Sunrise at the beach....

Chris and I woke up super early this morning and drove to the beach to watch the sunrise.

Elli came along for the fun....

It was beautiful!!!!

Bath time...

Elli loves her bathtime....only if it is in the kitchen sink ;).  She learned that from her cousin Lily ;).  What will we ever do when she gets too big for the sink?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

My husband is a character. 

Some of you know him as this character....

He is sometimes known as this character.....

and....he is very often referred to as this character in our house....

Mostly, he is just a character....

and we love him more than words can say.... 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY CHRIS!

Fairytales....

I am a sucker for fairytales....at 40 years old, I will read or watch a fairytale any day over anything else.  Today I am thrilled to tears to have watched, prayed, and played even a teeny-tiny part in this FAIRYTALE COME TRUE!!!  It made my day to see this video and to know that Mia Kareen has a family and a home and no longer has to live in the confines of an Eastern European orphanage!!!!

TGIF!!!!

Fridays are a BIG deal in this house.  It is our big dessert night, our "all-nighter" night (which usually lasts till about midnight - earlier for the twins;)), and we always do something fun - movie, games, wii - it is our FAMILY FUN NIGHT!!  Tonight is Cowboy night.  Chris is a big fan of True Grit - the ultimate cowboy movie - soooooo, tonight is True Grit Cowboy night.  Funny thing...I saved this cowboy table cloth from when Trevor had a cowboy birthday when he was little ( I am telling you I am the ultimate recycler!!!)....had no idea that in 2011 we would be living in New Jersey and having a cowboy family fun night!!! 
Everyone is dressed up and ready to BBQ burgers and celebrate Cowboy night...YEE HAW!!
(You will have to pause the player at the right to hear the sound on the movie)

Saturday fun....

It has been so long since we had a weekend with everyone home and no commitments to CAP or Boy scouts that we decided to spend the day together at the zoo.  The Cape May zoo is a free zoo and it was such a beautiful drive, with really beautiful weather....we had a sweet, relaxing day!!!

The twins loved riding on their brother's shoulders, and Daddy took a ride on Joshua...See Joshua, your PE with your mom is making you stronger ;)....

Elli peered through the bars of every exhibit, she loved seeing all the animals....

I have to say, though, that I think she enjoyed seeing all the babies at the zoo.  Not the animal babies, the human babies.  She made sure to point out and announce "baby" every time she spotted a baby - even the ones bigger than her.... 

Jay and Ray took a moment to reflect and salute at the American Eagle exhibit.... 

You can see the eagle right above them in the pic.... 

The last time we were at the zoo the crocodiles didn't move once, and we all had our doubts as to whether they were stuffed.  This time, they put on a show for us....

The simple life....

Chris and I have moved our family, to settle in new homes, across several states, twice now.  This last move, to New Jersey, I made the statement, several times, throughout the packing, moving out, storage, and moving in, that I wanted to become a minimalist.  Several times in the past months, Chris and I have had many conversations about our next move, and our desire to live simply.  I came across this video this morning.


I am not saying I want to copycat this person's idea of simple living.  I know for a fact that our 8 member family wouldn't fit in a house that small.  I am attracted to the idea of "focusing on what we do have, rather than on what we don't have".  I also liked what the woman in the video said about how affordable it has become to accumulate "things".  The whole idea of living simpler is so opposite to how the average American thinks and lives.  We have become the "bigger is better" nation (I won't get started on how that includes debt - from the White House on down...).  I believe that there is a freedom and liberty to living simply.  I believe that "things" can bind you - mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially!!!  I found it interesting to hear the woman express, at the beginning of the video, that she was worried about what people would think when they decided to downsize and live a simpler life.  Have you ever heard the expression "talk to the hand".  What a refreshing thought....to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the idea that "bigger is better".

Talk to the hand!!