Funnest & Funniest Beach Trip....

 Friday Mom and I decided to take the kiddos to the beach for the day.  They have been BEGGING and the weather was soooo perfect.  We had a WONDERFUL time.  As my cousin Abby said, "y'all have a story with every trip"... she is soooo right!

We had to get gas before getting Mom, Heidi, & Karter.....

 A sweet sweet man came out of the store and gave Sophie a dollar.  He said she was just so cute.  She was so excited :)!! She bought a bug juice for her and her brother and sister :)! How nice.

 I am trying to eat healthier and all that mess... well I had some yogurt to eat on the way to moms and of course any food in Sophie's sight and she wants it.  So I thought she was eating it and just asking me for a napkin to wipe her mouth.  Ummmm.... no!! She was drawing an "S" (so she says) on my window with the yogurt.  How fun!!

 Once we got loaded up and on our way, the Helicopters happened to be fueling up in Florala.  We stopped and watched them for several minutes.  The kids loved it.  Especially Kman.  He couldn't take his eyes off. 

I had to snap this picture of Mom on the way LOL! We pulled over on a dirt road for the babies to tee tee.  No store in sight at this time.... and when they gotta go, they gotta go LOL!  So I was helping them and when I got back in the car she was cracking me up..... painting her nails baahaaa!!! (PS: I have gotten to where I just really do not like to drive... so she drove for me).

 Look at how absolutely PERFECT the water and weather were....

 I kept my phone in our bag, but would check it occasionally in case Kyle texted.  I was soooo surprised and soooo happy when my friend, Tamara, found this picture of Me & Danielle at my High School graduation.  You have no idea how good it did my heart :)!!

 OK..... I couldn't help myself.  Soph is such a "Colquett" LOL!  She will just stop in her tracks and stare at whatever she wants to.  Just like her Daddy.  I got several pictures of her just standing and watching people.  Here's one little girl.... (I accidentally cut the girl out, but her parents probably appreciated that LOL)....

 And a different little girl and her Daddy.....

 Gosh I want to go back like..... NOW!!!! HA!

 And then there were twins..... she was VERY intrigued by them....

 Beautiful Heidi...... my Angel :)!

 The Little Momma giving orders hehe......

 This still  makes me giggle.... we stayed about 5 hours.... and then the kiddos were ready to go.  So we started packing up our things and I looked down and noticed WOW.... I have on 2 different shoes.  Like really???? REALLY??? Only I would wear 2 different shoes all the way to the beach and never know.  Not to mention we had been to the gas station and such earlier. AND we were going to Ed's to eat.  So eat your heart out fellas.... I am a mixed up kind of girl LOL!  Heidi was so embarrassed.

We rode around and looked at different houses and things in Blue Mountain and Freeport before stopping at Ed's to eat in DeFuniak.  We have a hard time going to the beach and NOT stopping for an Ed's Pub Burger.  MMMMMMM....

After we ate, as always we got a milkshake.  The kids wanted a photo shoot while we waited.... ha.... so here it is....

LOVE this one of my sweet babies.... how stinking cute?

GROUP hug......

Sophie then had to do a photo shoot of me and Heidi LOL....

And then the story....... True story.... After we ate at Eds and had just left, Sophie started throwing up EVERYWHERE!!! Well  mom & I neither one can handle throw up. AT ALL!!!

I'm hitting my head on the DVD player trying to help her... I'm screaming for mom to pull over... She whips it in this mans yard in Defuniak. He was a total God sent!! He was mowing his yard and of course saw us. I jumped out to go help Sophie. I get over there, unroll & pile paper towels in her lap and RUN to the other side of the car and start throwing up everywhere. I can hear Mother gagging on the other side. So I tried to finish real fast so she could go throw up.... HAHA what a team!!

 OMG  we have laughed & laughed since then just thinking about it. The man came over there... he practically had wings, swooped Sophie (still in her seat) up... and said we were going to go wash her off.  I was thinking water hose right?? I mean why would I have thought anything else??  On the way to his house he said we would just go inside to their bathroom and rinse her off.  I was like no no.... I don't want throw up to get everywhere. He said, " honey Ii got 4 kids. 2 are twins...".... I said, " well after 3 you would think it wouldn't bother me" LOL! So inside we went and took her to the bathroom. When we walked in the house.... Really... We are all like running lol.... He still has Soph in the carseat ... He started saying, "Gran Gran we got a sick one".... Lol poor Gran Gran... She kept screaming in that screachy old lady voice, "WWHHAATTT????" She finally had to come in there to check it out herself haha.

