fun with friends

Our friends from Houston and Amarillo came to Dallas to meet halfway, and we were so excited to be their meeting place! We had fun at a water park, and the new Legoland Discovery Center. Audrey got to spend a night with the girls at the hotel, and the boys got to spend time fighting with Nerf guns and swimming. Pretty much all of these are Rebecca's pictures. Thanks, Rebecca!

Raegan, Audrey and Callie, reading their new wolf books at the hotel.

Raegan, Callie, Audrey and Sydney at Hawaiian Falls.

Cater, Miles, Parker and Luke

The crew.

Miles and Parker with the Rangers Ballpark replica at Legoland.

Miles built his own little car to race.

4D movies at Legoland!

Thanks for coming, Melanie, Rebecca and kids! Let's do it again sometime!

Grateful Sunday

This has been a busy week, but all good things, so no complaints here. Today I'm grateful for:

• my nice neighbor who picked my phone, book and sunscreen up off the road when I drove away with them on my back bumper. I am a complete scatterbrain sometimes and leave things there. He held on to my stuff until I realized it was gone and called my own phone. Thanks, Neighbor Mark!
• the way things worked out with the car we almost bought. It is a long story, but it involves a 4-hour wait, a shady salesman (surprise, surprise), undisclosed hail damage, and the sales manager buying Neal's dinner that evening because he felt so bad about what happened. End of the story as of today, Neal still has to drive his Honda to work tomorrow. With no AC. Weather forecast: 105. (Note: the AC is fixable, but we have determined to just junk the car, as this is one of many problems, and not fix it. Hence the car-shopping.)
• The happy coincidences that resulted in Miles having a swimming lesson last week and this week from our friendly neighborhood home teacher/lifeguard. He's improved his swimming confidence already.
• fun friends (and babysitter) who were understanding when Neal and I returned home about an hour after we had asked them to come over for a BBQ and swim. We were car shopping all over the metroplex.
• new families at church. We have several new helpers in Primary and almost all of them have moved in since summer began. I'm thankful that we live in an area that people are coming to more than they are leaving. (But some do leave, and we miss them!)
• Fun plans for the weeks ahead. We have friends in town from Houston and Amarillo this week, and we are going to have a great time! A few days after they leave, we have Elliott's whole family coming to see us. Bonus = my mom and dad are coming, too! Hooray for our central location!
• my knowledge that we are children of a loving and knowing God. The tragedies in Norway this past week are so hard to understand. It breaks my heart to think of all the families who are suffering after such an unexpected loss. I am grateful to know that our Heavenly Father is aware of our suffering, and, though the doesn't always remove it from us, He does love us through it and after it in immeasurable ways. I pray that those families can find some peace, and will hug my kids tighter knowing how blessed we are to be spared such tragedy.

girlies

Audrey's friend, Callie, is visiting this week from Amarillo. These two are having so much fun! Crafting, swimming, talking, loving on Trooper, playing with all their stuffed animals, laying around in Audrey's room with the door closed like they're teenagers, etc, etc. 

Grateful Sunday

The kids swimming with our friends, the Walker boys, at their house last night. Good times!

This has been a great week. Today I'm grateful for:

• fun camps for all of the kids. Miles was at a two-hour sports camp for most of the week and Audrey and Parker went to Camp Invention, which was a hit! They had long, school-like hours, but they had a great time and I liked knowing that their brains were getting some exercise. And I got a few hours to run errands here and there!
• helpful people at church. I am indebted to several people who stepped in or supported our Primary in some way today. I am so blessed to be in the ward we are in.
• our England trip coming up. I'm so excited to spend time with my parents and siblings, and to celebrate with Julianne and Toni. And after today, I feel much more secure about it. I booked our hotel in London and have made a preliminary itinerary. Now I just need good walking shoes for the kids!
• my new fitness regimen. I joined a little fitness club close by (and on the route home from fall preschool), and have really loved the way it's making me feel. Listening to audiobooks has helped pass the time on the treadmill . . . I might be able to get used to this!

Miles is funny.

Miles went to a sports camp this morning at the local rec center. They played a little bit of everything, and when I picked him up, I asked if they played baseball. He said, very matter-of-factly,

"Ya. I killed it."

He doesn't lack confidence. He probably did whack it pretty good though. He couldn't believe they let them use a wooden bat with a whiffle ball. Such a treat.

Grateful Sunday

Miles, a few weeks ago. 

One of our first full weeks home of the summer, and it's good to relax a bit. Today, I'm grateful for:

• family, I just wish they weren't all so far away. 
• friends. I have a few friends who have recently received some difficult news, or are going through really hard times, and I hope that I can be there for them in the coming months and weeks. I know that I am grateful for friends who step in and help without being asked (or often thanked). I hope I can be that kind of friend, too.
• our car, for plugging along up to Nebraska and back, with 130,000 miles under its belt.
• Skype! I had fun chatting with my parents tonight. Skype makes the miles disappear. :)
• air conditioning. I just checked the forecast and it's not supposed to be under 102 for the next seven days. Sigh. Summer can be so draining sometimes!
• a new gym, which I signed up for last week. It's called Koko Fit Club, and I'm hoping their little system will keep me motivated. Because nothing else will!
• a sweet testimony borne by one of Audrey's friends in Primary today. We were talking about the beautiful doctrine that is Eternal Families. 

Fun at the Ranch

Neal's dad has a ranch in North Central Nebraska, very far from anything, and it's a great place to have a family reunion. We had such a fun weekend, spending time with the cousins and relaxing on the prairie. Neal's brother, Jeff, captured this pretty picture of the landscape. Most of these pictures are Jeff's, in fact. Thanks, Jeff!

 Miles and Parker on the porch.

 A new addition this year was the ping pong table. It was a hit!

Miles and Tucker have the same stuffed kitties. So they played with them non-stop!

Baseball game in the field.

 Lots of chatting and relaxing on the porch.

The North Loup River runs through the front of the property. It's a fun place to play and look for wildlife. 

 Audrey and Emmaline.

The Kubota is always a big hit. Kids pile in and other kids drive them home!

Daddy Jeff built three sets of bunk beds for this "bunk room" downstairs. The kids loved it!

Family shots in our reunion t-shirts! Cows!

 All of the cousins who could attend on the water trough. Many were missing, and we missed them!

I just love this picture, Neal is scoring a run while Walker and Caroline play behind him. Good times, Nebraska! Until next time!