My Hard Workin' Honey

Ever since we moved into this house almost five years ago, our drive way has flooded whenever we get a lot of rain--which is quite often. And for the last five years, Aaron has talked about putting in a drainage system. This morning he got up early and went to work. The girls and I went out after he got back with the supplies and helped him cover up the pipes. It was kinda fun actually. It feels good to play in the dirt. And we even got some rain this afternoon to test out the new system, which looks like it's going to work pretty good. I must say that I am pretty impressed with my husband's skills.

Katie got my camera and took this picture of us after we got finished working. It turned out pretty cute--especially her, with her snaggle tooth smile!

At Least She Eats Her Vegetables

Unfortunately, Sarah has inherited my EXTREME infatuation with chocolate. She would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I would let her. In fact, most mornings she wakes up and asks for cookies, or kisses, or some kind of chocolate treat. Tonight I had to run to Walmart to pick up a few things, and told her I would bring her a treat if she would stay home with Daddy and be a good girl. So when I asked what she wanted me to bring her, she said, "I want some vegetables." Translation--Hershey's Kissables. If only chocolate were a vegetable, then I would have no problem eating a well balanced diet!

New T-shirts

We made new t-shirts the other day. We found these cute iron-ons at Michael's on clearance. Sarah already had a plain red shirt and we picked up this black one for Katie at Walmart for $3.50. It was a easy and fun craft.

They turned out pretty cute, but not as cute as the girls wearing them!

Summer Fun with Friends

Emma and Lily came over to play with the girls this afternoon. They played outside in the playhouse with the water hose almost the whole time. These little cuties always have a blast when they get together to play.

Works Like a Charm

I got this idea from one of my old Family Fun magazines as I was cleaning out on Saturday and decided to give it a try. I got this little container (I think it's supposed to be a candle holder) at the dollar store for $1, of course. I wrote down some chores that the girls like to do and some new ones that I think they can handle, like mopping the floor (with a Clorox ready mop--which they LOVE to do!), unloading the dishwasher, wiping off the table, folding clothes, etc. on popsicle sticks. Each morning they pick one to do before we leave the house, or whenever I hear "I'm bored", or if they are fighting and need something constructive to do. They LOVE it! It's like a new game and they don't even realize they are actually working! hee!hee! I know, it won't last forever, but I sure am enjoying it while it does last!

Recycled Chunky Crayons

I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs called Make and Takes. I did it with the girls today and they LOVED it. You just gather all of your broken crayons, take the paper off, and break them into small pieces--that was Sarah's favorite part. She kept saying, "This is kinda hard work, but it's fun." It's funny how normally it isn't hard to break a crayon or get the paper off, unless you really want it that way. Anyway, then you spray a muffin pan (mini or regular size) with a little cooking spray and add your broken crayons in whatever color schemes you want. We made rainbow, red white & blue, and of course we had to do team colors, like UNC, LSU, and Tors. Then you put them in an oven preheated to 275 degrees for about 7 to 8 minutes. Watch them carefully! Take them out and let them cool for about 10 minutes on the stove top, and then place them in the freezer until they start to come apart from the sides of the pan. Dump them out onto a paper towel and you have your very own cool chunky crayons!

The girls thought this was the coolest project we have done so far this summer.

We made little ones......

...and big ones, too.

We had some generic fat crayons that did not melt, so we will just use crayola next time. It was so fun to color with our own creations. Fun stuff!

The Babysitter

Sarah had the best time "babysitting" little Jackson Thursday night. She held him for about 30 minutes and even got him to sleep. In this picture, he is smiling in his sleep while she was talking to him. She kept looking at him and saying, "He's just so cute! I wish we had a baby like him." Me too, Sarah. Me too.

Eating My Words

Okay, so it hasn't been all fun and games this summer. Every morning before we leave the house for the activities of the day, I have been doing a Hooked on Phonics program with Katie to help build her confidence in her reading skills. At the end of each section is a review, and each review gets bigger because the review includes of all the sections covered so far in the book. This morning as Katie reached another review, she said, "I can't do this. It's too much." To which I replied (with lots of motherly excitement and encouragement), "Of course you can! You are my banner roll student! You can do anything you want to do!" And she very happily exclaimed, "Okay, I choose to skip it!" Oops, did I just say she could do ANYTHING SHE WANTED TO? "Ummm, anything except that!" Wow, she's a little too smart! I guess I need to choose my words a little more carefully.

