A Florida Wedding

One thing our family does well is weddings. This year our cousin Denise tied the knot with Tim in Tampa and all the Voorhees invaded Florida to celebrate with them.  Lucky for us, knowing how to dance was not required!

Shake it off, Josh.

Cousin love

Special Guests

We are always thrilled when our friends and family come for a visit. Each year we get a few guests that surprise us with their willingness to make the trip to Georgia and share in our lives down south.  These times are always such a good reminder for me on what authentic hospitality really looks like.  People that truly love you don't require fancy accommodations or 5 course meals (thank goodness).  They just want to make memories together and enjoy our crazy lives for a few days. This past Spring Grandma Carol, Aunt Karen, Uncle Scotty and Aunt Mary were the ones that braved the busy schedule of our family and sat through rainy lacrosse games, endless rounds of Mexican dominoes and take out meals.  It was a sweet time of connecting with our family and remembering how blessed we are to have so many people that care about us.

The Sound of Music

One of the many blessings of being part of the school system we attend is the focus on the arts as well as academics and athletics.  Somehow, they have figured out how to make Chorus not only fun, but "cool" to everyone in the entire school.  There are some amazingly talented students and each year promises several quality productions at both the middle school and high school.  Kathryn and Joshua both participated this year in the classic "The Sound of Music." Kathryn was one of the ballroom dancers and Joshua was an Alpine dancer, complete with lederhosen and yodeling.  The show was very well done and the kids had a great time performing with their best friends.

Lacrosse 2015

With three-fourths of our kids playing lacrosse, we average 7 practices and 4 games a week from February to April.  Lucky for us, we love it and one-fourth of our children can drive himself to and from the school, usually dropping of or picking up at least one of his siblings along the way.  It is a busy and fun season and a time when we get to cheer each other on doing a sport that the whole family enjoys.

Jackson's first game of the season brought a win for the Wolves and a great game by Jackson.

Joshua had a great season full of goals and assists.

His team even went to the championship again.  Although they came up short, it was a well fought game and his best buddy Hunter was there to cheer him on.

Kathryn couldn't wait for her second season of the lacrosse to start and their team had a great year.  They all improved so much and even won some playoff games this year.

Valentines Day on Ice

Valentines Day always brings the usual chocolate, love notes, family, and an ice storm.  Wait…an ice storm? That's right, North Georgia doesn't like the snow too much, but we do a good "power-out-for-three-days" ice storm to perfection!  Thankfully we were able to get most of the love in before the storm came and still had lots of fun.  But then we lost power-that was miserable and huge aggravation. Enjoy the pictures of all the "good times."

And I forgot to mention…Kami had strep throat.  But at her school, they dress up like pirates and princesses on Valentines Day. And since there is no ailment under the sun that was going to prevent her from partying like the royalty that she is, I did what every wise parent would do-I gave her ibuprofen, put on her tiara and told her not to breathe on anyone.  She made it until lunch.

Grandma Carol came for a visit, but had to cut it short because of the impending bad weather that was due to roll in.

And our annual sweetheart dinner had to be moved to breakfast because Geof was traveling, Carol was leaving and we had two lacrosse games that day in the freezing rain.

Actually, looking back-it doesn't seem like Valentines Day was much fun after all. Oh well-these faces are still smiling and sitting around the dining room table together.  That's love in the midst of real life.

Happy 70th Grandma Carol!

There was time only to come home, do laundry and sleep a bit once we came back from Colorado. We had another special event and lots more family waiting for us in Virginia Beach.  We re-packed and loaded up the car this time and headed north to celebrate Carol's very special day. Although we spent the next three days with all of our family, the long-awaited and much planned (thanks Carla!) birthday dinner was the highlight.  Each of Carol's seven children were there and all of their families, coming to a grand total of 26 (27 by the end of the month)! What a great legacy for an even greater lady! We love you Carol and are so thankful to have you in our lives.  We look forward to many more celebrations with and for you. Happy Birthday!

A White Christmas

This Christmas was not only white, but also a blast! We spent the week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with Matt, Marni, Brea, Reilly and Cole skiing and enjoying some beautiful winter weather.  

It was a fantastic holiday week and a special way to celebrate our Savior's birth.  

We are so thankful for our family and the great memories we made this Christmas. And 

still one trip to go...