Thankful Thursday & 4th of July Weekend

So much going on and time seems to be flying by so quickly! A short week last week to celebrate the 4th.....my Thankful Thursday post got lost in the mad dash for a long weekend so I'll combine them and call it a day.

I am thankful for a long weekend- time for us to be together as a family for a bit of an extended break with no expectations at all. I picked Cooper up from camp a bit early, met Jon at home where we threw things into the car and hightailed it towards the river. Having an extra night there makes a ton of difference. We arrived and basked in the wonderful-ness of the peace and quiet.

July 4th was a lazy day....ran some errands and went to the pool. Cooper probably put 10 miles on the golf cart- he so loves riding around. I can hear him talking to himself and singing as he whizzes by.

We got together with our amazing river family for a picnic. For the past few years, our tradition has been to have a picnic supper and then take the boats out and enjoy the fireworks on the water. You can see about 4 "real" displays from where we float and countless rookie shows- it's always been lots of fun. This year, we got rained out. Oddly, it didn't matter a single bit. The kids were occupied and the rest of us were completely content to just sit around and chat. Some of that may have to do with this dessert. I can honestly say that I have never (EVER) been even slightly tempted to try banana pudding. It's simply not my thing- at all. However, when Lisa brought this in the door and announced that it was a Paula Deen recipe....I was intrigued. I tried it- -and was hooked. I don't think that I'll start to eat banana pudding as a rule- but should I need to take a non-chocolate dessert to an event, I would certainly turn to this and feel great about it.

Note: Diana- if you happen to be reading this, don't worry.....I'll be bringing a chocolate dessert on Wednesday!

Lately, Cooper has had the opportunity to see or come in contact with lots of neat animals. He and Jon spotted a bald eagle in a dead tree visible from our property at the river and a raccoon trotted by the pool while he and Wade were swimming last weekend. We talked about it at dinner that night and I got an idea for a book (have you seen those great Shutterfly photo books?). We're now working on a book called, "Animals I Saw the Summer I was Six" by Cooper. I'm all about it and it seems that he's bought in as well. The plan is that we'll take pictures of the animals that he sees this summer, preferably with him in them- but that may not be possible....so, we'll see how it goes. Here is a sneak peak (with a croaker).



I also like this shot.

I am thankful that he has the opportunity to explore nature and that he is so filled with wonder at each new discovery.

When Jon's mom died (3 years ago in May), our river neighbors gave us a maple tree to plant in her memory. We did- and hoped that the tree would flourish. Will flat out told us that he wasn't convinced that it would make it but we had hope. We call the tree Lolo (Jon's moms name) and talk to her and about her all the time. She's grown a lot and is really pretty sturdy. Today Cooper came running in the house and said that he thought that Lolo had a bird's nest in her. So I grabbed my camera and off we went. Sure enough, that little tree is home to a family of birds. My pictures aren't great because I didn't want to scare them and I don't have the rock star camera that I've recently been dreaming about.

When things like this happen, I can't help but smile at the way God works. I am thankful for messages that come from heaven.

Note: I was showing Jon the pictures tonight and we were talking about how great it was that Lolo had a bird. At the same time, we both stopped and I said, "Lolo didn't really like a bird, did she?", he laughed and shook his head "No, she didn't". That makes it all the more perfect- she didn't like a bird, but she sure did like to laugh! We love you Lolo!

Cooper and I took a golf cart drive to the state dock. He loves it there, although it does leave a little to be desired typically. We visited 2 times today and I took some pictures that I really like. I've been inspired to look at things differently lately (with a new lens/eye) and these were today's view. I am thankful for beauty in unexpected places and sharing special moments with my son.




A close friend of Jon's came to visit on Saturday. He and his family are in the midst of a move and are living in 2 different states for the next few weeks until their home is ready to be occupied. We adopted him for part of the weekend so he wouldn't be by himself. I love seeing Jon truly enjoy himself with his peers. The stories that they tell and the great times that they've shared over the years (they went to college together) are priceless! They took Cooper spade fishing and Cooper was the only one who caught a spade fish- can you imagine the ribbing on that one!

This post is getting long....but I can't help it! Ok, last one....

This afternoon we were getting ready to come home and as we were packing, a rain shower interrupted us. The sky was bright and I thought it seemed like rainbow weather. I went outside to look- and sure enough- there was a rainbow! I yelled for Cooper and Jon and the three of us huddled together on the porch stoop and watched until it faded away. It was beautiful and an incredible end to an amazing weekend. I am thankful for my family- I love them so much.