A Look Back

This is the last day of summer vacation for my oldest two. So while the house naps, I thought I would post about or summer! I have been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up with it all on my blog. Last summer, I was so disapointed when summer ended because I had not spent the time with my kids that I wanted to. This summer I am disapointed that summer is ending because I have made more time for them, and I am not ready to lose them 8 hours a day! It will make getting work done easier, but I love my children and already see them growing up tooooo fast!

We took lots of little trips this year, and that was a blast! We went to Dallas for John's mom's family reunion. We had a good time with cousins. My kids do not have any first cousins (only grandkids on both sides....can you say s-p-o-i-l-e-d?!), so they love getting together with extended family and having cousins to play with! We went to a petting zoo, played with bubbles (Ava's all time favorite summmer activity) and went swimming at a public pool (yes, we drove 5 hours to go swimming even though we have a pool in our backyard! ha!ha!).

Toben is not too sure about that burrow...or the goat about to eat his food!

Can you tell who my animal lovers are?? After this, Noah declared that he was going to save his money to buy land to build a barn so he could put all his animals in it. I asked where we would live, and he said, "Ok, I will save enough to buy a mansion too!" Sounds good to me!
Chicken Beware!!!

A new definition of "boy in a bubble!"

On our way home, we went to the Dallas Aquarium. If you ever get the chance, go! It was well worth the money! Well, maybe not ALL the money, but it was a great place and the children loved it! A great place to see lots of animals with out having to walk a long distance. The kids had a blast and so did John and I!

I did not have a telephoto lense on my camera and did not use the zoom to take this picture! This is a sloth hanging in a tree that you can walk right up to! My lens was literally inches away from his face! Is that cool, or what?! A man fed him while we were standing there.....they really do move sooooo slowly! It was neat!
These were the indian dancers in the Mayan section. We had front row seats to see them. Toben wasn't too sure about getting close enough for a picture!
Sitting with sharks swimming all around us in a glass tunnel, too cool! This was Noah's favorite part!

We also stopped by the Gallaria mall on the way home. Callie has been wanting to go to the American girl doll store for over a year. So we took a side trip just for her. It was soooo fun! I have decided that my all time favorite part of being a mom is getting to see dreams fulfilled for my children! I think I was as as much a little girl in a doll store as Callie was as I watched her look at all the dolls and accesories! I was on cloud nine as we walked through looking at everything. I don't think I can say the same for John who was coralling the boys and Ava! But he was a good sport! Sarah (Callie's American Girl Doll) got a spa treatment! She had her hair done with matching ribbons, was cleaned up and even had sparkles on her nails. It was neat how they really treated the dolls like real people! Callie loved it!

Callie decided she wanted to buy a bitty baby. She didn't have enough to buy the doll and the "starter kit", so she got an advance on her birthday money (her January birthday no less) and was able to buy them both! And of course we had to buy the matching shirts for Callie and Sarah (her American Girl doll) for the Kit Kitridge Movie opening later in the summer. When the movie came out, Sarah, Callie, my mom and I went to the movie for a girls night out! It was a great movie!

We went to El Paso to meet our friends, the Buntyns. It was a refreshing trip! I wish we had longer to stay with them! They were PERFECT hosts! It was weird to feel so comfortable in a home with people you have never met, but that is what being a Christ follower in the body of Christ is all about! We had that common connection, a passion for orphans and for Africa, and it was jut the most perfect time of visiting and encouragement for John and I! And Irene is a fabolous cook! She made HOME MADE cream puffs! I didn't even know you could make those home made! Let's just say there was no progress on weight loss that weekend.
We didn't think to take pictures until David had already left for work, but we had a great time with ALL of them! My kids felt right at home which meant it was really noisy! Sorry Buntyns!


While in El Paso we also checked on my grandmother's grave site. It was neat to show my kids where she and my granpa are buried as they never met her. She was my best friend growing up! She went on all our family vacations and was like the sister I never had! She was by far my favorite grandparent and we just shared a special bond! We also drove by the houses where my mom and dad lived while in El Paso before they met.

On July 4th, the kids were in the annual 4th of July parade. They decorated Granddad's jeep and threw candy out the jeep as they rode. They love this and it has become a tradition! Toben rode this year, but as soon as Noah (and Granddad) saw us, they started yelling, "Get Toben!". He wasn't quite understanding the throwing candy bit and was "chunking" candy at the children! So he only rode half the parade. Because of the fire ban, we were not able to watch fireworks on the 4th. But my parents took us to the local minor league baseball game where they had fireworks. Evidently they have fireworks in Liberia because Toben knew what they were and was not scared. When I went to Liberia later in July, I asked and they said they have them on Christmas.

We went to the Nueces River in July. It was a blast! John grew up going there, but this was my first time. His aunt and uncle take their camper and stay a month. We slept at a hotel, but stayed at the camp during the days. We decided this needs to be an annual trip! Our kids loved it as they got to swim, jump off a tall spot and scare me to death, and fish! Toben now thinks that all water has little fish in it! We see any water (like in a fountain at a resturant) and he starts yelling, "fishy! fishy!"

There were many more things, but this is turning into the marathon post, so those will have to wait for another day!

Whewh! No wonder I am tired! I need a vacation to rest from my summer! But it was the best I can ever remember!