Fast friends!

The first week in June, while Chad was in NY working at Camp Shiloh, which is very near and dear to our hearts, I went to visit Karie, my best friend since fifth grade, who now lives in Mississippi. I remember we had just moved at the end of my fourth grade year, and were at a family weekend of sorts with what would become our church home. I remember sitting in a classroom that was designed for rising middle schoolers (I guess) and somehow the question was raised, "Who is your best friend?" She raised her hand and said that I was. I remember looking at her and thinking, "Okay. . . that was easy!" ha! (I seriously think I had known her maybe a few weeks) And so it was . . . don't you wish all relationships were that easy? :)

This might be my favorite picture of the week - Annie, Lawton, Carolina, Daniel and Hudson - at the Memphis Zoo. Can you believe they are all looking? and smiling? Miracle. Lawton is four months older than Daniel and Hudson is three months older than Carolina. (Poor Carolina looks like a peanut compared to him. . . I could have just eaten him up!!
Here are the kiddos in front of the Memphis Zoo - it was a perfect day - not too crowded and the weather was great!

One of our first stops was the sea lion show - so cute!We killed two birds with one stone and let the kids eat the picnic lunch we brought while they watched the show. This picture cracks me up because Lawton is studying the zoo map. He is OBSESSED with maps and wants to know where we are in relation to things. He has always paid attention to where we are going and knows where we are and can usually navigate us around. I tried to warn Karie that he LOVES maps, but she soon realized what I was talking about . . . :) So . . . if you have a map from somewhere and are going to throw it out, Lawton would love to see it! He's got quite the collection going on . . .

Annie noticed this HUGE earthworm in the path and scooped it right up. This girl's not afraid of anything! Love it! They had a special birds and bees exhibit going on - which is kind of funny because he has been acting kinda "scared" of honeybees of late. I'm not sure where his fear is coming from . . .

Daniel and Annie both LOVED feeding the parakeets in the special exhibit. Lawton? Not so much. We headed out of there pretty quickly and waited for them to finish. :)

Isn't Hudson the cutest thing you have ever seen?

The orangutan (in the background) might have been my favorite. God sure does have a sense of humor! ha!

Karie and her kiddos . . .

In the reptile house, Lawton and Daniel were amazed at the huge boa constrictor (or maybe it's an anaconda?) I can't remember now - I just know if I saw that thing in the wild, put a fork in me - I'm done!!

How cute to see their little heads peeking through the railing to see the penguins!

They have a great little wading area at the front of the zoo entrance. Kids were actually in their bathing suits playing in it!

One morning I walked out into the playroom and this is what I found, fast friends watching some television . . . so cute!

So then, that night, Kelly, Karie's husband, decided that it would be fun to let the boys sleep together in a tent in the playroom. He set it all up and the kids watched a show before bed. (This is after they had gotten home from VBS, too.) All of a sudden, Annie decided that playing with the boys might be fun after all! ;) However, when we finally said lights out, Daniel and Annie both decided to go back to their beds . . .

mesmerized by a Berenstain Bears video . . .

And this is where I found Lawton asleep - he didn't sleep in the tent, either! ha!

Poor Carolina - surrounded by all those nasty boys!

Can you believe that Hudson is only three months older? Look at his baby blues!

And this is on the way to a local playground. Soon after this picture was taken, Carolina broke out into some serious hives and I RAN all the way back to the house to get some Benadryl. The doctors seem to think that maybe her intermittent hives (for which I can not pinpoint ANY cause) might be somehow related to the virus that MAY have caused her ITP. Will we ever know? I'm not sure . . .

I am so thankful for the lifelong friendship that I share with Karie and now her kiddos (and Kelly, her husband)! She knows way more about me than anyone else (or at least for that portion of my life . . . ) and we can pick up right where we left off without batting an eye. That's what friends are for . . . ;)

***Update on Carolina*** She seems to be feeling fine - still eating like a horse - and we think her bruises are getting better. They seem to be turning brownish/yellowish - yum - and we have noticed no new bruises. Thank you for praying for our sweet baby girl!