Double Digits!

Happy birthday Jane and Sydney!  10 years old!

As tradition dictates, we took Jane and Syd to Fort Worth for the weekend instead of having a party.  We did Sundance Square, a giant maze, face paint,

a drive in movie, 

the Stock Yards, 

the water gardens, and lots of quality time with the girls.

They were wiped out!

We did a family party on Friday night.  The girls requested a unicorn cake, so that's what they got!

  They were thoroughly spoiled, and it was fun celebrating them.

They are as different as night and day, sweet and sassy, and they brighten any room they enter!  Today, we'll have one of their favorite meals, treat them to some cupcakes, and try to grasp the fact that they are 10!

Life Lately

Clare had her first band concert!   I was pretty impressed.  They played several recognizable songs!  She seems to enjoy playing the flute, and she's pretty good at it!

Jane and Sydney had to get all dressed up to go to the symphony on a field trip.  They looked so pretty!

We went camping last weekend at Daingerfield State Park.  It was cold, but we had a good time, and the park was beautiful.

And now it's Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for these four!

Halloween 2017

Happy Halloween!

The kids had their own ideas this year, and I think they turned out adorable!  Jane and Sydney quickly decided that they wanted to be nerds this year.  They coordinated with several friends and had quite a posse of nerds!

Graham has been quite into Nate the Great books this fall, so he decided to go as Nate.  Since no one knows who that is, we decided he would just be a detective!  

Whodunnit?

Clare and her friends decided to go as a group of social apps, and she picked Pinterest.  With the make-up on, she looked so much older!

I thought her whole group turned out really cute!  They have all your social media needs covered....Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, YouTube and more.

As much as I love coordinating costumes, it's fun when the kids have their own ideas too.  They all loved what they wore, and they had a great Halloween!

First Day!

Summer flew by!  It's hard to believe that it's already over, but alas, we are three days into a new school year.  Let's back up and look at all of our first day festivities!

We have a traditional back to school dinner!  I cover the table in butcher paper, have the kids write some stuff on it, and we usually have pasta.  I love seeing some of their answers.

Graham is excited about wearing headphones at school, and he is nervous about nothing!!

Here's what Clare had to say:

Jane's responses:

And lastly, Sydney's:

On the first morning of school, everyone was up early and ready to roll.  I think everyone had some nervous energy...no one ate much breakfast!  

Graham is headed to first grade, and one of his best buddies is in his class!

Jane and Sydney are in fourth grade.  They have two great teachers...one for reading and writing and one for math.

Clare is top dog this year as a big 6th grader.  (sniff, sniff)  

My four smarty-pants!!

And a more serious one for posterity's sake!

All reports from the first day were good.  Clare's teacher was out sick, so that was kind of a bummer, but she seemed ok about it all.  

Praying for a great school year!

Colorado 2017

At last!  It was finally time for our week in Colorado!  The cousins were excited to be reunited!

One of our first stops was Jane's Lane!

We started our week off with our second annual campout.  The campout always provides some good memories.  This year we saw a moose on our drive to our campsite.  It rained a bit, and we were very thankful for our tarp setup!.  Thankfully, the rain passed by, and we were able to cook our dinner and have a good night's sleep!

These five love the camping trip.  They hang out by the stream, gather wood, look for animals, and they even shot the pellet gun.

We spent a day on Mt. Crested Butte.  The kids love all of the activities, including bag jump

and Euro Bungee!

Several in our group hiked up to the top of the mountain!  

Clare's had an injured foot, so we passed on hiking this week, but she thought something was pretty funny!

Another day, Megan took these four on an easier hike.  They loved it, and I love the pictures that she got!

On Friday, Mom helped the kids have their second annual lemonade stand.  "Cousins Lemonade!"

Graham was excited to get a matching shirt with his uncle Nate!

LoLo had a fun project for the girls.  They made no-sew fleece scarves!

It was a great week in a beautiful place!!