Happy 30th Birthday, Cory!

We celebrated Cory's birthday on July 26. He said, "Good-bye," to the 20's, and hasn't looked back. :) I took him out earlier in the month to see Harry Potter, and go to dinner. His actual birthday - day was a pretty casual affair, as he had to work.

The girls made him a candy basket, and were really good about keeping it a secret for days. Abi nearly spilled the beans twice, but I caught her in time. I made Cory the birthday cake he grew up with: Angel food cake with frosting. (Though I'm sure I'll never be able to make it quite like his mother. ;))

The girls were excited when he told them to help him blow out the candles.

This doesn't capture it, but I had hoped to get all three pairs for puffy cheeks in this photo. My favorite people!

Opening of the presents

Abi made her daddy wear that white ribbon. Pretty darn cute. Pretty darn lucky he's letting me post the photo of it. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORY DEE!!

Shortly after Cory's birthday we had this crazy sudden downpour. Like monsoon-ish type storm. Seriously. As I heard the thunder and saw the sky darken, I told the girls about when I was little, and LOVED to run out into storms and feel the wind and rain, and hear the thunder, and see the lightening, and scream only to have the wind take the sound away.

Well... they were intrigued, and with a bit of coaxing, we all headed out into the torrential rain. The photos don't do it justice.

Yes, that is a plastic grocery bag on my head. It takes serious WORK to get my short hair to stay straight in this humidity, and I wasn't about to ruin that work. Vanity? Not so much... otherwise this photo would NOT be on here. Practicality? You betcha.

Abi was soaked after about 20 seconds. She didn't enjoy it much... :)

This is the best picture to try to show you how crazy the rain was... Look at the water in the pool... it seriously was splashing around like crazy. Natalie was only out there for a few seconds, and she was completely drenched. Fun times with the Nelson fam.

Today, my friend Heidi let me and another friend, Lindsey, in on a secret: Carterville Beach. Apparently the city ran out of funds several years ago to keep it up, but people can still go there if they choose. It was great!

Nice sandy beach, no crowds, water stays shallow for a long stretch... perfect!

Natalie is the little pink mermaid floating around out there.

I can't get over how silly Abi looks in this speedo thing. She's going to hate me for having these pictures when she gets older. :)

The little pink mermaid coming back for some snacks and a photo op.

Ah... the beach. Thank you SO much, Heidi!