Another Road Trip!

Aunt Judy, Grandma, and Mom Cousin Lacy playing with EJ, thank goodness for her extra hands, I was sweating I was so tired of trying to keep them still and behaved!
Lacy, Casey, Aunt Judy and Jordan
EJ on the front porch
Wyatt exploring the back yard... It is so green and beautiful. When Wyatt is 7 he will be able to do the family canoe trips.. just a few more years.

Having tea with Aunt Judy on the back porch
Wyatt with GG
Sisters





The Zoo.. on the way to Shreveport.. great place to stop!


They had an awesome dinosaur exhibit.. they did look real! We did a double take on a few of them!


The flamingos are for Skeet and Nini!



My favorite part.. the Petting zoo. I love the baby animals. This little longhorn started eating EJS dress, she did not think it was as funny as I did...

Train ride!



Where ever we go Wyatt seems to find the guns and shoot everything in site.
Deer hunting.


I have to say traveling with children is hard! We have the best time, but the long car rides do not bring out the best in us. Mom and I usually have a lot of patience, but today on our way home she was shoving "relaxing" pills down my throat! It was that bad. Always the way home, to leave a bad taste in your mouth.. but overall the weekend was great. Wyatt asked every 5 minuets to stretch his legs and "Are the there yet?" followed by an annoying grunt, yell or sign...Even the movies got old, the phones were dead, so they actually had to look out their windows and enjoy the ride. What happened to when we were little and did nto have all this technology?! You would think they were being torchered without being entertained every minute of the day! Then the fighting began.. it looks like we have a litter of kittens in our house with all the scratching and arguing that went on the back seat. We have to figure out a better way!

We started the trip off great, we got up early.. drove to Ft. Worth (1/2 way to shreveport) and stopped off at the zoo for several hours. that was perfect. They got all their energy out, and forgot about the next 4 1/2 hours in the car.. which they slept most of it :) We arrived in Shreveport Friday night just in time to see Grandma (or GG as the kids call her) before she went to bed. She is 97, and amazing. Her health is slowing giving away, but her mind and sense of humor are there. She is very well taken care of and gets a foot massage and facial every day.. not bad huh?! She loves all the attention too! She loved seeing the kids. EJ was so warm and loving. They played "manicure" and GG was a good sport about letting EJ pretend to paint nails, and give her a manicure. Wyatt freaks out a little with all the older people around. They love children and want to grab and touch... he runs! As long as he had the phone to play car games on he was good. (which means we could all relax and enjoy the time with GG)

My aunt also had a big retirement party.. she has taught for 39 years. She is amazing. I was in awe of all the incredible things people had to say and the amount of support she had at her party. The one thing they all said was she was the one person you can always count on to pray for you. I know we say a lot (sometimes out of habit..) " I will pray for you..." and never think about it again.. She Prays, she never forgets. Mom always tells the story of seeing Aunt Judy grow up every morning reading her Bible, she always she lived her life for Jesus and never wanted to disappoint Him. She is an inspiration to us all. Then they went on about all her jokes and sense of humor.. she is funny too! It was really nice to be there and just see the amount of love and support. One lady got up and said her thank you's then broke out in " Thank you for giving to the Lord.. " it was so moving, and touching.. the tears started pouring at that point.
So, other than the last five hours of the trip, it was just moving and perfect!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

Wyatt's real birthday.. He got to pick out the restaurant (Micheal's of course!) , then go to Toys R Us and pick out one toy ( I thought it was a great idea until he picked out legos.. when did they get so expensive?! One airplane was more expensive than a trip on Southwest!) Then home for cake and ice cream.... " I did not have any blue icing!"
Papa's birthday the day after Wyatts..... Love this - look close.. Zach is holding Wyatt's mouth so he will not blow out the candles and out of no where sissy does the job!
I am 5! Let the party begin!
Papa enjoyed himself.. their birthdays are one day apart so it is always a fun filled week full of cake and icecream! (and an extra 5 lbs)Pam was sweet enough to take all the pictures and it was cute going though all 200 of them seeing papa about every 10th shot! They are in love.. she kept saying " I think I have a good shot of him in a better light!" Too cute.
Even Zach enjoyed himself :)
Camo princess. She was not exactly thrilled about wearing this outfit.. she said "Princesses do not wear camo!" This one did.
My future son in law...



Big Jake, Noah, and Clara
My sweet neighbor Leah.. 2 of her 3 boys.. all 3 and under!

Wyatt's very first best buddy.. they were inseparable as babies and so cute!
Best buddy Jay
Nothing like fried chicken, mash potatoes, okra, rolls and gravy on a Friday night!
The dig. It was not as successful as I hoped for.. I ended up throwing all the toys out and the kids had buckets to dig for the "treasures" but Zach got tired of buring the treasures in the hard sand so it was more like a free for all!
This picture just makes me smile. Anna is so happy, running around waving the flag.. how much more American can a Friday night get?!
Again, just full of Joy..and Sammy in his Camo.
Wow, spoiled little boy!
My handsome boy


Yes, would you expect anything different?! Matching outfits. I am wondering how long I can do this for!
Amber, Casey and Mommy...oh and baby Joseph

The cake.. it was a hit. Leslie R made it then I went to Academy and bought the deer hunting kit to stick on top.. all about camo this year.
Make a wish!
Airplanes and boys.


So hard to believe my baby is 5. He is such a blessing. I have really learned so much from him in his short 5 years and he has made me a better person and better mom. I love his morning cuddles, I love his beautiful smile, and excitement for life. I pray everyday he will grow up and love like Jesus, I know if he does he will be just fine.

At 5 he still loves cars, old cars especially.. he loves airplanes (Papa has this whole room covered in airplanes hanging from the ceiling), he loves Loony toons, Tom and Jerry and video games on my phone. Anything outdoors, loves riding his bike, and playing with friends. Favorite color is Blue.. favorite food Chicken and steak and anything with sugar. He has a real sweet tooth that comes naturally :). This year he played soccer the team was the Blue Devils (the moms did not come up with that one!) and did pretty good (at least he looked cute in his uniform) . He is doing gymnastics and is really making improvements in his coordination. He joined the church choir and says he hates it, but still goes and smiles doing it! (Zach said the same thing! ) Oh, and loves to hunt squirrels and birds in the back yard and go to the lease with Papa...

Every day is a new adventure and I love it. (Even though I am exhausted by 8pm)
We had a great birthday party.. Just and old fashioned park party and the kids had a ball. I ordered Bushes Chicken, we had adult drinks and kid drinks and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We have great support, great family and friends.