Fun times

The boys continued the fun trip to Texarkana.  They played with Nanna and Papaw, and they got to hang out with their favorite cousin, Baby Ally.  I heard that these three were a complete handful.

 

 

A fun project for one day was planting strawberries.  A cute project that was interrupted because the boys wanted to actually wear the boots.  They saved the boots from becoming a permanent planter with holes and dirt inside.  Their cute creations came with instructions to re-plant the strawberries very soon, so they could where the new rain boots.

 

 

The boys played outside and enjoyed their new summer tank tops.

 

 

They had a great time playing at the park.  I also heard a story about feeding the ducks.  Ryland said that they were feeding bread to a few ducks in the water, when all of a sudden a million birds came over for a snack.  He said it was really fun.  Check out all of the geese.

 

 

 

Taking a ride with Papaw.

 

They modeled their new Harley shirts, which they LOVE.

 

 

Fun with Lizee & Pops

Ryland and Reed had so much fun in Ruston while staying with Lizee and Pops.  They enjoyed riding the new mule and picking vegetables in the garden.

 

They gathered eggs and threw out scratch for the chickens.

 

Reed loves spaghetti!  He couldn't get enough in his mouth.

 

The big entertainment highlight was the huge dirt pile.  Both boys are still talking about where we can put a dirt pile at our house.

 

 

Reed helped Pops mow the yard.

 

Ryland the catcher.

 

 

I love this picture.  I know they had a great time, and I heard they spent about 10 hours playing in this dirt pile.  Simple joy!

1st Annual Memorial

In memory of JP, a large group of friends and family gathered at the Wetlands in Columbia, LA to celebrate his life.  It was a fun weekend away from normal life with fun folks and great food.  Corn hole was a constant competition, and I am proud to say my team whooped John Chris and Trevor's rear.  Just saying.

 

 

Hundreds of pounds of crawfish to peel and eat.  Yummy!

 

We took the boys fishing at one of the ponds, and we quickly realized we didn't have enough crickets or hands to help.  Both boys caught their first fish on their first cast.  Needless to say, their expectations were set way too high after that.

 

Reed shows off his first fish.

 

 

Ryland is proud of his first catch too.

 

This is the disorganized group shot of a bunch of people who couldn't stop talking and had been drinking too much.  We are on the porch between the center two columns.  It was an awesome group.

 

The boys and Millie Marie are worn out, and they are about to call it a night.

 

We stayed in one of the houses at the Wetlands, and it wasn't roughing it at all.  The house was super nice, and the boys enjoyed taking it easy for another day of fun. 

 

Reed made a new girlfriend upon arrival, and they loved to play outside.  Here they are playing a little soccer.

As if there wasn't enough to do, the kids had a 20ft water slide to play on.  The kids had a blast on it until the adults had to come try it out.  Ryland loved it and really enjoyed sliding and splashing in the water pool.  Reed wasn't a fan and was very upset when John Chris took him down the slide.  He screamed bloody murder.

 

Some of the guys found baby alligators and brought them back so everyone could check them out.  Reed was apprehensive, but he did pet one.

 

 

Ryland didn't want anything to do with the alligators.  John Chris finally convinced him to hold one.  A few hours later, when Ryland tried to pet it again, the alligator snapped Ryland's finger.  He can say he has been bitten by an alligator and lived to tell about it.  

 

 

 

Last Day

Ryland had a wonderful school year at Chapel Hill.  Ms. Lynda and Ms. Pam were absolutely amazing teachers that were just perfect for him this year.  I have noticed a huge change in Ryland.  He is more outgoing and excited to go to school.  He comes home talking about all the fun things he has learned, and he has lots of new buddies.  I have been impressed by so many things at Chapel Hill - from the curriculum, teachers, activities, to the interaction of the parents.

Celebrating

It is always nice to enjoy dinner and drinks with the girls, and tonight we celebrated Samantha's birthday at Campania in Town Square.  Wonderful pizza with wonderful friends!

Shopping

Many things have changed since having children, especially how much and where I shop.  My favorite store is now TJ Maxx/HomeGoods.  I just love that I can find basically everything I need in one place at a good price.  It would be perfect if I could get groceries there as well. 

On today's trip, the boys tried desperately to push me to the limit.  I was really feeling my blood pressure creeping up until I looked up from the stacks of towels.  There were my boys laughing hysterically, along with a group of lady shoppers.  Ryland was trying on a bra - on his head!  Hilarious!

Fertility frog

Showing up once again to share the good news.

We are expecting baby #3 on January 24th!

MOPS & DOPS

The last event of the MOPS year was the MOPS & DOPS party.  We had a great time visiting, eating, drinking, and playing a little corn hole.  It was the perfect night to relax and laugh, even though the wind was trying to blow us away.

 

Buddies

Bath time is over, and the boys are all ready for bed.  We agreed that they could watch one show on TV before calling it a night.  Reed and John Chris snuggled on the sofa, and John Chris drifted off first.  I guess that Special Agent OSO did the trick.

 

Reed's Last Day of School

I always know the tears will flow when I see this binder on the last day of school.  Every year as I flip through the pages of that year's book, I am reminded at how fast the time is flying.  I waited until I picked Reed up and had him buckled in the truck before I just had to take a look.  I giggled and cried as I flipped the pages.  Reed is such a fun loving, silly, lovable boy, and I was overwhelmed with joy.  I look forward to seeing how he grows and learns through the years of school.  These are just a few snap shots of the binder pages.

 

 

 

 

I was already a little bit on the emotional side after our goodbyes at Stars Academy.  Both the boys will be attending Chapel Hill next year, so this felt like a little milestone.  It was especially hard to say goodbye to Ms. Nan.  She was the first baby teacher for both of my boys, and we will all miss her dearly.

 

Mini Kickers Ends

It is hard to believe this is the same boy who cried the first day of camp.  Only 3 short weeks later, Ryland was running back and forth across the field like a pro.  For the final day of camp, the kids played a mock game.  Ryland scored three goals, needless to say, two were in the opposing team's goal.  He was so excited!

 

 

Ryland was happy to receive a trophy and a certificate at the end of camp. A quick photo with his coaches, and he was off running the field again.

 

The entire Mini Kickers crew

 

School pictures

I love Ryland's school pictures.  The photographer did such an amazing job, and it was hard to narrow it down.  I can't believe my little Bubby has gotten so big.

 

Music in Town Square

We took a much needed break from working in the front yard to enjoy the evening with the Brashears.  We had a delicious dinner at Mi Cocina and just happened across an outdoor concert in Town Square.  I have no clue who the band was, but we all had a great time dancing and being silly.  The boys decided to take a break and take off their shoes and socks.  Ryland and Reed helped Benton get comfy on the curb.  He fits right in with this crew.

.......

The old grass is gone, and the front yard is almost completely tilled.  Finished photos to come.

Mud

In preparation for the front yard project, John Chris mowed the old grass really short and found a sprinkler leak.  It had rained the night before, so we had a small mud pit.  The boys couldn't help themselves from getting a little messy.  John Chris and I just watched and giggled as they played.  They had an absolute blast rolling around and running in the sloppy mud.