Monday, July 25, 2011

School's Out for Summer... AGAIN!






After a couple of weeks at home with not too much to do, I made a last minute decision to enroll Crockett in FBC CDO for their 6 week summer program. Since they were SO full, Crockett and I became a package deal, and I got to teach as well. It was quite the experience! Crockett was so blessed to have Mrs. Lydia and Mrs. Lindsey for his Kangaroo teachers... may I just say that they were INCREDIBLE! Lydia was one of his teachers in the Spring and Lindsey will be one of his teachers in the Fall. He even got to go to chapel with the big kids this summer, which I was excited about. I was a teacher for the Koalas :), or about 8 almost two year olds. It was wonderful and very challenging all at the same time, and I have a completely new respect for each and every teacher out there!

Since it was a short summer session, it was a little less casual and a LOT MORE FUN!!Each Thursday we had a special fun day! Some were a little more fun than others :) But the children all had a great time, which was the most important thing! I am so glad that Crockett and I were able to be a part of FBC CDO this summer! I think we both made some great friends and had a BLAST becoming a part of something so special.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Cousin Camp, Part 2














Crockett has been dying to see Braidy (It had been over a week since we saw him last :) so I decided it was time for Cousin Camp in Midland!! We met Mon, Braidy and Quin in Lamesa on Friday afternoon so Braidy could come to play for a while! After a quick bite to eat at Taco Villa, we were off! When we got to our house they immediately wanted to go swimming, so I promised after a nap, we could go swim. They were just too excited to sleep, so getting them to nap was a tad bit difficult, but it finally happened. Thank goodness! As soon as they woke up, we went to the pool! It was "yots of fun"!! After a fun swim, we went back home to meet Uncle Chris and play some more. They eventually made it outside to the backyard, which is filled with dirt... Which is HEAVEN for 2 little boys!! They played and played until we made them come in a take a bath. I have never seen such dirty little boys :) Bath time was just as much fun, with BUBBLES! There is just never a dull moment with these kiddos!

The next day, after an extremely LONG night (Thanks to Crockett) we just took it easy and were a little lazy. The boys have toys everywhere, they love the stairs, and they even found some of Crockett's toys we had stashed in his closet. They played so well together and only a couple of times did we have to get on to them to share. After lunch and a nap, for mommy too, we took them to see Winnie the Pooh! Braidy was so excited to go see a movie at the "BIG MOVIE"! We got each of them seated and got them their very own popcorn and drink... they thought that was pretty cool! They were SO good! In a theater full of crying, talking, wandering, chattering children, my 2 didn't hardly say one word! They both seemed to really enjoy the movie. It was only an hour, which was the perfect amount of time. If it had been any longer, they probably would have been running around with all the other kids :) After a little more playtime, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed to home to take a bath and get some sleep.

On Sunday, after a MUCH BETTER night of sleep, we had planned to meet Mon and Ryan to exchange Braidy... but he and Crockett weren't quite ready for that, so we decided to keep him one more day :) They played and played and swam, and played some more... I am sometimes amazed that they only need 1 two-hour nap! Uncle Chris played with the boys and even though Braidy kept saying "Don't get me", Uncle Chris really got Braidy pretty good :) He tickled and tickled them... I have never heard either one of them laugh so hard! It was such a wonderful noise.

I definitely think Cousin Camp Part 2 was a success! They had a great time and Chris and I love watching Braidy and Crockett play. Braidy is such a great kid (and says the funniest/cutest things!) and Crockett learns so much from him! How to pee standing up, for example :) These two are best buds and it warms my heart to see them together. We may have some sad little boys tomorrow, but Cousin Camp Part 3 probably isn't too far away!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Braidy Turns 3!!!











I cannot believe it has been 3 years since Braidy Spencer blessed our lives. It is so amazing to see how this little boy has grown from a teeny baby to a flown-blown little boy! He talks like one, and says the funniest things, plays like one and acts like one!

