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.

Summer Sports

Well as you can see in previous posts our summer was jam packed with fun times and also we included some sports in the mix.

In the spring Campbell started tennis lessons and has really enjoyed them. She started out taking them with her friend Mallory but has now gone to private lessons for the school year and has really thrived. She is not always excited to go but once we get there she is glad to be there and gives it her all most days. I am so proud of her for the handwork she has put into it. One of her motivating factors to try tennis was because her Great Papaw use to sit and watch tennis a lot. She said she wanted to play a sport he would enjoy watching from heaven. I love her big heart and I know that he is watching with a big smile on his face each time she takes the court.

Kaylee had a Midnight Madness softball tournament this summer and the name suits it perfectly. We were exhausted after playing all night long. I understand playing when the temperature is cooler but i learned that I am not in my 20's anymore because this Mom was beat. Kaylee and her other teammates loved it but by the time we were handed a loss on our last game none of them were sad to be able to go home to their own beds and sleep.

Kaylee also played on a select basketball team this summer named SWAG. She really enjoyed playing with some girls from her school. They had a good season and Kaylee is looking forward to playing again in the winter months.

Abilene City Council Meeting

This past year Kaylee was in a class which required them to put together an Earth Day project with fellow classmates. Kaylee along with her sweet friends Anna Claire and Mattie came up with a project on Liam's Wells, xeriscaping, and recycling. When the day finally came for them to set up the project at the zoo they were amazed at the interest they received on recycling. Our city does not have a door to door recycling program so these three girls put together a petition and got over 1200 signatures. A local reporter heard about their project and interviewed them for the nightly news. From that point on the story took flight and after articles in the paper, more news stories on local stations, and a request from the Mayor of Abilene...these sweet girls were invited to speak before the city council.

 Look at this...they were on the agenda.

 When the time came to present their research they suddenly looked like three young women to me. I could not have been more proud of the professional way they handled themselves. Likewise, the City Council along with Mayor Archibald could not have been more gracious and encouraging to these girls. The meeting ended with a few motions to quit talking about whether it should happen but to have the city works department to come up with a plan to make it happen. I am praying that in the future Abilene has curbside recycling and we will all know that three 5th grade girls helped make that happen. No matter the outcome though, this experience was so positive and one they will never forget. Kaylee walked away wanting to have a position on the city council one day thanks to the lone female representation of my friend, Kellie Miller. I love that!

Watch out world...these girls are going places. I am one proud Mom!