Life as a Lewis

Rory declared, "WE MATCH" (yes, in all caps because it was just about that loud) Sunday after I shared my lipgloss and she realized we both had denim skirts on.

For the last 3 years, Brian and Camden have taken an annual camping trip for Camden's birthday. This year July is so crazy that they've gone a couple of weeks early and are unfortunately only spending one night instead of 2. They always have the best time and Camden really thrives on having that special time alone with Brian. They left yesterday morning and should get back this afternoon. A few things: Rory, of course, was not excited about Brian and Camden leaving and cried off an on as they prepared. Before they left, Camden came up to me and told me in a whisper that Rory could call him if she missed him during the day and that she definitely could call him before bedtime. When I talked to him tonight, the first thing he told me, "Guess what, mommy. Did you know that I'm playing with fire and had two hotdogs, two smores, and fritos for supper, and accidentally fell in the water and got my face all wet, and was very heated up because it was hot, and did I te

Bright and early Thursday morning, my sister Elizabeth and I drove to St. Louis to meet my mom and sister Becky for 3 days. We laughed, cried, took pictures, made fun of mom - all before our first meal together was over. We started off with lunch at Rue Lafayette and enjoyed quiche, chocolate croissants and ginger peach tea. The park across the street looked so pretty that we decided to take a little walk. Seriously, how pretty is this! Then it was time for Penzeys . Becky is an excellent cook and has been a fan of Penzeys for a while now. She turned my mom into a fan (who is also a great cook). And now, after visiting the store, I'm officially a convert. Now if I could only cook with all the great spices I picked up. Even Brian was impressed after smelling everything when I brought it home. We shopped at St. Louis Galleria and found some great deals at Gap: $3 p.j.'s for Rory and $5 jeans for Camden. Mostly we just browsed stores that we clearly cannot afford. Next up was The

I took advantage of the white rocking chair at Gram and Gramp's house last weekend. I had all of 2 minutes to get these taken before we were both covered in sweat, but I think they turned out pretty well. Sweet, right? Yep, a real smile. Maybe a little cheesy , but still sweet And then we have this gem. :)

I'm leaving this morning with my sister (Elizabeth) to meet my mom and other sister (Becky) in St. Louis for a couple of days. We're hanging out, shopping, eating, and going to a Beth Moore conference. In the meantime, here is a little list of random things from the week. Camden informed us Sunday that he wishes there was a Camden's Day (because we were celebrating Father's Day and emphasized that Brian got to have his favorite foods, do what he wanted, etc.). Apparently, he's unaware that most days around here are Camden's (and Rory's) Day. When we told Rory this week that I was going to be gone for 3 days, her little face started to fall, then she brightened up and asked if she and Daddy could watch something fun on TV. Not sure exactly how this conversation started at supper Monday night, but somehow we made it around to the fact that babies live in their mother's bellies for 9 months until they're ready to be born. Camden giggled and sai

Usually I'm bribing/threatening/pleading with Camden and Rory to let me take their picture, but on this day, they were all about the camera. They were begging me to take pictures. Something about water guns clearly turns Rory into a member of Charlie's Angels and Camden into a member of the militia. Trying for a mean look. Nope, couldn't hold it together. Okay, she didn't beg me to take this one. I just couldn't resist.

I'll just warn you that if you're not family, you might not be too interested in these videos, but I'm putting them up for those that love us. :) (these are all from March/April) A hit early on in the baseball season Coming home A little snack

We had big plans to take the kids to the BiCentennial Park Fountains yesterday, but discovered as we were headed out the door that they were closed due to the Nashville flooding in May. Good thing we double checked for directions! The kids were disappointed, but we cheered them up by letting them . . . . . . . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . . . wash the car. Fortunately, when you're 6 and 3, washing the car is a whole lot of fun. We also went to see Toy Story 3. Rory could pretty much care less about the movie, but she's a big fan of popcorn. The last 10 minutes or so of the movie, I spent more time watching Camden's face than the movie - he was so into it and so darn cute. We finished up the day with that little dance session and the video I posted last night. Seriously laughed hard at those two all night! Sometimes there are these little moments in life when your kids are deliriously happy and everything seems just about perfect. Brian is participating in the Go10 Walk

