Summer Fun...Inside

It's been so darn hot here in Texas that we have been unable to go outside and play with the temperatures reaching over 100 for days in a row now. So as an alternative we have been going to the indoor playhouse. The bigger kids have enjoyed the rock climbing, the boxing ring, the batting cages and they still enjoy the bouncy houses and slides too. The little kids loved it all...the rock climbing, the bouncy houses, and playing with each other. We're just glad to have a nice cool place where we can still run around and play. Last week we went with some little friends, the Draper girls...it was a great time. But I still wish it would cool off....just a little.

I'm so glad when Grandma comes here!!

While David and I were off to Pennsylvania we entrusted our most valuable possessions to my mom, Grandma Libby. It's so nice to know that the kids will be happy and taken care of by someone who loves them almost as much as we do. It's always a good time when Grandma comes. I think she logged 7 games of monopoly, 23 games of cribbage, 4 trips to the pool, took McKinley to Build a Bear workshop, and endured Six Flags in the 102 degree heat!! What a trooper. Thanks Mom!!

Ohiopyle Pennsylvania.

For the past few years David has gone White Water rafting with some friends of ours from Maryland. He went for the first time shortly after McKinley was born and has continued the tradition for many years and in different places. It just never worked out for me to be able to go...until this year. So thanks to my mom for coming to watch the kids, I was able to join him in the adventure. It was such a great weekend...seeing old friends, being alone with Dave, and enjoying the beautiful Ohiopyle Pennslvania area. We traveled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and drove down to Ohiopyle that night to camp. The next morning we were up and off to the river for our class II and III rapid trip. It was such a pretty area and there were some fun rapids to navigate through. I was freezing cold all day, but I didn't let that affect my day...it was pleasant. But the adventure was about to begin on Friday!! Class IV and V+ rapids in the Yough river!!! I had such a good time and it was such an adventure. We bought a CD with pictures on it that I haven't received yet, but you can tell by the look on all our faces that we were having a great time. I can't wait to post those pictures. But here are some pictures from the trip that I took while on dry land. The first is at a place called the natural waterslides. Only 2 of our group were "brave" enough to try it and it scared me to death just to watch.

This is Cucumber falls, just outside the town of Ohiopyle. It's a waterfall that you can walk behind...if you don't mind getting wet. David and I had been wet enough for 3 days that we didn't volunteer to walk behind it...but it was beautiful.

And this is the 20 foot waterfall on the river that you CANT raft down. All of our guides on the river said that they have been over it head first...swiming, but that a raft would just fold in half. I didn't see anyone go over it and it didn't sound much fun to me to try, but it was beautiful to look at and take a smiley shot in front of.

Hurried Birthday!!

McKinley has been looking forward to her birthday for months. It's always a great thing to have something to "hold over" a child to help them modify their behavior or to answer their begging in the store with "maybe for your birthday (or insert Christmas, Easter bunny, Santa Claus...etc). So when it finally came time for her birthday we were preparing for our big rafting trip and had to fit in a birthday night before we left. McKinley was quite pleased to celebrate her birthday on her "birthday eve" and enjoyed her presents and store bought cheesecake. We weren't able to gussy her up much before the celebration...we just kind of grabbed her from playing dress-up and asked if she wanted to celebrate her birthday. The answer was "YES!!". So here she is on the eve of her 5th birthday ready to celebrate.


And enjoying her presents. This birthday was full of little, tiny pieces of everything. Polly pockets with the smallest shoes I've ever seen, My little ponies in miniature with tiny cell phones and purses, Thumbelina minitures with tiny flowers and hair combs, and Pet Shop dogs with strange bobby heads and small leashes and clothes. Everything she got would fit in a small shoe box...but she has spent hours setting them up and playing imaginary games with them. It's great!! Just don't vacuum too close to the "party" or someone will be missing their shoes!!

Happy Birthday Princess!! So hard to believe it's been 5 years!

Summer fun and consequences!!

We have had some really good summer fun already this summer. While we have our neighborhood pool just down the street there are times when the kids want to swim, swim, swim and I have things I need to do. Luckily McKinley remembered about our slip-n-slide we had from last year and she pulled that out. The kids had a great time keeping cool on the slide and making new creations of waterslides and boats with other various items in the yard. Entertainment for a few hours!!

While we were all at home playing last week, Austin was at a soccer camp in the mornings and a friends house each day after. One of the days he went to a friend's pool and thought he wouldn't need sunscreen. I guess he thought it was later in the season when he doesn't need it as much (but you always need sunscreen!!) and he was out way too long in the sun. This is what he was sporting the next morning after a fitfull night's rest:

They were on both sides and they grew to the whole area you can see there of blisters. Truly awefull!! I think Austin will remember this lesson in sunscreen for quite some time.

So it's fun to play in the water, but there are consequences for not using sunscreen! A new life lesson.

Good morning

I have to apologize to any of you who received a morning wake-up call from my lovely almost 5 year old daughter today. It seems she started her calling spree around 7:30am this morning when she highjacked my phone and started pushing buttons. She knows just enough to find the contacts list and the first letter sounds of names. So she was trying to call Kim Draper, so if you're Kim, Kimberlee, Kendall, or Katlyn I hope you were awake. And if you live in a different time zone, I know you weren't awake, but you got a nice wake up call this morning!! I hope it turned out to be a great day!! And Grandma, you were second in line for wake up calls. Too bad for Melanie, Mandy and Misty who are listed near "mom" in my phone! And I know, you live 2 time zones earlier than us, so 5:30am was a great time to call...isn't it a beautiful day??!