Father's Day Weekend

Friday--Date Night

After Aaron got home from Scout Camp on Friday afternoon, Kayla came and picked up the girls and took them to their house to spend the night with Danni Kay--(they were so excited that they were ready to leave the waterpark at noon to come home and pack.) So Aaron and I went on a date. First we went to Sam's to pick up something for Kent for Father's Day. Then we had a very fancy dinner at 'Sam's Cafe' (that's the way things go these days since we are trying to leave room in the budget for food storage and a monthly temple trip) and headed to the theatre to see "Prince Caspian", which I have been dying to see every since it came out last month. When I heard it was coming out back at the beginning of the year, I decided I would read the book so I would be ready to go see the movie when it came out in May. But, it didn't happen so we went to see it anyway and it was awesome. But I do think I liked "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" best. I still plan to read the book though, because the book is always better than the movie. It was a fun night. It's always nice to go on a date with my honey!

Saturday--Four Wheelin' on Holly Beach

Saturday morning we woke up early, went to pick up the girls, and headed down to Holly Beach to meet some friends for some four wheelin' fun. Before we moved here, we lived in Wilmington, NC, just ten minutes from the beach--which I LOVED! I spent a lot of time there, until I met Aaron, because he is not a beach lover. I was very sad to be moving away from the beach, but Aaron told me not to worry because Louisiana has beaches too. So when we got here he took me to Holly Beach and can I just say it is not the same as NC beaches. SO NOT THE SAME. After all, it is the Gulf of Mexico, and the water is brown and there's always (at least every time we have been) tons of seaweed that's been washed up onto the shore. It just isn't really a beach you want to swim in. In fact you aren't even supposed to swim right now because of some bacteria in the water. Anyway, turns out that Holly Beach is good for something--FOUR WHEELIN'. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ride (except for all of the trash washed up on the shore--so sad).

Aaron took the girls for a ride first.

Then I took them for a ride, and before we even got back, they were asking me to take them back so they could ride with Daddy because he drove faster. Notice all of the seaweed in the background.

Josh, Pam, and Abbigayle. Josh is one of Aaron's good friends from high school.

We invited Mark, Kristie, Dillon, and Tanner Odell to come along with us. Tanner fell asleep for a few minutes while they were riding. And then when we all went on the long ride to the jetty, both of their boys fell asleep on the way back. They all had a great time. They are now four wheeler shopping.

The girls loved hunting for shells.

We found this huge shell that Sarah has fallen in love with and carries around like a baby. I love this picture of her and the shell--I just wish the beach were the background instead of Aaron's truck.

After going on short rides along the beach, we all went on a long ride down the beach to the jetty. It was about a 30 minute ride there.

Aaron and the girls.

The highlight was watching the big ships pass by and the dolphins swimming in front of them. It was really cool. If you look closely, you can see them jumping up out of the water. I really have to get a camera with a better zoom!

It was such a fun ride that we plan to do it again soon.

Sunday--Father's Day

Sunday morning, Katie and I made breakfast for Aaron--bacon, eggs, grits, and toast. We enjoyed some time with him that we don't usually get because of his early morning meetings every Sunday. Then we went to church and of course the primary sang to the dads. It was so cute, as it always is. This was Sarah's first time singing, and she and Katie both did great. After church we came home and made brisket, homemade creamed potatoes, and rolls. Kent and Johnice came over and brought green beans and sweet potato casserole. Maw Maw Mire also came. It was a delicious meal and good company too.

And for dessert, a yummy cake from Jo's!

These are the little rock family paperweights we made for Aaron, Kent, and my dad. They say "Dad (Paw Paw, Grandaddy), you rock! We love you!" And we made these white shirt and tie cards for them too. The striped tie was for Kent, the tye-dye tie for Aaron (in honor of the 'ugly tie' phase he is going through that he cannot be talked out of--believe me I have tried!), and of course the UNC tie for my dad (Dad, act surprised when you get yours next month!:) Inside of the cards, we wrote 10 things we love about Daddy, Paw Paw, and Grandaddy. I am really grateful for these three men. I am grateful for my wonderful Dad who is a spiritual giant. I really admire the wonderful man that he is and the great example he was in helping me to know what kind of man I wanted and needed in a husband. I am also grateful for Kent for being so good to us since we have been here. And especially for raising my good husband to be the amazing man that he is. I am constantly amazed as I watch Aaron interact with people at how much love and compassion he has for everyone. I am so grateful for his great example to me and our girls and for his never ending love and support for us. I am so grateful that he works so hard so I can stay home with them. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful men in our lives!

