Fourth of July

For the 4th of July, we went to Fort Hood Army Base, with Dave's sister and her family. Her hubby, Kevin, is in the army and recently returned from Iraq. They had tanks and helicopters that the kids could climb around in... Carter was in heaven!

They let the kids try on their body armor...
It weighs a lot! (Our guess is 50-60 pounds). It really makes you appreciate our service women and men that wear this in Iraq for hours and hours in the heat! I can't even imagine how miserable that would be!

There was also a carnival with free rides and games. The kids loved driving these remote control Nascar cars...

We had a great time! At dusk, they had the best fireworks show...imagine 45 minutes of what you would consider a "finale". The army knows how to celebrate!
We hope you had a great 4th as well. We are so blessed to live in this great country and owe so much to the men and women who give so much so that we can enjoy our freedoms. My heart goes out to all the families who's loved ones are serving or have served. Thank you.

Nitro Swim Meet

The kids had their first swim meet tonight and did awesome! They all did 3 events. Carter & Lauren did the 25 meter freestyle, breast stroke, and back stroke. Taylor did the same strokes but did 50 meters of each.

Carter, Taylor, Katelyn, & Lauren

Taylor...

Carter...

Lauren...

Katelyn & Lauren

Allergic Reaction

I remember scratching my legs, arms, you name it all night long. I didn't think much of it until I woke up and looked in the mirror. My legs were covered in hives and my upper lip and both wrists were HUGE. I woke Dave up in a panic saying, "something is wrong with me." Turns out, I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, Bactrim, I had finished the day before. The doctor said I could have outbreaks for the next week until it's completely out of my system. So, I'm supposed to take Benadryl then switch to Zyrtec tomorrow. I look and feel like crap...just thought you'd like to know! :) The upside? I don't have to cook tonight which is awesome since I still don't have a refrigerator.

Fat Burglars Beware

Dave & I have a standing date every Friday morning at the shooting range. This summer, we have been taking one of the kids with us. Today, it was Carter's turn. While we were shooting, we had the following conversation with Carter:

Carter: "Would you rather a fat person or a skinny person break into your house?"

Dave: "Does it really matter?"

Carter: "Yeah. I'd rather a fat person, because then you'd have a bigger target."

We laughed. Then went to lunch. It was a good day.

Last week, when we took Lauren, we saw the BIGGEST spider being chased by a wasp. They were fighting. The wasp won. It dragged the dead, limp spider off into the weeds (like 20 feet). Once we got past the "creepy factor", it was very cool to watch. If only I had brought the video camera... But, Dave did take this picture with his phone...

Isn't that cool? Who knew.

Father's Day Recap

The "stinky" thing about Father's day? Our refrigerator went kaput. Yep. And ya know what's even "stinkier"? (Besides the fact that I had just made a Costco run a couple of days before.) Our new one won't be delivered until July 6th. That's 2 weeks without a refrigerator. Good thing my friend, Celia, loaned us this...

She's a life saver!

Happy Father's Day...

...to all those crazy Father's out there!

(You know who you are!)

Six Flags

Yesterday, Dave took the day off and we went to Six Flags...

Dave thought he was being really funny by having the girls pose in front of this ride called the Wave Runner. He knew it splashed onlookers. What he didn't realize was the scope of the splashing. This wave went over the girls heads... ...and hit him right in the face! :) The girls were a little wet, Dave was drenched! Once the girls knew the right spot to stand, thanks to their dad, they waited patiently... ...to get drenched as well!Don't ya just love summer!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

The girls and I were inside doing this...

When I looked outside to see Carter doing this...

So much for teaching him not to play in the street! At least the little neighbor kids were able to play safely. :)

Are you tired of house pictures yet?

I wanted something that would hold all my scrapbooks and the kids toys. So, I was thrilled when I found these bookshelves for our playroom at Ikea...

Here's a close-up of the decor on top...

No more house pictures for awhile...I promise! :)

Final Band Concert

Whew! School got out last Friday and we've been busy! We've had hair, dentist, and doctors appointments, sleepovers, end of school parties, and the kids have started swim team. I also joined Taylor up for the gym so she has been going to step and weight classes with me. I've enjoyed having a work out buddy! With all the crazy end of the school year stuff, I realized I forgot to post Taylor's band concert videos. She is not going to do band next year. Instead, she is going to be the pianist for the choir. So, this was her last band concert for awhile! Enjoy...

Now, bring on the lazy days of summer...if there is such a thing! :)

5th Grade Graduation

Today was Carter's 5th Grade Graduation. Originally we had talked about pulling our kids out of school this week to take them to Dave's 20 year class reunion in Missouri. Carter did not want to miss the 5th Grade Graduation because, as he put it, "it's a once in a life time opportunity." I think he just didn't want to miss out on the snow cones, pizza party, and Games2U truck which followed! :)

Remember when he was just a little fella...

~Kindergarten Graduation~

Well, not anymore...

He's growing up too fast!

The principal, Mrs. Price handing Carter his "diploma"...Dave said, "Yay! He graduated 5th grade just like everybody else!" I on the other hand, was crying! :)

We're so proud of you buddy!

Carter had wonderful teachers this year! In 5th grade, they have two teachers (one teaches math and science and the other language arts and social studies).~Ms. Dickson & Carter~

*Notice Carter's smile...this is what we get every time we say, "smile". It reminds me of this Friends episode.

~Carter & Ms. Matsuda~

Party on Graduates...~Carter, Brock, Justin, & Sam~

You're officially "middle schoolers" now!