Pre Teen Camp Starts today...

There she goes.... :-)

Her bus...filled with lots of girls

Thinking..."Mom, really another picture"

The girls getting ready to leave...

My beautiful daughter, looking so grown up

O.K. so I have to start by saying I have had the hardest time getting these pictures loaded on today, that when they finally came up they are in the wrong order. Taking a page from Angela's book on that one. lol :) I can't believe the time has come to sent my sweet girl to Pre Teen Camp, yes I said Pre Teen. She is off today to spend five days and four nights at Camp with our church. I'm so excited for her. I never went to camp and I just know these are the memories she will remember for a lifetime. We have the most awesome church. Today five chartered buses left from the Rockwall Campus full of kids going to camp. I'm always amazed at how effortless they seem to make it look. A well oiled machine I tell you, very well oiled. Kids were excited and nervous and anxious as were many of the adults I'm sure. I didn't think I would be so teary as the bus pulled away, but I was. I really could seem my little girl as she was growing up and thought to myself...how the time flys. This is just a prelude to a few years ahead when she leaves for college I'm sure. Katelyn made me laugh so hard this morning I nearly peed my pants. You know the kind of laugh where you cry and your ribs hurt and nothing you do for several minutes makes you stop laughing not even the fact that she may have been hurt. See she was loading her luggage in the car and I hit the button on the remote to open the back hatch. I called out to see if it opened but didn't hear a reply so I pressed it again. Well, it had opened and when I pushed it again it closed on her head and the latch got caught in her that I had french braided. It pulled her hair out and it looked so funny and the expression on her face was so funny that I just couldn't stop laughing. I tried to take a picture of it, but she was having no part of that as she was laughing at me laughing at her. It was a great time, and a memory I won't ever forget. I pray for her to have fun, stay safe, enjoy the camp and draw closer to God through this trip. Looking forward to hearing her stories when she returns home...

Having Summer Time Fun

Owen under one of the mushrooms at Hawaiian Falls

Owen and Parker lounging in the pool

Our summer has included a once a week trip to Hawaiian Falls. We go usually on Thursday's. It has been a great source of fun and a way to keep cool. This summer has been a hot one, and having the water to plan in has been so nice. We got season passes at the sports award night in May. They donated a percentage back to our church when we did. It has been the best money spent this summer. The kids love going, we pack a lunch and head off for the day. We get there right as the park is opening and get great spots under the shade. We usually go with friends and it makes for a great day. Owen took Parker and Hutton this last week and they played so well together. I had to take a picture of them relaxing and just sharing a conversation. Katelyn has also taken friends on occasion. There is always someone to share time with when we go. The summer seems to be flying by. Katelyn is preparing to go to pre teen camp this weekend. She will leave on Friday and be gone until Tuesday. It is the first time for her to be gone so long and I will miss her. She has become a huge help this summer. Wanting to learn how to do the laundry, doing the dishes, making meals...she is really growing up. She has been working hard at swim team practice three days a week and working out at Train Up four days a week. She is having a blast and loves going to Train Up.

Owen and I have had time to spend some alone time together while she has been gone and that is always fun also. We have played Wii games, played basketball, gone to Chuck E Cheese and the library during our alone time together. It has been nice to have quality time with the kids this summer. I have truly enjoyed spending time with them. We are all going to Disney Land in CA in just a few weeks. Our family is really excited about the trip. I'm not looking forward to the plane ride, but it is better than driving. These are pictures of Katelyn and Owen after a day at Hawaiian Falls. Don't they look sweet???

All wiped out from swimming

Sharing what is left of the blanket Katelyn has and watching t.v.

Completely wiped out from the day of swimming

More 20th Pics...

one of the many water falls at the Gaylord Texan

The middle of the Atrium at night.

The front of the Gaylord at night

The Bell Tower inside the Gaylord as seen from our suite

The main fountain outside our window

Pictures from our 20th

Are we cute or what???

Love it!!! :)

The front of the hotel, which so doesn't tell you how beautiful it is.

Aunt Janine and the kids, aren't they cute?

