Broken Bow Day 2

Saturday morning we woke up to a very chilly morning. I loved it and as you can see it didn't stoop the kids from wanting to go outside and play. They had a lot of energy for 7 in the morning. They ended up spending the morning with Tony collecting wood and helping him move it over to the fire pit after he was done cutting it.

The two of them worked together to collect wood. I love this picture. I can already picture the two of them 15 years from now.

Before lunch we headed to the park to check out the trails and ride the train. They were incredibly smart in how they set the park up incorporating train rides through the trees, horse back rides as well as hay rides in the evening. It was great. The first time we rode it we say several different sets of deer running around. Kaylie enjoyed spotting them in between the trees.

Right across the road from the train their was a really nice playground that we took advantage of before we attempted nap time. The kids were able to get the rest of their energy out before we all went our separate was for a few hours.

Brown dog had to race her down the slide. Surprisingly they actually got there at the same time.

She is really starting to enjoy the "big girl" swings. She is working hard to be able to swing herself.

After the park we all went separate ways so the younger ones could nap. Jason, Kaylie and I decided to go to the restaurant that was in the park for some down home country cooking. They had the best onion rings I have had in a long time. After we ate we went and walked around and took advantage of the beautiful day and the scenery around us.

So bummed about this picture. It is one of my favorites but I hate that she has food on her face and her hair is in her eyes.

While we were heading back to the cabin Kaylie feel asleep so we took advantage of it and drove all over the park. We ended up pulling over by the lake, rolling down the windows, getting out and taking this picture. The view was amazing. So peaceful and serene. I enjoyed having a minute to snuggle in nature with my husband.

After nap we all went back out to the park for some photo opportunities and some hiking.

I really love Jason and I in this picture.

This was a stage that was actually set up for a wedding later that evening. They kids took advantage of no one being on it and took it over making sure not to touch anything.

I am not sure what it was but all of a sudden the three of them broke out in a dance. So incredibly cute.

Can you picture them walking down the aisle in 20 years???

Our first hike through the woods. Jolie was super trooper with Lucas on her back. She did awesome. The trail we took ended up being a lot more challenging than anticipated so thankfully the kids did awesome. I was so impressed with all three of the kids and their ability to get up the trail.

Kaylie kept trying to run in front of everyone so she could be the "leader."

She insisted on doing airplane arms most of the way and got angry when we would not do them with her.

Thanks Jolie for this picture. I love it.

Right before we left the park we drove down to the damn to skip some rocks and watch some of the fisherman trout fishing using fly fishing poles. I have never watched anyone actually fly fish. With the river flowing the way it was I kept picturing the movie, "A River Runs Through It."

She liked skipping...I mean throwing rocks into the water. Personally, I like brown dog at the bottom of the picture. She threw him down so she could play. She has her priorities.

Wagon rides were the absolute coolest thing for them to do. The adults would spend a good amount of time driving them all around the house. I guess if it kept them happy it was worth it.

We had smores every night. I can not tell you the last time I had one. Brought back some great memories of my childhood.

These two pictures came from Jolie's camera. She takes amazing pictures. Thanks for letting me steal them.

This is what we all sat around enjoying each night. It was so incredibly relaxing sitting under the stars. It was the first time in a long time I was able to not think or be in my head. It is the first time I just sat and enjoyed.

Flash lights were a huge deal with the kiddos. Kaylie had two princess flash lights and her and Fletch loved playing with them. They also ended up with some glow sticks. That was Andrews toy of choice.

I am pretty sure she didn't put the flash light down all night. I had a hard time getting it away from her when it was time to go to sleep and then had to tell her when she woke up that they were napping and needed to rest until it was dark again. Surprisingly, this worked.

Beavers Bend Park - Day 1

Since Monday Kaylie had the day off from school we decided to take advantage of the amazingly beautiful weather and rent a cabin with two other couple friends in Beavers Bend Park in Broken Bow, OK. The cabin was called Woodcreek Lodge and it had three bedrooms and three baths. Perfect for three families.

The house was set up perfectly. It was not too close to the road so the kids could play without any fear of cars driving by. In the back we had a huge porch with hot tub and fire pit with chairs all around. It was surrounded by trees and a creek so you really were pretty secluded when it came to other cabins being close.

We ended up spending each night by the fire listening to music, eating smores, and talking. Once the kids were asleep and we didn't fear one of them falling into the fire pit we took advantage of the beautiful nights and sat out for several hours taking it all in. I can not tell you how much wood we went through each night just relaxing to the sights and sounds. It was nice to be able to spend time with great friends in God's world.

Overall...after getting there at 6:30ish our first night was a great one.
Daddy came up with the greatest idea of bringing Kaylie her own princess flash light. It had two so both Fletch and Kaylie could use it. This was the greatest thing ever. They loved playing with them and hated when it was time for the flash lights to "go to sleep." They both asked for them the minute they woke up.

The mommies enjoying a moment away on the porch swing. Emma, me and Jolie.

Many nights we ate out on the deck. The weather was perfect during the day, cold at night before bed, and freezing in the morning. Each morning we dressed them in warm clothes and a jacket to go out and then back into shorts and a t-shirt by lunch time.

At first the sights and sounds overwhelmed her so she chose to sit and color. Thankfully, she watch Fletch and Andrew running everywhere and decided she would rather do that. I think it helped she got to use her flash light every where she went.

