Also I have a nephew!

On July 17, I got a nephew!

Sawyer Lee McLeod weighed in at 7 lb 10 oz and he is perfect!

I loved being in there for every minute of it!

Jen was a champ - she did the whole thing without any intervention or epidural and definitely deserved this Chick-fil-A meal along with a sweet tea AND a cherry coke when she was done!

The girls are in love with their baby brother.

I love this family so much and count it as one of my greatest privileges to have been there for the births of each of these precious kiddos!

Teeth, rain, camp, and a race.

As I am writing this, Claire has been playing tennis in the kitchen against the glass sliding doors (which is a different issue altogether) and now AK is doing a handstand and telling Claire that she can get a point if she can hit her in the belly button with her tennis ball. So that's how this morning is going.

Owen can't reach the sink yet so he jumps up on my bathroom counter every day to brush his teeth, and I always want to remember him like this.

The other day a rainstorm swept in when we were at the pool, and the kids had the BEST TIME EVER. AK shouted with joy, "It's like a water pool!" Because apparently the pool wasn't wet enough before the rain?

The girls went to Winshape camp a few weeks ago. It was AK's first year. They had such a great time!

While they were at camp, Owen and I stayed home and counted to 200 and other fun things like that.

Last week Spencer and Travis did a mountain bike race in Milledgeville. The girls participated in the kids race and did awesome!

Claire took first place and AK took second. (Never mind that there were only three kids participating...they still did great!)

All the set-ups for the bikers were super professional - tents, bike stands, support crew ready to help refill or give snacks, etc.

And then there was our set-up. Mini van. Cooler. Jam up.

The boys getting ready to race...

And they're off!

Summer so far.

Tuesday mornings have been spent at the pool with friends...

Lots of afternoons are spent playing baseball games in the backyard...

We went to Rome to watch Uncle Bo throw out the first pitch at the Rome Braves game, and Owen got to go on the field with him!

We found a dog in the neighborhood and pretended like she was ours while we searched for her owner...

 Claire hates getting her hair braided but loves the curls the next day!

This sweet girl danced in her recital in June and was pretty much the cutest dancer I've ever seen...

If not baseball games, then soccer...

A couple of beach pictures from my phone that didn't make it on to the beach post...

We picked berries for a friend who was out of town...

Also, the kids and I were playing a charades game the other day. Owen drew the card that had a picture of socks, and AK jumped in with complete confidence and whispered in his ear (it was my turn to guess.) Did they pretend like they were putting socks on? Of course not. Much too traditional. Instead they lay down in the floor and curved their bodies and then stayed completely still. And I was supposed to guess that they were a pair of socks.

Three Little Shugarts

Though I'm not always motivated to get everyone ready and take our traditional "on the beach" pictures of the kids, I'm always so thankful in the end. They are growing and growing and I think they are the most beautiful kids I know.

AK's hat made it into one picture before the wind blew it over the pier.

Looking for the hat? Maybe.

Life is certainly not all smiles and laughter, but when it is, I soak it in.

Please, please, please, always be best friends.

Please always be a fairy.

Please never lose your intensity.

Please never lose your grace.

I love you three more than you know.

Never in a million years could I have imagined what a deep blessing it would be to be your mom.

You are growing and growing in wisdom and stature...

Keep growing and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.