Laurie is MARRIED!!!!

What an exciting weekend!! Laurie and Daniel's wedding was so much fun! She was the most laid back bride I have seen! It was so enjoyable to be there and be a part of it!
It was fun to see friends from Thomasville that we haven't seen in years. This is Bo Gradt with Laurie.
Katie Beth was a beautiful flower girl! Of course, they all were! I had so much fun taking pictures of them!

Both of Daniel's nieces, Katie Beth and Sarah Grace, were flower girls!

Photographing Kate was a little difficult! She didn't like to look at the camera!
All five of Laurie's nieces and nephews were in the wedding!
Drew was so handsome and did such a good job doing his job!
Jake was handsome too, but he pitched a fit about going down the aisle! I just handed him to the girl at the back and asked her to take him to the nursery quickly! I didn't care how bad he screamed! I just wanted him to leave the back so Laurie and Coach Bobo could come in without all the noise!!
The girls loved holding the bouquets! Good idea Kelly! It was the only way we could keep their hands out of their faces - especially in the sun!
You should have seen us trying to get these pictures! If we got one with everyone looking it is a miracle! But, I told Laurie that it just wouldn't be realistic if they were all looking!
Look at those pretty girls!
This is mini-Laurie! She looks just like Laurie did when she was little!
So sweet little boys!

I was so happy to have Jessica helping me send everyone down the aisle and ESPECIALLY singing!

Brother and Sister!!! I really enjoyed being with the whole Bobo clan! It's been a long time!

Island Time

What an awesome week! It was so much fun to spend time with my parents, sister, and my grandfather!

I love this picture of my mom with her dad!
Chase loved burying Jessie and Honey and being buried!
Papa wanted to be sure he got a picture to send to the boys at the river!
A fun picture on the center of the island!
Look at the view from the lighthouse! When we first moved to the island, the lighthouse was on Little St. George, but it fell over in Hurricane Dennis 2 weeks after we moved in. Since then, the islanders have been working to get it rebuilt. So, now it stands as a greeting as you enter the island from the bridge! It was so nice to see in person. The view truly was amazing!


We also got to spend a few hours with members from the church on the island. It was so much fun to see them all and catch up. The kids did not remember anyone, but Thomas did remember places and how to get around!

More Vacation

The Three Amigos...
Just the girls...
What a great family! Papa G. said this is the best vacation he's had in 20 years. (It's probably the only one he's been on in 15 years!)
What a crazy family...
Ray C. chillin on the beach
Mary Frances loves to write sweet notes.
What's more fun than playing in the ocean with your grandparents?
Our old neighbors on the island! We really enjoyed watching the osprey build the nest, protect her babies, and then teach her babies to fly!
We rented a golf cart for he week to enjoy the island a little more AND to help Papa G. to get around a little better.
Jacqueline and mama
Papa G. wanted this picture for the boys down at the river. He wanted them to know just how much fun he was having!
Chase said he is the best at helping Papa G.! He loves to hold his hand while he is walking. They were so sweet to watch together! I am SO happy we were able to spend so much time with Papa. It was a very special treat for us all. The kids have never spent that much time with him, and I think they really learned a lot about him this week!

a la isla

We are on the island for a week of R&R and having a BLAST! It has been fun for us to see friends from our time here before we moved to Houston. The kids absolutely love being with their grandparents!! I LOVE this picture of Chase with my dad.
Jessie is having so much fun, too! The kids love playing with her.
We are thrilled that Papa G. came with us too! He rarely travels. So, it has been a special treat for us to spend this much time with him! I don't think he's had this much fun in a long time!

That's Jessie with my parents and kids - not me!

How Long Has It Been?

Someone handed my grandfather a camera earlier today and asked him to take a picture of us. As soon as we were all ready, he wanted to know if he had to crank it!! WOW!! Do you think it's been a while since he used a camera?

A Long Night

As we were watching a Christmas show this morning, Thomas said he figured out why Christmas Eve was the longest night of the year. He said it is because the day is so short and the night had to make up for the rest of the time.

Mary Frances said, "No, Thomas. It is so long because Santa needs all that time to deliver all the toys!"

The Wedding Show

Mary Frances is going to be in a wedding next June, and she cannot stop talking about it! In fact, she has already put herself on a healthy "diet" - that is my word, not hers! She informed me that she does not want to be sick for the wedding. So, she will be drinking more milk and less juice and that I will not hear her asking for chocolate. Of course, like all women, she didn't adhere to that diet longer than a day! Oh well...

As she was talking about it again today, Chase said, "Hey, can I be in this show too? I have a dance move for everybody!" Do you know how funny that is coming from an almost-four year old?

I texted the bride and she said that he most certainly could be in the "show". She got a big kick out of it. Of course, I did not tell him what she said because he would never forget it or stop talking about it!

Bed Time Fears

Mary Frances told me this morning that she and Thomas slept together in his bed last night because he was afraid of a song on the radio.

