And... he's off!!!!

We sent Blake off to church camp this morning.  Seemed almost surreal...my baby getting on that huge bus with all those big kids :)  They are going to Mt. Vernon, TX.  He was SO excited!!

  Here he is putting his bag under the bus.

He has a good group of friends going...Garrett, Blake, Jake, and Mason have been buddies for a while.  I hope this week helps make their friendships stronger.  Jeb is also going...thank the Lord!!  Knowing he will be keeping an eye on Blake makes me feel a little better.

Here they are on the bus (I missed Mason somehow).  In the VERY back.  They thought it was SO cool...right by the bathroom :)  That may not be so cool after just a little while!!!

How fun to be heading off in a big chartered bus!!  Brings back a lot of camp memories for me.  I am praying that not only will he have a great time, but that he will also grow closer to God this week.  I know how much Grant stresses a quiet time, and that is on the schedule for them.  I'm praying that Blake will really experience God this week!

I'm also praying he doesn't get homesick!!!  I really don't expect it, but you just never know.  I put a card in his bag, hoping that it will help if he does start missing home a little.  As I type this, I'm thinking, it's me you should be worried about, not him!!  I'm already missing him...and worrying, just a little.  Lord, please take care of my baby!!!

Good Week!

It's an I LOVE Walgreens kinda week!  I went last night, bought all this, and paid $5.35.  The best part...I got back $9 in Register Rewards!!

Thanks Walgreens!

Dr. Barnhill...at last!!!

Thursday was a HUGE day for my mom!!!  She successfully defended her discertation and is now Dr. Barnhill!!!  She has been working SO hard for SO long and we are SO proud of her.    It's hard to remember when she wasn't going to class, and studying/writing/reading EVERY weekend for a class.  It's such a relief to me, so I KNOW it is like a 300 pound weight is off her shoulders!!!

Welcome back to the real world Nonnie!!

We celebrated Thursday night!!!  Here she is with Blake...ALL SMILES!!!!

We got a cookie cake that said Congratulations Dr. Barnhill!!!

My dad got her a desk name plate that says Jane Barnhill Ed.D.  She was SO excited to see it in print!!  We got her a new charm that is a graduation cap for her bracelet.  She's been waiting for the day that she could get that one!!

She warned us that she may be obnoxiously happy for a while!!  I say...bring it on!!!  Her and my dad are planning a big trip VERY soon.  An Alaskan cruise is in the works, I think. 

Congratulations on a job VERY WELL DONE Mom!!!!

Uh Oh Beau!!

Sunday afternoon Beau was playing in the floor and crawled over to his bouncy seat.  He is way too big for it, but it's still sitting in the living room (I know, it's time to pack it up).  He grabbed hold of the back and almost stood up.  If it had been more stable I think he might have actually done it.  Travis looked at me and said "We've got to lower his mattress"!!!!

So, I decided I had better get a few last pictures of Beau in his crib with the mattress up high.  Here he is looking so big...

Doing a push up!!

The beloved fish!!  All 3 boys have LOVED the fish!!!

Here he is looking out as Travis lowers the mattress...

The next thing I knew, Travis was yelling to get in there quick.  And THIS is what I saw!!!!

Then this....

and then THIS!!!

I'm afraid we are in some serious trouble :) 

His crib looks like a big boy bed with the mattress lowered:(.  But, I'm just so thankful that he is growing and changing and that we get to enjoy every minute!!

I love you my sweet Beau!!!

Lake Days...

We had another great day at the lake Saturday.  Evan perfected his skiing!!  He looks so little on those skis :)

Blake absolutely LOVES the knee board.  He got really brave and took the rope off and actually knee boarded this time!!  (oops, wrong picture)

Not to be out done, I had to get on the knee board too.  Oh my goodness, SO FUN.  But, I took one really hard face plant that rattled my brain.  Shook me up a little bit.  And, now I am SO SORE!!!  I used muscles I've never used before.  I feel like an old lady :)

Travis tried some "tricks" on the knee board.  He actually caught air a few times.  We are such dorks :)

We also tried out the new tube that Poppy bought.  The 3 boys LOVED it.  Me, not so much.  It was just so rough, and water sprayed in my face the whole time.  I'd rather just watch them...

I caught Blake getting thrown off the side at one point...

'

Evan had some crazy lake hair, and he is showing off his newly missing tooth. 

