Owens Beach Vacation 2015

I absolutely love the beach. On those bitter cold days of winter the beach is what I dream about. However, not any beach will do. No, no... You can have the beaches of the Atlantic.  Only the sandy white beaches of the gulf, mostly Panama City Beach beaches will do. I love the memories that are attached to that beach. Memories of my own childhood, my honeymoon, and bringing my own children to the beach for their first time. Yes sir, I could move there tomorrow. So when our famy made the 7 plus hour trip there it did not fail our expectations. This trip we went with Kent's parents. His brother and grandparents also came down for a few days as well. We rented a pontoon one day, played at several arcades (Fun Land was our top priority), played putt-putt, laid on the beach, played in the ocean (though technically it's the gulf), and enjoyed much family time. It was great. And it all ended way too soon. Now we have two weeks of summer left before school starts. Why does the summer have to fly by so quickly???!!!

What a busy summer!

The kids were finally done with school the first week in June.

 Side note:  I do not believe I will ever get used to my kids being in school in June.  Growing up I was always out of school before memorial day.  It just seems wrong to still be in school during June.  But I digress...

I had to take my final Spanish class during the Summer I semester (June).  Zoey was taking a gifted and talented art program (also in June) and Jon Kent had a basketball camp in Auburn one of those weeks.  Also, Zoey made All-Stars for her softball league so we had that going on as well.  Nathan just went along for the ride, though he did get a few days of alone time with the grands and great grands to be spoiled rotten.

After school was out for me and Zoey's program was done we headed to Alabama for a family reunion and to enjoy some down time.  Kent had to work so he stayed in South Carolina.  It was a nice visit and I was so happy to be officially out of school and not worry about keeping up with school assignments.  While we were there I was able to celebrate my daddy's birthday with him.

When we returned home I washed clothes and literally repacked for a trip to DC with Kent and the kids.  It was a great trip, but far from relaxing.  I had the kids by myself during the day, so we explored the city and visited museums, monuments and memorials, and the zoo.  We were all pretty exhausted by the time we got home.  Speaking of which, we are home and finally relaxing and being lazy like summer should be.  But not for long.  We have another trip coming up.. to the beach!  We are go excited about this one!  Panama City Beach is probably my favorite place in the world.  We are going down there with Kent's family.  Hoping it will be a tad more relaxing than the DC trip.

So as you can tell, our summer has been slammed packed.  Only a little over 3 weeks until school starts back!  Dread that, but until then we are soaking summer up.

Let's Reintroduce Ourselves...

It's time to play some serious catch up!  Oh my, has it really been a year since I last updated my blog???  Apparently so.  So here is a really quick review of our last year.

We took a cruise.  A wonderful, magical Disney cruise.  I would do it all over again every week if we could afford it.  Vacations as a momma of three are rarely totally relaxing.  There is always a meal to prepare, or a mess to clean up.  However, on the cruise I didn't have to lift a finger.  We spent 5 wonderful days sailing the seas, dodging a tropical storm, watching Broadway style plays, eating gourmet food, eating ice cream at all times of the day and night, watching a firework show, singing and dancing, and reconnecting as a family.  It was wonderful and sadly too short lived.  We cannot wait to go back!

Over last summer I took 5 college courses.  Stressful would be an understatement, but I did it in the hopes of getting my teaching degree faster.  I came out of it with all A's and B's.  Also, since I am talking about college... I am into my 5 semester back at school.  Holding on to a 3.8 GPA and I am one semester away from starting the teaching program.  Woohoo!  It's getting closer!

The kids have all grown in leaps and bounds.  Jon Kent is now 10, Zoey 9, and Nathan is 7.  Zoey is currently taller than Jon Kent, which she makes sure to remind him of frequently.  He is slowly gaining on her though.

Jon Kent has really blossomed over the last year.  Losing more of his baby boyish looks and starting to look more like a big kid.  He finished the school year with all A's and is really developing as a basketball player.  He is going to an Auburn (War Eagle!) basketball camp this summer.

