4th of July Fun

Sweet Treats!

My friend Paloma and I have known each other since middle school. She moved away to Pennsylvania for high school and we saw each other in 1990...and then not until this year! (We both still look the same, so it doesn't really seem like that much time has gone by...) Here we are in Chicago in January at Giordano's when she came to visit for a weekend. Last night we got a package delivered and we didn't know who had sent it! When we opened it, we found this box...on ice!

And here's what we found when we opened it...yummy goodness!

2 layers of it!!!
Katie selected a chocolate shell with a chocolate pearl in it to top her mint chocolate chip ice cream after dinner. See the excitement on her face!

MMMmmmmmm...yummy chocolatey goodness. Thank you, Paloma!

Cheer Camp Pep Rally

Katie got some Baylor Red Raider spirit this week by attending the Cheerleading Camp in the mornings. Today they had a Pep Rally to show what they've learned in the last 3 days. Ben, Camden and I got to watch. Enjoy!!

Ben and Camden walking towards the chapel building.....



Sue and Camden on the terrace by the library...

After the Pep Rally, Katie, Sue and Camden outside the gymnasium...

Here are Katie and the cheerleaders doing a cheer. She is right in front (look for the black shoes!) They will "Blow You Away"!

Here's Katie "flying" in an extension! Note that it's a FULL extension, too, and she cradles out of it! Impressive for a 4 day camp, huh?

OK, last video...Here was the tumbling section of the Pep Rally. Girls could choose whatever tumbling they could do - backhandsprings, cartwheels, forward rolls, etc. Katie did 7 cartwheels in a row. We're still working on proper cartwheel form, but that's ok!

The Status of the Rooms

Camden's Room
Camden's room started out an army green color. When Katie was out of town we got it painted light purple. Still haven't gotten anything on her walls yet, but that will come...Today we found a rug at Target that has all these pastel colors in it. Perfect! It really pulls the room together...(and covers a few unsightly stains on opposite sides of the room). So here's what it looks like now:


Katie's Room
Katie's room colors were good to start with...light khaki on the bottom and a light blue/periwinkle (in the right light) on top. She wants to keep them (fine with us!) Now I know my Mom and Dad are chuckling as they read this, because I know that I was never good at picking things up when I was young. So I guess this is payback, and you know what they say about that...

Every time I turn around, she's got something else out and spread all over the floor! Like a tornado hit it! And, I'm going to qualify this picture with the fact that it was taken after we filled 2 Extra-Large Rubbermaid tubs full of toys to go to the playroom (which already has tons and tons of toys all by itself).

In this picture, she had just found the Pooh clock for her room, and taken it out of the box and out of the 2 pieces of Styrofoam around it. Now, I would just set the Styrofoam aside and put the clock somewhere. But that's not how Katie's mind works. She sees the one piece, turns it on its side, and thinks it would be a perfect couch for her doll. So then, she gets every stool, box, or bench type thing in her room and finds a doll or stuffed animal to sit on it, because obviously, they are having a sleepover and watching a scary movie tonight!

Life's Little Oddities

Have you ever wondered why they don't put enough cream in an oatmeal cream pie? Sometimes you just have to take things into your own hands....

Double Trouble, Hell on Wheels, you name it...

Yesterday we visited our friends in Georgia. We've gone from seeing them a couple of times a year to a couple times a month! You can see how we (the grown ups) are all in trouble as these two (Camden and Kaya) grow up. They were all over each other, as you can see!

Who Started It? Who Knows?


Let's Kiss and Make Up
What, We're not Doing Anything!

Katie and Zander had fun too, and they are very much alike as well, but maybe they won't be as much of a handful as Camden and Kaya!

Watching Backyardigans


Fishing in the "big red boat" catching dinner for the Sea Creature Meat Restaurant

Tennessee Riverpark

Today we took a break from unpacking and got out to enjoy the outdoors a little bit. We took a picnic lunch down to the Tennessee Riverpark and ate, played, and walked around by the river. You can see how beautiful it is!

The girls playing in the dirt! Camden was filthy after this picture...

That's Katie getting a head start on the walk. She's kind of far away but I thought it was a pretty view of part of the park.

Ben found a nice, air-conditioned pavilion where there's an ice-cream shop! We stopped for a bite of dessert...everyone enjoyed it!

Here's Ben, Camden, and Katie posing by a fish statue. I think it was called "A Big Catch" or something close to that anyway.

And here are Katie, Sue, and Camden on the pier by the river.

We had great fun, but by the end the little ones were worn out. Both girls are taking afternoon naps right now!