Old Friends are the BEST!

I have just a couple life-long friends. Those friends who are there for you whenever you need them. The friends that you can go weeks, even months without talking and you'd never know it when you do get to catch up. One of these special people in my life is Rachel. You've seen me post pics of the two of us together through the years, but they came to visit recently and I couldn't get over how big our kiddos have gotten! Rachel and I went to kindergarten together and then lost touch until 10th grade when we ended up at the same high school. Although we haven't lived in the same city since we graduated from college, we have remained best of friends and I love her dearly. Our mothers were best friends also until Rachel's sweet mother passed 9 years ago. We were in each other's weddings, gave baby showers, etc. Rachel and I ended up having our kids at the same time. Her 3 are all in the same grades as my boys. She is the one who got my calls when I couldn't take being the mom of a 2 yr. old one more minute!

One day I want to compile all the pics we have taken over the years, but since that is an undertaking I'm not ready to think about, I'll settle for the pics already on the computer! Here's a quick trip down memory lane :)

 High school:
(Rachel is all the way to the left, I am 2nd from the right)




At a LSU vs. Alabama football game circa ???  I do know that we won, however !!  :)


20 yr. high school reunion


Couple of years ago


last week


Our 6 kiddos circa 2003??


The 8 kiddos about 10 years later...well, minus Cade!!  Wow!!!


Feeling so blessed :)

Sum...Sum....Summertime...

Boy do I have alot to post.  We have been having a super busy summer, and blogging just hasn't made the cut.  I'm going to try to catch up in a few posts over the next few days.

Here's a rundown though:
*Bryce totaled his truck!  Yep...it was great.  So proud.  Nobody was hurt though, so we're good.
*Richard has been traveling so much that I bought a replacement truck without him. (The first time I've ever done that!!)
*Said replacement truck broke down the second day we had it!!!
*I will never even consider buying a vehicle again...ever!
*Cade's team won the world series they played in Orlando.  So proud of him...totally bummed I wasn't there!!
*Baseball is over.
*Football will start soon.
*Braden is at the beach with some friends this week.
*He has had baseball workouts at the high school 3 times a week.
*Bryce is at band camp for the next 2 weeks.
*Richard and I leave Sunday for Birmingham where he will have surgery on his back.  He has been in extreme pain since the spring.
*The girls and I traveled to Dallas last weekend to visit some amazing women and precious girls home from China.  Let's start there!!

In my mind, 5 was the magic age.  The age where potty training was a thing of the past and strollers were not a necessary accessory.  Where fits were at a minimum and schedules could be more flexible.  I am happy to report that I was right!  We definitely still have our issues, but the girls seem to have turned a corner!  We hopped on a plane to Dallas for the weekend and had such a fun girls weekend!  My littles were great travel buddies and I am excited to be able to do fun things like this with them.



You've heard me tell the "brick floor" story before, but here's a short version. A few years ago, Jennifer C (blonde on the left) googled "brick floors" because she was building a house. Amazingly, my blog popped up on the search because I had posted about brick floors as we were building. Jennifer started following our blog and fell in love with Wesleigh. Fast forward, and Jennifer C. is now home with precious Molly!! Molly came home and guess what...Jennifer N (far right) decided they couldn't live without a daughter of their own! Ella came home 6 weeks ago!! There is now another precious child home from this same community (they weren't with us this evening) and one more on the way!! It is amazing to see...and I am so humbled that God allowed me to be a small part of their stories! I am referred to as the "godmother" by this group, and I love it!! I had to meet my "godchildren"!! lol... Amber (third from left) lives in Houston and has connected with us through adoption. Her sweetie is Mia. She drove up to spend some time with the group too!

Here are some of the pics from the weekend:

We took all the girls to Build a Bear in the mall. You should have seen the looks we got as our Asian Invasion walked through the mall...so funny!! Harper (far left) was the one missing in the first pic. She is so precious! The two blondes belong to the mom who is in process :)
 
We rode the merry-go-round...


took bubble baths...


played in makeup and let Gracie do makeovers...ALL weekend!


played dress up...




appeased the mama's with a few photo shoots!...






played duck-duck-goose...








again...more makeup!!!!  Gracie is obsessed and she made sure every girl got their share!!




learned how to play Just Dance with some borrowed brothers!  (all these girls have 3 brothers of their own!!)... How about that...Gracie is the one with her clothes on!!!!  lol....


Played chicken with a crazy brother who got some evil pleasure out of trying to run down this mama!!....


got lots of hugs and messy kisses....






rode the zip line in princess dresses... Ariel meets Tarzan!!....













of course, this mama had to have a turn.  Only one problem...I broke it!!  lol...I can't even tell you how hard we lauged.  So sad!!...


and most importantly...made some lifelong friends that we will treasure forever...





For the mommys and the kiddos!!!

Love you my precious Texas friends!  Can't wait till the next time!!!

Happy 4th of July!

We have had a very low-key day.  Richard and Cade are actually in Disney World for a baseball tournament!  I made the decision to pass on the trip because I did not want to combine the girls' first Disney trip with baseball, 200 degree heat and July 4th crowds.  I know I made the right decision, but I have to admit....every day when they call with the game report, I just get more and more ticked off!  This is Cade's last tournament and I'm missing it!  To add insult to injury, the team is 4-0 so far!

We did go to my parents' house for lunch today and I got some fun pics:

My dad grows a big garden every year. This year, he planted sunflower seeds with the girls. I can't get over how big they are and the girls are so excited!

 



The kiddos spent most of the afternoon riding around in the golf cart.  The girls have actually gotten pretty good at steering :)


I love these of Bryce pushing the girls on a swing.








And then, of course, he had to have a turn :)


We ended the night by watching some of our neighbor's fireworks show.  Gracie said it was the "best day ever!".  I think she's convinced I arranged it all just for her :)