I have no words for this cuteness

Okay, maybe just a few words...

Back to school time for Addison and she was all smiles and excitement.  Thanks for the adorable back to school dress Grandma Nancy:)  We love it!

Ready for a great year in Pre-K 4!  

Little Bit

After Amelia and Luke begin school, Addison and I have a few weeks before she begins school.  

We recently checked out a fun Children's Exploring center in our area with our sweet friend Madeline Hart.  

Seconds before this photo, the girls were using their best gruff pirate voices, "Arrgg, walk the plank!"  "My treasure, matey" etc.  But when I brought out the camera, their girliness came shining through and they both struck a pose.

Another day, another lunch out with my best lunch date.  Addison has called her throat, her "throw up" for years now.  We all have corrected her gazillions of times but she still always says "my throw up" as in "my throw up is sore, it got stuck in my throw up."  So while she was eating her ice cream cone at the restaurant she kept saying, "This feels good on my throw up mommy."  The two officers sitting beside us, seemed a bit concerned by this statement but I just nodded and smiled.  

Yesterday Addison told me she loved me and I told her, "The best part of being a mommy is hearing my kiddos tell me they love me."  Addison responded, "The best part of being a kid is when I get to eat chips all day."  

I also want to remember this one by Luke last week...he found some sort of wand when he was out exploring.  All day he was yelling different magic words and swiping the wand around.  I heard him tell Addison, "This wand has magic in it, I just haven't found the right magic words yet."

School!!

It is that time of year in the south again, first day of school was August 6th!  It always comes too quickly and I always tear up.  Look how big they are, when did that happen?  

Amelia is off to 5th grade with the teacher she was praying to get-Mrs. Manning.  Amelia had Mrs. Manning in first grade and absolutely loved her.  She also FINALLY got her best friend, Mckenzie, in her class and she is so excited.  She was literally bouncing around her room because she was so excited for school to start.

Luke is going into 2nd grade with Mrs. Rutherford.  Mrs. Rutherford is so much fun and Luke adores her already.  She used to work at the Marine Mammal Institute so she has all sorts of ocean adventure stories and interesting facts that Luke shares with us at dinner.  She even has an octopus in a jar on her desk.  She is a perfect teacher for a little boy.  

So thankful for fantastic teachers that take care of my babies when they are away from me.  

10th Birthday Party for Mimi!

Amelia's 10th Birthday Party at the bowling alley.  

This sweet group of girls has been her group for years now and I hope they always remain good friends.  The room was filled with giggles and excited talk of school starting.  

Quite the little bowlers:)  Funny enough, Addison-the 4 year old-beat all of the 10 year olds!  

More visits from old friends

We recently had Paul Yankey visit with us.  Steve and Paul have been best friends since 4th grade and they were also college roomates...

...which is where I came into the picture.  

Paul definitely prefers dogs to kids but he handled ours well by enticing them with souped up nerf guns.  Many a nerf battle has gone down in our family room.  Thanks Paul :)  We had a great visit catching up with Paul, it is always so special to see old friends.

Look at my dapper little man.  I recently took my girls back to school bow shopping.  Yes, for hair bows.  Down here, we do the regular shop-school supplies, school clothes, school shoes but with the inclusion of new, stylish hair bows.  

On the way to the bow store, Luke asked me if they had bow ties for boys there.  Why, yes they do my sweet southern gentleman.  Luke picked out, what I hope is only his first of many, bow ties.  A cute mustache print.  He proudly sported it for church the next morning.  Watch out ladies.

Ruzas 2013

The Ruzas rolled on in from Indiana again this July and we were so happy to have them!

We have lots of this same picture over the years...heading out to Horn Island!

The kids all lost themselves in Horn Island fun for the day.  They collected hermit crabs and starfish to their hearts delight.

And they swam, and swam and swam and swam and swam.

Our sweet friends the Ruzas.  

This best describes the week, the kids were knee deep in sea water, beach, mud and sand the entire week.  They collected everything living on the coast.  

Abby and Sam-our very first best friends.

I think this is the only picture I have of the kids in their clothes.  Every morning they went out the door in their jammies and at some point they would put on a bathing suit (for boating, tubing, islanding, pooling,etc.) and then eventually shower and jammies again.  

Trying their luck at some evening fishing.

