Under the Sea...

....is how we spent our Friday afternoon. At least, that's how it felt. We were actually at an aquarium. And it was amazing. We had heard that it was a must see, and since we had our nephew in town, we thought maybe we should check it out. It didn't disappoint. For the most part, I mean. It was REALLY crowded that day, which was kind of a bummer, but we made the best of it and saw some really great stuff.

See? H3 was "ooh-ing" over these fish. They were my favorite too....LOVED the Pacific Coral Reef exhibit the best.
H1 and H2 had fun looking at things through the magnifying glasses.

Not a great picture, but oh well....I'm usually the photographer,

so I guess it's good to pop in here every once in awhile.

My sweet hubs taking a pic of with his iPhone. Those fish were so beautiful....oranges and pinks and turquoise and yellow....proof that God has an amazing imagination. :)

This pic is kind of freaky....looks like my babies are about to get eating by that shark swimming our way. *shudder* ;) Thankful he was behind some really thick, strong acrylic, giving us the opportunity to get this close.

And this is my favorite pic of the day....and I almost didn't get it. Pretty cool, huh? :)

Happy Hud. :) Our resident Dr. Doolittle was totally in his element here.

This place was so cool.

One area had a hands-on exhibit. Hud liked getting to touch the starfish and sea urchins. Hunter liked playing in the water, Harrison (the ever-cautious one) wanted no part of that. :)

Goofy, Happy, and.....Grumpy.

Really, he was happy all day too, except for this one photo when he wanted to be hanging out with his cousin instead of posing for a pic. He didn't understand that I couldn't force Austin to be in the pictures, but I most certainly could make him.

Mean mom. ;)

So...we definitely give the Georgia Aquarium two thumbs up.

If it was more affordable for a big family like ours we would probably go a lot.

I am going to look into getting season passes....seems like the way to go, and something we all really enjoyed. Can't wait to go back on a day when it's not crowded so we can really make a day out of it and chill with the fish. :)

So....yes, that's H1. In a cast. That he got on the 2nd day of camp.

I know I wanted him home and all, but not this way. :(

It was a very long day, and is a long story....basically he had a bad fall where he landed on a rock, and broke his wrist. Going to spend the next 5 weeks in a cast. Bummer. But do you see that smile? This kid has taught me so much about having a good attitude...thankful for his heart, his happy spirit, praying that his arm heals quickly so that maybe he can get that cast off early.

Camp, Letting Go, and Other Stuff I'd Rather Avoid

Harrison left for church camp today.

My normally outgoing, go-go-go kid was his normal excited self.

Until he saw his mama crying.

Then he thought maybe he didn't want to go to camp afterall.

Apparently, the tears I tried really hard to avoid letting him see got the best of him.

Sweet boy.

I'm not proud of myself, trust me. =/

Things were a little shaky there for awhile, but he got on the bus, and as I type this, I imagine he is having a blast with the new friends he most likely made within the first few minutes of the bus ride.

Because that's the kind of kid he is.

Resilient. Strong. Outgoing.

And still sensitive, sweet, and concerned about the feelings of others.

Like his super-emotional mom who worries that all of the changes we've faced these past few months may be getting to him.

In other words, being the new kid kinda stinks. I don't think sending him off to camp would have been nearly as hard if he'd had more time to make new friends. I'm used to him being in the big middle of lots of kids his age. Things are different this time around. Still lots of great people where we are now, don't get me wrong. People who know us, encourage us, and love us already. But when you leave a place where you had been literally since you were born like our kids have, with other kids who had been there equally as long, and go to a place that is completely different,

this is kind of an adjustment.

Which is exactly why we thought camp would be a great idea.

And I still think it is. I know that he is going to have an AMAZING time.

Trust me, if I didn't believe that with my whole heart, I would have snatched him up the second he had doubts and run for the hills. :)

No one said being a mom was easy.

And this whole, "let them spread their wings and fly" thing?

For the freakin birds. Literally. ;)

Missing him already, counting the days til I see that big smile on Thursday....trusting that God is going to do some awesome things in that sweet heart of his in the meantime.

Because it doesn't get much better than

spending a week with Mimi and Papa...

....at the beach..

...at Lego Land....

....having a blast....

....visiting Elvis.... ;)

.....building really cool, super fast cars....

.....and sponges that live in pineapples under the sea....

...."flying" a helicopter...

.....and being face to face with a gigantic polar bear. :)

Making tons of really special memories and soaking up every bit of time possible with two really awesome grandparents

.

So thankful that Mimi and Papa took them on this trip.

They are still talking about it. :)

Wednesday night we got a head start on our Independence Day celebrating.

Dinner, a comedian, singing, and fireworks at church.

And...a car show. We took this picture for Papa. He loves Mustangs. :)


It's times like these when I'm really thankful for how good these boys really are. We got to church at around 5:00, and the fireworks didn't start until 9:30. And when you're a kid (or honestly, an adult too) the fireworks are what the 4th is all about.

Those 3 were really patient. Waited and waited.


And it was totally worth it. The church put on a great show, and it felt like the fireworks were exploding right over our heads. Kinda felt the need to duck down....not that it would have done any good. :)

Hunter thought they were a little loud. ;)

Thankful for a protective Daddy who takes care of such things.

Happy 4th of July!

God bless America.