For his 3rd birthday party, Mon got smart and decided to have it at a fire station and an ice cream parlor. We all met at the fire station, where one of her good high school friends is a firefighter. All of the firefighters there were so kind to let the kids climb up on the truck and even "drive" :) They got to see the big water hose and try on their helmets. About half way through, they got a call and had to leave for a little while. It was pretty cool to see all jump in the truck to go. After they got back, Mon, Braidy, Justin and a couple of the other kids got to go up in the basket... WAY, WAY UP!!! It was pretty cool and I think the birthday boy LOVED it!!!

After the fire station, we headed to Holly Hop Ice Cream Shop. Such a cute little ice cream parlor where the kids all picked out ice cream or a sundae! YUM YUM!! They ate ice cream and cupcakes, Braidy opened presents, played music on a juke box and just ran around. Everyone had such a great time and it was SO MUCH EASIER than an at-home party! Braidy got some really fun presents and was so sweet to share with the other kids. It was such a wonderful party for such a special little 3 year old!

On Sunday, Braidy's actual birthday, we ate at my mom's house. Braidy got to decide what the menu would be. He picked broccoli, corn and steak! My kind of kid :) So we all ate and had a yummy ice cream cake! He got a couple more presents too! A pretty good way to end a 3 year old birthday celebration!

We love our DD SO SO much! Happy 3rd Birthday, sweet boy!!

4th of July!!













This year for the 4th of July, we decided (rather spontaneously) to go to Lubbock and hang out with the Curry's. We all met for lunch at Fuzzy's and then took the boys to nap while we got ready for cookin' out!! We cooked quite a feast, consisting of hamburgers, hot dogs, jalapeno poppers, broccoli and cauliflour salad (YUM!), baked beans and brownie with cream cheese and berries for dessert! WOW! LuLu and Papaw came and the Curry's invited their neighbors too, who brought homemade ice cream... SO MUCH DELICIOUS FOOD!!! It was a beautiful evening and we all really enjoyed being together! All three boys just ran circles around the backyard and pretty much wore each other out. Poor baby Quin had his first taste of strawberries... and immediately broke out into a rash with hives :( No more strawberries for baby Quin!

On the morning of the 4th, we all got up and headed to the 4th on Broadway parade. We watched it from the Tech campus... one of my most favorite places in Lubbock. It was a gorgeous morning, cloudy with some sprinkles. It was a great parade. I loved watching the boys, all in their red, white and blue, waving their flags and clapping their hands. So proud to be an AMERICAN! We saw lots of tractors, horses, weinie dogs, bands... the kiddos thought they were all pretty cool! Crockett's favorite was, of course, the TAC-TERs!!!!!

We were all pretty exhausted after the parade, but not the boys! They decided to strip down in the backyard and jump on the trampoline :) We put the sprinkler underneath the trampoline and they had a blast! It was a pretty funny sight! Johnny is so good to play with the littler boys and he definitely keeps them entertained. After a LLLOOONNNGGG nap, we headed home! Crockett didn't want to go, but he never wants to leave DD's hooouuusssse :) It was a wonderful 4th of July! I don't think we even missed the firework toooooo much!

Father's Day Pt.1






For the first couple of days of Father's Day weekend, Crockett and I headed to Lubbock to see Poppa!! He and JJ were in town for part of the week and we hadn't seen them in such a long time, so it was a perfect opportunity! We went to Lubbock on Friday and went to the Curry's house. Nena and Pops were in town too, and we always love getting to see them! Mon and I decided to take the boys to Poppa's hotel and let them swim for a while before dinner. Crockett had never really gone swimming by himself. Braidy just jumped in and Crockett was much more cautious. He didn't even want to stand on the step! I finally just put him in the water and he finally decided he LOVED it! Mon thought he looked like a duck, just floating around! Ha! They had a BLAST! Poppa even got in with them, which they thought was AWESOME! After swimming, we went back to the Curry's for some dinner. Rachy even joined us a little later :) We all had a great time visiting and watching the boys play!