He rinsed her all off in the shower and then said , "okay sweetie your mommy is going to come take your shirt off and rinse and change you"... Then he took the carseat outside and washed and 409'd it. TRUE ANGEL!! Like what stranger would do that??

Mom brought some more clothes (& extra pair of kmans undies hehe) to his daughter and she brought them to me. I have no clue what we would have done without him. I would have been happy with a water hose. We both kept thanking and thanking him. I tried to give him some cash, but he wouldn't take it. He said "no that's what we are supposed to do".

I have never laughed so much. We got his address :))) sending him a very nice thank you note.  And in a couple weeks we are going to my class reunion and I might drop him off a cake. 

There is no way we could have rode the rest of the way home without triple the throw up in the car.  Or worse because Heidi was gagging too.  It is rare to come across people like that. 

We finally made it home in one piece!!

Heaven Has Welcomed A Fabulous Person!

Most of you know my good friend Danielle passed away suddenly Wednesday morning.  It has shaken me up pretty good.  So this post is all about her.  I cannot help but keep singing "The Anchor Holds" over and over and over in my head.  It was a song that Gregg & Meredith held on to tightly after the twins passed and ever since I have cherished it more than ever.  It has had a whole new meaning to me ever since. 

As I right this post and listen to this song, I feel out of breath and a tightening in my chest.  This is so unbelievably hard.  Life is soooooo fragile!!  Don't sweat the small things.  Live today like you will never see tomorrow.

Yell,

I kind of feel like I am signing your Yearbook of life or something.  The thought of you not physically being here is still so incomprehensible.  I talked to you a week ago today.  I will never forget it.  I was sitting by Dad & Yana's pool making out a grocery list and needed to know about Steamboat chicken salad.  Of course you reminded me that you could deliver.  haha!  I was looking forward to that too.  I had seen you the weekend before at Madelyn's birthday party.  I was so unbelievably rushed to get to the next one that I only got to speak to you for a second.  We even talked the next day and I apologized for being so rushed and not being able to hang around.  Do you know how badly I regret that?  I love Frazier with all my heart, but if I had of known I would  never get to see you again, I would have stayed and talked to you until they just ran us off.  Just like old times.

We were inseparable in high school.  Every memory I have with you is so vivid and strong.  You have always made me laugh and smile.  You have always made a gloomy day brighter.  I can remember staying with you too many times to count.  Your favorite color was lime green.  Of course that was one of the colors on your beautiful flower arrangements.  You even painted your bedroom/bathroom lime green at your Dads house.  

I went on my first Spring Break ever with you.  We had so much fun.  Everytime I pass the hotel I think about you and how much fun we all had.  I have looked and looked for our pictures, but I haven't been able to find them yet.  

I remember Katelyn being born like it was yesterday.  That head full of dark dark hair.  Absolutely stunning!!!  I have so many pictures of me holding her :)!!  I guess they are with all of my other pictures.  She even came with you to my graduation party.  Meant so much to me.  And now she is starting Middle School.  How is that even possible?  I can hardly believe she is 10!! Danielle, 10!!!  I know she is going to be very well taken care of.  Just doesn't seem right for you not to be here to embrace these next few years with her, or to take her to school that first day with this new chapter.  Shaun is going to do a great job though :)!! He is a wonderful Dad.  And Miley.... wow.... starting kindergarten.  You didn't even get a chance to find out who her teacher is going to be.  I know how badly you wanted and hoped and waited for your next opportunity to teach and walk the floors of OES.  Especially to be there and watch Miley go through her years there.  I remember when you found out you weren't going to be hired the next year.  It was devastating.  I remember walking to Amanda's room many times and peaking through the tiny window on the door to watch you teach.  Such a fabulous teacher!

You have taught me so much in your short 29 years.  Taught me how to love, live, laugh.  My heart still so badly aches that you are not here.  I know we weren't as close as we used to be, but we both knew each other was only a phone call or text away.  I am so thankful for Memories.  Memories last a life time.  Wednesday morning before you passed you played me and Kyle in Words with Friends.  Our game had actually ended and you sent me a new request.  I took a snap shot to always remember it by.  Kyle got his request at 7:00 A.M. and you passed between 7:30 & 9:00.  Kyle would get so frustrated with you when y'all played.  You would always play those big scoring words on him and he would sit on the couch and just yell.  It was so funny.  I always knew it was you he was playing.  He liked playing you because you would play him back pretty much right away.  Now he is stuck playing me and Dad LOL!

