I interupt our vacation photos for this

this is my exact sentiments lately

4th of July fun

Originally we were not going to be in Utah for the 4th of July, but then I realized that the 4th of July in Texas is lame and I have so many fond memories from when I was a kid. I wanted my kids to have the same thing. We had a relaxing day and went to the park with my sister and her kids. Then that evening we went to my parents house and we had so much fun. Food, fireworks, laughs....what more could there be??

The kids were so cute during the fireworks. They loved the sparklers. Addison kept saying "Best Day Ever Mommy!!" They both kept asking if we could do this again next year. I didn't want to break their hearts and tell them no. But Midland really does nothing fun for the 4th. They suck in that department. I am so happy that we went for the festivities, it brought back so many fun memories. It was fun to spend the day with my family!!! And here come all the photos. I think this holiday is one of my faves and there are tons of photos. So many did not make the cut!!!


This is Carter my nephew. He is 3 weeks younger than Kate and has 2 pounds on her. He is so cute. His daddy is very proud after having twin girls first. We both have kids the same age. Never thought that would happen. Their twins are 2 months older than Addison.


My sister is so talented, she painted these cute flags on our toes for the big day. The kids loved it. This is not the only artwork we did on our trip with Aunt Tiffy!!





This was a big hit with the kids. This was Addison's first ride, she was scared at first but then kept asking for rides all the time.

The fun begins

On July 1st we headed out for a long overdue vacation. We headed to UT for 2 family reunions. We were all very excited too see our family and friends. The kids did very well in the car. They were very excited to get out and run around for lunch though. This was by far their favorite toy at the park.



The first night we stayed at a hotel and lets just say we HATED it. Not the hotel, but the children staying in the hotel. Because they slept all day in the car, they would not go to bed. They finally gave up around 11:30 pm. So much for an early start. Then about 6:30 am Addison woke and couldn't see anything and flipped on the light and woke us all up....made for a very fun morning and some very ornery kids in the car. We finally made it though. YAY!! My sister had so fireworks and the kids LOVED them. They had no idea what they were in for in just a few days.

Sharks mommy

A friend of ours invited us over for a swim and the kids were very excited. Jeff was home and so I left Kate with him and I headed over there with the kids. Addison was so excited and couldn't wait to jump in. Then she got in and insisted that there were sharks in the pool. It was so funny. Then she said that there was no bottom in the pool. (because she couldn't touch the bottom) Such a funny girl. Once she was for sure there were not sharks, she finally felt better and would wander out into the pool. But mostly she hung out by the stairs, because the pool had no bottom. She was so adorable. I know that all parents probably say this about their children, but she is such a joy and is so stinkin cute!!

Addison's Pajamas

I told her to go and get her pajamas on...this is what she came back in...Parker's pajama shorts and a hockey jersey....LOVE IT!!!

Our little bundle of joy

These photos of Kate were taken at the hospital an I just love them. I got them in the mail recently and wanted to share.

I goofed around in photoshop and made this cute little announcement.




Mom-this cute one is coming your way!!! (You may not get it till I come visit though)


I also had photos taken of her by a professional photographer and those are coming soon and are so precious. She looks so different already, it amazes me how much she grows and quickly she changes. And I swear with the third one it is going by even faster.

Surprise!!!

So Friday after Parker's birthday we had planned to go to Mr. Gatti's. Parker had planned this months in advance. We thought it would be a fun family outing. What Parker didn't know was that he had a big surprise coming for his birthday and it came that day.

The night before after the kids went to bed I went to the airport and picked up Grandma....they had no idea she was coming to visit. Parker had asked several times when she was going to come and visit. So that night she came in quietly and then the next morning stayed hidden until we explained to Parker that his birthday present from Grandma had arrived. I then went to the other room and got Grandma. He was so surprised. He was also very excited. He was full of smiles for quite a while.



So that night we went over to Mr. Gatti's. We had never been before and were surprised with how much there was to do. Addison's favorite part was the carousel. Parker loved getting tickets. They both got some great prizes and enjoyed spending time with Grandma. Parker also loved the bumper cars. It was a fun time!! Parker got two birthday parties and he loved that.



This was the game of choice, we got so many tickets on this one, but we never got the jackpot, we came so close so many times.



While Grandma was here we had a great time. We had a girls afternoon out and went shopping. Addison loved this and was spoiled rotten. She enjoyed Grandma so much!!!It was nice spending time with my mom and catching up. We had not seen each other for 18 months. Way too long!! We went to lunch, the park, hung out at home, and watched movies. Her visit was short but she got to see the kids and meet the new addition.



Thanks mom for visiting and making it a fun surprise for the kids. They enjoyed every minute of it.