On Saturday, Dad and I got up and went to play tennis. I have always loved playing tennis with my dad. He beats me every time, but one day I will get him!! It was so lovely at 8:30, about 75 degrees... perfect weather! We played for a while and went for a very yummy breakfast. After naps, we let the boys swim again. Johnny got to go with us this time and he loved it when Poppa would throw him across the pool. Poppa is lots of FUN :) While everyone else went to a wedding, the Curry's and me and Crockett ate very delicious Orlando's pizza and played for a while before calling it a night... It was a very fun, very long day!

On Sunday, Crockett and I headed home to see Chris and cook him a very special meal!!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Father's Day Pt. 2!


This year for Father's Day Chris had to work... Crockett and I were bummed out, but we decided if we couldn't take Chris somewhere, we would bring his FAVORITE steakhouse to him!! We ordered the smoked beed tenderloin from Perini's Steakhouse and had it delivered to him. Then on Sunday when we got back to Midland, we cooked green chile hominy, cowboy potatoes, jalapeno poppers and bread pudding with jack daniel sauce.. .YUMMMMY!!!! He made it home in time to eat and even relax a little bit :)

Christopher, I always knew you would be a wonderful daddy, but you have exceeded every expectation. Your son thinks you hung the moon, and I think you are pretty fantastic too :) You work so hard for our family, and I know we don't tell you thank you nearly enough. We love you dearly and hope you know that every day!

Weatherford or BUST!!











In May, we (by we, I mean me, Crockett, LuLu, Monica, Braidy and Quin...) all piled in LuLu's car to go to Weatherford for our cousin Meredith's graduation. We all packed very light, but were stuffed in there with not much room to spare. After a bit of a slow start, we were off! It was not too bad of a trip, much easier than any of us expected. The boys watched their movies and slept and baby Quin was an angel!

When we got to Weatherford we checked in to our hotel and headed off to Uncle Tim and Aunt Darla's FARM!!! The boys could not have been MORE EXCITED! It was so great to see the Lowry's! We ate a delicious meal and kept the boys at the table as long as possible... and then they were off! As soon as they got outside, they saw a FROG! Shortly after that, Braidy saw a snake! We were off to an AWESOME start :) Uncle Tim took both boys on the 4-wheeler and they got to see the cows and tractors! That made Crockett's weekend:) He even took us to see some piggies! Crockett wasn't too sure of them, but Braidy loved them! They loved him too, even tried to eat his shorts!! We had a lot of fun that night!

The next morning was Mere's graduation. It was quite a morning even before we got there... not easy getting 3 boys and ourselves ready. When we finally got to graduation, me, Mom and Mon all got our goodie bags out and began our quest to keep the kids quiet. They really did pretty good.... for about the first 20 minutes... Then graduation began :) We made it until the row before Mere walked and then Crockett decided to take care of some stinky business... perfect timing :) So, he and I watched Mere walk from the doorway and then made our exit. Why, oh, why, do kids know the most inopportune times to do this?!?! Anyways, we all got to see our sweet Mere graduate, and that was the whole point of our trip. Congrats, Mere!!

After graduation, we went back out to the farm for a lunch they held in her honor. We all ate some delicious food and, of course, the boys were outside! They found their out of the gate and up the tree house, all without us knowing! The guests told us what a great time they were having... Monica and I about died. Those boys sure do keep us on our toes :) They could have played outside ALL DAY LONG! It was such a fun day of celebration with such a special part of our family.

On Sunday we all went to church. We decided to leave the 2 older boys in class while we packed up our hotel room. When I went to pick them up, their class was playing with sand, and Braidy was IN the sand :) We had lunch with the Lowry's and got ready to say our good-byes... But not before we rode the HORSE! Neither one of the boys wanted to get on by themselves, so the mommies got on there with them!

It was such a great weekend. I always love going back to Weatherford. It has such a special place in my heart. Weall have some truly wonderful memories of the people and places there and this weekend we made some wonderful, NEW memories... Can't wait to go back!!!