First Fish, First Camping Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we decided to go camping with some friends from church. It was by a state park, but we camped at this farm house near the lake. It is neat to see all the old farms here in Illinois.

My favorite part...making smores. Travis toasted my marshmallow perfect...it oozed right off the graham cracker.

I wasn't comfortable Ellie crawling in the grass, but she didn't mind. She jumped like crazy watching all the activities around her.

Here she is enjoying her dinner, under the shade. My girlfriend Martha has a darling picture of marshmallow on Ellie's face. I'll have to post that later.

Here Carlie is taking a ride in the canoe with Debbie and her granddaughter, Skylar. Skylar goes to school with Carlie at First Baptist Academy. She is a 1st grader and was telling Carlie all about it.

We rode down to the state park to play on their playground. The road was very hilly and we went really fast...like a roller coaster. The kids were laughing like crazy. Don't worry...we only drove a few miles down the road. I'm not sure what sign Jessica is doing with her hands. She didn't know either...too funny.

Carlie caught her first fish. He is really small, but she mainly just loved the action of reeling him in. This pond was awesome. The kids didn't have to be patient...two seconds later...a fish was on the line. PERFECT! They all caught one.

We were the laughing stalk of the party. Our tent was so tiny. We will definitely upgrade now that we know how much they loved it.

It was blistering HOT at first, and Ellie got super red. Of course, she had SPF 50 on. She didn't get sunburned, but boy was she having a good time. She loved it.

Poolside at Rebecca's

Carlie's last day of school was Thursday, May 21st. I had been counting down the days until summer, and was so excited about ALL my girls being home once again. So right after school dismissed, we had our first of many adventures.
One of Carlie's precious friends, Caylin, recently moved into a beautiful home, complete with a salt water pool. So Rebecca, her mom, decided to have us all over. We ran home, grab our bathing suits, and headed over. It was so much fun, and the water felt great! I was hesitant about it being cold, but Rebecca had planned ahead and heated it. We weren't use to having to "heat" pools back in Texas. In some ways, it was bittersweet, because I knew all the wonderful memories Rebecca would be making this summer and for years to come. My mind wandered back to our home in Abilene, Texas and how Carlie had learned to swim in our pool. It seems like yesterday Whitney was encouraging her and Morgan to swim on their own, and they DID! Anytime I got hot, I knew I could just jump in the pool...no prior planning, no traveling...just JUMP IN!

These are the girls Carlie always would tell me about. The ones she would write about in her journal at school. "I luv Caylin. I luv Amanda."

As you know, Ellie has three teeth now. The fourth is breaking through. So she decided to snatch this pizza from Carlie and chew on it. She was so excited.

It looks like Mollie was a little excited to have pizza, too.

Ellie loved the water. She splashed and splashed. Mollie unfortunately was almost swimming independently last summer, but was scared to try this time. I enrolled her in swimming lessons at the YMCA to build up her confidence. It is hard having two precious little ones clinging to you in the water.

She loves the water so much. I'm sure she will get the hang of it. Carlie is going to swimming lessons, too...but to improve her stroke. Plus, she wants to go down the big slide on Base and has to swim the length of the pool to get to. Whoa...

Definitely a Top 10 Birthday Party

I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but the parents at First Baptist Academy are AMAZING! I always thought, "I'm pretty cool. I can throw a great party!" Now, I've even been blown away! All my past efforts pale in comparison to what some dear friends have been able to pull off this year for their little ones. I think the first time I was amazed was at Conner's birthday party. Renee had made a cupcake python...4 cupcakes wide, extending, no kidding, 9 ft long. It was absolutely delicious, and completely "over the top." It went with her safari theme. Then this past Saturday, Lenna amazed me.
In the beginning, the girls got to play on this darling playground. A gentleman at their church had actually assembled this for his daughter in their backyard...for roughly $40,000. Then he decided to donate it to the church. The girls were so excited!

