More Sand, Sun, and A Little Rain...Day 3

Day 3 was a little different...we got out to the beach at what seemed to be our normal morning time.  The kids got to play and enjoy the sand and sun, until all of a sudden the wind started to pick up.  Then came the rain....luckily we had the big girls with us, and they took all the littles up to the house while the adults stayed back and secured all our stuff.

 

It ended up raining for a couple of hours, and by then we had decided to clean up for the day, and head to Baytown Wharf.  If you haven't been there, it is really fun.  BIG boats, games, shops, and food...all things kids like!

 

 The dark clouds are rolling in...

 Danielle and I enjoying some of the sun before it disappears...

 They are loving life...

 Love this silly little girl...

 Out at the Wharf...you can see some of the boats behind us...It is nearly impossible I feel to get all the kids looking at the camera...but they wanted a picture with sweet Magan...

 When I thought it was hard to get everyone to smile with just my kids, I wasn't aware of how difficult it was to get all of the kids to smile and look at camera...Molly by the way, wanted NOTHING to do with this picture...This is just one of the pictures but you should have seen the other ones..HILARIOUS!

 Here we are yet again, torturing our children to all take a picture, and here we are still missing one of my children...Carter, not sure where he was at this point...

 I just LOVE this picture...this is Whitley and she has the best EYES, and is the sweetest little girl.  And for some ODD reason she loves hanging with Mr. Chris.  :)

 The girls got to sit by each other at dinner...it was so nice to have all the kids wanting to sit by their friends so we could just chill together...

 I mean do you see our issue...on the plus side this is ALL of the kids!!!

Beautiful Destin, FL...Day 2

I know, I know....you are thinking where did the beach go, and why was it so long before you saw pics...well here you go!  Welcome to my life of being CrAzY!!!!

 

This was our first full day in Destin, and we had a great time.  ALL the kids LOVED the beach, and later on you will see how Ms. Bailey really surprised all of us!

 

Of course you have to have your sand toys...

 Me and my mini me...

 This girl was hilarious...almost everyday she was looking for shells, and would cartwheel and see Teen Beach Movie songs as she went up and down the shore line...hilarious!

 Then of course you have to get buried!!!

 What a great picture...I mean look at that tan next to that HOT Pink swimsuit...I AM VERY JEALOUS (Kennedy will be too one day :) )

 Chris loves it when I make him take pics...

 This little girl was crazy in the ocean...she would ride the waves like she had been doing it forever.  She had no floaties on and knew when she was out too far and would jump, ride, swim through the waves....so amazing!

 The start of our first of MANY sand castles...

 I know you are thinking why are their faces so red, I promise I put sunscreen on them...ALL DAY LONG!  Most importantly, it was only their faces that got this red... (check out Chris's photo bomb..dork)

 Carter was a wave rider as well...

6 Adults, 3 College Girls, 14 kids...

Back in January we had decided that we were going to the beach for vacation, and had gotten together with some friends to come with us.  So, the Parkers and their 6 kids +1 friend, the Roughleys and their 3 kids and us decided to vacation together.  We also thought it would be smart and nice to bring along some college girls for the trip as well.  So, we did and were able to find a 3 story house to rent for the week.  Seems crazy I know...but really NOT crazy at all!

 

So we took off back in June (feels like forever ago) heading out on a Friday night at 10:00 PM for the beach with some of our friends.  Here's the thing about car trips with our family, the kids normally DON'T sleep AT ALL or VERY LITTLE while on trips.  So, to say that I was nervous about leaving at 10:00 PM was an understatement.  But to my disbelief, the kids slept pretty much ALL night, only waking occassionally when we stopped to go to the bathroom, etc.  Then they would get back in the car and go to sleep...AMAZING!!! 

 

Here we are on the road...Magan went with us this year, how blessed we are to have her love on our kids and want to go to the beach with us for the week.  Who am I kidding, a college kid gets a free trip to the beach, who wouldn't want to do that?  :)

 Here is pretty much what we saw most of the time...the back of cars, at this point it was the Roughleys that were leading the pack...

 Once the sun came up and we were still in the car it was movie, coloring and just hanging out time...The kids did GREAT in the car, I mean we couldn't have asked for a better trip down there.

 Once we arrived in Destin, we had a little bit of time to wait for our house to be finished so we took advantage of the beach, and let the kids play...

Just 2 short years before this, Bailey wouldn't even touch the sand hardly with her feet...fast forward 2 years, and she was our little fish...

 Love Molly's expression here...

 Cowboy Chris...

 Just some of our group....loving the water...

