Happy Times!!

We returned home on Thursday and some of our Dallas friends came to visit on Friday. Since Mike was going to tile the kitchen floor of their home with some help, Amy decided it was a great time to get away with the kids. We are so glad they did too. Kaylee and Ashlyn had the best time. They seemed to pick up where they left off. There was no arguing or tattling going on the whole weekend. What a nice age they are at:) Poor Parker was greatly out numbered but he did not seem to mind. Campbell had so much fun following him around and he was gracious enough to let her.

While Campbell was napping on Saturday, Amy and I took the rest of the gang to the zoo.


The giraffes were in rare form and ate anything we could give them. All our kids thought that was too funny. It was priceless to watch them jerk their hands back each time the giraffe licked them when trying to get a cracker from their hand.

The other highlight at the zoo was feeding the ducks. I think the girls would have stood on the dock forever watching them. The huge fish were fun to watch too.

All Parker wanted to do at the zoo was see the zebras and when we got to them all he could do was hold his nose and say "shew...stink". I tried to get us out of that area as soon as possible. Sorry Parker:)

After the zoo we went to Chic-Fil-A so the kids could play a little bit on the playgound in the air conditioning and eat a little something. When we got home Cary was feeding Campbell and it was naptime for Parker. After a brief rest we loaded the older girls up to go to the mall.
We took them to Diva Party Palace (which is a lot like Libby Lu) and they got to get their hair, make-up, and nails done. Kaylee went for the Tween style so she could get the glittery headband and Ashlyn went for the Diva so she could have pink hair. (Luckily it came out very easily in the bath before Sunday morning church.) They had such a fun time getting pampered. Who could blame them? Afterwards Amy and I even managed to do a little shopping at Gap Outlet...of course we only bought things for the kids. The next stop was Bahama Buck's for a snocone. We found out that the sugar free coconut tastes like soap (sorry Amy) but all the regular flavors are great!! Then we took a quick drive by tour of ACU before returning home.

My sweet husband grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner so I would not have to cook and they were delicious:) Everyone ate like a champ and then the kids were off to play in the backyard. It was actually a nice night to be out. The cutest thing was watching Parker take Campbell on her first "car date".
Don't they look like they are headed for trouble with those innocent faces? They look like they are trying to form a plan to me. Don't worry we watched them very closely and there was no stopping behind the tree.

Campbell looks like she has been riding with her Daddy too long. Her hands seem to be ready to brace herself for sudden stops and high speeds. Just kidding Honey:) Parker did a great job of driving because he never threw Campbell out and was very careful with her.

I am not sure if Parker is practicing the "laying on of hands" in this picture or simply making sure his date's hair looks good. Either way he was a perfect gentleman. Yep! (That is for you Parker.)

We had a super weekend with most of the Smiths present. (Mike, you have to come next time. We missed you:) What a gift it is to have friends that you can just pick up the conversation where you left off as if you have never been apart. It was sad to see them leave but we are already looking forward to making more memories next time they come to see us. Sorry for the long post to those who suffered through it.

Good Times with Old Friends

Why is it as the summer ends our weeks seem to get busier? Last Wednesday we left for Levelland so Cary could speak on finances and the Bible at the congregation where one of our good college friends preaches. The girls did so well on the trip:) Since we had just seen them the weekend before it was great to see our children pick up where they left off when playing together. We had a good dinner at a local pizza place and then we were off to church. I though that Cary did a super job. I felt like I was taking a college class again with all the notes I took and statistics he gave to us. As usual I was so proud of him:) After putting our children to bed we ate a mocha cheesecake dessert that was delicious and let the Castlemans put it on us in Spades. The next morning we took a few pictures and were off to see some family friends that live in LaMesa. Who knew trying to get a picture of four children could be so hard?

When we got to the Well's home it was like stepping back in time. They were just the way I remembered them from Tennessee and Lorena. It was fun to see pictures of their grandchildren and for them to see our two angels. Kaylee had the best time riding the tractor with Mr. Alan. He even let her drive! She was so excited. Cary and Campbell got to ride along in the little trailer too. I think my youngest was a little unsure but went along with the plan anyway. While they were playing I got to talk to Kay and catch up on life. It is so good to see old friends.

Catching up!

Another week has gone and no posts so here goes a weeks worth of activities...

*Last Thursday evening I left to go to Dallas and ended up spending the night with my friends Stephanie. We had a very enjoyable dinner at Christina's near the mall and caught up on life a little. Since I was spending the night we did more catching up at the house after kissing the kids good night.

*Friday morning I got up, ate a hearty breakfast, and went to Traci's to begin the journey to San Marcos after picking up Nicole, Sara, and Chelsea. We had so much fun just talking and laughing the whole way to Lorena. We stopped briefly so I could get in the car with my Mom and then we went to Salado. The restaurant we ate at was delicious. (Thanks Mom!) After filling our tummies and looking through a few shops we were off to San Marcos. Once arriving we checked into our room and hit the outlet malls. There were so many places and so little time. I was pleasantly surprised that there were not many people there so we hit all the children's stores. We even had time to fit in a sit down dinner in between all the shopping. By the time we got back to the room we were all looking at our purchases (Thanks Mom and Dad the girls clothes are cute.) and chatting away.
(Before anyone starts feeling bad for my husband his mother came to help with the girls and he even got to play golf one day. The girls had fun playing with Grandma too. They all even went to the Zoo and Mr. Gattis. That's more than we usually do in a weekend.)

