Arlington Cemetery

On Saturday morning we got up and headed to Arlington Cemetery. This is one of my favorite places to visit because of the respect and reverence within these gates. 

 It is amazing to see those who fought for our freedom laid to rest in a place of honor as they should be.

 The eternal flame at the grave of President Kennedy, along with his wife and infant son.

 The changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

 A ceremony to change the wreath at the tomb of the unknown. The family who requested that the wreath be placed there was able to participate in the ceremony. Even though I did not know them it still brought tears to my eyes because of the service their loved one gave for our country as well as the reverence shown to their family.

 I love this view.

 Cary and the girls inside the museum.

I love that we are getting to show our girls first hand the sacrifice that is made for them to live in a land that is free each day. 

Washington, DC: The Capital

On our second full day in DC we started at the Capital. The Congressman for our district, Randy Neugebauer, arranged for us to have a private tour and even get passes to the gallery since it was a rare occasion and they were actually in session thanks to the disaster that is Obamacare.

Here are Kaylee and Campbell outside of Randy Neugebauer's office.

A little photo in front of Lady Freedom.

 The painting on the ceiling of the rotunda of the Capital. Gorgeous!

It was so much fun to learn more about our history in this building. I think my favorite part was being in the gallery when the congressmen and congresswomen were voting to pass an amendment to Obamacare to allow citizens to keep their current insurance another year. The way they were going to bat for the people in their district was so encouraging and interesting to watch. The amendment passed in the House so it will be interesting to see what happens in the Senate and then again when the President gets his hands on it. Our government at work people. It definitely made me appreciate the system of government we have in place even if it does seem flawed at times.

 After all that learning we had to take a yogurt break to gain a little energy before touring the Spy Museum.

 I think Campbell was enjoying her yogurt.

A little glimpse of the Capital...what a gorgeous piece of history.

Washington, DC Trip 2013

      Well about a year ago when we found out one of the yearly conferences that Cary attends would be in Washington, DC we decided to surprise the girls and take them with us. That meant instead of me going with Cary to the conference we would fly up later in the week after it was over to take in some of the sights. I am not one to take my daughters out of school but I felt this would be a trip they would always remember while getting a glimpse of our nation's history.

 Our first full day in DC we went to the Air and Space Museum first. Both Kaylee and Campbell were excited to see some of the things in person that they have learned about from school and books they have read.

 Me and my beautiful girls in front of some planes. It is amazing to see the size of these planes and the fact that they are in a museum, hanging in a museum no less.

 Kaylee and Campbell putting their finger on the top of the Washington Monument.

 Then we moved on to the Natural History Museum. I have never seen so many animals in one place in my life even if they were not alive. The creatures our Lord made still amaze me.

 Kaylee pretending to be scared by the big bear.

 The American Museum of History came next. This one is one of my favorites because a lot of the items I grew up watching, hearing about, and/or reading about. I love seeing Dorothy's slippers that Campbell is standing with in this picture. They also had added Gabby Douglas' items from the olympics and the dresses inaugural of the First Ladies since the last time I was there. The only bad thing about the museums is that they are all so large that you cannot possibly see all you want to see in a day. I wish we had a day for each museum but because of all the things on our lists we just tried to hit the highlights.

 That evening we went to eat at the Old Ebbitt Grill and then walked over to The White House. I loved getting to watch our daughters' faces when they saw where the President lives. The only way it could have been better is if George W. Bush was still in office. What a great way to end the first day in Washington, DC.

Happy Halloween 2013!

Hello Halloween! How did that happen? Time has seemed to fly by since school started.

 Here is Campbell with her pumpkin that she carved with a little help from me. I thought she did a great job!

 Then there is Kaylee with her pumpkin which had to have a mustache! hahaha I loved it and thought it was hilarious.

 Here is a little throw back photo from Campbell's first Halloween in 2005! My little Cinderella and bunny were so cute!