They were listening to the Christian station when I left the room. So, I figured they heard something about dying or heaven and were afraid. I asked her what song it was, and she said I'll tell you in your ear, but I only know a little bit.

Then she got very close to me and put her little hand up to my ear and whispered "she's a man-eater".

I couldn't help but laugh because I couldn't believe she even knew that song, but more because it sounds hilarious coming from her sweet little mouth!

She said she heard it on the radio in daddy's car!

The Hole Puncher

Will Cinnamon Toast Crunch mess up my hole puncher? I don't think so, but I do think it is a unique use of the office tool!

While I'm getting ready in the mornings, I peek my head out every once-in-a-while to make sure the kids aren't destroying anything. This morning I found Chase punching holes in his cereal, and to my amazement it actually was working. There really is Cinnamon Toast Crunch in my hole puncher. Of course, the rest of the cereal was all over the floor because it couldn't stand the pressure.

Thank goodness for the gift of creativity!

SHUT the door..

We haven't seen rain in MONTHS, and it is so HOT here that our houses can't even cool off! Everyone's closing their blinds and curtains, keeping the lights off and avoiding the oven just trying to cool down as much as possible! It is so hot, the pool isn't even refreshing! Seriously, the heat index was 110 one day last week!

I seriously don't know how people live without AC!

Of course, it doesn't bother the kids. They still want to be outside, and they do not understand how important shutting the door is! Neither did I when I was their age! I think we all remember our parents yelling at us as we walked out the door to SHUT THE DOOR, right? I never understood the importance, but right now, it is as important as eating fruit and drinking water! And every time they walk out the door I have to say it again! At what point does it sink in?

It doesn't help matters that we have a little escape artist dog that jets when the door opens. That just means that I have to get all hot and sweaty chasing him down the street only to return to a warmer house because the door has been open the entire time I've been out! AAGGHH!!!!!

Lord, please send us some relief from the heat!

I figured out why the heat bothers us so much and not the kids! Whenever we get hot, we think about how long it is going to take us to get ready and smell good for whatever we are about to do! The kids DO NOT CARE!

My kids are happy to go to Kroger (or church for that matter) with dirt on their face, hair sticking every which way, and sweat running down their faces. Chase would also be wearing his flip flops on the wrong feet and one baseball glove on his right hand! See, they don't care. It's all about fun to them!

But for me, there is no fun in the heat! I do not enjoy smelling like I've been sweating all day when the only thing I did outside was walk from my house to my car! Oh well, the heat will go away, and the fall will return! Oh how I love FALL!!

By the way, the one glove thing is not a tribute to MJ as several people have asked. He just likes wearing the thing.

WHEN I become President...

Mary Frances told me several months ago that one day when she is President of the United States, she is going to make a law that if someone writes you a letter, you have to write them a letter back!

Today, she decided that Thomas would be President and she would be Vice President. They will make another law so that people can not use cigarettes AND they will do something else that I can't remember now...

Well, that is why I keep the blog, right?

How Old Do I Have To Be...

Mary Frances just asked me how old she has to be to get a cell phone! Umm...at least a teenager!!

Well, that did not satisfy her. We actually had a discussion about why she cannot have a cell phone while she is 5!!

She couldn't believe it when I told her that Ray C. and I didn't even have one until we were married.

Seriously, I really don't think I am ready for this...

Honey Comes to Visit

Honey came for another visit last week! We had so much fun! We wish Grandaddy could have come too, but he couldn't get off of work! We played hard all week and Honey even got to babysit a few times!

New Golf Clubs

Thomas has shown an interest in golf recently, and being the sports guy that he is, Ray C. could not pass up the opportunity! So, he took Thomas to a golf store and bought the kids a set of golf clubs! They are so proud of them.

They have been told that they are to share them. They all went to the range to practice the day they got the clubs, and the boys even went to a golf course this weekend. However, they got tired after 4 holes and came back home. I can't imagine why!?! It was only 100 degrees and they were walking!!

Children's Museum

(Mary Frances plays Veterinarian to the stuffed animals.)

We took the kids to the Children's Museum last a few weeks ago and were amazed at everything there. You could seriously spend days there! I couldn't, but maybe you could! I had enough after about 20 minutes, but that's just because masses of children make me SHAKE!!

However, the kids had a wonderful time. It really is amazing what they have. The area called Kidtropolis allows the children to have a "job", earn a paycheck, and then deposit the money into their own "account" using an ATM and check card! It was really amazing. Then they were able to spend their money at the grocery store, in the deli, etc.

Chase had so much fun shopping in the HEB. Thomas and Mary Frances were more interested in being the checkers.
There was an area where they got to build a trolley and watch a machine build one, then discuss why the machine did it differently. They even had an area to test their work!
I really don't know what this one was, but Thomas and Ray C. played with it for 30-45 minutes! Thomas was taken by it!
Chase had fun "driving" the old mustang.
Cute kids before we entered the mad chaos!