1. They did not learn their moves from me. 2. Ignore the messy laundry room in the background.

Camden and Rory were invited to spend the day at Gram and Gramp's house Friday so Brian and I ran some errands and then went to see The Karate Kid . Yes, the new one. Like most girls in the mid-to-late 80's, The Karate Kid movies were my favorite. I distinctly remember sitting in the living room with a friend rewinding certain parts over and over again. And the new one was fun. Although Jaden Smith looked all of 8 years old and I found myself wanting to mother him when he got beat up, which is quite a change from how I felt when I watched Ralph Macchio in the original. LOL Saturday was very low-key, and we all did absolutely nothing. Sunday was a bit busier and involved an early meeting at church, then regular church, a serious melt-down from Camden which resulted in his missing lunch, but the day improved. Until Rory got bit by one of those big red fire ants and from the way she screamed, we thought she'd been attacked by bees. Of course, she was "playing" with t

Since I'm going to be out of town next week for 3 days and Brian will be playing the role of Mr. Mom, I decided that we should give it a trial run. Okay, actually, I just had my annual MRI scheduled for much too early yesterday morning and I decided to make the most of it and meet my friend Tina for coffee (iced for me, hot for her) and then hit the mall, library, Target, and then another mall. The Stash: I should know by now that I should keep away from any sort of retail store when they've got mid-summer clearance happening. I arrived home around 3:00 having eaten a Krispy Kreme donut for lunch and feeling quite exhausted from all my partying. Apparently, Brian was exhausted from a day with the kids since he fell asleep on the couch at 7:00. Rory had definitely missed me and spent the remainder of the afternoon/evening on my lap. I took advantage of it and rocked her to sleep, which just never happens anymore. It dawned on me this week that my girl is almost four. FOUR! How d

When Camden was invited to be on the all-star team, we were concerned about the time commitment (practices 7 days a week seems a bit extreme for 6 year olds), but specifically the time commitment on Sundays. We try to keep Sunday free of activities except church so that we can honor the Lord's Day. We were willing to compromise for a few weeks and let him practice and play the occasional game on Sunday afternoons, but we weren't willing to miss church. After talking to the coach and having him reassure us that the games would be in the afternoons, we decided to give the all-star team a chance. But after only one week on the team, it became clear that the initial information he gave us was incorrect and the head coach asked us to commit to 4 straight Sundays full of baseball games, and we decided that we just couldn't do it. We were all disappointed, especially Camden, but I feel like we made the right decision for our family. And we've enjoyed this first real week of su

I told you Camden would torture her with the water guns. :)

Two Mondays a month I head to the grocery store. And each time, I vow to never shop on Monday mornings again. And two Mondays a month, I have amnesia and forget all about it. And so yesterday I left the house at 7:30 on yet another major grocery shopping event and spent over two hours looking for items on empty shelves, dodging boxes in the aisles and listening to employee team meetings while the check-out lines got longer and longer. The only redeeming quality to the morning was that when I stopped at the local coffeeshop for an iced coffee (which is my routine after those marathon grocery trips), I ran into my friend Russell who is recently home from Laos, and we talked a mile a minute while my groceries warmed up in the trunk of the car. Camden and Rory have played together so well in our first few weeks of summer, but if yesterday is any indication, the honeymoon is over. Even Brian who is generally very calm and patient was feeling frazzled after spending the day listening to the

The weekend kind of went by in a blur of busyness, but here are a few highlights: Watched the World Cup Game with Korea vs. Argentina. Camden promptly went and found his soccer jersey and wore it the rest of the day. Did I mention the soccer jersey is from 2 years ago? Church workday on Saturday and since we live in the parsonage, we get the benefit of that. A more secure deck, trees trimmed, and new driveway. Camden sang with me at church on Sunday. He did a good job and was very sweet. He told me that next time he'd like to stand on stage and sing by himself. Our church connection group met at our house last night, and we enjoyed talking with friends. The kids completely wore themselves out playing. I have many childhood memories of late nights at church with friends, and it felt like our kids made one of those memories last night. They both came in about 9:30 completely soaked in sweat and insanely dirty, but thoroughly happy. Jenn Barrette: Feet in the Sand, The Digi Files #18

I am feeling slightly overwhelmed this morning with a busy week behind us and a crazy weekend ahead of us as well as thoughts/vents that are probably best left unsaid so I'm just going to leave you with two more pictures from the front yard this week. Who knew a sprinkler could be so much fun? I have absolutely no idea what was going through her crazy little mind here. PSA: I used Everyday Ordinary kit by Emily Powers/Paislee Press for my new blog design.