Then Amanda, Lenna's daughter, is an extremely gifted artist. She wanted all her friends to be able to paint their on artwork on a canvas and get as their goodie bag, their very own art set. Can you see how each girl has their own canvas with supplies. Then on another table was thousands of paints, ribbons, beads, etc. Lenna even textured the canvas to get it that artsy feel.

Here is what Carlie came up with. It proudly hangs in her room. We added the ribbon that had been tied around her own art set as an extra touch.

So the pressure is on...What should I do for Carlie's birthday? Well, we have decided to surprise the girls and get tickets to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. The week we booked them is actually Children's Fest, which will include even more kid-friendly activities and attractions. We have rented a 5 bedroom condo along with 3 other very special couples we knew back in Wichita Falls. Between the couples, we will have 11 children under the age of 5. :) All of our children have summer birthdays except 2. So even more fun birthday festivities will happen.

The Stevens, The Pritzs, and The Greicars are considered our lifelong friends. Each year we have done something special and all met up. The first time we went on a cruise, then Montogomery, AL, then Six Flags, and now Branson, MO.

I can't wait to see all the kids playing together. Katie, one of the moms, also has 3 children. What is awesome, though...is that Eli, her oldest, is 6 weeks older than Carlie. Then Joy is a few weeks older than Mollie, and her Ella Faith is a few weeks younger than Ellie. We didn't plan to have children so close, but what a blessing it is.

Ellie is pulling up...

Ellie turned 9 months, May 3rd. I titled this picture "I'm a little stinker!" because she definitely is. :) In the last two weeks she has decided to pull up on every piece of furniture we have. Of course, she looks like a drunken sailor as she goes up, but then is able to steady herself soon there after. She is keeping me VERY BUSY! I'm constantly worried she is going to fall and hurt herself. Unfortunately, she is a lot like me. If she wants to do something, she is determined to see it through. I know troubling is looming, because look at that sneaky smile. :) Oh, so precious!

Later that day, instead of taking her nap, she decided to show me she could also stand up in her crib. I came in just in time to see her laughing hysterically and jumping around. It is so hard to not laugh too, because she is so cute when she is doing things she is not suppose to.

Then I couldn't resist showing this picture. Look, we have two teeth!

The Tooth Fairy

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TOOTH FAIRY

'Twas the night before the Tooth Fairy would come take my tooth,

i'd been so excited ever since it got loose.

My bottom tooth was dangling and twisting about.

Tonight was the night. It just had to come out.

I wiggled it and waggled it for such a long while.

While my baby sister flashed me her funny toothless smile.

Mom handed me an apple.

She said, "Here, take a bite."

"No! 'Cause if I swallow it, guess who won't come tonight."

Dad said, "Let's yank it out with a doorknob and string."

"No way, no how! I told him. "You're not gonna to do a thing."

Then my friends at school grabbed a ball during recess

and as it hit my face, it became a huge mess.

There was my little tooth on the ground you see,

and Mrs. Evans placed it in a baggie for me.

Soon I was home and ran to the mirror

and what did I see?

A cool gap in my smile, where my tooth used to be.

I could stick a straw through it then sip up my drink

or pretend I'm a fountain and spray water in the sink.

"All righty," said Mom. "Time to climb into bed, or the Tooth Fairy may visit

some other house instead."

My tooth was put under my pillow with care,

in hope that the Tooth Fairy soon would be there.

I hopped in and nestled all snug in my bed,

while visions of Fairyland danced in my head.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

but a twinkling glow-

the Tooth Fairy was here!

Her wand, how it glittered!

Her dimples, how merry!

Her wings were so sparkly,

so light and so airy!

She reached under my pillow-I pretended to be sleeping-

and slipped my tooth in a pouch where it stayed for safekeeping.

I kept one eye open, as she fluttered around,

Then- poof-she was gone without making a sound.

I dug under my pillow and felt something funny.

All right! The Tooth Fairy left me some money!

"Look what I got!" I yelled with a whoop and a holler.

