So, we have returned!!!!!

We had a WONDERFUL time in Topsail, NC with the Egger family! Pictures will be avaiable soon, so check back!!!!!! Here's a group shot from our fabulous trip!

Announcing another Lenhart!!!!

As you all know, my long time friend, Debbie, has been expecting her 4th child for some time now! :)



Because the hospital camera was broken, I had the pleasure and the honor to photograph him for the first time!! So, here is Mr. Braxton Grant Lenhart!



CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LENHART FAMILY!!!!!!!!

And we're a little excited!!!!!!!

We've been diligently getting ready for our trip to Topsail, NC!!!! We're heading to the beach on Friday with the Egger famiy!

Megan and I have been IM monsters with our lists and needs and questions and ideas and recipe and activity plans....the list goes on and on!!! We've gone shopping (with 4 boys) to prepare for this week!!!

Here's Megan with all of Vinny's belongings....

and here are the boys.....having fun in Target!

In preparation for our departure on Friday, we've had a countdown on our fridge for days and Jory gets to change it every morning......

Gunnar wanted a sign too, sooooooooo

Lyon and I have been talking about how great it will be to walk down the beach together and the boys are SO excited to see the ocean! (Gunnar has been referring to the ocean as "big big wahtah")

Needless to say, we're ready for vacation! Having been together for close to 9 years, Lyon and I have NEVER taken a family vacation together! And what better way to spend a vacation than with our long time friends?! :)

5 months....and counting!

So, 5 months ago today,

(thanks for the reminder Megan)

I smoked my last cigarette of what will hopefully be for the rest of my life! :)

I can semi-safely say that I don't think I will ever smoke again! Although I miss them dearly, it is such a GREAT feeling to say that I am now part of the "non-smoking" world!

Goodbye to these days! :)

First and foremost, I like the feeling of saying "Ew, smoking is digusting" to my 8-year old and my almost-3-year old and not feel like a hypocrite.


I love that my loving Husband doesn't smoke anymore either....

I love that I have a "partner in crime" for this journey....Megan quit smoking over a YEAR ago and has been a HUGE inspiration to me!

I love that I don't have to spray extra perfume on me to cover the smoke smell and the fact that my perfume lasts MUCH longer these days! I've noticed a change in my complextion, my attitude, and my overall appearance!

It's a fantastic, liberating, exciting and amazing thing to accomplish! I support anyone who chooses to become a non-smoker!

Can't wait for vacation!

So, I'm sitting here with laundry to do, pictures to proof, rooms to dust and vaccum, toys to organize, etc., etc., and I just can't get the thought of sitting on a beach out of my head! (Plus the fact that Husband went back to work last week hasn't been sitting very well with me at all! I love it when he's here with me during his layoff periods!) So, in just over a week, we will be sitting on the beach at Topsail Beach, NC with the Egger family and it's driving me nuts that we're not there yet! :):):):):)

So, to pass my frazzled mind, I thought I'd share some pictures from our July 4th weekend!!


We started our weekend on Friday with the Lancaster July 4th Parade! This year, we traded our usual spot as parade watchers at Sister's house for a spot IN the parade supporting Buckeye Hammer House Gym (Lyon trains out of this gym, I attend kickboxing classes here and Jory has recently started in the Youth Boxing Program here). So here we are with our makeshift boxing ring and all the kids ready to show the parade goers just what they're made of!





Jory was at his mom's so he wasn't in attendance....:( But Gunnar showed his support by first, riding in his wagon, beautifully decorated by his mother with stars, stripes and some Youth Boxing advertisments!




Of course, he didn't ride long.....he got bored and wanted to actually run with the wagon....sooooooo, we let him go!




He ran in flip flops, so he and Lyon had to stop to adjust a few thousand times, but he made it from the end of Columbus Street, down Main Street to Broad Street and all the way down Broad Street to the Fairgrounds! He was on a mission and it was great!


We then came home for awhile...just long enough for me to pick up the house, check my messages, do a quick workout and get stuff together for the firworks later that night....and for Gunnar to take a nap from his jog around Lancaster!

We got all our stuff together and headed to Sister's for great parking and some time with the Smiths' and mom and dad! We all walked down to the fairgrounds together to endure the rediculous mess for the 4th!





We were without Jory and Cameron (as stated earlier, Jory was at his mom's and Cam was with is dad), but Gunnar and Austyn were excited for our journey!

So, Mom, Dad, Sister, Jacob, Austyn and Kenna all headed back to the Smith home to watch the fireworks while Gunnar, Lyon and I headed to Dustin's house (who is a bit closer to the fairgrounds) so I could capture some fantastic pictures of the Lancaster display! Before the fireworks began, of course, we celebrated with some sparklers and drinks!

Gunnar was a little scared of the sparklers at first....but with a little peer pressure from those in attendance.....


....he jumped right in and had a great time with them!




So then, of course, we had to have a photo shoot to cure boredom before the fireworks.......









And now for the fireworks! :) Lancaster always has a GREAT display of fireworks! Gunnar didn't like them at first.......


But in talking with Didah (Daddy, but he calls him Dee-Daw), he felt a little better about it!



Gotta love fireworks!!!











And now for the grand finale......






HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FROM THE GEORGES'!!!!!