For things being so new to her I was shocked she actually wanted to try roasting a marshmallow. Unfortunately, the fire was SO hot she couldn't stand there very long.

Not sure how the kids would do with the camp fire all the moms were slightly on edge making sure to watch them every step of the way. They thankfully took away our stress when the walked over to the deck, started dancing and never really did much with the fire after that. Such a relief for us.

Awesome sport!!! Jolie enjoyed dancing with them. What you can't see is me dancing as well. The only difference was I had the camera. :) Love ya girl!

Kaylie and Andrew played so well together. They were cracking me up chasing each other around. They enjoyed teasing each other.

After a good 5 minutes of one chasing the other they finally both caved and gave the long awaited hug. Precious!!!

So Incredibly proud

Kaylie and I are so incredibly proud of our daddy/husband because this morning he successfully completed his first ever triathlon. The weather could not have been any better for this. We have our first official cold front of the year which definitely helped in not becoming run down.

He did so incredibly well and finished strong. I know this is something he has wanted to say he did so I am thrilled we could be there to see him cross the finish line. Kaylie's favorite part was yelling, "Go daddy Go." After he crossed the finish line Kaylie ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug. She was so proud of her daddy.

Bunny

Did you know that IHOP has a balloon animal guy. I have to say they were pretty strategic with that one. What parent is going to tell their child no in the middle of a restaurant. Good thing we didn't mind getting her one.

Hanging Out

The other day we were waiting for daddy to come home so we decided to go out and enjoy the beautiful day. After awhile of running around and playing she ran in and grabbed paper and crayons. She sat their talking away. She is in that questioning phase of life as well as the stage where she notices everything so periodically she would stop and yell for me to look at something.

Random...We were driving and in her very high pitched voice yells, "mommy, look...an elephant." Come to find out she was looking at the clouds. Where did she get that from? She immediately found another cloud and told me it was a tiger. Too funny.

Dress Up

Recently we were at a play date and Kaylie actually put on one of the dress up outfits. Wondering if this was a one time deal I decided to pull out her outfits that we have had for awhile to see what she did. At first she was freaked out but after setting the first outfit on the floor she decided she wanted to put it on.

Her first outfit was a Minnie dress that Jolie gave her. It fit but was incredibly snug so Kaylie somewhat refused to have a picture taken. Once off she let me put the rest of them on her. She had so much fun. She would put them on and run into the other room to show her daddy. I have to say I love this stage in her life. It has been so much fun to watch her explore life. Again...these were taken with my cell. One day I will be prepared and have my good camera with me.

She wore this tutu on her first birthday. She kept trying to take out the stuff inside.

Last weekend we decided to head to the RV show to look around and dream about what we "would" want "if" we were to ever invest in a RV. At first Kaylie was a little nervous but after giving her a lip gloss ring her apprehension disappeared and we couldn't keep her out of them. Since A&M was playing that night we let her sport her cheerleader outfit. We were a very spirited family. Overall, I think her favorite part of the show was the balloon lady. She was one of the most talented balloon ladies I have seen and Kaylie loved watching her. Sorry for the picture quality...these are from my phone.

M-I-C-K-E-Y...mouse

Kaylie's first picture to finish coloring. She came back several times throughout the day but was determined. Any other time she colors for about a minute before moving on. She is really trying to stay in the lines.

Swimming buddies

Apparently Kaylie missed having her friends at swimming with her so she decided to bring her own friend along. Mr. Grant definitely earned the good sport award by humoring her and her dolly. This was the first class in four weeks she walked in by herself and didn't cry. Sorry the doll is missing its clothes.

Fashionista

On Sunday we were sitting at the table eating when I noticed she was messing with her hair. For a girl that hates to have her hair done she did not mind doing it herself. With the amount of things she did to it I will no longer believe her when she tells me I am hurting her. Not too shabby for the first try doing it herself. I just hope she doesn't ask to do it herself before she has to go to school.

Do #1

Do #2...put this one in so you could see how messy it was. She was so proud of herself.

You Tube

As you will be able to see by the next four posts I figured out how to put videos from my phone onto You Tube. The first two are from August when Laura, Allie, and Ryan were here and we went to the Children's Museum. The third one was from the 3rd time she tried riding her bike and the 4th one was from this past friday night (9/9) while we were trying to get some energy out. Enjoy!

Twinkle

Old Mac

Bike

Circus

Rain, rain, don't go away...

One of the things I enjoy doing is walking little miss up to the door at school. I don't know why but I feel as if it is a good bonding time for us. Last week we were greeted with a lot of rain thanks to Tropical storm Hermaine. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday. Knowing she loves to use my umbrella I surprised her at the end of the day on Monday with her very own. She was so excited she kept telling me thank you over and over again. Since it was raining we figured we had to try it out. With all the rain Hermaine dropped over two days she had many opportunities to use it.

Mini Masterpiece

Kaylie loves to draw. Usually her drawings consist of lines and squiggles. The other day she came to us and said, "look mommy...daddies face." Thinking I was going to see something that was left to some interpretation I was completely shocked when she showed me a picture that actually looked like a face. Right after she did this one she drew the second one. I asked her what that was and again...completely caught off guard I was floored when she said volcano. First of all I didn't know she knew what a volcano looked like and second...it really looks like a volcano. Way to go baby girl. Since then we have only gotten lines and squiggles but at least we know she has it in her.