 Here are my sweet girls now! Kaylee went as Riversong in Dr. Who and Campbell was a Rock Star.

 Kaylee with one of her BFF's AC...Ac was one of the doctors from Dr. Who.

Campbell with her sweet friend and neighbor.

Our yearly group photo from the Halloween party at the Robinson's home.

After the girls had trick or treated with friends we returned home and even let Oliver get in on the action of passing out Halloween candy with us.

Kaylee Happenings

 Well our school year is off with a bang and our weekends are busy too. 

 Kaylee can now say she has her first of many choir concerts behind her. I thought they sounded great especially after only vein gin school for a short time. I cannot wait for the next one.

 Kaylee had a very busy weekend where she attended a football game and birthday party...

 then loaded up in the church bus for a Middle School weekend retreat. She had so much fun and I am so excited for her to have these memories and to be forming a close relationship with her youth group friends.

Safety City

Well one of the great things about third grade is getting to go to Safety City and Campbell's big day finally arrived! She could not wait to get to school that morning and for both her parents to spend the day with her. I have to say her class is filled with some of the most well-behaved children I have ever encountered. Mrs. "W" has high expectations for her class and they definitely met them. It is always so much fun to go on field trips and see my girls with their friends and the fun friendships they have at school. Cary and I both had a blast directing the pedestrians, bicycle riders, and drivers around the course. What fun memories for all of us to have to treasure!

Homecoming 2013

 Here are my sweet girls sporting the mums I made for them again this year for Homecoming. At least I was not trying to complete them the night before this time. I thought they turned out pretty cute, Kaylee and Campbell were proud of them so mission accomplished!

Honda Summer Concert Tour

Well I suppose you could label me a little bit of a Maroon 5 groupie since we manage to go to two concerts in one year. We bought the tickets months ago so I was very excited when September 15th arrived and we got to go see them perform again and this time Kelly Clarkson performed too. We also had some company since our good friends Cory and Megan went with us.

 Can you tell I am a little excited?

 Me and Megan getting ready for the fun to begin.

 Me and my sweet husband who spoils me.

 I have to say that Maroon 5 did not disappoint and neither did Miss Clarkson! It was an amazing concert and I would definitely go see either one of them again anytime. What a fun night!

West Texas Fair and Rodeo Parade

One of the perks to being in Mrs. "W's" class this year was getting to participate in the West Texas Fair and Rodeo Parade. Campbell was so excited to get to ride on the float with her sweet friend Amy and Mrs. "W" of course. Mrs. "W's" husband pulled the trailer with his vintage truck which was really cool. When the parade was over I asked her what she thought about it and she said it was hot. She also said that each time they had to stop she prayed it would be in the shade. I can so relate to that! This was just one of the fun perks to living in a small town and I am so glad she got to experience it. Fun times and fun memories!

Another School Year Begins! 2013-2014

Well despite me not being ready to send my daughters back to school the day came anyway. I cannot believe that Kaylee is a sixth grader and Campbell is in third grade. This is my first year to not have a child at the elementary campus and it was so hard to wrap my head around that but Campbell was so excited to be going to the intermediate campus. Kaylee was equally excited to be attending middle school especially since it is in a newly built building and to experience what it is like to switch classes for each subject.

This is Campbell with Mrs. "R" who we met a few days before school started.

 Here is Campbell with Mrs. "W".

 We made our yearly trek to IHOP for our first day of school breakfast. I love this tradition and I can honestly say that all four of us look forward to it. 

 Once school was out we went to Coldstone to enjoy a treat after a successful first day of school report from both my girls. I even managed to keep my self busy too.

Last of Summer Fun!

 I cannot believe that the summer is winding down and the school year will begin in just a few days. We manage to squeeze in some fun the last week of summer and made a trip to Primetime, movies, and playdates with friends.

Kaylee also attended the annual back to school pool party for her grade at a local swim club. I could not believe how much these kids had grown up in the past year. I think sixth grade is going to be a hard one to wrap my head around.