Where oh where... (updated)

...has the time gone?!?!

Summer is over for us. And I'm so sad.

Gib is back at work today. I start preplanning tomorrow at the preschool. School starts for the girls a week from today, August 3rd.

It honestly seems like they just got out. We had a great summer, but it just was not long enough.

Do you remember when you went back after summer break? It was the day after Labor Day for me. This is just too early. August is still full of summer playtime! But at least they start in August this year...one year they started on July 25th!

I am not one of those moms who wishes my kids to be back in school. Yes, they argue. Yes, I get tired of hearing them. Yes, they get bored. But I LOVE having them at home with me!

In anticipation of our summer ending, I convinced Gib to go tubing last Friday. It was his first and last trip, I do believe!

The girls wanted to go last summer, but I was pregnant with Baby Grady. NOT a good pregnant activity, I'm afraid, especially for me. We couldn't go with a group of our friends this year because we were leaving for the beach the next day. (and if you know me IRL, then you know that I tend to procrastinate and had too much to do!) So, I thought it would be a cheap, fun family activity.

And it was.

Kind of.

We drove to little "touristy" town called Helen, which is in the north GA mountains. It's a little over an hour from our home, and it is beautiful. The town is based on the German culture with lots of shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, horse and carriage rides, putt-putt, and tubing, among other things.

It only cost us $3 per person for a 2-hour float down the Chattahoochee River. But, we didn't exactly float too much! The first stretch was shallow, and we spent a good bit of time stepping falling on the rocks to get our tubes down the river. Thankfully, my friend next door let us borrow their water sticks to help us when we got stuck. They were so helpful, but there were times when we had to just get up and walk to get past certain rocks.

However, they weren't so helpful when Gib whacked me, HARD, in the head with his stick! I'm laughing so hard I can hardly type this. It really was funny. But not so funny to him, at the time. (Now the tears are rolling down my face!) I'm just glad he whacked me and not a stranger because it really did hurt!

At one point, not long after his batting practice with my head, I looked behind me, and he was stuck. As he stood up to un-stick himself, he mouthed to me, "I'm done", with a not so happy look on his face.

Poor thing. We were only about 10 minutes into the 2-hour long adventure!

His tube was latched to Emma Grace's and mine to Jessica's. We had planned to switch at some point but never did. Jessica was having a good time until she saw a snake. Thankfully, I did NOT see it! She claims she saw three and is adamant about it, but I'm not sure. However, there was a little boy in the water on some shallow rocks, who was tiptoeing away, saying repeating "There's a snake right there". There was another lady who was tubing away from the river bank who said, "Don't go over there. There's a snake". So, they very well could have been out that day, and Jessica might have really seen three. I don't know. I do know she's NOT in a hurry to go back, and I'm GLAD that I didn't see any!

Jessica and Emma Grace both fell out of their tubes once. I almost got flipped, but somehow saved myself. I thought it was fun, but it definitely wasn't quite as relaxing as I imagined. I couldn't take my camera on the river, for obvious reasons, but I snapped a few when we unloaded from the water.

We boarded a bus that looked just like this to take us up the river.



Here are the girls after our adventure.



We brought a picnic lunch and ate by the river, while watching fellow floaters come in from the water. (The sun was in Jessica's eyes)



--------------------

And before I go, a picture of Buddy from yesterday. He loves to be in the grass, but only when it's wet and cold.



When we tried to take him out during the heat of the day, he would whimper and whine. But in the morning and evening, he LOVES it!

And I told you he was a snuggler!



He has done great the last two nights in his crate, but he is showing his true colors this morning! I think he's finally comfortable enough to be his little puppy self. He's so cute, but he's been a handful already this morning.

Hope all of you have a great day!

--------------------

*****Updated to ask: PLEASE, PLEASE get on your knees with me to pray for Stellan. Click here to read the latest. He is NOT doing well and needs a miracle that can only come from above. The latest twitter update on MckMama's left side bar said that Stellan is being airlifted to Boston. Thank you for helping to cover this precious baby and his family in prayer.

Love,
Tonya