Some Pictures I took on our Adventure Today...

A Road Trip Before Kindergarten...

We decided to take the girls on one last summer getaway before Madeline starts kindergarten next monday. She'll be going all day and our chances to get away for the day will be limited. We took Philip to grandma's and we were on our way. We went to the Great Salt Plains near Cherokee, Oklahoma and to Alabaster Caverns near Freedom, Oklahoma. We did a lot of driving but we really had a fun time.

Our first stop was the Caverns. It was a guided tour of about 3/4 of a mile that took about 45 minutes. Naturally we were the slowest and at the back of the line. (The tour guide even said, "Keep up with the group please!" because we were so slow. (Which kind've made me mad) and Matt was like, "We've got a couple of toddlers here." (she never said anything else.) I was a nervous wreck!! The cave was extremely damp and very slippery. I was scared that one of the girls (or myself) were going to fall!! Susanna had a couple of slips but she never fell - thank goodness! We saw all kinds of pretty alabaster and gypsum rocks. We even saw one bat. The girls were nervous at first but then became much braver. After our hike through the cave we had a picnic lunch and played on the playground for a bit.

Our next stop was the Great Salt Plains. I've been there before and each time it seems like a different environment. This time it was hot and sunny. No wind. We found a spot and started digging. They say to only dig about 2 feet down but it seemed the crystals were right under the surface. All we could find were tiny ones. We found a lot of giant holes that other people had dug. The girls found a lot of crystals in the dirt that was dug up by other people. They really enjoyed it.

Daddy's Fun Lawn Mowing...

Daddy decided to mow the lawn today. Since Philip's birthday party he has had it in his mind to mow a maze or something into the grass. So, he created this today with the lawn mower. The girls and daddy have been playing tag on the maze. It's pretty creative. Our daddy is anything but boring!!

We bought a trampoline for the kids at the beginning of the summer. I dont' know why I haven't posted pics of it yet. They really have fun on it - when it's not too hot outside. Since we got one with a net, we can put Philip on it too. Here are some pics I took this morning when they were out playing. I'm not sure why, but Susanna's hair was really static-y!!

Madeline Washes the Dishes!!

Madeline washed the dishes for the first time the other night after dinner. She ask if she could do it and we said, 'Sure!'. She did pretty good for the most part - the skillets were a little tricky :) If only she'll stay this excited to do dishes for about the next 10-15 years!!

One of Philip's Favorite Foods...

This boy LOVES watermelon!! He can't wait to go to the Watermelon Festival in Rush Springs next weekend :)

Madeline Loses Her Very First Tooth!!

Here is the video of Madeline losing her very first tooth!! She lost it this past week and she was SO EXCITED. She has been showing everyone. The tooth fairy even visited her :)

We have started our 4th of July celebrating a week early! Last night was the annual Mustang Bean Supper and Fireworks show. We decided to take the girls and go (just for the fireworks). Some of our friends were there too. It was a lot of fun. The girls got snow cones and glow necklaces and we all got to see a pretty awesome fireworks show. Everyone loved it - except Philip. He was a little nervous. He didn't really cry, but he kept trying to climb up mine or Matt's shoulder to try to get away. We thought it would be fun to see a big fireworks display since we'll have a smaller version on the actual 4th of July. Here are some pics of our night (in random order :)

Philip is Walking!!

My sweet little Philip took his first steps this week! He just started walking from the coffee table to the sofa and then he started walking all over. He'll take about 5-6 steps and then fall on his bottom. It is adorable. Today we went to the mall and here is some video of him walking in the play area. He took his first steps and got his first haircut this week. My baby is growing so fast!!

I took Philip for his very first haircut today! I have been delaying doing this because I knew it would make him look more grown up. I really think he looks like a little boy now and not a little baby. He'll be a year old next month, so I guess he is growing up! I took him to Snip-Its. They sat him in a Bumbo seat and he sat VERY still. They told me not to expect that next time around. They said the kids are usually very still the first and more wiggly the next. Anyway, it went very well and I think he looks very handsome!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Some Cute Pictures of the Kids...

Here are a few recent pics of the kiddos...

