I LOVE SUMMER!

Sunrise on the Bay!

Lemonade Stands!

Cape May-Lewes Ferry!

Ocean Fun!

Eeeeeew! Dead Shark! How did it get on the beach?

Oh!...Evan pulled the dead shark in by it's tail. Groooose!...With Dad and Uncle Jeff watching. Where is the Hand Sanitizer and adult supervision when you need it?

He's just so Handsome! I had to share it.

Garden beauties!

It's not summer without spending a day up a tree!

Summer has almost come and gone. I love summer! The Lightning bugs in the evening. Cool summer nights sitting out on the deck under the stars. Lemonade. Just the freedom of not having to stick to a schedule and run your kids all over town. I love the opportunities to just hang out at home and not have anywhere that you have to be. Saying "Yes, you can stay up and watch that Movie", and having 4 thrilled kids who can sleep in the next day. I find myself getting annoyed when we actually have to go somewhere. We have had a lot of adventures. The best moments however are those "Yay Me" moments that just don't come as often as they need to.

Some of my triumphant moments this summer!

Getting my new Nikon 3100 after Dustin threw ours in the Bay.

(Click here for musical inspiration)

Dustin exchanged a bunch of printer cartrages someone was throwing away at work and got $400. We used it towards a new awesome camera! LOVE IT!

Taking 4 kids to the grocery store with complete cooperation and no Mommy melt downs in one entire visit. That may only happen once or twice in my lifetime.

After letting the boys pick out a treat at Wal Mart, and Austin completely flipping out over what he picked out, Evan traded what he chose for Austin's choice. Then traded back 'happily' when Austin was still not satisfied... YES!!! Maybe I'm not failing at teaching my kids kindness.

Going to girls camp as a leader "in charge" of lots of girls, and not coming back dead or dismembered. And none of the girls got lost. Well, only one for about 20 min. But it was pretty origional. She tried to impersonate a Hill Cummorah pageant cast member and had plans to go up on the stage with the cast. Definate points for creativity.

Finishing the Hunger Games series finally.

Reading "The Help" (click here to see the trailer) again and going to see the Movie with my daughter and friends. Well worth your time if you feel so inclined.

I did have some moments that were not so triumphant, however.

I lost the diamond from my wedding ring and spent 3 hours crawling around on the dirty floor. But I did realize that a true friend stays with you, crawls around and pokes through Wal Mart grime in an effort to help you find your diamond right along side you. So grateful for good friends...And a husband who doesn't mind spending money and surprised me with a new diamond in a fancy new setting. He's Great!!! I'm totally spoiled.

Allowing my kids a Television Marathon with this one particular show. I now have 2 little girls addicted to this H2O show (click here for cognitive stimulation) found on Netflix. Not a good idea. Can't decide if I should make them go cold turkey or ween them off slowly.

I also realized that I like electricity and being able to use my dishwasher. Hurricane Irene helped me realize I could not have walked the plains behind a handcart. They would have had to bury me quickly after my first turn at washing the dishes in a pot and not being able to shower for 48 hours.

We had a great time at Chincoteaque IS, VA , hence the photos above at the beach.

And we spent many hot summer days at Mountain Creek Water Park.

Summer is almost over again and school will begin again soon. I'm determined to enjoy whats left of it!

5 days and counting! Am I ready? NOPE! I think I need one more day at LBI to prepare myself.

Who needs school supplies, schedules, and registration forms?