laila

Laila's new favorite toy is a phone or a hello as she calls it. Yesterday in the car she was playing with her toy cell phone and would drop it and say, "want my hello!"

Zinnias

I love that these flowers thrive in the heat of the south. They are so easy to care for and grow like weeds!

vacation at the lake

Last week we went on a relaxing vacation to the lake. We rented several cabins with Brian's family at a state park in Louisiana. The cabins were huge and so nice with beautiful views of the lake. The kids were looking forward to this trip for a while and had fun fishing, hiking, swimming and playing with cousins. The adults had fun staying up late and playing lots of games. After going on two vacations in a row it was hard to get back to everyday life!

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!