Be a Pepper!

I love 4th of July with the patiotism, fireworks and fanfare, so was excited to see we had tickets to the Rangers game with fireworks. Who better to share with than the big eyes and excitement of Haley Mae! We were so excited and determined to not be deterred by ferocious storms all around us and hoped the fireworks would still go off. Haley Mae was so giggly cute and chatted the entire way to the ballpark. Since rain looked eminent, we decided to sit up under the balcony (thank you Andy) to protect our little precious.

I made the mistake of telling Haley early on in the night to watch for the horse mascot, Captain. For several innings it was countless questions - where does he sleep? what does he eat? where is he now? where's his house .... We talked about how he was really a daddy w/ a fake head and lives at home with his family, but somehow that didn't transition because the questions kept coming.

The Rangerettes were hanging around by where we were so Haley and I went to ask them if the horse would be out tonight. They said they'd bring him over to us when he got out. Haley was now over the top! 15 minutes later - no horse! Where is he????
Then all of a sudden he popped up and was on his way over to us! Finally ... how fun!
Typical toddler reaction - she freaked! That was the end of that! She wailed for a good ten minutes w/ her hands over her eyes... no reasoning. Until we found the magic ... Dr. Pepper. Wow! What a miracle cure! All of a sudden we were able to talk this out and redeem the night. The chatter went back to the "fake" horse who had "fake" hair and a "fake" tail coming out of his jeans! She drank the entire DP and had a pretty good sugar buzz going that got us all through fireworks! They were spectacular and finished off a perfect date night.

christmas miracle

after welcomed news from the greatest allergist ever, i ate a snickers, butterfinger and chex muddy buddies and did not die.  tomorrow i think i will take on strawberries.  

thanks to my strong will for avoiding, and my hard working little body for building immunity - peanut butter, strawberries and I can resume our love affair after years of separation.  

best day ever! 

summer at the cape

got back yesterday from a week at the cape with alexia and her family.  my nose is starting to peel, so it must have been a successful trip!

we stayed right on the beach, which was beautiful, though the water was VERY cold.  luckily, only the lower half of my calves felt it, as i choose to be more of a beach lounger than actual swimmer!

one day, alexia and i took a ferry from hyannis to nantucket, and i fell in love.  nantucket is gorgeous, with pretty houses, lush gardens and cobble roads.  as you come into port in nantucket, you pass this charming little light house, which is everything you would imagine new england to be.  hopefully when i am rich and famous, i will have a summer house on nantucket and you can all come visit!

through a series of confusion and calamities, we missed 4th of july fireworks (much to my disappointment).  luckily, i heard fireworks cracking outside the night before, and scampered onto the deck.  from our house, you could see groups shooting off fireworks and enjoying bonfires up and down the beach.  it was beautiful to see, and reminded me of the fight to found this country. (this was less random than this sounds - 1. it was dark, 2. in the distance there was a strip of land, and fireworks were being shot behind it so i really only saw flashes of light and residual smoke, hearing the occasional boom, 3. i had a lot of time on my hands.)  i envisioned a revolutionary battle being fought (fireworks = cannons), and was reminded of how much i love america, and look forward to celebrating it every july.  

only took a few pictures - here are some of hyannis and nantucket... (sorry, you will just have to imagine the firework scene)

(you can read alexia's trip report here.)

and... HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATELYN!  wish we had been watching fireworks together and watching the clock to appropriately ring in your b-day (but avoiding all roman candle wars).  adore you.

Cash is ONE!

Since Cash is such a smiley guy, Chris made a smiley face cake for bday #1! The eyes are oreo's which lit up Haley's eyes (Andy too)!

Happy Birthday little man!

Watch Cash try to blow out his candle after Haley Mae does ... a little spitty!

The next second, he does stick his finger in the hot wax and cries for a bit. Eventually he gets into eating and squeezing his piece of cake through his fingers - pure joy! That video is too long to post on the blog, but this picture shows how he was clearly NOT done with his tactile experience! Happy ONE!

Cash walks and Tanner and Olivia scoot!

Trek 2008

Trek was an awesome experience to be a part of and no wimpy feat. Besides the terrain providing an authentic obstacle course - complete with rocky ridges and sand trails, the 100 degree temperatures are reason enough the pioneers didn't come through Texas! Oh, my!
We had strong youth in our Hickson Family that made it so much more special to share experiences of bonding together, pushing, pulling, breaking, slippin and slidin, spiritual miracles and our own chinese language.

We were in different Companies from Justin and Emma so didn't travel together by day, but great to check in on them morning and night at each camp. The 2nd night I was rousting kids back to their families between 1-2am to find Justin was up partying with his group and any stragglers that came his way. The rest of the ma/pa's were sacked out while youth were sneaking out and Justin was the only other adult up besides me.

This was an incredible opportunity to gain first-hand appreciation for the pioneers - you think you know, but not until you dig in your heels, push and pull the 5-600 pounds, break wheels across rocky terrain, fight bugs and sweat like no other. Much sincere gratitude for those gone before us and more commitment in my steps forward toward the legacy we are leaving.

Meet Jett and Rhett!

Since our babies are all so big now, we decided to adopt two new family members... meet Jett and Rhett. The best kind of kids - always fun and never talk back (just like our other 4 ... oh, and these throw you too - typical kids).

The kids were certain we flipped as we absolutely insisted we get the boat out today and go for a ride, despite violating two big rules ... gale force winds and it is Saturday. But being obedient children they decided to humor their parents and show up at Lake Grapevine where it all made sense. We've been giggling for days and it was as fun as we thought. So now the news is out, Heather, Ashley and Bobby, here's another reason to come home! xo

Ahh, a good day!

Haley's a little fish!

Chris has been diligent to do swim school every day with Haley Mae and she is doing great! She has learned how to swim across the pool, taking a breath when needed and keep going. After class she loves the diving board, jumping off the cave w/ her daddy and catching frogs. Fun days!

It's summer in Texas and the pool feels great!

Even Ginger can't stay out of the water! BTW, she is CRAZY in the pool - we have created a swimming monster. Couldn't get her in, now can't keep her out! She is reckless with no pool manners - gotta watch yer back!

Happy Birthday Andy!

Andy was in Idaho on his birthday, so we delayed a week to celebrate our love for him and another great year.
Haley Mae was a big helper sticking 29 candles into homemade german chocolate cake. yummy! We have had gale force winds here for a few weeks and it is impossible to light candles or keep leaves out of the pool.






Have the cutest video of Haley helping me in the kitchen putting the candles in and singing to her daddy, but it won't upload. If you know of a way, please let me know how. xo