Elizabeth and Joe's Wedding

Sorry to post so many pictures. My excuse is that I was "quiet" for almost 3 weeks! I deeply neglected the blog. :)

Joe and Elizabeth look so happy here. The church they were married in is absolutely beautiful. It's on the campus..I think..of St. Louis University. If it's not on the campus, it's darn close to it. Anyway, it was just a beautiful wedding.




Here's the cute little flower girl. I totally "claim" her and not because she's beautiful, but because she's mine. She's a sweet, funny, smart 6 yr. old. I have a feeling the mother of the bride feels some of the same feelings for her daughter as well. Julia's proud of Elizabeth, and not because she was absolutely stunning on her Day, but because of the woman she's turned out to be.

M.

My Dancin' Queen :)

Here's Kate right before boarding the bus for Magic Kingdom. She had to travel there a few hours before the actual time of the performance. She did a great job!

Marcy













Here's Kate onstage during the actual performance. She's on the far left. The girls on the ends were supposed to be different from the 2 in the middle. :) (My child is "perfect" of course and would never mess up a dance move.) :) Joking of course. Good grief, these girls are nine! :)

Disney

What a great time we had at Disney World!! We originally went down to see Kate dance in Magic Kingdom, but ended up having an outright vacation. Wow, I think I'm the biggest kid of the bunch. When I saw the Cinderella Castle, I just turned to mush. This wasn't my first time either! There's such a little girl inside me that doesn't surprise anyone who knows me well. :)

In this picture, Kate and I are at The Beach Club having breakfast with some other "dancin' parents." We had no idea it was a Character Breakfast until at the very moment we asked for a table for 7. Can you believe we got in? No reservations whatsoever! If you're a Disney junkie, you know how important those reservations are. :)

It's good to be home. I have done at least 15 loads of laundry. Jay and Kate got home from church camp today and boy, did they have fun. They want me to go as a chaperone next year, and I want to go as well.

Well, it's back to reality around here. Some news we have, as a family, is that we'll be homeschooling in the fall. It's one of those things that we may regret if we don't at least try...so, here goes everything. :) The timing is right, especially with Jay entering middle school.

I'll try and post some more pics soon. Maybe tonight if I can get to it. :)

Have a great evening,

Marcy

A Wedding to Remember

Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a long time since I posted.

It's been a wild and crazy month, but a fun one no doubt. I've included a picture of my youngest, Tori, looking absolutely beautiful as the flower girl in my niece's wedding. Tori did a great job too. I knew she would. She walked down that aisle and all I could see was a grown woman years from now holding onto Jim's arm.

We were in St. Louis for the wedding from June 15 thru the 17th. The 17th was Tori's 6th birthday...plus it was Fathers' Day. What's cool is that on the day she was born in 2001, it was also Fathers' Day. That's neat.

We rolled into E-town on the 17th and within the hour I, along with the girls, my mom, and my aunt, headed to Orlando, Florida. Disney World or bust was the goal! We drove past Atlanta that night and then the next day made it into our hotel at Disney. We stayed in the Port Orleans and it was nice and comfy. The main reason we went to Disney was for Kate to dance with her dance school. She did a great job too dancing in Magic Kingdom.

Okay, I have so much news to tell, but can't do it this late at night. Plus, Jim needs his laptop. :)

Will post more pictures soon!!!

Marcy

Kick in the Pants

I need a kick in the pants. :) It's a beautiful day. I should be outside enjoying the sunshine. Instead, I'm surfing the web, sending out emails, and basically, wasting time.

Thing is....I don't have time to waste. I have to have all 5 of us packed by thursday so we can leave or a wedding in St. Louis. We'll be in St. Louis until the 17th, then we'll make our way back to E-town, only to immediately get back into the car and drive south toward the Mouse. :) Yikes! Jim and Jay aren't going..they have boy scout camp. So, me and the girls, my mom, and my aunt will be travelling for what may seem like days on end to Florida. We hope to get back around the 23rd. I'll be the one who slides out of the car utterly exhausted. :)

Back to a kick in the pants. When we got home from church, I had Jim park my Durango in the front yard so I could wash it...and...water the brown grass at the same time. Well, there sits my car. There's no reason I shouldn't already be done with it by now, and have it sparkling.

