Thursday, July 31, 2008

July Fun!

July came and went in the blink of an eye. We had a lot of fun and stayed busy and HOT! Here is just a little bit of what we did in July.
* Family Fun on the 4th of July
* 3 birthday parties
* A and R spent the night with Grammy and Grandaddy 3 times, Uncle M and Aunt C, Uncle B and
Aunt T and had a blast.
* A and R went to a baseball game
* Mommy directed church camp one weekend
* Water park
* VBS at church
* Cousins came to spend the night
* swimming with friends from church
* Magic show at the local library
* School supply shopping
I am sure that there is much more, but you get the point. We have been busy and have had a great time. It is hard to believe that school is just around the corner. Ugh! I am not quite ready for that just yet.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Saturday night one of my college roommates (Heather/Der) called to say that her family was coming through town on Sunday and could we meet for lunch. So, we jumped at the chance to see them...it has been over a year, they have a new baby and they have not seen M either. So, we left church a little early (B was on call and had to meet us from work) and met up at a famous "little" fast food joint. Turns out that another roommate, Mary (Mar-dog) and her family joined us as well. That just means that we were missing Jawan and her sweet family. Sorry, Jawan. We had a great time, even if it was only for a short hour, and despite the pouring rain. Jawan, these pics are for you...we missed you terribly.
Enjoying some chili dogs and hamburgers.
Mar-dog and her family (with Heather smiling on in the back).
The kiddos...Mary's 2, Heather's 4 and our 3. Can you imagine the noise these littlest ones made.
Heather's twins, E and A...Aren't they adorable?
Heather's oldest, WR.
So glad we got to see you all on Sunday. Hopefully it won't be as long before we see you again.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Performing Arts Camp

A went to Performing Arts Camp with my Aunt, at the school where she teaches, back in June. A had a blast. Here are a few pictures of her on the stage. She was nervous, but she and the rest of the group did a fantastic job. They performed songs from each of the last 8 or 9 decades. It was a great show. And to think that they put it together in 4 3 hour sessions. Amazing. My aunt teaches chorus and does a fabulous job, as well as the drama and dance teachers. A cannot wait to do it again next year.



Good job, A! You did Great, and we are so proud of you. You conquered your fear, got up on that stage and did a super job. Way to go!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Happy Birthday, America!

We spent the 4th of July with some family. First we started off at my Great-Aunt's (my dad's dad's only sister) family farm just over an hour away. A and R had fun fishing with Daddy and some of their cousins. Then R and M got to spend some time in the pool with others while A kept fishing.


R never called me in time to take any pictures of the fish she caught. Below is the first one A got by herself. What a big one!

We had a delicious lunch and a wonderful time visiting with extended family. There were 4 generations at this gathering. We get together with this group 2 times a year. Once around Christmas and then on the 4th of July. My grandfather has just the one sister. Both of their spouses have passed away. My grandparents have 4 children (one has passed away) and my great-aunt has 2. They have 8 and 4 grandchildren respectively. All but 2 are married with children of their own. My grandfather has 14 greats as of now and my great-aunt has 8 greats. Needless to say, when we get together we are a BIG group. It is so much fun.

We did not get a group shot this year, but here is one of my Granddaddy and My Great-Aunt. I love them both so much!


Here is M and her cousin Mo. They are the youngest ones (one on my side and one on my Great Aunt's side). Mo is 2 1/2 months older than M. They are technically 3rd cousins (I think) since they are in the same generation. However, we don't worry about that...a cousin is a cousin. They will grow up together and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for them all.


Then we went to my mom's sister's house for a LONG overdue family gathering. Not everyone was able to make it (my mom is one of 5 children), but we had a blast anyway. We ate ourselves silly, watched a parade, went swimming and shot off fireworks. The kiddos had a great time. Some of the adults stayed up LATE to play guitar hero and dance, dance revolution. I think some of them realized just how yound they are NOT.








In this picture below, my nephew, K, was supposed to be in timeout. However, M does not understand that, yet. So, she just sat down right next to him. I tried to take the picture when she laid her head onto his shoulder. He then put his arm around her and said, "M, you are my best friend." It was so cute. But when they saw the flash on my camera, K looked up and started saying "CHEESE". The funny part is that any other time, K, really would rather M not bother him. He likes his space, and M likes to get into that space any chance she gets.


We had so much fun that we cannot wait to do it again next year.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!

Look what we can do!

A and R learned how to ride their bikes without training wheels a couple of weeks ago. I can hardly believe that they learned so quickly. They went to play with some friends (at the friends' grandparent's house) and only a few short hours later they were riding like pros. So, now we have been spending what time we can outside mastering this new skill. They are so proud of themselves, and we are so proud of them too!




As well, my 2 (almost 3) year old nephew has learned as well. He gets the biggest grin on his face when he rides without training wheels. We often find him in our garage (they live 3 houses down) trying to get R's bike so that he can ride hers. It is so cute. Now, of course, M wants to do it too! We are trying to stall this as long as possible. For now, she is fine if someone will push her on the scooter.