All Is Well

I love it when the girls play so well together! They have had this train set out since Sunday night and everyone (Tanner and Dillon Odell, Jaimee, & Danni Kay) who has been here since then has played with it for long periods of time. In fact, they have played so well and so long with it, that I haven't made them put it at the end of each day like we normally would. They have literally played with the train set, the lincoln logs, and hot wheels cars for hours at a time every day. HAPPY DAY!

Plan B

Today we felt the Andersons' pain as we arrived at the mall to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, only to find a sign on the door that said they were sold out. The girls were pretty bummed, and so was I. So I asked if they wanted to go play inside the little play area in the mall and they seemed pretty excited about it--until we got there. They were entertained for all of five minutes, maybe. So then we walked down to the ridiculiously overpriced cookie place and we all got a sugar fix for our mid-morning snack. YUM!

Then we walked into the "Limited Too" and they all found some cool sunglasses they wanted me to buy them for only $14.50 each. I don't think so. But they were pretty darn cute! And they knew it!

We decided we would go to Block Buster and rent Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Then we went to Wendy's, got some lunch and then went to the park to eat. After playing for a little while, we came home and watched the movie and did some Father's Day crafts. It was a fun day even though it didn't turn out quite as we had planned. One of the most important things I learned as a missionary--ALWAYS have a plan B, C, D, and sometimes E.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

As we were going to the movies this morning:

Sarah: "I love Jesus."
Me: "You do?"
Sarah: "Yes, I do, and I know He loves me."
Me: "You are so right. He loves you so much."
Sarah: "Yes, I know, and He is my friend."

Moments like this make my heart melt and make me feel like I must be doing something right.:)

I'M A SURVIVOR!

For several months now, I have been wanting to take some classes at SPAR. But I am a big chicken and I need a friend to go with me and hold my hand. I know I'm not in the 2nd grade anymore, but I still don't like to do some things by myself--okay, a lot of things, but that's beside the point. Back in February, I sold my treadmill to one of the instructors at SPAR and since then whenever I see her she asks, "When are you coming to one of my classes?" I always tell her that I really do want to come, but I openly confess that I am a chicken. She always says to just come and do what I can. Her name is Kelly and at SPAR she is known as "KILLER KELLY" because she is such an intense instructor. Just yesterday I saw her and she said, "One of these days you are going to surprise me and come to one of my classes, aren't you?" I said, "Yes, and you're not going to be able to teach because you'll be so shocked to see me there!" We both just laughed. Little did I know that 'one of these days' was going to be today! When we got to SPAR this morning, I ran into two ladies that I have become friends with in the last few months just from seeing them all the time there. They always 'ooh and ahh' over Sarah and steal hugs and kisses from her on our way to kid zone. Anyway, they were going to the 'Survivor' class, which Kelly teaches, and asked if I wanted to come. I told them I that I did want to try that class, but that I am a chicken and that I didn't think I was ready for it yet, and I might die. They said it was their first time going too and we could all go together and we would stop before we died. I took the girls to kid zone and was just going to go do the elliptical like I always do, but they were in the workout room, and asked if I was coming with them. So I realized that this was my chance because I have been wanting someone to go with me and it was also a bonus that it would be their first time going too. And then I saw Kristie, and remembered that I was supposed to have met her there an hour ago to workout with her! What kind of lame friend am I?! Anyway, I told her I was going to the survivor class and asked her if she wanted to come along too. After all, we had talked about taking some classes together, and misery loves company! And it truly was misery! It was incredibly hard! We are talking suicides (which I used to hate to do when I was a kid--and still do!), suicides while holding hand weights over your head, and lots of other cruel and unusual punishments. But, I made it through the entire class! I did have to do some--okay, lots of modifications--but I made it through an entire class with "KILLER KELLY!" HOORAY! But Kristie is the real survivor, because she made it through the class after doing 45 minutes on the elliptical! They have another 'Survivor' class on Friday, and I think I want to give it a try again. That's the great thing--I have done it already, so I know I can do it again. I think I am going to have a love/hate relationship with this class though--hate to do it, but love how I feel afterwards. Now, hopefully I will be able to move tomorrow!

