25 Years!

On Saturday, my dad and stepmom celebrated 25 years of marriage. What an accomplishment!

Since they got married when I was so young, I cannot remember life without Kaye in it. My dad is SUPER lucky that she has loved him for so long! She is a blessing to him and to all of our family. I am not sure why she picked him (I think it must have been his cute kids!) but we are glad she did.

And, Dad, you're pretty alright, too!:)

Happy Anniversary, to my dad and Stepmonster! Wishing you 25 more!My dad swears she tricked him into getting married. He woke up one morning, walked out in his yard, and there was a wedding going on. Funny how he was coincidentally wearing a suit, huh??

Look at that dress...I think I've seen similar ones recently. Let's just hope the hair doesn't come back, too.

LR: Day four

Our final day in LR, we attended Olivia's birthday party at River City Gymnastics. It was a great place for a party and the boys had a blast!

Here are a few pictures from the fun:

Just like the big kids

Loving this fall into the pit
The birthday girl with her daddy
After partying we headed straight to TX. There was a daddy waiting at home who was missing his family. It was sure good to be home.

LR: Day three

Our third day in LR started with a playdate at one of our favorite play places--Church at Rock Creek. Becca and I took our kids to met up with a play group that Z played with many times while we lived there. We all had boys and then we all ended up pregnant around the same time. Everyone of them had girls the second time around...I was the only boy repeat! It was just like old times---except that we all had 2 to watch now!

Olivia got to ride with us and she and Z thought that was so fun!

William--isn't he great??
Ann Katherine--she was annoyed at the photo op.Maylee. She was just a few months old when we left. I just fell in love with her on our visit. Isn't she adorable?
Rhett peeking thru the netting. I believe this was just before his mama had to handle some bullies!
Little Monkey. Check out his bike wreck injuries on his lip and teeth.
Another monkey
Lawson After playing we headed to Buffalo Grill for lunch.

Here is a picture of the boys at lunch.

Somehow I missed getting a picture of any of the Partens. Sorry, Stacy! I loved sitting next to Madelyn at lunch and hearing her sweet songs.

That afternoon we checked out of hotel Svoboda and headed to our next destination--The Garner Home. There we enjoyed a delicious homecooked meal-complete with dessert! The kids enjoyed riding bikes when it cooled down. I am happy to report there were no wrecks, but it did bother Rhett that my kids did not have helmets, knee pads and elbow pads.

LR: Day two

Our second day in LR we saw lots of people that we love and miss. Our first stop was Immanuel where we surprised Mrs. Susan. It was just wonderful to see her!

Then we met the Garners and the Svobodas at the zoo. It was really hot, but we had a good time during our short visit. Rhett was our tour guide--a job he took very seriously. Here is warning Z that the snakes behind that glass are venomous and he should not get too close.

Alexee and T were pretty content getting pushed around in their strollers. We caught Alexee putting her hand on T's leg at one point. He made her take it off--something I am sure he will regret one day!

Here is the whole crew. Z, T, Olivia, Alexee and Rhett. The Svoboda twins stayed home...Becca is brave, but she does have her limitations!
Jamie, me and Becca

Z took this picture. I was impressed.

After the zoo, we were off to Purple Cow. I did not get a picture of that wild scene...3 adults, 2 toddlers and 3 four year olds eating lunch. I am sure you can get your own mental picture. Just know that when we left we were ALL covered in purple ice cream.

That afternoon we visited Brittany and her precious kiddos. I loved seeing them! Z and Mary Sydney have had a pretty serious courtship going on for a few years and they picked up right where they left off. Sorry, no pictures of them either!

That evening we went to our old cul de sac and visited our old neighbors. We were only able to see two families, but we loved seeing them so much. This part of the trip was very bittersweet for me. Both families were in awe at how much T had grown since we left. No pictures of this visit...I know I must do better!! I was too focused on not having an emotional breakdown.

Jamie came over after the babies were down and we visited for a while. Then we were off to bed...

LR: Day one

The boys and I headed to Little Rock to visit for a few days last week. It is our first official visit since we moved. I had a little anxiety about it and wondered if it would be like leaving all over again, but it was a great trip. I'm so glad we went. We had 4 full days so I am going to do a post for each day.

The day we arrived at the Svoboda's house, the kids played, we had homemade pizza for dinner and then we celebrated Olivia's birthday. Paul brought home an ice cream cake which we all enjoyed very much!!!

