A Fabulous Fourth...

We celebrated the Fourth by going to Spur, TX and crashing Seth and Stacy's family reunion! We had soo much fun...and I realized I am a country girl at heart. Her parents live way out in the middle of nowhere and the land is beautiful. It reminded me of going to my grandparent's in Shamrock when I was a kid. It was so peaceful and quiet...at least until the fireworks:)


Is that view not gorgous?? I wish that was our backyard!


We could see storms around us all day. We only got a little bit of rain.


Mama relaxin' in the pool:)


Our Firecracker


The monkey bars were ladders...I'm just sayin' :)


Ready for the show! I didn't get any pictures of it, but their fireworks show was AMAZING...and it was right over our heads!


Nothing better than sparklers.


We had such a fun Fourth! Happy Birthday, USA!!

Parade at Vintage...

To kick off our Fourth of July celebration we had a cookout at Dondi and Poppi's and let the kids decorate their scooters for the parade at Vintage Township.


Parade Princesses


Stars and Stripes were everywhere!!


Thanks for holding the balloons, Chad!


The little boys lucked out and got to ride in the golf cart!


Making their way to the parade.


The parade was so cute! I didn't get a picture, but Uncle Sam even showed up :)


Taylor leading the way.


After the parade they had fun on the waterslides!


Connor would not walk down the water tunnel. He stayed right there and wouldn't move.

The End...

As strange as this man was, I felt really sad when I heard about his death. Chad was downright depressed...seriously. He loved Michael Jackson.
What a tragic life despite his amazing success.

Fun at the Lake...

Yesterday morning I took my first Texas Educator Certification Test...the PPR. It makes it feel like being a teacher is not so far off. I was pretty nervous about taking it, but the thought of going to the lake kept me strong:) I feel like I passed. It will be 3-4 weeks before results are in.

So after the test we went to Lake Alan Henry with Seth, Stacy and Bryce. It was the perfect day to be there. The sun was behind the clouds and it even rained on us a little.

We normally like to cruise around a while and then find a cove to hang out and swim in. Well we thought we had found the perfect cove...no one was there and the water was calm. Everything was going good until Averi and I were attacked by a dang snapping turtle. OK...not really attacked but the thing was swimming straight for us...and FAST!

At first we thought it was cute and were trying to get pictures of it until everyone started freaking out saying it was going to bite us. Stacy threw Averi into the boat and I was left in the water by myself. I was at eye level with the little turtle and I swear I could not outswim him. I finally got close to the boat and Chad yanked me out of the water by my wrist. When we started looking around there were turtles everywhere. Apparently we invaded their territory and they did not like it. So we left. All that drama over a turtle!

The kids had a blast jumping off the boat and shooting water guns. The adults enjoyed just floating on the water. What a fun day!


Ready to get in the water...it started out HOT!


Stacy french braiding Tay's hair


Sweet Averi


Relaxed!


In the turtle cove...didn't know it yet:)


The turtle head!!


Bryce


Captain Seth


Leaving...

Why Can't Summer Be 365 Days a Year...

I love the lazy days of summer...and hanging out at the pool....and relaxing with friends. I wish summer was everyday of the year.

Taylor's Birthday Party...

Thankfully the weather cooperated for the swim party. The wall of dust waited to make its appearance til after the fun!


I love action shots:)


Annie, Bryce, Taylor and Averi


Alexa, Taylor and Audrey


Happy birthday to my sweet girl!


Present time...WooHoo!


Sweet Manona and Taylor


I guess Connor and Logan were fascinated with the ice chest:)

Birthday Girl...

Our baby girl turns 8 tomorrow!! Much fun awaits...pool party, Wii, friends and family! I truly am amazed at how quickly the time goes. I was thinking back to the day we came home from the hospital with our precious newborn. The song Real Life by Jeff Carson played on the radio and as I listened to the words I broke down in tears. It so beautifully described our life as brand new parents.

Taylor,

We love you more than you know and are so proud of you! You are beautiful inside and out, and I am so thankful that God chose us to be your mom and dad.

You are an awesome big sister and the best helper I could ever hope for.


Your heart is tender and many times you are the one teaching me life lessons. You remind me to slow down and enjoy the moment. Whether it's playing dress up or putting an arm around someone who needs a friend, you help me to remember the beauty of life. It's the simple things that matter.

Happy 8th Birthday, precious girl! This year is going to be GREAT!!

To the moon and back,

Mommy and Daddy