Kick in the pants I tell you. :)

Have a great sunday,

Marcy

Lazy Summer Days.....Not!

You remember that "Country Time Lemonade" commercial from years ago? The older gentleman is sitting on the porch watching kids play outside and life is moving in a way that makes us smile and suddenly we're reminded what lacks in our own lives. Don't hear me wrong. I love my life and have been immensely blessed by God. I like to think, that, for the most part, our family life has a healthy balance of activity.

As a child, my summers meant spending lots of time at my grandparents house, as well as my aunt's house. Both my parents worked, so I spent those long summer days hanging out with mamaw on the front porch. That was a time when kids rode bikes without helmets, spent hours outside without anyone knowing where they were...and...only coming inside when night came. Then, I'd beg to stay outside "just a little longer" to catch the lightning bugs and put them in a Ball mason jar. I'd take a knife and jab holes through the metal lid, then have to wash my hands to get the remnants of the "little yellow light" off my already dirty hands.

Another memory is sitting on the front porch watching cars go by. I'm not joking. Mamaw lived on a road that no one travelled unless they had to.....oh, I mean unless their address was Clifty Church Road. :) Mamaw knew everyone and most of them we were somehow related to. She'd find a way to make them a third cousin twice removed, but there would be a family tie somewhere. :) We really would sit on the front porch, wave at those who went past, and often people would actually stop by without calling. They'd stop...ask about the beans or corn growing in the huge garden within sight of the white clapboard house...ask questions about small country town life. Questions about the weather. We always seemed to need rain. Much conversation centered around that garden. Beans. Corn. Cabbage. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Green Onions. Did I say beans and corn? Lots of it. Oh, and the days of watching my family members "can." They'd can anything in sight. If it could be bottled, shredded, blanched, purified in anyway shape or form, it would be going to the big, metal pot. :)

Sorry this is long. My summer memories surfaced today when Jay was outside playing and the girls were walking along holding hands. Making memories. One day they will remember these times of being still. Times of playing outside and riding bikes and scooters. It won't be the video games or TV. They're so overrated anyway, but that's another blog. :)

Well, Jim's needing his laptop. Mine's still broken. :)

Marcy

Dancin' the Night...and Days....Away

The DuPlessis house has been lighting up the dance floor this week at the Performing Arts Center. Well, at least 2 family members have been cutting the rug...and this one has had the honor of sitting through 3 rehearsals...(4 hours long)...and logging camera time. Ah, it's been worth it though.

My girls love to dance. Tap. Ballet. Jazz. They love it and they're good to boot. :) Jazz is by far Kate's favorite, but Tori is into them all. And the costumes. They are beautiful and elegant...stunning would be a good word.

We're so into dance in this household that the ladies of the house...plus a mamaw and a great aunt...are leaving for Disney World in 2 weeks. Kate will be one of the students dancing in Magic Kingdom...at the Galaxy Theater in Tomorrowland. What an opportunity for her and what an experience for us all. My mom and aunt have never been to WDW and they are so excited. :) Jay and Jim can't go because of boy scout camp. Okay....sleeping in tents with dirt floors versus a hotel in Florida. Hmmm. Poor guys. They're missing out, but them seem to think they're "getting out." :)

Okay, enough dance talk. School's out and we've joined a local swim club. We got the key cards on friday and hope to be able to go tomorrow for the first time. None of my kids can swim, so this will hopefully be helpful in that area as well. Not all fun and games, but they won't know that. :)

Tori's soccerfest starts tomorrow night. Her little team is too cute. Last season their name was "Chocolate Thunder." This season they are the "Super Stars."

Our June is pretty nutty. We'll be missing 2 sundays at church. I hate that. I get out of sync when I'm not able to be there.

Okay, it's late. Well, not really, but my brain is playing everything from "Mozart's German Dance" to "Material Girl." I better go before I break out in a broadway tune. :)

Have a great monday!

Marcy