"The Tooth Fairy gave me a spanking new dollar."

("I brush my teeth, what do I get?")

That woke up my sister, who started to cry.

When Dad picked her up, we could see why.

Now my sister and I both have a new grin. My first tooth came out - her first two came in!

MY Big Backyard...

Okay, so this post is titled...My Big Backyard.

Now, this is a scene from my very own back porch. This is sweet Ellie enjoying her very first ice cream.

Now, this one was NOT taken from my porch, but the St. Louis Zoo...so definitely a bigger backyard. I love it, though, because it is this giraffe running...whether quickly...a funny sight to see. He was just a baby this summer when we moved here, and now he has gotten so big and FULL of energy. Actually it was fascinating to see the giraffes there. They have a giraffe house and you can get really close to them. It was so humbling to see the oldest giraffe stand almost two stories high. I'm 5'9 and my head literally didn't reach his tummy. I couldn't imagine being on Noah's Ark and having them tour over me.

This picture cracked me up, too. We were outside and saw this goose sitting on the roof of my neighbor's house. I mean, I know they can fly...but I guess I never thought I would see a goose just perching on someone's roof. This is a two story house, but he didn't seem scared at all. His feet are webbed though. The roof must have felt rough, but it didn't seem to bother him. Even funnier is my neighbor right beside this house has a stone goose on her front porch as a decoration. I desperately wanted to take a picture to show you, but I'm afraid she would be offended. What is funny about it is that she dresses this goose up every month. She has sewn little dresses and hats for it to coordinate with the season. Currently, the goose is wearing a Cardinals outfit and matching hat. I've never seen someone so tenderly love on a concrete goose. I mean he seems like a part of the family.

Trip to the Zoo

Here we are headed to the St. Louis Zoo on the school bus. It was actually a blast riding up there...listening to Veggie Tales all the way. I hated riding the bus as a little girl, but seeing Carlie's reaction was wonderful. It is a rare treat since I always drive her to school. It is sort of funny though, my last post it was raining, and wouldn't you know it...it was raining today, too.

This was taken right after it POURED! The children were soaked from head to toe. Right beside Carlie is her bestfriend Caitlin. The little boy in the red hat, J.T., she use to have a crush on at the beginning of school...not so much now. She is realizing boys and girls are very different. :)

I love this one. It is especially funny to me, because Carlie has had a loose tooth now for a week and a half. We were so excited when it first wiggled, and I've been dying to post a picture of her loosing it, but crazy enough it has hung on for more than a week. It is funny to see her smile, because the little tooth is tilted and desperately wants to come out, but I'm not pulling it out. ;) Oh, and Ellie has gotten her first tooth. It is still coming out, but definitely noticeable.

I love this picture...my Crazy Critters.

Libby's Photography

I just wanted to post a few of my favorite pictures that Libby did for us over the Easter Break. We visited a really neat place called "The Factory" there in Franklin, TN and had a blast. I had originally hoped to have Easter pictures done outside in a garden, but the weather was terrible. It rained most of the trip, and Murfesboro (right by Travis' home) even got hit by some tornadoes earlier that morning. It was a wonder that the weather cleared up that afternoon.

This is the best one with all three girls. Unfortunately, Mollie has been biting her nails when she gets nervous. So a few times we had to say, "Now, Mollie put your hand down."
This was my favorite head shot of Carlie.

Ellie is missing in this one, and Mollie isn't smiling...but I love Carlie's smile and Mollie's beautiful blue eyes.

This is sweet little Ellie. The picture was actually taken in the "Sweet Shoppe" which seemed appropriate.

Carlie's face is so playful in this one. I only regret that we couldn't see Mollie more or see Ellie's reaction.

Unfortunately, there wasn't many of Mollie cooperating in the actual photo shoot, but I wanted to post this picture I took of her during one of our walks. This is the precious face I see most often...completely carefree and laughing, and I'm so thankful I caught it on camera.