Rub-A-Dub-Dub...

Three cute kiddos in a tub!

The kids beg me every night for a bubble bath.  Sometimes when we start our bedtime routine early, I give in and say "yes".  One night a few weeks ago, we went one step further and made it a super bubble bath by turning on the jets in the bathtub.  Before we knew it, the bubble were growing and growing and almost overflowing out of the tub.  The kids had a blast!  I love how something so simple can bring so many smiles! 

Throwback Thursday

"Good friends are like stars... you don't always see them, but you know they are always there."

 

Last week, I got the chance to have dinner with some of my dearest friends.  We met 18 years ago during our freshman year at Texas A&M in the southside dorm, Krueger.  We were also all in a group called Aggie Sisters for Christ.  We took classes together, went on road trips together, and shared dorm rooms/apartments.  We laughed together, cried together, and everything else in between!  I couldn't have made it through my college years without them.

 

Even after 18 years, 4 weddings, and 11 kids between all of us, I still consider them to be such wonderful friends.  We try to get together at least three or four times a year to catch up over dinner, but because of the busyness of life, jobs, kids, husbands, etc. (and the fact that one of us lives in Amarillo), it is rare that all seven of us can be together at one time.    

Last week, the stars must have aligned right because we were finally able to get all seven of us together for the first time in several years.  We ate, reminisced about our college days, and laughed until we cried.  It was one of my favorite nights of the entire summer!  I am so thankful that God put these girls in my life so many years ago.  We may not see each other often, but I know they will always be there for me and continue to be such wonderful prayer warriors for me and my family.  (Just one example- Just this past May as the kids and I were huddled in the bathtub waiting for the tornado to pass over us, I got concerned texts from two of them checking to make sure we were ok.  And I knew that when I wrote them back and told them we were still in the line of the tornado, they were sending up prayers of protection for us.) 

 

Since it's Throwback Thursday, I thought a few pictures from back in the good ol' days were in order.  

1995- our first Christmas as friends

1996



1997

at an ASC retreat

1998- my rehearsal dinner

1998- my wedding day

Love you girls!  I'm already looking forward to our next Girl's Night Out!

Silly Lily

This girl cracks me up!  You never know what she is going to come up with next!

 

And...some things never change!

 

She was making us laugh just as much then as she does now!  I love my silly Lily!!! 

Pirate's Cove

On Thursday. we took the kids to Pirate's Cove for the last part of our summer staycation. 

Parker went there last summer, but this was the girls first time and I wasn't sure how it would go.  I knew Lily would love it but she did not meet the height requirement for the bigger slides and I was dreading telling her she had to stay on the baby slides.  Eden said she was going to try the slides, but you just never know with her. 

I couldn't believe it when Eden agreed to try one of the bigger slides as soon as we arrived.  I had planned on it taking at least an hour for her to warm up to the idea of sliding before she agreed to try one.  I noticed as we were standing in line that they were allowing small kids to ride down the slides in their parent's lap, so I asked Eden if she wanted to ride with me.  She seemed very relieved that she didn't have to go down her first slide alone and she laughed the entire way down.  That's all it took for her to be hooked!  She spent the rest of the time going down every slide they had without me. 

I also noticed while standing in line with Eden that the lifeguards were not checking the heights of anyone in line.  There were several toddlers smaller that Lily in line so I quickly went and got her to see if she wanted to try.  She never hesitated and spent the rest of the time with Eden riding every slide they had!

Parker split his time between the slides, rope bridge, and basketball goals.  The nice thing about Pirate's Cove is that it is small enough that I felt comfortable letting him roam and be a little independent without having to worry too much.

After the outside water park closed, we went inside for dinner and then let the kids play some games in the indoor play area. 

The kids were exhausted by the time we left but enjoyed their time at Pirate's Cove.  All three of our kids are at a perfect age for this water park and we will definitely go back next summer.  I was proud of the girls for being brave and taking risks when trying all of the bigger slides.  And, secretly, I think I enjoyed riding the slides just as much as they did.  It's always fun to feel like a kid again!

Eden's First Haircut

Eden has been begging me for months to let her get a haircut.  She has never had her hair cut before and since it was looking a little stringy, I finally agreed to let her come with me to my haircut and get a trim.  She was so excited and talked about it every day leading up to it!  She was even more excited when Aubrey got to come and give her some moral support!

 

I could tell she was a little bit nervous by the way she was biting her nails, but she did great!  She never cried or acted like she was scared.  We only cut about an inch off but it looks so much healthier!  She is so proud of her haircut and can't wait to show it off to anyone who asks!

Pine Cove Base Camp

Last week, Parker had the opportunity to attend Pine Cove Base Camp at our church.  We were not sure what to expect but it ended up being one of the best weeks of the entire summer!  It far exceeded my expectations and he came home every day so excited to tell me about what he did that day.  He was thrilled that his two best buddies, Trip and Cole, were able to attend camp with him and we were even able to get them in the same cabin.  They were in Coolangatta 1 and their counselor's name was GT (short for Globetrotter).

Parker was not one to tell me all of the details of his week at once, but little by little I was able to figure out that they had singing/dancing/skit time, Bible study time and activity time every day. 

Some of the activities they did were water slides, obstacle courses, bungee jumping, sword fighting and octo-ball (his favorite).

 



Their Bible study during the week was about David.  I know that he learned a lot about how much God loves him, just like God loved David.



One of his favorite things was when all of the students tried to tackle the counselors and take the white socks off of their hands. 

At the end of the week, all of the students were given a character award from their counselor that recognized some of the outstanding traits they showed during the week.  It's funny to me how after only five days, GT was spot on about Parker's traits.

I am so thankful that Parker had this wonderful opportunity.  He is still talking about camp and I can't wait for him to attend again next summer!