Day one was not without trauma...Trent had a tricycle wreck and busted his lip and 2 front teeth. He was up most of our first night because of a sore mouth. Sorry no pic!

These were the sweet faces we were greeted with

Ann Katherine and William

Eighty Three

Granny-Great with a sampling of her

grandkids and great grandkids

Mom and Mark after hosting their big shindig...worn out!
Our family celebrated Granny-Great's 83rd birthday last week. It was also the first get together in my mom's new house--another reason to celebrate! There was good food (Thanks Brandon and Mark!) and lots of family.
I am so blessed to have my grandmother still in my life. At 83, she is just as fun and OPINIONATED as she was 20 years ago. We love you, Granny Great! Wishing you many more happy, healthy years.

Girls' Day

Nicole, Erin and I spent the day on the boat with NO KIDS! It was a great time of talking without interruptions and laying out without little people climbing all over us. It didn't feel normal, but it sure was enjoyable!

Girls, we'll definitely plan another Girls' Day soon...

Fun with friends

The boys and I spent some time in the past week with two of my high school friends and their kiddos. The boys loved playing with new friends and their cool toys. It was fun to do something different for a change!

I knew I loved her!

One of my best buddies from Dallas came to visit for the day on Tuesday. She has 2 precious little girls and we loved spending the day showing them what country life is like. The highlight of my day, however, was when she walked into my house carrying this:

She doesn't read my blog (she's too busy...blah, blah, blah) so she had no idea why I was screaming things like "change your life" and "great minds think alike" at just the sight of her tote. AND, leave it to my trendy friend to have the much cuter, sassier tote...kinda makes my solid blue one look sad. Anywho...I was thrilled and just had to share another "happy customer" with ya'll!

Shouldn't I be getting a check from the company that makes these about right now? I have had several e-mails of proud new owners of "The Tote"!

Look what she experienced while she was visiting...


Loved having her and her girls visit! Can't believe I don't have any pictures of Ava Marie and Isabella to share!:(

Bad Hair Day

One day T came inside from playing and his hair was hilarious. I had never seen it look like it did so I grabbed my camera to take some pictures. Z saw me taking his little brother's picture and asked, "Do you like his hair, Mama?"

I told him that I thought his hair looked so funny and he looked like he had a woman's hair cut. Z then told me. "I fixed it with my blower."

Yes, the lawn blower!

He sure seems proud of his new do, doesn't he?


Speaking of hair...

Z wanted his hair "spiked with gel" for his day at school last week. I thought is was just adorable so I snapped some pics. He got embarrassed when he saw the picture of it and slicked it down before he left for school. Shoot! I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it.

It was cute for the moment, huh?

Splash Kingdom

We met my aunt and her kids at a waterpark in Canton last week. We had never been, but the kids enjoyed it so much. It is a Christian based park with great praise music playing and cool scripture based sayings painted thru out. If you live near Canton and are looking for a fun day trip, I would highly recommend it.


Thomas and Z

Jeni, T and Lexi

Z thought he was as big as Thomas and never left his side

Jeni and T in the kids area. Aunt Vicki's head (in yellow visor) is peeking out at bottom of picture, too.

The lazy river resulted in this...

And as an added bonus, I brought the girls home for an entire weekend of free babysitters.

Fly over

While we were enjoying our day on the lake yesterday, my dad decided to do a few fly overs.





This is when he decided to get a litte too close...notice the water splashing up on us. He was SO CLOSE! The kids said they felt like they were in a movie. There was some talk from the guys about grabbing the skids, hanging off, jumping into the water from the helicopter, a lasso, etc. but I saw no such action!


Thanks, Dad. Never a dull moment when you are around (or over head!).

Take me out to the Ballgame

Saturday night, Z took his daddy, his PawPaw James and his Uncle Jon to the Rangers game as a belated Father's Day gift. It was his 1st MLB game and he got to share it with three of his very favorite people. A friend of my parents gave us great tickets (Thanks, HOGGY!) so they were in the middle of all the action. Brandon reported that Z had the time of his life and I was only a little jealous that I didn't get to share his first game with him!:)

This was the only picture that I have of the night since Daddy does not see the importance of photographing every moment in our kids lives, as Mommy does! :)

Life Change

Have ya'll seen these fun totes???

I got one several months back and LOVE it. It is useful for SO many different types of things. I went so far as to say "It will change my life!" and my family has not let me live that comment down. My original broke---on the way home from the shopping trip on which I bought it---and my sis replaced it for me very quickly. Besides, I had promised that it would bring a life change for me.