Zoey is finding her "thing".  Over the last year or so she has been trying to find her extra curricular activity.  We have tried dance (negative), cheerleading (maybe), gymnastics (maybe, but less and less interest), and softball (score!).  Zoey has really fallen in love with softball, which makes this softball mom happy.  She made All-Stars this season and is really enjoying it.  Zoey also auditioned for an art program and was selected to go to a program for a month this summer for visual arts.  She is so excited.

Nathan is enjoying doing anything his brother does.  Although he is my social, wild child.  He played flag football last fall and basketball in the winter.  He did well in both.  He did very well in first grade this year.  He is reading on a high 2nd grade level, and already learning his time tables.  He is one smart little boy.  I cannot believe he will be in second grade this fall.

Kent and I celebrated 13 years of marriage this past spring.  We have lived so much life in those 13 years and I can honestly say I am so thankful to have him by my side through it all.  Over the last year or so we have had to twist and change to fit in my college classes and the regular day to day activities of our family.  It's been a hard adjustment at times, but it has really brought us closer.  We have had to talk more, share more, give more, and change.  Kent has really been a great helper and encouraging through it all.  I cannot not say enough good things about that man of mine.  Just that he is perfect for me.

Since the beginning of this year I have really set out to get the old Emily back.  Since my momma passed away 5 years ago I have felt lost on so many levels.  My world was rocked and honestly I dealt with it the best I could, but it shook me to my core.  My thoughts were always that I would use her death to change how I lived.  Her life was short, so I wanted to do more living while I had the chance.  My going back to school was a result of that.  I got out of my comfort zone, stretched myself, and tried new things.  Since the beginning of this year my confidence has risen and I have started pushing myself to not be afraid to be proud (not prideful) of my accomplishments.  I know my momma would have been my biggest cheerleader.  I have started running again and getting my exercise routines back.  I have lost about 25 pounds and I am so thankful for this newness of life that I have found through my grief.


Well, I believe that brings up all back up-to-date.  Mostly.  I seriously hope to keep this up.  I started this blog in hopes that one day my kids could come back and read about their lives, my thoughts, and just see through my eyes.  This was always for them.  Time to get back to that.

Until next time...

School is OUT!!

 The O'villers have finished another year of school! 

Jon Kent is heading to fourth grade!  He finished his 3rd grade year with all A's, no tardies, perfect attendence, and above average MAP scores. 

Zoey is heading to third grade.  She finished her 2nd grade year with all A's, no tardies, above average MAP scores, and the highest MAP reading score in her class.

Nathan is heading to first grade!  He finished his year in kindergarten with all M's (meeting standard), no tardies, perfect attendance, music award, and knowing all his lightning words.

I am so proud of all their hard work this year.  They pulled through the year after dealing with many new changes with me starting work and going back to school myself.  They were champs and showed us they could handle things with grace.

Easter

We had a quiet family Easter.  We let the kids do their baskets on Saturday, which is our tradition.  The kids enjoyed their baskets and the weekend as a whole.  It's great to see the kids gathering a better understanding each year as to why we celebrate Easter.  We have a set of Resurrection eggs that we pull out each year.  They always enjoy that, plus they have gotten to where they can tell me the whole story.  Very awesome!  So thankful that they are growing up knowing what Jesus did for them!

Emily

Happy Birthday, Nathan

Nathan,

Six years have come and gone and you have blessed me so much. You are so full of personality! You constantly I have be laughing and shaking my head all at the same time. I am so thankful to be your momma and I am so glad you are my baby boy! Happy Birthday! Here is to many more birthdays for you!

Love, 

Momma

New Chapter

This year has brought one big change for me. I have reentered college. I am going back to get a degree in Elementary Educaution. So far, after a month in, I am realizing I am not as young as I used to be. The studying, remembering what I studied, just isn't coming as easily as it used to. Add in to that juggling a family and other activities.. It can be overwhelming some days.. a lot of days. But my goal is set and I am striving to make it.  Hopefully in another 2-3 years it will be accomplished.