the creek

one of daddy's favorite things to do in the summer is going to the creek and fishing and swimming. he has taken the girls a couple of times and we all went the last time. the last place we went to has a huge pond and then there is a beautiful creek too. of course i forgot the camera and video, but thanks to justin's handy flip phone, it takes great clear pictures!!


there were lots of big catfish in the pond that the girls had fun catching, and mommy as well. :) they are strong little creatures!

watching the fish try to get back to the water love this one of anna kate, especially her little behind :) she liked just holding the pole towards the water, she felt like she was really accomplishing something

one of the big catfish

and i caught a 2 lb. small mouth down at the creek :) my hubby was proud

the girls LOVE them some rocks, and there were plenty of them there, big and small

sissy proud of her big bucket of big rocks

the girls also got to do some crazy driving out around the fields to some loud music

fun times :)

caroline's first medal

caroline got her first medal after she accomplished her first swim lessons. she had it for 2 weeks in june and she loved every minute of it and learned so much. she was so proud of her medal on the last day. good job caroline! :) we headed to the beach the week after the lessons and she was swimming underwater halfway across the pool at the beach! well worth it! excited about her medal, while really really needing to go to the potty :)

memories in time...

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." psalm 73:23-24grandpa (charles) bane - june 9, 2011 went to be with Jesus

grandpa holding caroline at 3 months, and then at 3 years

our last visit with him in februaryas i sit and reflect, i think about the good times with grandparents. grandpa bane, my dad's dad, went to be with Jesus on june 9. he shared a birthday with our caroline, on november 8. he was special. he was like a kid at heart. when we visited in february, he showed us his latest project in the garage. he had made his own engine using a vaccum hose to get it started. it was not working that great when he was trying to show us, but he looked like a little kid as he tried to get that homemade engine going. he was a wonderful grandpa. we shared lots of fun memories on their farm in oklahoma which is where we grew up playing when we visited. from grandma's homemade cookin to grandpa's "shop" in the basement, there was always plenty of fun things to explore while there. we dressed up in funny outfits in the basement, fished in the pond, practiced shooting grandpa's guns, played baseball in the front yard, took rides on the tractors, drove grandpa's old truck around the farm, watched grandpa work on his latest woodworking projects, admired grandma's beautiful doll collection, made home videos, had lots of family dinners, and just had fun with family and cousins. it was always a good time. special times i will always cherish in my heart. i remember how happy they always were when we would arrive to visit. they were always so involved in playing with us, showing us things, getting us involved in different fun activities. and every time i would talk to them on the phone, they were always thrilled to talk. before they moved to tulsa almost 5 years ago, whenever i would call, they would always both get on different phones and talk away. it makes me smile. i never talked to them on the phone where they didn't say, "thanks for calling laura! we sure do love you!" i can hear it right now. :) those are the special things i remember over the years being so far away. now grandpa is in heaven with Jesus and with the love of his life, sweet grandma betty. we will miss the special visits with them on our trips to oklahoma. i look forward to seeing them again one day. :)

as i rummaged through some pictures, i found a big envelope grandma had sent me back in 2007. there were old pictures of us as kids, of my dad as a kid, and even my grandparents and great grandparents as children. what neat stories she told on the back of some of the pictures. i wanted to include some for my sake, for my girls to be able to see them when they grow up. i just had 2 books printed of the entire blog. i did it from http://www.blog2print.com/ and i had a 15% off from an email. i love that i now have them as books. it uploads your blog and it does all the work for you....just what i needed! :) i highly recommend!

these pictures where i am 2 years old makes me think about my girls now being that age and how things have changed so much. the one of me by the kitchen reminds me of my girls, especially anna kate :)

1982 at our home in claremore, oklahoma - me, grandpa, grandma, my dad, and my brother

i know mom and dad will love this one. grandma wrote june 3, 1981 on the back of this one.

this was at their 60th wedding anniversary party in february 2008this was when they came up for our wedding in january 2006this is the farm in sallisaw, ok - their driveway and the house up on the ridge