I interrupt this summer with some pictures...

...from A MONTH ago! So, if you have been a friend of mine for any length of time, you have gotten your share of texts, phone calls, or e-mails from me saying, "my phone broke/ got lost/ got run over...please send me your phone number again!" This seems to be the story of my life. Something is always getting lost or broken when it is in my possession. Most recently, my e-mail. I am one of those sad people who fell for the (blatantly obvious) schemes, gave away my password to my e-mail, and lost every contact in the process. Quite coincidentally at the same time, the memory card for my camera lost it's, well, it's memory. Out of the 170 pictures that I took from our amazing vacation to the beach, only about 25 were salvagable. So between the e-mail, the camera, our poor dilapidated house with blue-tarped roof, hanging gutters and falling siding waiting to be repaired from the fallen tree, I have taken a bit of a vacation from technology. I've been enjoying, instead, the simpler and more predictable parts of my life that this summer season has offered: sprinklers, cook-outs with friends, swimming pools, puppet shows, sidewalk chalk, popsicles, playgrounds... none of it has been documented by a camera or sent to waiting grandparents by e-mail (sorry Nana and Papa!) but none of it has broken- which in-and-of itself seems to be a victory! I suppose I'll buy a new memory card this weekend, and I now have a new e-mail address. We should be choosing a contractor to start fixing our poor house this week, and the tree has finally been removed. But I've been reminded that you are truly a blessed person when it's only the "things" surrounding you that are broken, and the people that you surround yourself with that keep you filled! And my cup 'runneth over'.

As for these pictures...
Chad's amazing Athletic Director has a beach house in Dog Island, FL which he lent us for a long weekend. It is literally an island. We grocery shopped on the mainland on Thursday, someone took us over by boat, dropped us off, said GOOD BYE, and then we didn't see another sole until we were picked up again on Sunday. It was awesome. We had perfect weather and wonderful family time. I am really trying to celebrate the twenty-something pictures I have instead of mourning the 45 I lost! Here are just a few:

Chad and Caroline- headed out to Dog Island

Our Un-packing Mule

Dinner

Milestones

I know that my girls are growing up. Some of the signs are the fact that I can walk across a parking lot holding both of their hands (it may be faster to carry Caroline, but she can at least do it!) We can also stay up past bedtime without complete meltdowns...not past mealtimes, but bedtime! One sure sign that the girls are getting bigger is the fact that there are no more babies in cribs. This weekend, Caroline made the move from the crib to the bed. Although Aly left the crib around 18 months, I swore that Caroline would be in her baby bed until the age of 5 because she is half maniac and half monkey. But I'd been finding her daily up in Aly's bed, and she also had been pulling her big girl bedding that Nana and Papa bought her out of her closet to look at everyday. So we tried it, and she's done surprisingly well! We've had to take down the curtains, but besides that, all decorations have stayed in place. She has only fallen out once, and it wasn't due to rolling...it was because she stood up trying to reach for Aly's curtains! Needless to say, she hasn't tried that one again!

Here are some shots of the girls' new abode

And Aly... thanks to a friend, we have a 'new' hand-me-down bicycle for our big girl. We got the training wheels on yesterday and I think she was ready...she took right off! So hard to believe that I have a kid old enough to ride a bike!
Here's my little ballerina taking a 'breath-er'... she said, "I'm breathing hard right now, Mama. That's what you do when you stop." That's also called, "Out of shape", Sweetie!

Tim-ber!

I was in Atlanta Friday night for a senior high girls retreat. Aly had been sick with the stomach bug (yes, the third since December!) earlier this week, so when my phone rang at 1am, I assumed Chad was calling to tell me that Caroline was sick. To my surprise, it turned out that the two-century-old oak in our front yard had collapsed into our house! Just the call everyone wants to get! On Chad's end, I can only imagine how scary the sound must have been! He had fallen asleep knowing that there were tornadoes in the area, and awoke to what he thought was a tornado in our house! He ran straight to the girls' room, both of whom had sat straight up in bed, assured them it was just thunder, then looked out of their window to see the huge oak...literally right out of their window! He couldn't get out on the front porch or out of the driveway, so he waited for the fire department in the rain with a few neighbors out in the street. We have holes in the roof but amazingly enough, not a single window was broken so we are able to stay in the house while the roof is repaired! After getting the call, I was unable to quite get back to sleep as I tried to grasp the idea that this enormous tree came just feet from changing our lives. I kept picturing kissing the girls 'good-bye' before I left for Atlanta while not giving the tree a single thought or look back. The girls' beds are on the same side of the house as where the tree hit, and I can't shake the feeling that we are blessed that we are very tired this weekend but not more! God is good!
And if you're wondering about Caroline, she did get the stomach bug...last night. Chad and I were literally walking to bed, so excited about the good night sleep we were about to get. Ha! I guess that we can sleep later! We have a safe family and a safe house. What more could we ask for?!

