Our Latest Work...

In the library/guest suite area of the basement, behind the playroom, we now have pictures on the wall and (some) books on the shelves. These are the pictures we had on our playroom wall before - the pictures of favorite kids' books:

And here's my dream come true: A wall of bookshelves! And here we thought we had so many books...see how many empty shelves there are? I must need to fill in some of my favorite collections: John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Mary Higgins Clark, and Nicholas Sparks!

By the way, when you come visit us, the middle two shelves slide open and the bed comes out! We hear it's comfy but haven't tested it out yet!

Here are the girls in their new BIG BONED BBQ CO. t-shirts. What faces they make!

Happy Birthday, Zander!

Today we went down to Georgia to celebrate Zander's 3rd birthday! His party was at a place called the Bounce House (an indoor all inflatable party place...fun!!) The kids (and adults) had a GREAT time, as you can see!

Katie and Camden playing together

Katie going head-first!
Zander and Katie climbing up the wall
Camden's loving it!
Daddy and Camden sliding down fast!

Grandpa Ballou pushing Zander and Katie on Zander's new playset in his yard
Zander using his present from Ben...cymbals!
Grandma Ballou helping the newest band members
What a day! This is how Katie spent the ride home:

This is how Camden spent the ride home:

Like, Gag Me with a Spoon...and Summer's Over!!

Yes, Camden's latest activity is gagging herself, either with a spoon or with her fingers! Apparently she thinks this is really fun and will laugh like crazy about it when she finally stops.

Here is a picture of her this morning with her crazy hair!!

And yes, my summer is OVER!!! Tomorrow I start workshops...aren't all of you with another month left so jealous???

Another One Bites the Dust

Katie's top tooth has been loose for a little while, but really loose the last few days. She told her new friend Elizabeth today at camp that she (or her Daddy) would pull it out tonight and she would bring it to show her tomorrow at camp. See how loose it is in this picture...she actually twisted the whole thing sideways to show me! (eeewww!!)
Before
After
And would you believe it, she just pulled the whole thing out, no problem!

Some Recent Activities

Katie's Crafting Corner
I should show you a before and after picture of this area of the playroom...but all you're getting is the after. The before was just a BIG pile of craft materials on the floor. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the colored drawers on the cart are green, red, blue, and purple...the same colors as the playroom!!! (I planned that, of course...)

Camden's Paperclip Fun
Did you have any idea how much fun it is to take every paperclip out of the box and throw it on the floor? :)

Snuggly Sisters
When Katie got home from Jr. Red Raiders camp at Baylor today, (and we had all dried off from being caught in the torrential downpour!) the girls decided to snuggle together on Katie's bed.

The Butterfly Garden at the Aquarium

Today we visited the Tennessee Aquarium and had lots of fun...enough for 2 days! The top of the Aquarium is where the Butterfly Garden is located. Katie was so excited to go to that part that she wore a shirt with a butterfly on it, a butterfly purse, and butterfly wings on her back!
Here is Katie holding a butterfly! It was a fuzzy one called an owl something b/c of the big false eye on its wings.
Katie and Ben were able to get this blue morpho butterfly (at least that's what we think it is ~ that's what the one on Diego looks like!)
This is Ben transferring the butterfly to Katie's hands off the screen window at the Butterfly Garden!
And I just thought these pictures were really cool shots of the butterflies we took today.

Today's Adventures

The cost of putting in a flat concrete slab in your yard: almost $5000

Not having to learn to ride a bike down this hill: priceless
Katie attempting to ride without training wheels:
Daddy's the best helper!
Camden at the Baylor pool, representing her peeps:

What a Beautiful Day

Today is my 34th birthday and it was a beautiful one! I got to spend the day with my family and friends, (the Schumachers are in town visiting us this week!) so what could be better? I got to talk to far away family and for my text-savvy friends, (you know who you are) yes I got your messages but I don't know how to write you back! Thank you!
We visited the Creative Discovery Museum downtown and had dinner at the Olive Garden. Great times!!

Camden and me before dinner
All of us during dinner!
Camden, calming down outside (you would never know she was so wiggly she couldn't be contained inside the building just prior to this photo!)
Lane giving Camden sweet kisses!
Katie, me, Tricia, and Lane with Ben's famous red-velvet cake
Camden at the very first exhibit at the museum: Splash Zone!

Katie and her Clifford puppy dog ears
Lane and Katie play the piano
Camden's latest expression: "Oh!"
All of that was too much fun for this little one. She conked out as soon as we were in the car!
Like I said, it was a beautiful day!

Big Boned Wins Again!

This weekend we were in Asheville, North Carolina for the Carolina Mountain Rib Fest. It was the only one we will get to this year and it was a good one! It was so busy all the time there was hardly time to visit, but it was great to see Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Pappy!

Big Boned was busy ALL THE TIME (see the photos in the slideshow!) Some people waited in line for over 2 hours to get their ribs, and it must have been worth it because Big Boned won BEST RIBS for the 2nd year in a row! Congratulations!! It was so busy that Katie was helping hand out drinks and I was holding Camden in one arm and refilling sauce bottles in the other. Then, of course, we (Katie, Camden, and I) had to take a break and go swimming. It was a "vacation", after all!

Scroll down to see the slideshow!

On the Road Again!

Mission: Organization

It's taking a long time to get everything the way we like it, and we're not done yet. But, here are a few snapshots of what we've been able to do to get things looking better, and put in their places (somewhat!)

new Dining Room table and chairs:
Office furniture! Desk and file cabinet (we cleaned out our old files for the first time, probably ever!)
The cubbies in the mudroom that Ben and Katie built this week:
Hanging shelves in the laundry room so I can actually reach the detergent! (You can tell by the shelves in this house that the previous owner was much taller than me!)
And Katie finally has a bed in her room! She's also got a new rug in her room, completely girly-girl with flowers and lots of PINK.
So, a few things checked off the list. The never-ending list!

The Material Girl, 2008

What would you do if you had spent all the money you'd earned by helping your Daddy build cubbies, and helping your mom move stuff into school?

What if you'd been to Target everyday for 5 days, spending your own hard-earned money on craft supplies so you could make Bug Town?

And what if you'd spent the majority of your money on a Hannah Montana wig, so people won't even think it's really you?

If you were Katie, you would find a way to earn more money. If you were Katie, you might open up your own "Nature Shop" where people could come and buy "unique" natural items, like sticks, rocks, leaves, and flowers, so that you could plan your next trip to Target and what you might be able to get when you go!