SUMMER VACATION

We are so ready for a vacation!!! This year we are taking a vacation with all of Mike's family. This is something that his parents and sisters have been doing for years. Usually not every summer. More like every other year. For one reason or another, we have not gone. We have been married for over 12 years and have NEVER been on vacation with his family.

I said the kids and I are going this year, no matter what! Mike is going to take off of work to go this year as well. Of course, it comes with a price. He has been working day and night. Staying up until after midnight, most every night, trying to get quotes out.


We will be staying at the Roddy Tree Ranch in Hunt, Texas. Hopefully, we will be able to float the Guadalupe River, swim, fish (I'm not touching the nasty things), and relax. All of our meals will be made in the comfort of our own kitchen at the ranch. Each family will take a day for meals. It turns out much cheaper this way, because there will be 20 of us. Cooking is not my idea of fun and cleaning up after 20 people is worse than that, but I can pitch in and do my part. Check out the link below to know more.

http://www.roddytree.com/index.html

No pics this time. (I'm sure many of you are happy) BUT, there will be more after the vacation!!! FEAR NOT!!!

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day and stopped to think, pray, and love the men and women who have served & are serving in the Military. They have sacrificed a lot so that we have the freedom we have!! So many of us don't even know what it is like to have family over seas fighting a war, or have lost a loved one in the war. I appreciate the time they sacrifice with their families so that I am free to teach my family as I see appropriate.

SOFTBALL!!!
















Well, our softball season is over for the Wildcatz. Tonight was our last game of a wonderful season. The girls were great and learned a lot during the season. We had a 10-5 record. Going into tonight's game we were in 2nd place and ready to go to the city championship game. BUT, sadly, we lost tonight. The team we played has our same record. So they will be going to the championship game. There were many tears tonight after the game, as you can imagine. Ashley being one of the girls .

So, when we got home, Ashley and I spent some quality time in her closet, just talking. For my sweet and sensitive social butterfly, her biggest complaint was not that they were not going to the championship game, but that she did not make any "good" friends. I must say that she did make friends. But that is never enough for Ash. She wants great friends. What do you say to that? That makes me happy though. I know that one day she will be a "100%" friend. How lucky can someone be to have a friend like that?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???



















Ashley's dance recital ( center front)
















Piano recital

Payton at dance recital

You have to be kidding me!!! I cannot believe it has been a month. I have been thinking that it has been a while since I blogged, but when I logged on tonight I was very surprised that it has been almost a month.

So....What has been going on in my live over the past month? It seems as if time has just flown by. Does anyone know what that feels like:)

We bought Mike another vehicle a couple of weeks ago. 2003 Ford Expedition ~cheap~ with a lot of miles on it. Since he has totaled 2 vehicles since last fall, we don't want to put much money into another truck. (We need to save it for medical bills.) Poor guy couldn't even drive it for several weeks. He finally got released from the ortho dr. last week. Now he can drive again and started back to work today. His spirits seem to be doing well. I just ask you all who are reading this to continue to pray for him, though. There is still quite a bit, emotionally and physically, for him to overcome.

What have I been doing? Trying to hear God when ever I can. Other than that, just being a taxi driver. Today I did work in the yard quite a bit spreading poison to kill the ants etc. and spraying around the perimeter of the house. I did start trimming the shrubs and the lawn service I use was across the street. The guy came over and said they would do it next week for cheap. Luckily, I got out of having to do that!!! Payton loved being outside with me today. He said he was having so much fun. (I'm glad somebody was)

Ashley's had field day, dentist appointments, dr. appointments, softball games, piano lessons, dance lessons, field trips, etc... I see a light at the end of the tunnel now since school is almost over. On Saturday, she had a softball game that put her team in 2nd place. We have one more game to win to maintain this placement, if they do, her team will go to a city playoff game. Saturday was also her dance recital (jazz) and she did so well. I love to watch her dance. Sunday was her piano recital and Mike said she did great. Unfortunately, I had to go back to work Sunday since I took off at 3 on Saturday and did not get to see her piano recital. But, I hear her play all the time and know that she plays well.

Payton has imaginary friends now. I don 't know if he actually "sees" them or not. A couple of weeks ago he let me know that he has babies. They do not have names, just referred to as "my babies". So there is always more than one friend. Some days there are two, other days there's five, but today there was ten. He lets them get up on his bed by themselves, sit in the car without seat belts on, and tonight, they got thrown into the fish tank where they became fish almost instantly. Mothers day out is over for the summer and some of us are sad about that, others could stay with mom, be under my feet all the time, and be completely happy about that. I can't say that I mind it between the hours of 9 am and 8pm with several much needed breaks in between.