dear hair, you are still short.

 

oops, i did it again.

Summer Splash!

We are an entourage arriving at the lake! Boats, jet skis, several tubes, knee boards, wake boards, skis, coolers and a lot of kids! Justin got a new boat adding to the toy chest and so did Jay ... it's a bit over the top but no excuse to be bored or idle!
I didn't get pictures of the boat, but here's the wake size - great for boarders!
These are at the private lake. Haley Mae has the no fear blood and is a little fish in the water game to try anything. She has knee boarded before but this was her first time to take off by herself w/o daddy in the water. Andy and Chris are awesome on the slalom course. Those buoys just come too fast for dad and I as we are happy to be at the little lake for smooth water! That may be on my summer goal list to sync the timing. Chris is a great multi-tasker!

Arghh...... matey Braxten's bday!

A bunch of fired up pirates ready to walk the plank!

Oops ... gwamma caught me!

Tanner scoots in the walker and look where I found him ... snooping through the cupboards looking for some pool toys to bang around with. He inherited the drummer gene and was happy to find this broken in old pot!

Missing Daisy!

I still find myself in a puddle at times missing Daisy. Especially on mow day - she was such a buddy and guard of the castle. I'm truly grateful for the plan of salvation and pray she will always be a part of our family and will be there wagging her tail to greet us. Besides the welcome home from a toddler, you can't beat that of a dog's, one of many lessons they teach.




Roxy is trying to step up to be a mow dog, but really she is a house dog. We're improving on the frisbee but, frankly, not her passion. Frog hunting has become her obsession and I am not happy to witness the food chain in the back yard. The house is much more quiet and the void is felt as we all miss our buddy.
THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY DOG!

• When loved ones come home run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity of a joy ride.
• Allow the wind and fresh air in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• If what you want lies buried, dig till you find it.
• Never pretend to be something you are not.
• No matter how often you are scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends.
• Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
• Run, romp and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop and lie on your back in the grass.
• On hot days drink lots of water and lie in the shade of a tree.
• Be loyal.
• When your happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• When it's in your best interests, practice obedience.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm, but stop when you've had enough.
• And most of all...when someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

4th of July

Flags, family and fun! We truly missed you, Heather, but happy you are discovering treasures and memories in our beautiful lands from sea to shining sea! You are becoming such the world traveler, but know, it is not the same without you here!

Here are a few pics from Texas holiday madness!

Katie brought her camera w/ a close up lens and took some great baby pics

Canton with a crowd

We proved the whole fam can have fun at Canton! Scooters are the trick!

Whew! What a day!

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!