Jammies and turtle hunting, a favorite Boskovich/Ruzas activity.

Looking for an escape.

Everyone took turns on the kayak.

Chris kayaking, Marcie taking a ride.  She didn't see the point in paddling when Chris could do it.  This is after we convinced her that sharks do not live behind my house in two feet of brackish water.

TUBING!!!

The dogs were very loved upon.  

We ventured to a new island while the Ruzas were here.  We headed to Ship Island on a beautiful day where the Gulf water was as smooth as glass.  We even saw a school of sting ray swimming by because the water was so smooth and clear.  

The Fort behind the kids is Fort Massachusetts and it was built in 1859 to protect New Orleans and served as a Gulf Coast military supply depot.  It also ended up holding prisoners of war during the Civil War.  

We all explored the Fort including some of the original cannons.  I just kept thinking, someone had to unload all of these millions of bricks onto an island.  I don't even like to help unload the coolers and chairs off the boat when we get to the island.  

We then headed to the other side of Ship Island to do what we do best at the island, swim and collect things and eat.  (And Chris and Stephen unloaded the coolers and chairs).

Marcie has a really great new camera so she took A LOT of pictures, like 500 pictures.  So it was fun to go through all of the action shots.  I love this one she caught of Luke nailing Amelia in the head.  Little brothers are so much fun.

I also like this Baywatch shot of Amelia.  It's good to be 10 and full of energy and be on a beautiful island with your best friend.  

We had dolphins playing with us throughout the day at the island.  Steve and the kids were hanging out on the tube watching the dolphins play behind them.  

Jammies and turtles again.  Run turtles, run!!!

So sweet, these faces.  Loved having them in Mississippi again.

One more boat cruise the night before they left.  

Best friends-10 years in the making.  

I love having my Marcie with me.  Wish it was more often but I'll take every second I can get.  Love you Ruzas...come back soon!

Summer Odds and Ends

Grandpa Steve took Amelia for a "birthday day" which included movie, lunch and shopping.  I was thrilled Grandpa got to experience (ie tortured) with the Justice adventure.  Justice is a 10 year olds dream store-filled with neon and peace signs and things a 10 year old girl just has to have.  It is an assault on a 36 year olds senses.  I swear when I walk in there, I get a migraine or a seizure.

Anyhoo,  Amelia picked out necklaces for herself and Addison that said, "Big Sis" and "Lil Sis."  

She also picked out these necklaces for her best buds, "BFF's stick together" and the necklaces actually stick together with magnets.  Very cute.  Amelia and Hayden and Mckenzie are quite the troop.

Addison spent a week at Walter Anderson Art Camp.  She enjoyed making fish prints, pinch pots, painting and crafting.  She was the 3rd Boskovich to enjoy the summer camp.  

Some nights are too pretty to waste on the kids so we took our friends out for an adults only sunset boat cruise.  Super fun friends and a beautiful night out on the water.  Sorry Kev and Kenneth, I didn't get any pictures of you:(

The Boskovich boat crew.  Captain Steve and Skipper Jenni.

Boogie Days-Destin 2013

 Hooray!!!  Time for our family vacation to Destin, Florida.

Luke finally lost his front tooth after letting it hang by a string for weeks.  

Cheek to cheek with mommy.

Luke catching a wave on the boogie board.

Little bit having a blast jumping the waves.

More daddy, more daddy, more daddy!

Amelia was a pro at boogie boarding.  She didn't miss a wave.

Never one to be left out, Addison learned how to boogie board on this vacation.  She loved it and handled the waves so well for such a little peanut.  She would pop up after wiping out in a wave and yell, "THAT WAS AWESOME!!!"

This is honestly how we spent 90% of the vacation.  As soon as the kids ate breakfast, they put on their suits and were ready to catch more waves.  We had to drag them in for lunch and dinner.  Stephen and I realized we were getting old on this vacation.  We could barely keep up with the kids and our eyes were closing during dinner.  Lots of fun in the sun and surf but wow, exhausting.

Daddy and his little girl, so sweet.

While in Destin, Amelia Grace turned 10 years old!  

Cowgirl boots to wear to...

the Taylor Swift concert!  Mommy and Amelia are headed to Nashville for the Taylor Swift concert in September.  

Happy 10th Birthday sweet Amelia Grace.  

Happy memories made at the beach.