Setting outside the RiverWalk Cafe' inside the hotel

20 Years...

I'm so happy to announce that Joe and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last Wednesday the 8th. The day arrived more quickly than I had ever thought. It doesn't feel like twenty years, could it really be so? Twenty years ago I was 19 Joe was 18, we were one year out of high school were we met and feel in love. We were living together in Arizona where I worked full time, Joe worked part time and went to school full time. Our life was nothing fantastic, but it was blessed. We were so in love, we did everything together. Twenty years later we are still in love and do everything together, only now we live in Texas, which has been our home for sixteen years, we have two wonderful and happy children, we own our third home, and Joe works full time while I work part time and play taxi for our kids. Our life is good. This past weekend we went to the Gaylord Texan. Can I just say, GORGEOUS!!! It was breath taking and we had the best time. We left the kids with their Aunt Janine, who flew all the way from Denver CO to come stay with them. Once we knew they were in great hands we let loose and enjoyed our time together. Friday night we went to dinner at Love and War in Texas. Good food, great conversation. We went back to the hotel and watched a awesome firework show put on by the Gaylord. We walked around the hotel, talked, held hands and were just one for awhile. Saturday came where we slept in until 10a.m. (unheard of since the kids came) but it was so good. We moved slowly in getting up and ready for the day and that was heaven. The day was spent going to the train museum and to watch the glass blowers, then off to lunch and back to the hotel. We relaxed in the pool and laid outside, just Joe and I. Again, heaven. We people watched from our balcony, witnessed a wedding taking place, watched some of the reception, did more walking, talking and holding hands. Sunday led us home where we arrived to find a empty house. The kids and Janine were at the movies, so Joe and I took advantage of the wonderfully warm weather and went for a motorcycle ride. We used to do that a lot when we lived in Arizona, again, twenty years ago. Just a magical weekend.

We started our lives off with many wondering if we would make it to our six month anniversary, including some family members, but what they didn't understand was even though Joe and I hadn't truly know God back then, he knew us and was the one who brought us together and has blessed our marriage. We have since come to know him, seek him and love him, and understand what a blessing the last twenty years have been. It hasn't always been perfect, lots of ups and downs, the normal roller coaster of life, but I wouldn't change it or the person I riding it for anything.

My prayer,

God, thank you for your blessings, love and patients with us over the last twenty years. Please continue to bless Joe and I in our marriage and parenting. Please lead us in the path that you have chosen for us and when we pull away, bring us back to your side. God, please continue to bless our lives as you have so richly blessed them in the past and let us continue to build our marriage upon the foundation you created.

In Jesus holly name,

Amen

The Braces are off...

After

Before

And the smile is priceless. Well here we are, 16 months from the start, and the braces are gone. At least phase one is over. Katelyn was so excited about this day she could hardly wait. The days were being counted down, and today finally arrived. 9 a.m. this morning Dr. Falls removed her braces with one slight pull. It was fast and painless. I was amazed at how easy it went. Having braces twice myself I don't remember it being that easy. Oh how times have changed. The removal of the glue was different also. They have this tool that look like pliers, with a flat edge on one side and a rubber piece on the other side. It only took about twenty minutes for the whole process. We went back this afternoon to get her retainer. Again, another thing of wonder. She got to choose three different colors and add glitter to it. Crazy, I know, but so fun. Her smile was always cute to me, but now she loves it too, which is worth all the money we spent on it, which by the way has also changed A LOT!!! Katelyn, enjoy being without braces for now as I'm sure phase two will begin before we know it.

The Fourth of July 2009

The Boys
I took so many and this one is really good, compared to the others

Happy Fourth of July


So proud I had to post it again :)

The Fourth of July. Our day was quiet. Joe was supposed to work this weekend but since the fourth fell on his Saturday, he got the day off. Yeah!!! We didn't do much though. We went grocery shopping, took a afternoon nap and then went to church. It was a good sermon, our ABF was small tonight, only five of us. A huge drop from the 30 to 40 we usually have. We left church and headed to the park where we ran into some friends and had a picnic dinner and watched the fireworks together. A simple and beautiful day. I loved it.