trip to utah

Yesterday I got back from Utah. I flew out there with my mom, dad and brother to attend my brother Andy's wedding. I also got to photograph the wedding; I'm lucky I had such a beautiful couple to work with! All five of my brothers were in Utah and it was lots of fun hanging out with them and my new sister-in-law Kay Lynn. We crammed lots of activities into a couple of days. We went hiking in the mountains, fishing at a lake, visited BYU, and my dad took us on a neat trip to visit the graves of our pioneer ancestors and other historic sites that they helped build. I absolutely love the climate in Utah, if only Texas was that cool and dry!

happy father's day

six years old

Aiden turned six this past Sunday. We partied all weekend long. On Saturday we had a party with my side of the family. Aiden wanted to have a pirate party, luckily we found a lot of pirate decorations at the Dollar Store, and we had a treasure hunt for the kids. Then Sunday we had another party with Brian's side of the family. It was lots of fun; thank you to everyone who came! It's hard to believe Aiden is six already! Here are some pictures from this weekend:

19 months

This little girl is going to be 2 before I know it! Laila is talking more and more each day. Her favorite word right now is no and daddy. She will choose a couple of toys and carry them around all day with her. She also loves carrying around purses, giving kisses and eating pizza.

happy memorial day!

We had a fun Memorial day spent swimming and eating lots of BBQ. I love having a three day weekend!

kindergarten graduation

Today was the boy's last day of school and Aiden's Kindergarten graduation. This school year just flew by! On the wall of the gym where the ceremony was held, there was a big sign that said, "Class of 2022." 2022! That sounds so futuristic! The boys had early dismissal today and I got a taste of what my summer is going to be like; cleaning endless messes and breaking up fights. I can't wait!

blackberry season

It's blackberry season here. Yesterday Brian went with the kids to his parent's house and came home with a big bowl full of blackberries. I made this easy cobbler with all the berries. It was made even better with a big scoop of Blue Bell ice cream!

from this weekend...

mother's day

For Mother's Day, Aiden gave me a cookbook he made in his class. His teacher wrote as the kids told her how their mom makes their favorite recipe. This gave me a good laugh!

I had a great Mother's Day, spent with my mom and sisters. Here are some
pictures from the weekend.

field trip with Aiden

This past Thursday Aiden's class went on a field trip to the park and we were able to meet him up there. The girls had lots of fun playing with their big brother. It's hard to believe the school year is almost over!

18 months

Laila is now 18 months old! She was able to go to nursery this Sunday and actually stayed in there by herself without crying!

butterfly release

On Saturday we went to the opening of a new botanical garden. As part of the opening ceremonies lots of butterflies were released. In the garden there was the prettiest rose garden. Too bad it was so bright out; I didn't get any good pictures of the roses.

Aiden and Dario were able to get this butterfly to fly onto their hand.

saint francisville, louisiana

This past weekend Brian and I went on a weekend getaway. We drove three and a half hours to St. Francisville, Louisiana. A historic little town with lots of charm on the Mississippi river. To get to the town we had to take a ferry across the Mississippi river. There are several plantations scattered around the area.

We stayed on the grounds of Greenwood Plantation. We drove down a very long winding country road lined with huge oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. During the day the drive was beautiful, but a night it was a bit spooky and our first night coming back to the plantation we got lost. Our stay at the Bed and Breakfast included a tour of the plantation home. The owner lives in an apartment on the third floor and gave the tour. He told about the process of renovating it and the plantation's history. The movie North and South was filmed there as well as several others. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside and filled with original antiques.

The Bed and Breakfast cottages we stayed in which overlook the Plantation.

Rosedown Plantation. The state of Louisiana now owns this property. We also toured this house. It was a great tour filled with lots of interesting history. Almost everything was original to the house. Including a separate stair case for the slaves which was tucked away in a closet, they were so narrow and steep! Also, an outhouse which the ladies of the house used until the 1950's!

Oakley Plantation. The famous painter James Audobon stayed here for several months, while tutoring one of the children.

One of my favorite tours was the Myrtle's Plantation. It is said to be one of America's most haunted houses. We took a ghost tour at night. All the rooms were dimly lit, and very creepy! The tour guide was so entertaining and told the Plantation's history, as well as the ghost stories. She also said on the tours people will feel sick, blackout, faint, see ghosts or be touched. A man in the previous tour had fainted! In one of the rooms Brian and I were standing at the back of the room behind everyone. After the tour Brian told me that he had been nudged in the back twice. At first I though he was joking but he was completely serious!

Old church in St. Francisville

The rest of the pictures are from the plantation's gardens. They were so beautiful.