AnnaKate is 5

AnnaKate turned 5 on July 24th, and she finally got a birthday party! She wanted to go to Build-a-Bear, and that we did. :) She has such a sweet group of little friends...it was just perfect. After making their bears we had chick-fila and cake. Isn't that what every kiddo loves?

I can't believe that AnnaKate is 5...it just seems like yesterday that she was born. She brings joy, laughter, and sass everyday, and we love her! Happy Birthday, AnnaKatie!

Art Camp

Wow! This has been a busy, busy summer for us! The girls have had so many fun things to do! We went to Family Kamp, VBS at our church, tennis camp, art camp, and the beach. These pictures are from the girls' art camp at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. There were 7 little girls from our church that all went together, and they had a blast! It was an awesome camp to have on those 100 degree days. :)


AnnaKate standing behind all of her projects for the week.


Love her puppet!


Emma's puppet


Emma showing off her picture.


Emma's work


Good friends!

Kanakuk Family Kamp

We weren't planning on going to family kamp this year! Our friends, the Loughridge's were over having dinner one night and told us that some openings had come up during the week they were going. The more we thought about it, the more we thought we should go! Come to find out, another couple from our Sunday school class was going that week too. I knew the girls were going to love it, but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did! It was fun to be at camp again!

Our days started out with breakfast together in the dining hall. Then the kids met with their counselors and went with their groups for the morning playing games, doing the ropes course, swimming, etc. Beau went to his special place for the morning too. He was very popular among the camp...he was the youngest baby there. Everyone LOVED Beau! He got to go on walks in his stroller visiting everyone in the office. While the kids were doing fun things in the morning, T.R. and I got to listen to great speakers and worship in the chapel. We often had 45 min to an hour before picking up the kids for lunch to hang out too. One day we did the ropes course together. After lunch in the dining hall together, we would go back and rest for a while. Beau would go back to the Alo Moana for his nap. T.R., the girls, and I would go to the pool and play. T.R. and Emma did the ropes course two days, we went on a pontoon boat one day, and canoed another. We would have supper in the dining hall, and there were a few nights of dress up and activities. One night was a date night for the parents.

I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did, and we were all sad to leave! Emma cried the first night we were home because she missed her favorite counselor, Elise. I missed my favorite counselor too! I absolutely loved Jena...she took care of Beau and was such a sweetie. We all had so much fun, and we are already looking forward to next year's KAMP!

The song on the slide show was from Kamp. It comes from the verse for this year: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

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Emma's Surprise Birthday Party

It has been a busy few months around our house. Beau was born in January, we moved into our new house one month later, then we celebrated mine, T.R's, and Emma's birthdays all within 20 days of each other! With everything going on, I didn't get a birthday party planned for Emma. It always falls on spring break, and the weekends before and after didn't work out with T.R. being out of town or something. I was feeling really bad about it, and my friend Tracy had the idea to meet up at the playground of a church here in town and have a little party for Emma! The girls knew that we were going to play with friends at the playground, but the party was a surprise. We drove up, and our friends were already there. There were balloons and presents on the tables. Emma said, "it's someone's birthday and we didn't bring a present. who's birthday is it?" All of her friends came out to the car, and as she got out they shouted, "happy birthday, emma!"! She was so surprised, and it was a lot of fun. After lunch and playing we all went bowling. She loved her surprise party!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Emma and AnnaKate love to get dressed up. But, even more than that, they love spending time with their Daddy! We have some friends in our Sunday school class who adopted children through the Gladney Adoption Agency, and there is a Daddy/Daughter Dinner & Dancing event every year to raise money for it. Emma went when she was 4, but this was AnnaKate's first time! It was a lot of fun getting their hair done and dressing up for the evening. A friend of mine told me that they were dancing the night away with smiles on their faces the entire time. Can't wait until next year!

Beau is 3 Weeks Old

Beau is three weeks old today! We are enjoying have him here, and the girls LOVE their baby brother. They just can't keep their hands off of him and want to hold him all of the time!

Blizzard 2011 Part 2: T.R. to the Rescue!

If you know T.R., then you know that he is in LOVE with his car and gets a thrill out of living dangerously. If there is an open field or a mudhole, he is going to drive through it. He has been stuck too many times to count, but he still does it. Like my Dad, he has to get out and drive in the snow and ice to check things out. He was gone a long time last night, and when I called him he was in the middle of a rescue. He pulled a couple's car out of a snow drift they had gotten stuck in. Their car overheated while he was pulling them out, so he took them home. On his way home he rescued another poor soul who had gotten stuck. He came home all excited about his adventures. :) This morning he and Kellie ventured out to the neighborhood where we are building our house and got stuck themselves. Thank goodness Marmee had bought a snow shovel! They were able to rescue themselves and someone else on their way home.





T.R. to the RESCUE!