafting through my home is enough to make anyone scale the walls at the YMCA and beg for early entry. Oh the agony of waiting... guess we'll have to pull out the hose.

don't let it get me

Between fishing stops we found a group of butterflies by the river, the girls were mesmerized.

Nick picked them up and tried to get the girls to play along, but they would have none of it.

Lauren freaked out and claimed sanctuary by Gramma. Savannah hovered for a bit, but wouldn't bite. She just couldn't understand how the fuzzy little caterpillars she and the Ormsby boys played with could have mutated into such disgusting winged things...."eewww!"

Don't let it get me!!

Even Papas tried to get them to warm up...this is our frozen-Savannah pose.

Savannah still wants to know where her caterpillars are. sad face huh?

4 states. 4 days.

Chattanooga was fun. Bishop Oliva takes his family there every summer, so we were really excited to see what all the hype was about. And we were not disappointed. A total tourist-trap, but lots of fun for a little family.
The lift was our first order of the day...or was it the biscuits and gravy?
What a view!


Yep folks, that's right! We Residents really know how to make the most of our vacation. We like to get stabbed in the heart with a knife, just to get back to the ER.
That's right, Savannah found a toy knife (complete with retracting plastic blade). Needless to say we "lost" it the same day.