Wednesday morning I had a doctors appointment and after the appointment I went to moms to get the children.  I will never forget the dreadful phone call I received from Kayla.  When she told me, I immediately told her NO that it was not true.  Couldn't be true.  So I called your sister in law, Tamara.  I am thankful she didn't answer because I don't know what I would have done.  But Beth called me back from Tamara's phone and told me what I had been told was true.  I could not contain my composure.  Mom and I both burst into tears.  Poor Heidi, she said several times that she thought she was going to throw up.  

When the twins died, I cannot even begin to explain the hurt I felt for one of my best friends and her husband.  It took me a long, LONG time to heel from that.  And to this day, not a day goes by that I do not think of them.  I had to deal with Meredith losing not one, but two of her precious babies after getting to spend two years with them.  And now you are my first friend to go on to Glory.  I never expected to experience this so soon.  I have walked around for days not sure how to act or what to do.  I know you would want everyone to be happy, but I will be honest.... that was just hard to do.  Especially with it being the 4th of July week.  How was I supposed to celebrate ANYTHING with your death?  I didn't even wear red, white, or blue on Thursday.  I was really thankful for the dreary and gloomy weather the past several days.  That helped. It described the mood I felt and I know your family felt.  I just can't believe that you are gone.  Like really gone.

Heaven definitely welcomed a super fabulous person.  Which God knew that before He chose you to go.  I joked on Facebook about how I knew you were probably the loudest Angel there was because your nickname wasn't "Yell" for nothing.  I don't know that I will ever comprehend what has happened.  I do know July 3rd, 2013 is a day that I will never forget. 

I love you and cherish everything we have experienced together.... forever!  When we were asked 10 years ago where we would see ourselves in 10 years.... never ever ever ever ever never would I say going to your funeral. Ever!!!!  

I will most definitely see you again one day!!! You will have to show me around :)!!! Thank you for always being a wonderful friend and person.  This was just our Earthly goodbye, but we will get to laugh again one day.  

Miss you!!!
---Toyia

You know, when I was little I don't remember my parents going to funerals or funeral homes.  But poor Heidi knows too much about them.  She was only 3 when the twins passed away, but she still remembers Brayden & Kenadi and we will still talk about them.  And then one of our other friends lost their son that was Karter's age & his brother was actually in Heidi's class.  And the beginning of this year, another childhood family friend lost his young thirty-two or thirty-three year life to a heart attack, and now Danielle.  I hope you all are as ready as I am to see all of them again one day.  I'm gonna hit the cloud running :-)!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

 Yesterday we celebrated my Mom's birthday :)!!  Last night most of our family were able to get together to eat supper at David's Catfish.  We had a wonderful supper and very much enjoyed each others company.  Mom appreciated it so much :)!!!

Walker and Soph..... don't you know before she even got good and seated she had taken her hair bow out LOL!!

 Precious Mamie..... battling an ear infection, but was a trooper the whole time.

 Heidi, Karter, Hank, Mamie, & Sophie.....

 After supper we headed to Dairy Queen to get an ice cream :)!! Karter and Sophie were trying so hard to watch them make their ice cream. 

 HAHA This next picture is funny to me.  Mostly because of the story behind it.  Karter kept calling me "Tow-rha" as he has been on and off for a little while now.  Momma and Tyler were asking him what different people's "names" were... like KyKy= Tyler, and so forth.... well I took this picture and then was videoing him talking when the lady in DQ started banging on the window for me to come get our stuff LOL!! Guess I was too intrigued with Karter to pay attention.

 Love this one.....

 Of course she had to do some crazy pose!

As you can tell we had a great evening :)!!

Mom----

I love and appreciate you so much.  We are able to "fight" like sisters and be "okay" in a few hours HAHA!  I honestly do not know what I would do without you.  You are my life support most of the time.  You help me so much with the kids, especially when Kyle is gone.  I am so blessed to be able to have a mom in my life that is willing and wanting to be a part of my kiddos lives.  Boy do we know they LOVE their Babee *hehe*!  Thank you for being you and sometimes telling me things I don't want to hear, but need to hear. 

I find myself turning into you the older I get.... haha!! Kyle better look out.  

I Love you and I hope your day was as Special as you are!! XOXOXOXOX!!!

---Your favorite daughter