this was one of mom's gifts to dad - very subtle!

my precious baby girl!

having some help blowing out the candles

the b'day boys' cake

the three amigas, abigail, caroline and kaitlin at "kangaroo bob's" jumpy place

baby david and his gorgeous momma, garrett

david frasure hunter, III

grandma drying caroline and kaitlin off after a dip in the lake

the beautiful b'day girl...inside and out!

bekah's two very eager helpers!

blowing out her candles

Rebekah's 10th Birthday

this is what caroline looks like with a 104 temp

the fortney family - minus daddy who had to work

the shaw family - #3 will make his debut october 12th!

daddy/uncle david swimming with the kids

the kids checking out the horse before the carriage ride

papa, lauren, caroline and sarah's sand castle

what is so funny, caroline?

playing in the sand

caroline

luke in swim googles

caroline and luke

sarah enjoying one of her very favorite things in life, chocolate ice cream

john reading to the little ones before naptime

caroline and john on the cole family vacation

caroline and john strking a pose on the bike

the view while biking

we've had a great weekend! yesterday, we went out to folly beach and ate at one our favorites, the lost dog cafe, and then went biking on the beach. i've been wanting to get a bike so we rented some for me to try and it was a blast! my thighs felt like they were going to explode when we were going against the wind, haven't worked those muscles in a long while. caroline loved it and looked especially cool in her helmet, hot pink with bunny rabbits on the front. we worked up a sweat and then played in the ocean for a while. this is the life!
we visited an awesome church for the second time this morning. it's really close to us and the praise and worship is awesome! our first visit last week i knew i would like it when i could hear the music from the parking lot. the pastor is really good and very easy to understand. he's from boston and i love the way he talks! it's diverse and we love that. last week, after the service, i felt a tap on my shoulder and there was our neighbor susan. she's been going for about a month. we sat with her today and worshipped together. we signed up for a small group, which we're excited about. john and i have missed having that deeper connection with other believers consistently on a weekly basis. i think this might be where the Lord wants us, but we'll see.
oh, on another note, one of our very favorite restaurants, anchor line, has moved from it's location on the river at folly. our families will be sad. we drove by last week and they were putting up a sign about it. this past saturday, we drove by and it was completley deserted. no sign, no tables on the screened porch area and the big wall near the parking area with the fish on it is no more. apparently, they're moving farther inland on james island. not sure if we will still love it as much. it won't be the same for sure!
caroline has been struggling with a urinary tract infection for a month. she was diagnosed at the end of our vacation in august after a trip to the pediatric er with a high fever and being cathed to get a urine sample...no fun! well, she went on antibiotic and it seemed to go away, but last week she started showing symptoms again. i took her to the pediatrician and they had to cath her again and sure enough, it was a uti. they've started her on antibiotic again so pray it works well this time. she's a trooper and has been great through it all. the nurse at the pediatrician's office said it was the easiest cath she's ever done on a child. that's my girl!!
i'm attaching a few pixs from biking and a ton of random pixs from vaction with my family in august and my trip home to ga in august, which included lots of b'days. enjoy!!