We've been in the water pretty much everyday since we got the pool out. I love that the girls are bigger and I can simply watch and not have to coax Lou into the pool. We also had some friends over while their parents were on a date. The girls love having playmates in the water!
After the park, we came home for lunch then swimming in the backyard. Look how excited they are! Lou was tired of pictures and ready to dive in.
Friday night we grilled hot dogs and made homemade ice-cream. Our sweet neighbor, Dorris, gave us her old ice-cream maker that is almost as old as me! This was the first time I've made it and, I must admit, it was pretty good! The thought it was really cool and enjoyed the special treat. It was a perfect, all-American day.
Y'all, life is good!
The importance of swim diapers.....
Me and my Mom (not the best pic, sorry mom) after an awesome night of worship and a yummy dinner at Cattle Barron's in Lubbock. Paul and I went to the Saturday night service with her so that we could go w/ Vonda on Sunday morning. The girls stayed in Plainview with the cousins and crew (Thank y'all for watching them and giving us some special time with my Mom!). Thankfully, they took tons of pictures and the girls had soooo much fun! She was so sweet to let us spend the majority of our time with the Boergers and crash at her house. She often says how blessed we are to have them - and we agree!
I stole this Boerger family picture from my SIL Sarah's blog.
These 2 are still young enough to be able to bathe together :)
My sweet niece, Madi
Lou on Uncle Mark's shoulders
Enjoying the surprise ice cream cones from Uncle Jeremy & Mimi 
Lou and Jeremy napping
Gabe, Sarah, & Paul watching our under-aged drivers
The sisters: Sarah (holding Madi), Abby, Melisa, Dena
Sarah & Melisa getting lunch ready
Uncle Gabe doing push-ups w/ Beth
Mimi sporting the flower Bethy gave her to wear
Bethy was excited to help Grandma feed Madi
Giving Grandma her MD gift
Lou getting in on the gift-giving
Paul's Dad and brother Mark (who is not pictured because he was in the tree) came over to my Mom's for a workday on Friday. They did sooo much and Mom was beside herself with all they got done. Thanks, guys, for loving on my Mom! You are good men!
Uncle John acting like he was enjoying the chaos ;)
Mimi had a surprise for Bethy - they made chocolate dipped strawberries (and ate several)! Those two have a pretty special bond
Bethy was so excited that she and Mimi matched!
Nana made a bubble mixture so after Lauren poured hers out, Nana came to the rescue!
We also had a BIG treat of getting to meet Sarah and the boys in Lubbock for a playdate! The girls love playing with their cousins and I enjoyed visiting with my SIL. We have been blessed with a growing friendship over the years. We met up at a really cool park then went to McD's for ice-cream. It was such a fun day!
Lou getting Aunt Sarah's tickles!
Me and my favorite nephews
One evening, the girls decided that the rocks in Nana's front yard made a great stage. They performed over and over and over :)
On Friday, we got to spend a couple of hours with Grandma & Grandpa. They had been in Houston all week and we we're coming back the next weekend for Mother's Day, so we made up for lost time on the next trip. Even though this one was a very quick stop, we had lots of laughs, hugs, and kisses! Thanks, G & V for being so understanding and supportive. So glad we got to spend the whole next weekend w/ you!
Nothing can stop this Grandma from getting down and playing with her grandkids!
I love this picture of Grandpa spinning Bethy around!
You can't visit Grandma & Grandpa without playing the piano :)
We headed to Floydada to have lunch with King. The girls loved going through all of the stuff in his office and all the yummy snacks he kept giving them. Thanks, Dad, for lunch; it was good to see you. I do hope, though, that this is the last time my girls are in the principal's office!!!
Bethany got a big girl hair cut while we were in HC. Linda's daughter was my best friend in elementary school, so this was special to me, too :)
Doesn't she look pretty (and too grown up!)?
I love these muddy feet
On one of our last nights, we had a slumber party! We watched movies and ate junk food in the living room floor. Too bad Alex had a fever, she and Judy were going to join us :( We did get to spend time w/ them (even though I didn't take any pictures).
Thanks for a great week!God blessed me with a beautiful drive home after a rather emotionally charged time in Hale Center. I was able to sit in the silence of the front seat (with a Disney movie in the back seat) and look at His amazing creation. I drove across the flat south plains and could see for miles across the empty fields until they reached the horizon. We drove over the Caprock and watched the land tumble into the little canyons below. We passed fields of wind turbines which hold their own beauty. I watched a family of deer trot across the highway, a roadrunner buzz along the shoulder of the road, several jackrabbits scurry out of the way, and I could look into my backseat to see the most precious wildlife God has blessed me with.
As I drove, I made myself shut off the reeling of my mind and just watch the world around me. I tried to "be still and know" and notice His creation. I interpreted the beauty as His way to remind me that He is great and so much bigger than anything I can ever imagine. The Chris Tomlin song played over and over in my heart and mind and gave me a peace that passes all understanding.