Our Family Trip to Broken Bow Lake

We recently took a trip to stay in a cabin in Hochatown, Oklahoma. It is basically at Broken Bow Lake, just not actually on the lake. It was our family vacation and our 7th anniversary. We didn't realize it until we got there, but the lake was flooded! The state park had been closed two days before and the golf course was underwater! So, we were the only ones there! We couldn't go to the marina - it was flooded. We couldn't swim at the beaches - they were underwater! There were no roads that would take you to the lake b/c they were all flooded! We had to park and walk down to the water. It was neat to see. We still found lots of fun things to do. We took the kids to a rock shop. We went to GirlsGoneWine (it had a really neat gift shop), we drove around looking at the flooding, we went to the state park - it had a museum and gift shop. We hung out at the cabin and took walks and sat in the hot tub. It was a really relaxing trip. I think I want to go back in the fall!! I have some pictures here - they are in random order. Some are of our cabin, some of the flooding and some of the kids. We can't wait to go back!

Genealogy Research!!

Well, I've recently started doing a little family tree research. I joined the 14 day free trial from http://www.ancestry.com/ . It's amazing how easy it is to start doing a little family research and finding names you may or may not recognize! I've had more luck with certain family names than with others. I've recently come in contact with a gal who is my mother's cousin! - I guess she is my first-cousin-once-removed. (I never even knew she existed.) Anyway, she has been very helpful with me and my family tree search. I have learned that this type of research can be very interesting and tricky! It's a lot of fun, though! So, I thought I would post a few pictures that I came across....they are fun to look at!!

This is my mom and my aunt Cindy when they were teenagers!

This is my grandmother, Dorothy Lanoy. She passed away before I was born.

Here is my mom (with the dark hair) and my aunt Cindy (with the lighter hair) and their aunt Minnie. My mom was 4 in this picture.

There are several people in this picture. My grandmother, Dorothy, is in the upper right corner.

This is Dorothy and Henry Lanoy - holding my mom.

This is my mom holding my aunt Carol. My aunt Cindy is standing next to my mom with her arms up and my uncle (Frankie or Henry?) with the binoculars.

My mom is the little girl sitting on the car light. Looks like she has blonde hair!

My mom and her brothers and sisters. (Mom, Kathy, Carol, Cindy, Henry, Frankie)

Armed Forces Day Parade

Last weekend was the Armed Forces Day Parade here in Del City. This is something we've done with Matt's parents for the past three years. The girls absolutely love going. Of course, they love to get all the candy that is thrown. This year we found a new spot to sit and had a great view. Unfortunately, the weather did NOT cooperate. We were rained on for a while. The rain stopped for a little bit. Then it started again back up again so we left. We went to Cracker Barrel for an early Mother's Day lunch. I got to pick out a new Wood Wick candle for my present. (I've been wanting one for a long time!) It was a lot of fun. I'm lucky - I get to be the mommy to the three greatest kids on the planet!!! :) I just wish my momma was here to share them with me.

A Trip to Feed the Ducks!

We recently took the kids to a nearby lake to feed some local ducks. The kids love this. Of course, I brought my camera along and tried my best to capture the moment.

Easter 2009

Well - Easter was about a month ago and I'm just now getting around to blogging. We had a really nice Easter, full of lots of things to do. We had four Easter egg hunts. (One at church, one with our playgroup friends and one with my family and one with Matt's family.) We ended up with a TON of candy!! One really fun thing was our lunch at Eischen's. We went with my dad and Mike and his family. (Matt had a paper to write so he couldn't come.) We went last year too. After our lunch we came back to our house and died Easter eggs and ate Taco Bueno for dinner. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching how excited the kids got when dyeing their eggs. Here are some pictures from the weekend....

The girls absolutely LOVE our new dog! (Especially Susanna). The other night Madeline comes in to where Matt and I were sitting and said, "You have to come see Black Dog" They had made a little "salon" and Black Dog was their customer. This dog sat there and let them decorate him with clips, a necklace and the sunglasses. He sat there long enough for me to go get the camera and take this picture. This dog must like these girls too, to endure their salon so calmly! :)