Gone Fishin'

This weekend we decided to take a break from packing and go see Aunt Dena. Dena lives at Ceta Canyon in Happy, TX. Ceta Canyon is a church camp and retreat center. We were really looking forward to a little rest and relaxation. Ceta Canyon offers all the usual church camp activities like hiking, swimming, basketball, volleyball, and even a fishing pond.

We had promised to take the kids on their first fishing trip while we were there. I had never been fishing before either, so it was going to be a new adventure for all. I was a little nervous about what I was going to do if I actually did catch a fish. Chris promised me he would get the fish off the hook for me. As luck would have it, I was the first to catch a fish! I hollered for Chris, and he came to help as promised, but while he was getting the fish off the hook it got away from him.....so, there is a fish swimming in the bottom of the pond with a hook in its mouth, and the hook is attached to a Spongebob Squarepants fishing pole! After that little snag in out fishing trip, I learned to get my own fish off the hook. Rachel was the next to catch a fish. She was instantly hooked! She loves to fish! Well, she loves the catching part! Rachel was the big winner with 16 fish! I caught 6, Dena caught 3, and Luke caught 1(that was all he cared to catch). Dena and I would have caught more fish, but we were always helping Rachel get her fish off the hook.

Chris was able to find a few activities he was interested in too. He joined in a basketball game. The kids thought they had found them a Michael Jordan. They probably soon realized tall does not mean in shape! Chris had a great time playing with them, and after the game he found out they were from Midland too. Chris also enjoyed the diving boards at the pool. He wore himself out doing flips and dives.

For a special treat we roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. They were so good! What is camp without S'mores?

On our way home we all agreed we had a great time with Aunt Dena and want to come back again! Thanks Dena!

Press the sound button if you want to hear the music during the slide show.

Fun at the Diving Boards

All the kids, big and small, enjoyed the diving boards...

Chris flips...

Like father like son...

Just press the arrow to play, there really is a video to watch.

Packing Update #1

Here is a sneak peak of our new house!

As far as packing goes, we are coming right along. I have packed up most of our room, both bathrooms, coat closet, videos, and pictures. I still like some in the kids rooms, but I made a big dent in them yesterday. Chris has cleaned out the storage building, which was the biggest job of all! He has also organized the boxes in the garage. I still need to pack the kitchen, hall closet, utility room and office. I think we will make our deadline without a problem. I may be too optimistic though. My biggest challenge is keeping everything organized, so our house does not look like a bomb went off! Here are a few pictures of our progress.

We explained to Kate everybody had to pitch in...

then she whined something about not being able to walk yet!

Scooby Doo, Where Are You????

Can you guess who this is a pictures of? If you guessed Shaggy, you guessed right! Luke loves the character Shaggy from the Scooby Doo Cartoon. I took him to preschool yesterday dressed as Shaggy. He was so excited to show off his new identity. He was a big hit! He feels like he needs whiskers to complete his costume. I told him not many 4 year olds could grow whiskers.

Standing Tall!!!

It has been a big week for Baby Kate. She has gotten rid of her bottle and started standing. Before this week every time she thought you were going to make her stand alone she would just sit down. Two nights ago it became a game. I would stand her up, and she would just laugh. She new she was doing something big! Kate now drinks from only a sippy cup. The transition could not have been easier! I had no intentions of braking her, but one day she drank everything out of her sippy cup, so I kept giving it to her all day. It has been several days now, and she does not miss the bottle at all. I wonder how long it will take for her to add steps to her bag of tricks???

Party Pics

Here are the pictures from Kate's 1st birthday party. Grab your coffee, there are a lot of them. You only turn one once!!

Luke's Balancing Act

This morning while I was getting breakfast ready Luke decided to pull one of his stunts he is famous for. He decided to help me by getting the chocolate milk out of the fridge. It was a half gallon that was about half full. I saw that he had put it on the top of his head to shut the refrigerator door, but I have learned not to question how things get done but to just be glad he is trying to help. The next thing I know he says, "Look I can carry it on my head with no hands!" I turned around, and before I could say anything...you know how the story ends... the milk carton fell crashing to the floor. Dixie was more than happy to help him clean up the mess. I am not saying he will never try it again, but hopefully next time he will be more successful at it. I have decided the phrase "boys will be boys" really just means your kid is bad!