Sleeping

As I was kissing everyone goodnight, I noticed they all are sleeping in some sort of crazy way tonight.  Reed is surrounded by pillows and 25 stuffed animals.

Ridley is wiped out on the sofa after enjoying her Nabi.  She even lost her wolf ears.

I found Ryland upstairs in his pillow fort behind the chair in the gameroom.  I don't see how this is comfortable, but he is out.

Texarkana Thanksgiving

We are making the rounds for Thanksgiving fun.  Our first stop was Texarkana to see Nana and Papaw.  We also got to visit with our nieces and nephews, and I just love watching the kids play together.

Kids of Old Friends

A very dear friend that I have known since Junior High came to visit this evening.  She is one of those friends that you pick up right where you left off.  Our kiddos played so well together, and I would love for them to grow up in the same city.  They ran wild, went swimming, and laughed all evening.  I was so sad to see Suzanne and her crew leave, and I am already looking forward to our next visit.

Playing

In my longing for less stress and a slower pace, I took the kids on a walk/bike ride this afternoon after school.  We headed down to the greenbelt to enjoy the trails.  Before I knew it, we were playing in the creek and under the bridge. 

This is the last photo of the day, and I love it.  I love their sweet expressions of joy!

Relaxing

I am in Austin for a quick trip, and I received the cutest pictures by text.  My children are relaxing with Dad, and he had a few special requests.  Reed wanted to take a bath, and he needed a towel to rest his head.

Ridley and Ryland relax with a little Nabi time before bath.

Ridley curls up under the covers.

Cooling Off

Doing yard work in this heat calls for a break to cool off!

Sand

Dreaming of Anguilla sand, but this will do for today.  They had so much fun, and now we know that Ridley will be right in the middle of the sandcastle fun when we are on vacation.  

The Wetlands

We finally got everything loaded, and we are on the road!  Here we come Louisiana!  

In the middle of packing and loading, Ryland smacked himself in the mouth.  It was pretty bad, and there was blood and screaming.  He did end up losing a top front tooth, so the Tooth Fairy had to find him way out at the Wetlands.  I don't know how she did it, but she found him and left a sweet surprise.  $20 bill!  The tooth fairy must not have had change for her unexpected trip.

We all enjoyed being outdoors and spent a little time fishing.  It was nice to be outside and ride around in the boat.  Ryland reeled in a fish, and we saw a pretty large snake in the water.  Ryland also lost his other top front tooth today, so we had to send a memo to the Tooth Fairy, again.

We had a ton of fun visiting and catching up with everyone.  It was nice to see how everyone is changing as more kiddos are born.  The corn hole, skeet shooting, and beer drinking are still in full effect, but there are some more yard toys and play pins.

Reed was the ultimate frog catcher.  He loved tracking and catching these frogs as they hopped across the porch and patio.  He was very stealth-like and grabbed them quickly.  He would play with them a little while, and then he would let them go.

The inflatable water slide was a huge hit again.  Reed wouldn't take a break for a picture, and I snapped this one of Ryland as he ran over for more sunscreen.  They loved it!  Ridley threw a fit to get on it, but it didn't go so well.  She slid down screaming one time, and that pretty much changed her mind about the slide.

Ridley had a blast at the Wetlands.  She was a trooper and went along with whatever we were doing.  I did have some long, wonderful naps with her in the cool bunk house.  I love those sweet still moments.  On the way home, I picked her up this Cinderella drink when they boys got ICEEs.  She was so excited and held the bottle like a baby.  Too funny!

No words

Some days are just too much.  Today was one of those days that needed to end, so I can refresh my mind and body.  Ryland started Jiu-Jitsu this evening, but you would think my other two children were recently released from the area zoo.  I tried to watch Ryland and listen to what the instructor was saying, but I ended up just chasing kids.  Goodness!  Is it 8 o'clock yet?

So Sad

I was so disappointed to get this picture.  Every year I have the kids make a hand or foot print plate.  This is my treat to myself for Christmas.  I was really looking forward to getting the plate, but it broke in the firing process.  The artist was nice enough to offer to make a replacement, but it will be after Christmas.  I do love how the snowman design turned out.  I can't wait to remake it.  Cross your fingers!

Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love that it is silly, carefree, and full of candy!  This year was a bit different for our house, because we were running a little behind.  We realized that we had not carved a Jack-o-Lantern, so we decided to carve on right before we went to the neighborhood party and trick or treating.  

Since it was chilly out, Ridley wore her Halloween themed spider outfit instead of her sleeveless costume.  She still looked adorable!

Here is the small crew that made it all the way around the neighborhood.  We had lots of others give up, but these kiddos were troopers.  Aren't the Special Forces Officer and Captain America precious?

WOW!  Look at all that candy!  

Full bed

I have the best start to my days.  Every morning my little ones come for cuddle time in my bed.  Even if I am out of bed, they will climb in and tell me to come cuddle.  My bed seems to be getting smaller as they are getting bigger.  I love this previous time! 

The Looks

I am going to brag a bit about my awesome littles.  I was brave today and headed to the car dealership for a carwash and a new inspection sticker.  I was pretty nervous to confine my children in a public place, and let me just tell you all the crazy looks I received when we pulled in the service department. 

We all went to the bathroom and the snack bar and then headed to the kid friendly waiting room.  The boys played with blocks, watched TV, and played with puzzles.  I fed Ridley and enjoyed a little down time.  The people walking by would just look and smile.  I just know they were impressed that my children were so well behaved.  I was so proud.  

Easter Bunny

This moment didn't quite end up looking like I thought it would.  I woke up early to make sure the littles' clothes were clean and ironed.  My plan was to pick up the boys at school and swing by the house to change for pictures with the Easter Bunny.  Needless to say things went completely crazy and it started to rain.  I finally just had everyone load up to head out to see if the bunny was still taking pictures.  The boys had on their dirty school clothes, and Ridley was still in her pajamas.  At least we were able to hide all the tattoos Reed put on his arms!  Creating memories!  

Wedding

We all had a fantastic time at Trevor's wedding!  My hubby cleaned up nicely, and it was great to see him dressed up.  All the kiddos did very well during the wedding, and they had a great time at the reception.  They were a huge hit with the crowd.  Everyone had a fit over little Miss Ridley.  She was told about a million times that she was so beautiful, pretty, and sweet.  I love the look on her face when I said "smile" for this picture.  It was obvious the diva was worn out.

Dancing and running around the dance floor for hours really wears some boys out!  Ryland and Reed were the cutest little guys there, and they little girls were flirting like crazy with them.  As you can tell, Reed didn't want to stop dancing.  He was on a roll.

As the newlyweds left the museum, we all showered them with bird seeds.  The massive amount  of excess bird seed was then the perfect thing for the kids to play in afterwards. 

We all had a wonderful time, and I am so proud of my family.

Kids and their toys

We traveled to Lake Claiborne for the weekend to hang out with the Owens and Wood families. The lake house was beautiful and had plenty of room for all of us and our necessary junk.

The kiddos loved these little cars and enjoyed being pushed around in them. John Chris took Harker and Ryland for a spin around the kitchen.

Oh no! This car has problems. John Chris and Rodney put this together, and I think they forgot some screws.

Harker loves the new "convertible", and she rides shotgun on Ryland's lap.

Obviously, Ryland wasn't pleased with this, so he started pushing her and screaming. KIDS!

BOUNCE

It's Friday, and that means it is time to BOUNCE at the library. Ryland and I had a fun time playing with the toys and visiting with our friends.

Better watch out! These two are pretty silly when they get together.

Once again my Blackberry camera can't keep up with Ryland's fast speed. He is a blur.

I signed Ryland up for the summer reading program at the library. We check out a few books each week and turn in our tickets to win prizes. All Ryland really wanted was their balloon. They have a cute little room set up for the program, and the theme is Piggy related thus the "Oink 4bks" license plate above. It is very cute and has been fun.

Swim school

Ryland started swim school at Emler today. It was pretty funny to watch him interact with the other kiddos in the class. It really isn't focused on swimming. It is more about being comfortable in the water. He was nervous and cried a little, but I know he will be a little submarine by the end of the summer.

After class we stopped at Starbucks for a Vanilla milk. This is the first time he held the box on his own and drank the milk. Such a big boy!

Game Night - 2nd edition

Sarah and Robert hosted another game night and once again we all had a blast. It was a great night to visit and hang out.

The kiddos like to play with each other and their interaction with one another is hilarious.

Watch out Colleyville! These 3 are crazy wild.