Raising a teenager - not for the faint of heart!

My baby girl is growing up! It is evident from these pictures that I took recently. She is turning into a beautiful young lady! I really haven't prepared myself well for the transformation that takes place once a child becomes a teenager. The child that once thought you knew everything, now believes you are a complete idiot. I'm not sure why this happens, but it seems to be a very common occurrence in any household that includes a teenager. :)

Parenting a teenager is tougher than I imagined. I have to be the mean mom. It isn't fun. I would rather cave in and let her do everything she wants, but I know that is not best for her. Even though it is tough on both of us, I will continue being the mean mom. As a parent, I have responsibilities. I take those very seriously. I have an important job to do. I pray that I am doing it well. One day, I believe she will understand. At that point, I have a feeling that she will no longer believe that I'm an idiot. I'm not sure how long that will take, however! :)

Lindsey's School Work

Neil spotted this bit of school work in Lindsey's Wednesday folder last week and couldn't help but giggle about the last statement in this list of steps. What he really liked was the drawing that Lindsey added for emphasis. Now, we think that is me with steam coming out of my ears. I hope you can see the drawing. Here is a closer picture:

Any of you that know me well, know that I am OCD. Yes, I hang shirts so that the front faces to the left when hanging on the rack. To me it is logical. I am a programmer, so I'm all about logic. When I look through my clothes to find the shirt I am going to wear - I can see the front of the shirt as I browse through my closet. It makes perfect sense to me. I have also noticed this is the same way they are hung in the store, so somebody else obviously sees the logic! :)

My mother in-law will occasionally come over when I am away and help with the laundry. I can always tell when she has been hanging up my clothes. She is left-handed and obviously the way I hang shirts doesn't work for left-handed people. My shirts will all be backwards. I appreciate her help, but I have to admit that I have to re-hang my shirts. I can't stand them to be hung backwards! My husband and children don't see the benefit of it either. They just think I'm some crazy woman with steam coming out of my ears, when my shirts are hung backwards. Maybe I am... Ha-ha!

Happy 40th Birthday, Neil!

Today is Neil's Birthday. It is the BIG 4-0! And yes, he is still Rockin'. :)

Sunday evening we had a party at the house for Neil after church and several of our friends and family joined us!

Last night, I dropped off Lindsey and Logan at piano lessons and then Lauren and I met Chris at Neil's office to decorate it. The kids and I made posters for his office last week while he was at praise band practice. We stuck 40 all over his office, some black balloons and a little confetti. It was a lot of fun making Neil's 40th birthday special.

Chris quickly created this image for Neil's computer. A nice touch! :)

When Neil left to take Lauren to school, Lindsey, Logan and I quickly headed to Neil's office to be there and see his reaction to our decorating efforts. He was definitely surprised! Happy Birthday, Neil!

Lauren - Golden Eagle Marching Band

Lauren is marching this year with the Jacksonville High School Golden Eagle Marching Band. She has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the band. We are very proud of her and our Golden Eagles!

Lindsey - no more braces - for now

Lindsey got her braces taken off today. Look at that pretty smile. Unfortunately, she will have go through a second phase once all her permanent teeth come in. For now, she can enjoy being brace free and a pretty smile.

Back to School 2009

It doesn't seem like it should be time for school to be starting back. When I was a kid, we didn't start back until after Labor Day. I kind of liked that plan. It seems wrong to be going back to school so soon. I was a slacker this year and didn't get a picture of Lauren before she left for school. She probably thinks she is too big for this stuff anyway.

On the second day of school, Logan asked me to take some more pictures of them. He wanted everyone to see his cool new backpack.

Lauren is now an 8th grader, Lindsey a fourth grader and Logan a first grader. Wow! They are growing up fast!

Panama City Beach 2009

We returned to Panama City Beach, Florida on July 11th for our annual trip to the beach with Neil's family.

Logan saw some kids with the skim boards and he just had to have one. So, off we went to Target. $14 later, we have one. He tried several times to ride it. He stayed up for a few seconds here and there. Most of the time, he landed on his bottom. After several attempts and a sore bottom, he gave up.

Lauren and Chloe met last year while we were at the beach. Chloe actually has some ties to Jacksonville. Her dad, Terry, and Dr. Shan Young are first counsins. Small world! Lauren and Chloe were quite excited to be back at the beach together this year. Most of the week, we didn't see Lauren because she was with Chloe. So, if you wonder why Lauren is missing from a lot of the pictures - now you know. :)

Lauren and Chloe rode the banana boat together. They quickly figured out that the front of the banana boat was not the best choice.

Lauren went parasailing with Chloe. Logan wanted to do it as well, but we said we would wait until he was older. Logan and I did get to ride in the boat while Lauren and Chloe parasailed. Lindsey could have gone too, but she was just fine watching from the shore. Neil was deep sea fishing while we were doing all of this. He states that he caught a shark. I did actually see a picture. :)

Lauren and Chloe quickly made friends with Sarah. Logan was trying his best to sneak into picture. :)

While Lauren, Chloe and Sarah were working on their sculpture - Logan and Lindsey helped me throw this sculpture together. In case you can't tell, this is Scrat from Ice Age. We just happened to have the Happy Meal toy with us - that was our inspiration. Logan and Lindsey ended up placing in the contest. They each won a free ice cream sundae.

This girl has talent! She can text, hula hoop and chew gum all at the same time. Amazing! As long as she doesn't try that once she starts driving. She can chew gum, but no hula hoop or texting while driving. Ha-ha!

Lindsey enjoying a fruit smoothie at the luau.

Lauren, Chloe and Sarah. This is my favorite picture that I took while at the beach. I love the background.

Braxton, Callie, Lindsey and Logan. We went up to the club house on the 16th floor to fry up some the fish that the guys caught on their fishing trip. No sharks were included. :)

Acting silly!

Neil states that he won the game, but he also added up the scores. Hmm... :)

Lindsey - my little model.

Logan - my NOT so willing model.

I was supposed to pay him $10 for allowing me to take this picture. I haven't paid up yet. Don't tell. :) I told him that he needs to be the Coppertone boy!

Lindsey met a new friend, Kaitlyn. They had a blast together.

Family pictures on the beach.

Sunset on our final night at the beach. Beautiful. I wish I was back at the beach!