Dad also taught me how to drive the boat.  Again, not much fun for me.  I was SO nervous.  I felt like I was driving on ice.  I'm sure I could get used to it if I had to, but I prefer to just lounge back and enjoy the ride!!!  Another FUN, FUN lake day!!!  Thanks Nonnie for keeping Beau so I could go!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Wednesday we celebrated my birthday at my parent's house.  (I actually got 2 birthday celebrations, becuase my real birthday was while we were in Branson:).My mom always fixes whatever I want for my birthday, and I always pick the same thing...tacos and guacamole!!  It's been my favorite since I was a little girl. I love how my mom still makes a big deal out of my birthday!  Sometimes, as a busy mom with a busy life, it's easy to just try to ignore things like birthdays, but it's also fun to celebrate!!

I also decided instead of cake I wanted strawberry pie for dessert!!!  Yummy!!!

Evan with a flame-thrower = SCARY!!!

The boys wanted to buy a 3 and 5 "number" candle, but mom told them when you get to be my age, you don't love the number candles anymore!!  Thanks Mom!!

Me and my boys!!

For my birthday my parents got me some new charms to go on my Brighton bracelet.  Mom took the boys with her to pick some out.  The boys picked a "B" and an "E" charm.  They decided they stood for Evan, Erin, Blake, Beau, and Bartlett :) Mom picked out some of the other pretty charms.   I really love how my bracelet is turning out!! 

They also got me a gift certificate to Lavender and Lime.  I'm SO SO excited about getting a massage...or 2.  The best part, babysitting was included :)

Over the weekend I also got my new necklace that Travis ordered for me for Mother's Day!!  I absolutely LOVE it!!!!  I just adore the fact that my children's names are hanging so close to my heart.  I know, so cheesy, but I really do love the whole idea!  I am wearing it in the pictures above, so you can get a better idea of what it looks like when I'm wearing it.

I'm so thankful for my family, and that they took time to make my birthday extra special!!!

Annual Memorial Day Branson Trip

We left Friday at noon for our annual trip to Branson with Travis's family.  We have been going for 5 or 6 years now.  We got to Branson and checked into the condo then headed to Lambert's for dinner!!  YUM!!!  This was a picture of the kids on the way.  Evan had crashed on Blake's shoulder:)  Malory had to sit by Beau every where we went!!

NaNa, PaPa, and Beau waiting at Lamberts...

Saturday the boys got up and went to play golf.  It was the first time that Blake and Evan played all 18 holes on a "real" course.  They had a blast and together (they scrambled) scored a 99.  Pretty impressive for their first time!!!  While the boys golfed, Becky, Trisha, Malory, Beau, and I went shopping.  It was a GREAT shopping day!!  Lots of bargains.

That evening we went to Macaroni Grill at the Landing for my birthday.  My birthday always falls during this trip, so I always get to shop for my birthday.  I turned the big 3-5...but it's hard to feel too old when you have a baby:)  After dinner we headed to the Track and the kids rode go-carts and bumper boats.  Evan was tall enough to drive the big go-carts by himself!!!  So hard to believe!!!  He loved it.  Beau entertained himself by chewing on his toes!!  He cut a top tooth while we were gone.  Bless his heart, he was SO fussy a lot of the time, but cutting teeth is tough stuff!!

I had Travis take this picture to prove that Trisha and I were there! :)

One of my most favorites parts of Branson...Andy's!!!!  We walked over there after go-carts.  It is the best custard EVER!!!

The next morning Trisha and I took the big kids to White Water.  Becky wasn't feeling well, so Travis stayed at the condo with Beau.  Don't feel sorry for him though (he got to take 2 naps:).  We had a BLAST at White Water.  The weather was perfect and their were practically NO lines anywhere.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid and it was so fun.

That evening we just hung out at the condo.  We were WORN OUT!!!  Beau took a little cat nap in Trisha's lap.

Monday morning Becky took the big kids out for the day.  They went to the Track again, then ate lunch at Fudrucker's, and went the see  Noah's Ark at the Sight and Sound Theatre.  The boys are STILL talking about the show.  They LOVED it!!  Travis and I went shopping again for a little bit while Aunt Trisha babysat Beau.  Then that evening we all met at Montana Mike's for dinner. 

After dinner we went back to the condo and let the kids go swimming.  Our condo was in the perfect location.  You just walked out the back door and the pool was right there. 

 Beau hanging out with NaNa at the pool.

The 3 kiddos...

NaNa and Aunt Trisha with Beau.  You can see the door to our condo at the top of the stairs.

Tuesday morning we got up, packed, and loaded up to head home.  We stopped at IHOP for some breakfast on the way out.

We had such a great time!  This was Beau's first real trip and I was a little nervous about how the sleeping would work out.  But, we set the pack and play up in the closet of our bedroom and put the noise machine in with him and he slept GREAT! 

Thanks NaNa and PaPa for such a fun trip.  Can't wait until next year :)