"Ice Cold Lemonade"

The kids have been begging to do a lemonade stand all summer.

It was one last thing to check off of our list of activities we wanted to accomplish before school started back.

We picked a cause near and dear to our hearts.

Make A Wish

Our family anticipates getting to join Evie in her special wish possibly next summer.  We were excited to get to give back to this amazing organization to help grant wishes for other sick kids.  

Our South Carolina chapter has been so amazing and supportive and armed us with T-shirts, key chains and magnets to gift to donors.

Pedestrians and drivers were so generous and a couple had stories of their association with Make A Wish.

When the muggy hot August afternoon was over, we had served over 120 glasses of lemonade in 4 hours camped on a busy corner in a Columbia neighborhood.  

Just over $150 brought in to go towards helping other Wish Kids.

B counting out change

I had to laugh.  We were at a stop sign on a corner.  I mean, when you see these little cuties standing beside your car waving with a glass of lemonade, do you really have a choice but to scrounge through your purse for loose change?  

5 kids belting out "Ice Cold Lemonade for Sale" are pretty hard to just pass by!!

Thankfully, there was no calamity like the last time we hosted a lemonade stand.....One of my children (whom I wont mention:) misjudged the height of a car window and ended up dumping the contents of a cup into the passenger side of a car....leather seats....console....yep, the whole thing covered in sticky lemonade!  We evaded catastrophe this time and made it through a blistering afternoon with lots of refreshment to go 'round.  

Even the manager of our local CFA got behind the project and provided several gallons of the BEST lemonade around.  

(can I just say that I am more than a little excited to have a gallon left over sitting on ice waiting for me as I write... :)

 A hardworking crew!

Our tiniest member of the gang spent the afternoon with daddy.  We knew sitting in the hot sun for 4 hours was not going to be a recipe for a happy 1-year-old.

But, not only did C keep Gigi out of the humidity for the afternoon, he took her to SAMS, Walmart and Staples to check off our back-to-school shopping list for me.

Voluntarily!

MAJOR brownie points!

 Another sweet memory for our full summer of fun.  2012 has been a great one!

Now....off to pour that glass of refreshment and start packing the school supplies up for the first day back!  

Summer is drawing to a close and a new season is upon us!

Trying to embrace change.

......going to make lemonade out of the lemons.