 This is was our view for the week...more to come tomorrow.  WAY too many pics to share in just one post!  Until next time...

Visitors from Alaska...

Back in June (I know feels like so long ago) my cousin and her family came down from Alaska to visit.  I sure do love when she comes in, and cherish the time that we get to hang out.  And the kids love getting to see each other and hang out as well.

 

So, we decided to make it a date at the park in town.  Although a little hot, it was still a good time.

 

Look at his sweet little face...love this boy

 Kennedy being the mother that she likes to be...

 So much fun happening right here on this little playground...

 Love that he still wants to stop and take a picture with me...

 Well, and with her...never serious...

Thanks Jen and family for hanging out with us while you were in town.  I sure did love the time we had at the park, and then the following night when she went to bunco with me.  The only sad thing was we didn't get a picture together.  SO SAD!!!

Celebrating Chris...Happy Fathers Day!

Our kids are so BLESSED to have this guy as their dad!!!  He works so hard for all of us each day, and they are so lucky to have him.  Thanks Chris for always being there for us, and providing for us like no one else could.  We all love you so much, and not sure what we would do without you!

 

Here is to many more Father's Days!

Pay no attention to Molly's face, I am sure she is pouting because well that's just what she does some days!

2014 Horses for Healing Barn Dance...

This year's Horses for Healing Barn Dance was the biggest one that they have ever had as far as funds raised.  I said this last year, but it is such a priviledge getting to work with all the amazing people that make this organization possible, and that make this dance happen.  Although I am leading them, without them doing all the hard work it would not be possible.  Last year was definitely a learning for me on what to expect, so I felt this year I was much more relaxed and understood what all went on. 

 

We had some friends join us at our table this year...the Roughleys, Cannadays, Schraders, and Harrells.  It was so much fun to hang out with friends at a great cause!

 

The Roughleys, Flynts and Cannadays...

 I love that Karen and I matched...wasn't planned at all.  Also, I was so excited to get to wear this dress from Country Outfitters, it hadn't even arrived at their retail store yet.  So exciting!!!!

 Me and my friend Tobi...side note...Tobi and I have been friends since Kindergarten and although we don't see each other all the time, I still love that we are friends and have this in common...

 One of the MOST popular things that people get done at the Barn Dance is the BUTT SKETCH!  People I was not a believer until this year we had it done!  I am a crazy person throughout this event, so I didn't get a chance to have it done during the event, but once the agenda of things were complete Krandal allowed Chris and I to get our butts sketched!  Seriously he did this in about 5 mins, and don't you think it looks amazing?  I sure wish my hair would look that good.  :)

If you haven't hear of Horses for Healing and would like to, or you want to kick up your tail and come next year, please let me know!  I will be blessed every year I know that I am a part of this wonderful event.  And the best part was that our kids took a part this year as well.  They spent all of their Saturday up at the barn help get it ready.  I want that to continue each year so they can truly be a part of something special, and it teaches them to give back to others!

Cowboy Rides Away...

So, my friend Crissy is a hair dresser, and she has this AMAZING client that can hook her up with tickets to pretty much any concert she would like.  So, she asked for some George Strait tickets, and can I just say he HOOKED her up!  And we are so fortuate that she chose us to go with her.  And let me tell you it just wasn't any George Strait concert, it was his FINAL concert in Dallas at Cowboy's Stadium!  There was an amazing lineup, and he started singing at 7 PM in Cowboy Stadium (I don't like the Cowboys, but their stadium is awesome), and didn't finish until around 11:00 or 11:30.  When I say he put on a show, he put on a show!!!!

 

First things first...we stopped on the way down to Dallas and saw the Murphys.  It was wonderful to get to see them and spend some time with them even if it was only over lunch.  We had some really good BBQ, and conversation with our sweet friends.  Man we miss them!

 

Then it was off to the hotel to get ready for the concert...

 

Here we are at arrival!  We had no idea how great this concert was actually going to be I don't think.  One of the BEST concerts I have ever been to!

This was him when he came out...he was so happy the whole time, and just put on a great show!  Asleep at the Wheel opened for him that night.  Then George came out and would sing 2 songs by himself, and then bring out "special" friends to sing with him.  He had several artists that had opened for him throughout the year sing one of their favorites with him, as well as, one that he would pick!  What an amazing tribute to a wonderful singer!

 He definitely put on a great show, and I was so excited to be a part of this. It also set the record for the most people at one time at a concert.  There were over 100K people there...WOW!!!!

Thanks Crissy and Ryan for including Chris and I on this amazing concert!