Cause for Celebration!

Recruiting is a part of the coaching job that I just have a hard time loving. Coaching makes Chad a busy man, but at least the girls and I get to go to games and practices. I know in my head that recruiting players for next year's team is essential but it seems like an ongoing process that begins in July and continues on and on and on. Chad has always said that recruiting is like dating a girl, and he's so right. He has to be in constant communication with these players who can love him and then leave him the minute something better comes around. They are high-maintenance and need face-time and quality (aka- recruiting trips.) I've seen Chad screen so many of these kids' calls, and I sit broken-hearted, knowing that some kids are screening his. Our season stretches from October until March, but it's ending is just a tease because recruiting still lingers on the nights and weekends, making me only think that life is back to normal. But I can say with great excitement tonight that recruiting is OFFICIALLY OVER for the year! Chad had his first 2-day weekend since October this past weekend and we enjoyed every single minute of it. We cooked out, hung out, and soaked in every last ounce of it! Summer is in the air!

The first picture is from a local bakery with a window where you can watch as they frost cakes. Aly and Caroline have a new uniform: leotards and tutus. We wear them weekly, even more depending on if laundry is done! The bakery just happens to be a few doors down from a dance studio, so it is frequented by "real ballerinas" (according to Aly!)

Enjoying some Daddy time with Chad...on a Saturday!!!

The girls cornered a grasshopper... and Caroline caught it!!




Aly reading Caroline's favorite book, though Caroline is more concerned with her ponytail!

Easter Pictures!

Happy Easter! I've sent lots of pictures... Nana and Papa are down in Dallas with all of the Bonner side of the family, so I wanted to send them lots of pictures of the pretty dresses they bought the girls! We had a great day and Aly has enjoyed running around and using her fancy new word: "Hallelujah!" After naps, we had a fun afternoon of a backyard egg hunt, bubble-blowing, sidewalk chalk drawing, bike riding, and an early dinner. Caroline's favorite part of the day was definitely the chocolate in the eggs! We hope that y'all had a great Easter!

Awesome new website

For those of you who read this and whose husbands coach...there is a great new website to help survive the ups and downs of winning, losing, moving, recruiting, and roadtrips! Check out The Coach's Wife.

Playing Catch-up

So, it's been awhile. The thrill of blogging has definitely worn off. Come to think of it, I think that the thrill of even trying to keep in touch period has worn off! And basketball season is over. So even though recruiting takes Chad away more than I would like, I definitely don't want to spend our nights together in front of the computer! So I'm going to post lots of pictures to catch up on the past few weeks. But I have to include a quick story from dinner tonight! Aly is just a little over 3 and I've decided that it's my favorite age. 1 1/2 was a little scary, 2 1/2 was even more scary, and who knows what 3 1/2 holds in store...but we seem to be enjoying some really calm (and fun!) waters right now! Here is the conversation that I had with Aly at dinner:
A: "Poo poo poo poo poo."
K: "Aly, we don't talk like that in the kitchen while we eat; that's bad manners. Those are words we use when we use the potty."
A: (after thinking for a few seconds)- "Chicken chicken chicken chicken."

I think that the thing that I love the most is that there is no sarcasm or sass behind it...she really was thinking about what would be an appropriate word to use in the kitchen! Hilarious! I mentioned that I thought 1 1/2 was a tough age... we are in it with Caroline. I honestly don't think that she responds to her name! I've had cats that respond to me better than she does! But she's hysterical. And she loves dancing, especially when Aly sings, "Shake your booty!" Oh Lord, what am I spending the day teaching these girls?!?

Caroline: God's gift to 2 obsessively-clean people

Lizzy and Aly clown-watching at a circus birthday party

Visiting Daddy at work