These bags are changing lives all around me...my sister jumped on the band wagon first. We both used our sassy, yet very useful, totes during VBS and people were asking about them every day. If you read this blog very often, you know that my Granny thinks that people's compliments can validate ANY purchase! Since then, Karen and Nicole have purchased theirs, and while they haven't reported any major differences in their lives, I am sure that they are there!

Nancy, my BFF (that I lylas) :), had a birthday last week so I shipped her one. You can imagine my excitement when she e-mailed me the above picture yesterday. The title of her e-mail was "changing my life already." I knew she wouldn't let me down!

*I hate to give out all my secrets, but check TJMaxx if you are looking for a tote that just might work miracles in your life!

More chit chat

Wanted to share another "Z-ism" from this morning:

Z was talking about how great Heely's are. I, personally, cannot stand the way that they look or the way that kids roll everywhere in them, but I was trying to engage in his conversation.

I asked him, "Wasn't that a great idea someone had? To put wheels in the back of shoes. That is called an invention."
Z: "Heely's are the best invention in the whole world."
Me: "I don't think so. I really think air conditioning, or computers, or cars are the best. I sure wouldn't want to have to walk everywhere or ride a horse."
Z: "Yeah, or ride in a VOLKSWAGON!"

Um, yeah. Something like that.

Chit Chat

Here are a few of the conversations that have happened around our house in the past few days. Enjoy!

Discussing the scrape on T's chin
Me: "What happened?"
T: "Mad E" (Maddie, my parent's dog)
Me: "What did she do?"
T: "PUSH"
Me: "What did Jackpaw say?"
This part changes depending on the mood. One answer is "No, no", but my favorite is: "Gummit!"

Yesterday we had an unfortunate incident involving my two boys and a metal hoe. This was the back of Z's head as a result:

(This picture was taken after much drama, lots of blood, several calls to the doctor, hiding under the bed to prevent an ER visit and, finally, some liquid band-aid.)
Here is T's account of what happened to brother:
Me: "What happened?"
T: "Owww!"
Me: "What did you do?"
T: "SHOBEL!" (shovel--his term for anything that works in the dirt)
Me: "T, you don't hit. That hurt your brother's head!"
T: "Sowwy." (with a huge smile on his face)

Z asks me this morning before going to KK's to swim:
"Why can't you just borrow one of KK's swimsuits?"
Me: "Well, we aren't exactly the same size."
Z: "Yeah, you are bigger than her."
Me: "She is very skinny. I want to be that skinny."
Z: "Mama..."
Me: "Yes?"
Z: "You're not."

And just in case that didn't put me back in my place...

While on my back in the pool:
Z: "Mama, what did you put in your hair?"
Me: "Just mousse, why?"
Z: "It really smells."
Me: "Do you like the way that it smells?"
Z: "NO! It stinks!"

Poor kid...a chubby mom with stinky hair!!

The Greats of Granny-Great

It's been a while since I shared any lessons from Granny-Great. When she was here for T's birthday party, she told me something that I must share. Really, most of her fashion related tips just have to be shared...it wouldn't be fair to keep them for myself.

I spotted an unfamiliar handbag on my couch. I originally thought that it was one of my cousins (age 12 and 13) because it was several colors of plaid with gold trim and buckles. (I am so mad I didn't get a picture of it to share.) Once my aunt told me who it belong to, I went over to my grandmother and said, "Granny, I like that purse. Is it new?"

Her reply, "Oh. Yes. It is. Would you believe that I have been carrying a purse from Penney's for a few weeks and not a one comment about it? I bought that one at Goody's the other day for $19.99 and EVERYONE has said how much they love it. You should have heard everyone at Bunco on Tuesday. I took that other one back to Penney's. I'll carry that new one...I have gotten so many compliments on it!"

She is clearly influenced by her buddies at Senior Friends and their comments---or lack there of. Her hairdresser has some influence over her, too. We have tried for years, unsuccessfully, to have her bathe herself in some other kind of cologne beside Passion (by Elizabeth Taylor, she always reminds me!). She told me that every time she goes to have her hair set, her "beauty operator" tells her how good she smells and as long as she is getting compliments, she will keep on smelling like Mrs. Taylor's Passion! I have been tempted to look that lady up and encourage her to stay mum on Granny's next few visits.

Which, when she sees the new bag that her client is sporting, she may be able to skip the fragrance talk all together and get right to admiring the new handbag.

We would all be blessed by her kindness.