*Saturday we got up, ate breakfast, and hit the malls again. I have to say that the best deal of the trip was today but I had to pass. Bombay had a full size girl's headboard with beautiful painted flowers for only $12.97 and it had been around $100. Let's just say by the time our group left there was only 1 out of the 4 left. By lunchtime the mall was getting crowded and we were ready to leave the madness. Traci did find a yummy Mexican restaurant for us to eat at before leaving town though:) After a quick refueling we were headed back to Dallas. Traci and I dropped all the girls off then headed to Target and Willowbend Mall. Then we were ready for a little Joe's Crab Shack followed by Starbuck's and returning home. It was so good to see Alan and the kids too. Kylie was even sweet enough to let me sleep in her bed.

*Sunday I got up and went to PC for church and class. I got to sit with Mike, Amy, and the kids. It was so good to see everyone:) After church the Taylors, Hansens, Smiths, and I went to Snuffer's for lunch. I was in Heaven with the cheese fries:) After eating I returned to the road to head home. When I stoppped in Weatherford for gas a nice man told me my tire was low. I have no idea how to change a spare or even really air up a tire correctly so I went to Wal-Mart because it was the only place open. After waiting for two hours they finally got to my car and could find nothing wrong with the tire so with a little extra air I was back on the road. (If you ever have to stop at the automotive department in Weatherford they are very kind.) Finally I was home at a little after six o'clock with two sweet girls that were very excited to see me. I fell like we all had a good and productive weekend.

*Monday I tried to get caught up on cleaning and a little laundry. Then that night I went to BUNKO and won for the most BUNKOS again! How exciting is that:) Gotta love it when you go home with more money than you left with.

*Tuesday there was more cleaning and playing with the girls to be done.

*Wednesday Kaylee had Gymnastics at 11:00, we went swimming at 12:15, came home around 2:30, got baths and naps, then went to eat at Bueno before church. Kaylee loved her class and it was a lot less busy than it had been in the summer. SHe is getting so good at listening and actually trying to do the moves they show her. There are a lot of them I know that I could not do. Both of my girls love the water so much that it really makes getting in the water enjoyable. It was a fun jam packed day.

*Today I am trying to get some things done around the house before soccer practice tonight. I am anxious to see if Kaylee still likes it and how much more she understands this time around. Thanks ahead of time Coach James!

That about sums everything up for now. I am going to try to get some new picturea of the girls posted along with what they are doing now next time. It should be a little less boring than this post anyway.

The Day is Finally Here!!

The much anticipated day is finally here!! For months my friends and I have been planning a trip and the time has finally come. Tonight I am leaving for Dallas to then travel to San Marcos for some fun outlet shopping with Chelsea, Nicole , and Traci. I am mainly shopping for the girls but if I happen to find something for myself at the hundred or more outlet stores then so be it:) Far be it from me to pass up a bargain. Thanks for the unlimited budget Sweetheart...just kidding (or for Chels JK). I know that we are crazy to be going because it is tax free weekend in Texas so everyone will be there but the adventure sounds exciting!! All I really want to accomplish is a good time with good friends. Please pray for us to have safe travels, for my children to be excellent for their Daddy, and for my precious husband to live through the weekend. Truth be told he has the patience of Job so I am sure everything will be great! Look out Prime and Tanger outlets because here we come!!

And we are Off...

The title sums up how I feel and it is only Tuesday. Yesterday Kaylee started Zoo Camp where she will learn about baby animals. Evidently they focused on turtles yesterday because that is mostly what I heard about on the way home. Here are a few facts according to Kaylee about turtles:

1. They bury themselves in the dirt to cool off.
2. Their eggs are buried in the dirt until they hatch.
3. Baby turtles are very cute.
4. Some turtles live to be very old.

Unfortunately the turtle shell they passed around class was not so lucky. It distrubed Kaylee that the turtle had died so she told Daddy that if God wanted to he could make the turtle alive again because the turtle is one of God's creatures and God does take care of his creatures. That girl never stops thinking. I am so glad that she is building a good foundation on the Lord. She also told us that there are many kinds of birds and one has a long neck and a long name.(Flamingo maybe?) Another important part was getting to eat animal crackers (very fitting) and drink lemonade. all in all a successful first day:)

Today she talked about touring the zoo and seeing different animals and their babies. The monkey was a favorite today because all I heard was that there is a new baby monkey at the zoo and the old baby is now an adult. I asked her if any of the animals had names and she said only the "adults" because the babies would not understand their names until they got older. She also said one of the adult monkeys died last night. Who knows?? I will have to check on that one tomorrow.

While Kaylee was at the zoo and Campbell was with Daddy I went to the doctor. I woke up not feeling well so the doctor gave me some medicine to make me better before my weekend trip:) Gotta love unexpected illness. Anyway the doctor was super nice and while in the office he asked where the kids were so I said with Cary. I told him I was sure Cary would be in the parking lot waiting for me when I got out of the appointment...I was half kidding. As soon as I walked outside and looked up there was the Tahoe with two cute little girls and my sweet husband. How did I know they would be waiting? So much for a quiet ride to his office to pick them up. Hopefully tomorrow will start out better than today.