My Sweet Punkins

Crazy as I may be, I decided to try to grab a few quick pics of my sweet little guys in the pumpkin patch after picking Caleb and Connor up from school on Friday afternoon. Yeah - after school - when we should be going home for snack and nap time! Crazy? Yeah - that's me! However, I think I got a couple of good shots!
Well, I guess not ALL of the pictures were great... I still think it's cute!

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood!

This is what Daddy says when feeding Carter Chance! Yep... feeding... as in cereal, sweet potatoes, a big boy in a high chair... and Mommy crying on the inside. I don't know why, but it's killllllling me to see this baby growing up. Fast, too fast... he's just growing too fast.

But let me tell ya... Carter Chance loves him some cereal and sweet taters!! He has been BY FAR the easiest of our three children to feed for the first time. Like a baby bird, he sat there focused on the food at hand, mouth WIDE open. And smile... oh my gosh that baby was smiling for the sweet taters! Bitter-sweet as it may be for this mommy who feels like her baby is growing too fast and just not needing her as much any more, it was a lot of fun seeing him embark on his newest adventure.

Weekend of Travel

Our weekend was supposed to consist of both Canton Trade Days AND the Texas State Fair. The weather, however, changed our plans. We did make the Canton Trade Days - made it to Canton Friday night to stay with our friends Greg and Nan. We stayed with them in their new cabin and woke up to attempt Trade Days. It. Was. HUGE. I keep saying it's like Disney World - you simply cannot see it all in one day! We found several things we would have liked to have brought home with us, but - in the end - the only purchases we made were that of food. You know the kind... greasy, fried, and all-together unhealthy yet uber tasty! We spent Saturday in Canton. Nan and I swatted at mosquitos on the back porch while the boys napped. We enjoyed the rain as it rolled in... and stayed. After a quick BBQ dinner, we headed to Plano to stay with Bill's sister and family. Our plans included going to the State Fair Sunday morning, but the very cool, rainy weather kept us indoors. I don't think the kids minded at all - they really enjoyed some play time in their pj's all morning long. It was a good time. Finally, after a quick trip to Kohl's, we headed home. It was fast and furious, but it was a good weekend... and good practice for the kids in having to be in the car for long, long periods of time! (More on THAT later!)


The wedding area on the grounds of Mill Creek (where Greg & Nan's cabin is located).
Just lovin' on my blue-eyed baby boy.

FUNNEL CAKE!!! *Thank goodness we got on in Canton since we were jipped on the tasty fried foods of the Texas State Fair!

Kid-sized corn dogs! Mmmmm...

And, of course, Dippin' Dots.

Carter Chance

Thank you for making these last four months some of the happiest I've ever known. I love you more and more every single day, My Love. I look forward to waking up to your drooly smile each and every morning. I am truly blessed.

Time Passes Quickly...

You blink, and it's gone. Time. A precious commodity that, once you lose, you can never gain back. You think it passes quickly. Then you have a child. It speeds up. Then you have another child, and it seems someone is pushing your foot down harder on the gas pedal of life. The next thing you know, you're three precious blessings in, and it's as if you're the star of the Daytona 500 (or whatever the name of that race is!), and you're going so fast that life is a blur. Seems as if only yesterday I was holding my baby Caleb for the first time. Scared, excited, amazed at being a mom to that sweet little one. Then came Connor... and now, Carter Chance is with us - and he's already 3 1/2 months old! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?! Three children really do (in my opinion) take much more in time requirements than 2 ever did. And it's so funny that I always dreamed of having one child, yet here I am with three - and loving it. So... while this thing called time - AND LIFE - have sped by, I've enjoyed summer with my guys, sent my oldest off to Kindergarten, moved my middle child up to his new MDO class, and took my baby for his 3 month pics. *gigantic sigh* I had better leave off here - with a few pics, of course, because as I sit typing time is a-flyin'...

My trio of rock stars:

Ready for their first day of school:

Happy to be a Kindergartener:

Ready for Ms. "Jemifuh's" class:
(and I know it looks as if I drugged him to get him to school, but he was in mid-blink!)

And my sweet Carter Chance @ 3 whole months:

A blessing, indeed:

How Do We Celebrate Rain in West Texas?

By stripping down to your undies and doing the Rain Dance of Praise, of course! (AKA: puddle jumping!)

Happy Birthday, America!

As is tradition, we celebrated at a family friend's lake house in Blackwell. We werre surrounded with good friends, good food, great fireworks, lots of fun, and true appreciation for those who have and continue to make July 4th the special day that it is!