amorim's visit

Since we moved to Texas, we have been spoiled with visits from the Amorims.  But they hadn't been to Texas in a while (and not since they got divorced) so we were excited when Andre reached out and asked if he could bring the kids to stay for a few days!  

We spent a few hours at the lake together, and it was a ton of fun!

Brooke loves her Lexie girl and made sure she stayed nice and cool with the spray bottle.

Gabe is also super sweet with his twin sister...

The kids played really well together and spent hours at "veterinarian."

Daleth was also passing through Texas on her way to Utah, so she stopped by as well!  It was so nice to spend a few hours catching up and reconnecting. It's hard to keep up relationships when life gets busy, but I'm glad we are still friends and that we can pick up right where we left off.

Our final night we had popcorn and watched a movie and I couldn't get over how excited the kids were about the air popper :)

Until next time, friends!!

7 year old pics

I took these a few weeks late, but better late than never, right?  I adore this sweet and silly girl and I feel so grateful to be her Mama. She has the kindest heart, is super artistic, loves to learn and play, excels in school, loves her friends immensely, and is just beautiful, inside and out!  

Feeling grateful for SEVEN years with this girl!!

emery's baby blessing

Sweet Emery Dale Peacock was given a name and a blessing at their home, surrounded by family that loves her.  Melanie and Jeff were pretty worried about having a house full of company while COVID cases were still on the rise, but we tried to be extra cautious about hand washing and doing what we could to keep her safe. She had quite the case of the hiccups during her blessing, but was totally sweet while Jeff gave her the blessing :)

We enjoyed a yummy meal afterwards and just chatted with those that came from Jeff's side of the family. The kids were all playing in Kinley and Aubrey's room, and hardly came out except to eat.  As the sun poured in the windows that afternoon, Melanie was able to take some adorable pictures of Emery.  Then we moved outside to take a few family pictures to remember her special day. 

Brooke and I were even lucky enough to get some Emery snuggles.

Several days before the blessing, Brooke was playing with her friendship bracelet maker and had the brilliant idea to make matching bracelets for her and Emery.  It really was the sweetest thing, and Brooke made sure to give it to Auntie Mel Mel as soon as she saw her!

We love you, Emery, and were glad we were part of your blessing day!

fourth of july

On the Fourth, we headed to the lake with family and had a beautiful day together.  As we headed into the marina, I hung back so I could watch these cousins together.  Colby, who was given the assignment of taking care of Daddy's hat, marched ahead to show the way to our slip.  

We drove over to our new favorite cove on the other side of the lake, and the kids got right to work collecting rocks from the shore and bringing them back to the boat.  Brooke was pretty meticulous about cleaning them, and they stayed busy for a while!

Kevin asked to borrow my shoes to walk over to the shore (since his sandals were leather),  and we were all laughing when he crawled back onto the boat looking so feminine, haha.

Emery was a great sport again, and definitely received the royal treatment to make sure she was comfortable and well cared for. 

Holding on to Grandma's hand...

While the kids collected rocks, Kevin and Jeff talked real estate, the women talked about school in the Fall (thanks, COVID), and Papa relaxed in the sun. Eventually, the kids wanted to move onto tubing, and they had a blastt.  I think they had their bumpiest ride to date, but they all loved it and wanted more.

The Fourth felt a little different this year since parades and things were cancelled, but it allowed us to have a full day together on the boat, which everyone appreciated.

midlothian fireworks

One of our favorite "4th of July" traditions actually takes place on the 3rd each year in Midlothian. The city ( I think) puts on a huge fireworks show in the parking lot of the Midlothian Stadium, and the event is completely free.  This is probably our 5th year going and it's always a blast with the Sturgills and Myers.  

Normally it's a work day for Kevin, but since the 4th was on a Saturday this year, it was observed on Friday and Kevin was off. That meant that we spent the morning and early afternoon boating with Grandma and Papa, and we still had time to hurry home for a shower and to pack up our picnic and head out.

Gates opened at 6 PM, and we were right on time to claim a good spot.  Kevin wanted to bring our new tiny grill (lovingly referred to as "Smokey Joe" since that's what it was called on the box), so he was busy preparing the coals to grill our hot dogs.  We don't generally buy hot dogs, so this was a special treat, and Colby was all in!  He wanted ketchup all over his hot dog and ate every last bite.  That boy was living his best life :) As a side note, he looked so handsome, but informed me that he wanted to wear a "regular shirt" instead of a "church shirt."  Thankfully, I was able to convince him to be festive, and once he rolled the sleeves, he didn't comment about it again.

The kids ate quickly so they could get back to their fun with friends.  I love the way they all just play with each other's bikes and scooters until the sun sets and its time for the show. 

One of the classic moments of the night was watching this pack of boys ride up and down the sidewalk together.  From afar, we couldn't hear what they were saying, but they kept taking off up and down the sidewalk and seemed to be having a blast. The next thing I know, I saw Colby catching a ride behind Brandt.  I have no idea whose idea that was, but it was hilarious and another random lady even commented how clever that was.  Before long, I got up to take a picture and I heard Colby tell Camden to sit down and put his feet on the plasma car.  Then I overheard Colby trying to convince Brandt to switch places so he could pedal the scooter, haha.  These were his exact words about riding the plasma car: "It's SO relaxing. You don't even have to do anything." Way to sell it, buddy!

Kevin is another kid at heart, so he asked one of the girls (a cousin of the Myers) if he could try her longboard, and then he asked Britton to try his rip stick.  Not surprisingly, he did great on both, but the rip stick definitely took more coordination.  A group of teenagers was watching him try and started cheering when he finally got it. 

The Sturgills brought some festive glitter face paint and Maddy was sweet enough to put some on Brooke and Nora.

Kevin seems to take his hammock everywhere he goes, and the parking lot was no exception :) Brooke climbed in to relax by Kevin, then Maddy asked if she could join in as well.

Then Kevin was booted out and more kids piled in :) Thankfully, nobody fell out!

I love these friends and I'm so thankful for traditions that allow us to keep building on these fun memories!!

Thanks for another great show, Midlothian!!