Aloha

Ray C. and I arrived in Hawaii yesterday for a week of relaxation and fun!  It has been 6 or 7 years since we have been able to get away like this, and we are really looking forward to it!

Enjoying Texas

On our way to pick up Thomas and Mary Frances from summer camp, we decided to visit Sam Houston's statue and stay at a state park overnight!

 Chase was excited to see the huge statue which is about 54 feet tall!  

 Not sure Sam Houston would approve, but Chase thought it would be funny to pick his nose!

 We had a gator for a neighbor at our campsite.  He staked us out for a while and then left after we didn't feed him!  It's scary to think that people really feed them without realizing the ramifications for the rest of us!  Yikes!

My Blog in Print

I finally printed my blog! I got my HUGE, 300+ page book last week, and we have had the best time reading through it! The kids like for me to read it to them at bedtime, and, of course, I am loving every minute of it! It has been so much fun to remember the funny things that have happened in the past four years.

More than anything, I am thankful that I have it all recorded. There are so many things I would have never remembered but that make me laugh so hard, I cry! Our life has truly been an adventure.

Thank you, Jessie!!

Thomas let Jessie pull a tooth that had been loose for AT LEAST 2 months!! She numbed his gums with some type of Orajel and then tied a string around it and pulled! I couldn't believe he let her do it, but it didn't even hurt. He did complain about his tongue feeling funny, though! The medicine worked a little too good! :)

Grandaddy's Treasure Hunt

I have the best dad in the WORLD!! He is such a great grandfather! He loves to visit with the kids. So, a few weeks ago he decided he wanted to set up a treasure hunt for the kids to do as soon as they arrived. So, about 2 hours after we got to their house, he gave each of the children their own compass and explained to them how to use it.

Then, he gave them their first clue on how to find the treasure. They had to read the clue and use their compass to find the next clue. Thomas and Mary Frances took turns reading the clues, and then they all walked together, counting steps and finding different types of trees to find their next clue.
Which way is south?
This clue was in a medicine bottle. We had to walk 72 steps to get to it!
Grandaddy gives instructions on the compass.
Counting out their 56 steps to the next clue - a pink painted spot on the lawn!
Finally, the treasure is buried under the pine tree 20 steps from the pink spot! Grandaddy gave them each a shovel. They found a Juice Plus+ Container full of money and realized it had one of their names on it!
That meant there was one for each of them. So, they all dug until all three containers FULL of coins were retrieved!! What a fun experience. They learned how to use a compass and had a fun adventure along the way!
We love GRANDADDY!!!

Wee....

One of the benefits of mature trees is fall leaves -- something we don't see in our neighborhood! The kids were so excited that Grandaddy raked a huge pile of leaves for them to jump in off of the swing!
I love this picture of Thomas jumping!

3 kids, 2 adults, and 1 plane!

YEAH! We're leaving for Florida this afternoon on a PLANE!! I am sure most of you cannot wait for the blog entry when we return!! Can you imagine what it must be like to travel with THREE little ones? I'm only a little nervous but mostly excited. It will certainly be an memorable adventure!

I had decided to require each child to carry a backpack with adequate supplies to slow them down enough to keep up with them in the airport, but Thomas reminded me this morning that they need to carry their car seats with them! So, I guess the backpacks will be light since they have to carry the seats - and YES, I am making them carry their own seats. They are only booster seats. They should be fine. I'll pitch in if need be, but I need as much to weigh them down as possible! Remember, this is survival thinking.

I have also considered taking a rope like preschools use to keep them all in line - meaning they each have to hold the rope to walk in a single file line. I haven't completely x'd this off, but I think I might at least keep a jump rope in my bag in case I need it!!

Any other suggestions? We are going to get to the airport early enough to not be late but not too early. I don't want to be sitting there too long with not much to do. Of course, they will have some games and coloring books.

Regardless, I am looking forward to it! We love adventures. So, here we go... Pray for the other people on the plane!!