Memorial Day

What better way to spend Memorial Day in Florida than at the beach...and with great friends...making it even better.

Thanks Laguens (and Madeleine) for an awesome day of waves, sand, football, and sunburns. 

Wakulla Springs

We have been trying for a year now to figure out a time to get together with The Evan's who moved to Pensacola just last summer.  Thanks to Melanie's research, she found us the perfect meeting spot...Wakulla Springs.  It was exactly 3 hours from each of our homes just a little South of Tallahassee.  It was our first time meeting Mabel, and what a treat that was!

 

 

This platform is pretty close to the head of the Spring which is the largest and deepest fresh water spring in the world.  The water is a chilly 65 degrees but do these kids look like they care?

  

 

 I preferred to hang out with Mel and her cute baby and act as lifeguard watching the kids play in the freezing water.

 Even though they haven't seen each other in 4 years, it didn't matter....they caught up in mere seconds.

 

Thanks for planning a great day Mel!

Happy Easter

Since our kids had off Good Friday and Easter Monday we decided to take a trip to spend Easter with the Richards.  This is what Easter Baskets for 8 kids looks like!

 Here's what the Bunny brought our kiddos.  The Shupe kids got new bathing suits in preparation for summer.

 Dane and Tanner each got new movies while Brynne and Clare got some summer sandals, and Atley got some make-up.

 I just love this picture of Janelle! This is always how I picture her....smiling and carefree.

 

It was a great Easter full of 96 hidden eggs, lots of candy, and great food and company.  Then we got to watch General Conference which made it that much better.

Happy Easter 2015

Stone Mountain

We went to Stone Mountain with the Richards 8 years ago when Callista and Clare were babies and it was just as beautiful as I had remembered it before!

They are not babies anymore, that's for sure!

These two started a friendship on our last visit to Stone Mountain, and it still continues to grow!

 In order are : Chloe 12, Ryan 10, Brynne 10, Atley 16 (but only by 1 day...we got to celebrate with her the day before), Clare 8, Callista 8, Dane 12, and the cuteness in the front is Tanner 4.

 Even though Dane and Ryan are 2 years apart they seem to speak the same language (and Dane is really nice and lets him tag along)!

 Just cuteness!

It was a beautiful Spring Day spent with beautiful friends.

Chloe's First Temple Trip

What a Glorious Day it was to be able to attend Chloe's first Baptism trip to the Orlando Temple.  The best part was that she was baptized for 10 family names, one of them being my Grandma, "Vera Catherine Sweet Patterson Vargo", and my great Aunt "Arraetta Patterson Palmer".

There was surely rejoicing in heaven that day!

Spring Break - MarineLand

We had a bucket list of things we wanted to do before we left Jacksonville, so we did as many as we could over Spring Break.  One of them was going to MarineLand, a dolphin sanctuary in St. Augustine.  The kids and Paul had an amazing time interacting with "Shocka".   I had an even better time standing off to the side and taking photos.  Although these photos that the professional photographer took turned out much better...so I'm using these.

 It was an extrordinary thing to see them so up close with this beautiful creature.  I hope they remember it forever!