Blessed!

My bags are packed and we are set to leave EARLY Saturday morning for the Alaskan Cruise. Our flight leaves at 5:30am, which means I will need to get up somewhere around 2am!!! I know that I will miss my 2 little monkeys and their daddy but, also know that I will have an amazing time. A side note is that something that I have been thinking about for a while now and have to put it down. I have been feeling more and more grateful everyday about my life. I am surrounded by people who are going through tough times with work, relationships, children, health, etc. and it has really opened my eyes to how blessed I am. It really hit me this morning when I was in the bathroom and when a silly little two year old took off with the roll of toilet paper and I had to laugh. Why get mad or upset?... she is two and as happy and healthy as she can be. I know that tomorrow it can all change but, for all of the blessings in my life today... I am grateful!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Birthday to the best mom and grandmother I have ever met. Thank you so much for everything that you do for us and for always being there physically and emotionally. You are not only my mom but a best friend, even through our ups and downs. I hope that you have a good birthday, I love you!!!

Funny Stuff

We are having an issue with ants in the house and they are obviously smarter than me and my pest control methods. GGGRRR!! So, this morning Skyler and I were talking about the issue and I told her that I was going to call a pest control company today, thinking that I was going to have to explain what that was and before I started to do so, she said "Oh, like ABC Pest, Pool & Lawn?" So I had a "note to self moment".... Skyler watches to much TV in the mornings. :o)

PS....Pest control people (not ABC) are coming tomorrow.

Playscape in Full Swing!!!

Ok we had an old fashion barn raising with the playscape. We invited some family over and we got it moved in the right place and together in one afternoon and the girls LOVE it. My brother and sister-n-law came and brought the twins so I got to see my niece and nephew and spend some time with them. They sure are growing fast now...they are a little over 2 months.

Brandon and Brianna

Getting ready for bed.

Sleeping sisters.

Annual 4th of July trip to Tyler

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

Our trip to Tyler was so nice and we all had a great time. We went to the zoo, swam, boated, watched some amazing fireworks out on the boat, Schuyler golfed, shot sporting clays and we ate some great food. Schuyler now has a pretty bad bruise on his shoulder from shooting 120 rounds but he enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you Uncle Paul and Robyn for letting us stay at your house and treating us to a relaxing weekend. Also, a big thank you to Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Stephanie for having all of us over for dinner Sat night, your house is beautiful. Here are some pictures of the trip.

The girls at home getting ready for the trip....look at that crazy hair on Madison.

A lion at the zoo that looks like he is posing. Madison kept saying "look, a kitty". It was so cute.

Madison holding a bird at the zoo when we were in the bird exhibit....it was like being in a huge bird cage with a million birds flying around your head like bombs. I was a little un-easy but the girls were loving it. Madison wanted to hung the birds and kept saying "gimme a hug" and they would fly off when she tried to hug them. Good thing since she might have squished them.

Skyler holding a bird at the zoo. once she found out that you can hold and feed them that is all she wanted to do. She was so excited when she finally got a spot next to the tree and in this picture you can see a little boy trying to take her bird and right after the picture was taken she looked at him and said "no, I am holding the bird you find your own"! I was a little proud of her for sticking up for herself.

Me and the girls at the zoo with Robyn and Mathew in the background, It was starting to get pretty hot about this time.

Skyler 5, Madison 2 and Mathew 20 months at the end of the zoo trip...we all loved the zoo but we were also ready to leave since it had started to get real hot and the zoo in Tyler has a lot of hills and we were walking/pushing strollers up them the whole day.

Robyn and Mathew at the zoo

Skyler and Uncle Randy after the firework show, it was a god show but a long show as you can tell. For a kid to go to sleep in the middle of it you know it was long. Randy and his wife Ivy are expecting their 1st baby in December and we are all very excited for them. Congratulations you two!!!

The girls swimming in Lake Tyler at Uncle Paul's house. Lake Tyler was soooo much smoother than Lake Conroe, where we have been going since we got the boat.

Madison sitting with daddy on the boat.

Madison 2, Brandon 7, Skyler 5, Lauren 5, Mathew 20 months at Uncle Jimmy's house. The kids played and had a great time chasing one another and the dog in the back yard.

Some cute pictures of Madison that I took. I love black and white some times. They always look like such sweet pictures.

Madison in front of Uncle Paul and Robyn's house looking up from the lake towards the back of the house.

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! The next big things are to plan and pack for my cruise the end of this month and to plan Skyler's birthday which we have decided will be a slumber party. So, a lot of little girls over night! HELP ME! :o)

Not a good start

O k, I seldom vent on my blog but I have to this morning as it was a hectic morning. This 4th of July weekend we are headed to Tyler for the annual family gathering at Schuyler's uncle's house and we are not off to a good start. Schuyler is off today to get everything packed and ready and the girls decided that this was not going to be a good morning. On a normal day daddy us up and gone by the time the girls wake up...actually I normally get to get ready then go wake them up and get them ready last. Well.....while I was in the shower I heard Madison crying up the stairs....I knew that was not good because normally if she wakes up early she just comes down stairs by herself and climbs in bed with us. Most mornings are good, some mornings one of the girls decides to be cranky and then there are rare days like today when they are both up early and cranky, I am trying to get ready, pack the rest of our stuff, leave for work and nothing goes smoothly! By the time I finally got in the car to head to work I was thinking "Man...this morning was a work out"! I am sure looking forward to coming home and heading to Tyler and enjoying the long weekend. I just hope that not getting a good start doesn't carry through. We will see.... :o) Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!