Jaimee

Saturday night, our niece Jaimee came to spend a couple of nights with us, and the girls could not have been more thrilled--especially Katie! She loves Jaimee, but doesn't get to see her a lot, even though they just live 45 minutes away. They had a fun time playing together Saturday night and all day Sunday. Today we went to the waterpark and had more fun there. The highlight was when Maw Maw (she is such a great sport!) and Jaimee went down the water slide together--and I didn't even have my camera! We tried to talk Katie into going down the water slide, but she isn't quite ready. I am positive that when she finally does, we won't be able to get her off of them! Sarah, on the other hand, is already asking to go down the slides, but she isn't tall enough yet. We enjoyed having Jaimee over, and look forward to her next visit.

Temple Blessings

When Aaron and I set a goal to go to the temple once a month back in April, I have to admit that I wasn't sure if we would actually do it. We are 2 1/2 to 3 hours from the Houston Temple (depending on traffic), which would make it a huge sacrifice to go once a month. It takes a good chunk of the day just with the driving. With gas prices so outrageous, it would be a financial sacrifice for us as well. And there is always the question of what to do with the girls. But we have been blessed to have all of those things not be a problem for us so far--Johnice is more than willing to watch the girls and Kent has been very generous in letting Aaron off of work. We have seen some really amazing blessings in our lives from this new goal. When we went in April, I was praying about something specific, but did not receive an answer while we were there. I was pretty disappointed and I told Aaron about it. It wasn't until a few weeks later in sacrament meeting that I received an answer. I was sitting in the chapel while sacrament was being passed, not even thinking about the thing I had been praying about while in the temple, when I had a distinct impression made in my mind and I knew it was the answer to what I had been praying about. It was very clear and very simple. It wasn't exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I am grateful that my Heavenly Father gave me an answer. I know that He knows what is best for me and is aware the desires of my heart. Last month, I was also praying for something specific, and again did not receive an answer when I thought I would, but I did receive and an answer while I was in the temple.
We have received many other blessings as well since we have been attending the temple these last three months, temporal and spiritual. I know that some would call it coincidence, but I know that these blessings are from our temple attendance and part of the blessings promised to us in the scriptures as we attend. When I was released from Relief Society last month, our RS president, Susan Aucoin (I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to work with her--she is an amazing woman and I learned a lot from her), gave me a copy of Sheri Dew's book, No One Can Take Your Place. In this amazing book, Sister Dew asks the question, "Do we understand that when we leave the temple we emerge armed with power, what kind of power it is, and how we gain access to that power? (see D&C 109)" So because of our goal to attend the temple, I was very interested in this question and have been studying section 109 to learn about this power that surrounds and protects us as we leave the temple. It makes me wonder why it took us so long to make this goal of a monthly visit and partake of the wonderful blessings that are waiting there for us. I am so grateful for the temple!

Lazy Summer Days

I love this time of year when we can stay up late, sleep in, have no schedule to follow and no where to be--just me and my girls hangin' out and havin' fun!
School has been out for one week, and here's what we've done so far:

*one kool-aid party



*one free movie--Nancy Drew (it was really cute--loved it!)
*one trip to the library to sign up for the SRP, story time, & get new books
*two watermelons--GONE! YUM!



*two new hairstyles (from a new favorite blog called 'Hair Today')





*three sleepovers--actually 2 1/2 (one little friend didn't make it all night)
*three makeovers (hair and make-up)



*three crafts--perler people, sand art, and painting



*four trips to the waterpark
*four T-ball games

FUN STUFF! I love the lazy days of summer!

Waterpark Fun

CONFESSION--I love going to the waterpark as much as my girls do! It is the best $100 we spend each summer. I love being in the sun, playing with them in the water, and watching them play by themselves too. I have really enjoyed watching them this year because Sarah is learning to swim and Katie has been practicing her underwater acrobatics.

AND, they're just so dang cute!

Here's our little Sarah swimming like a little fish--thanks to her dad who has been working with her at the indoor pool for the last few months.

She has also started jumping into the pool.

Katie floating.

She has also been practicing her underwater splits, hand stands, front and backward flips.

Playing with sissy.

I guess she was thirsty.

Trying to splash mom.

Katie's Loose Tooth

Katie has had a loose tooth for a few weeks now. Tonight after we got home from her T-ball game, she realized that it was almost ready to come out. She had Daddy, Mark, and Lauren all volunteering to get it out for her, but she was not interested in any help. Daddy has cured her of opening up and show him her loose tooth, after he yanked one out one time that wasn't really quite ready (it was loose, but not loose enough). She started sucking on it, wiggling it, and it came out in just a few minutes.



I LOVE this picture, and the snaggle tooth smile! She was so proud that she got it out all by herself. And, of course, excited for the tooth fairy to come too!