Safety Town

While Laiken and Rebekah were learning about how to be good babysitters, Carson, Nolan, and David were riding around outside Safety Town. This was the first year that Nolan has gotten to ride his bike there and he was so cute on the little streets. He did have some trouble figuring out which side of the road he was supposed to stay on but once he got the hang of it he was able to follow the arrows.

Trip to Houston

Farrel had a lot of overtime to work during the last few weeks, so the kids and I headed to Houston for a few days to pass the time and visit with family. Our first stop (which ended up being our only stop) was at my cousin Lisa's house. The kids had a blast playing in Colby's clubhouse and swimming in the pool. I was just happy hanging out with Lisa and Justin and getting to enjoy some adult conversation. The plan was to leave Lisa's on Monday and head to my other cousin's house; however, on Saturday, Nolan spiked a 104 fever and we decided it was probably best not to spread his germs to another home. Lisa was gracious enough to break out the Lysol and assured us that there was nothing Nolan could give her kids that they had not already been exposed to at day care. Fortunately, no one else got sick and Nolan ended up feeling better by the time we were coming back into Dallas. We joked that he must have just been homesick!

The boys standing guard at the treehouse:

Laiken escaping the boys for some peace and quiet in the pool:

On Monday, we were able to meet up at NASA with Stephanie and her kiddos for a very fun day of exploring and learning. As most of you know, Laiken's life dream is to be an astronaut and to be the first person to walk on Mars. While we were there, we learned that the president has challenged NASA to put someone on Mars by 2030. Laiken quickly determined that she would be 32 at that time and now wants to get in on that trip.

Carson was excited to try all of the new climbing and bouncing activities that they have recently added. Here are some pics of the fun:

Fishing on Texoma

Farrel surprised Laiken and Carson by planning for all of them to go on a guided fishing trip on Lake Texoma. Laiken was not sure that she wanted to go since it meant that they would be on the lake for 5-6 straight hours. Much to her surprise, the time flew by and she and Carson are both ready to go again.

They caught 45 fish. Here they are with some of the biggest ones:

Carson is 8!

Carson and Laiken always have such a hard time waiting for their summer birthdays. Most of their friends have birthdays during the school year and my kids hate being the youngest in their classes. I can't imagine what it is going to be like in high school when they are last to get their drivers' licenses! With my September birthday, I was always one of the oldest in my class and I loved it, so I do understand why it must be frustrating to wait. A few weeks ago, the wait ended for Carson and he turned 8 on July 7.

Carson celebrated this year with his dinner of choice, Chili's, and then cake and ice cream at our house on the night of the 7th. Then, on the 8th, Farrel took Carson, Laiken, Jake, and Dylan to the Rangers game to round out the big event.

Carson got a Wii for his birthday and some games to go with it. Here is a video of him opening up the game he wanted most. When is the last time you opened a gift that had you this excited?

So, Carson is 8 now and a big boy for his age. Sometimes, I forget that he is only 8 and I am too hard on him. He is such a sweet kid who can and always has been able to read my moods better than Laiken does. He is energetic and curious and, at times, mischievous. He loves practical jokes and a good laugh. I worry a lot about how well I am doing raising my boys. I try to imagine what their future wives will think about the job I did. And then just imagining my sons married makes my heart hurt a little. Carson used to cry when he had to be separated from me. He was content standing with me in the kitchen or helping me fold laundry just to be near me. Those days are gone. He is busy with other things and I can barely get him to stop long enough to give me a decent hug. The big affections will return someday for another girl, but the days when I was the center of his world are gone. That's normal, I know, but I'm just not sure how it happened so fast and I'm a little sad that I didn't stop to fully appreciate the time when he was all mine.

Poor Macey

The other day, after seeing a Golden Retriever that he thought would make a great pet, Nolan looked at me and said, "I tink we bedder take Macey back to dat dog bus." We adopted Macey from the mobile SPCA unit. Nolan remembers going onto the bus to sign the paperwork and thought that we needed to turn her back in. I told him that Macey wasn't going anywhere. Nolan on the other hand..... I'm just kidding!!

What Time is It?

Well, if that line doesn't bring a song to mind, then you have not had a High School Musical-obsessed child in your house for the last year and a half. Just because we had not had enough of the HSM mania, Laura and I took the girls to Fair Park on Sunday to see the theater version. We had gotten the tickets back in November, but just recently told the girls that we were going. They were so excited and could not believe that we had kept the secret for that long! We managed to inject a little adult time into the evening by stopping at Brio on the way and enjoying a GREAT dinner. At the show, the girls had the best time and saw every single dance move thanks to the orchestra-level seats that put them front and center. After the show, Laiken and Alli snagged a few autographs and then had their pictures made with "Troy." The girls were giggly and giddy about that experience which is always strange and funny for me to watch. Who let my daughter start growing up??! It was a great night and, no, it wasn't Les Mis or Miss Saigon, but it was still a really good show.

Back Home!

Susan and I went to pick Taylor and Laiken up from camp on Friday. They had a blast and are already talking about going back next year. Laiken got the "Best Camper" award for her group, so she was really excited about that and the girls talked and talked about the activities, the other campers, the food, and anything else that Susan and I could pry out of them.

I was so happy to see Laiken and get my girl home. The testosterone level in the house was becoming unbearable. I love my boys, but all the jokes about bodily functions and the constant ball-playing and yelling in the house were wearing me down. I was ready for Laiken to get back home and restore the balance!

On Saturday, we met my mom and dad and my aunt and uncle for lunch. Afterwards, Farrel took the boys home and Laiken and I spent the afternoon getting pedicures and haircuts. I love, love, love that I have a girl who likes to get sweaty and dirty while playing soccer and exploring creeks and then can turn it all around and be a girly-girl, too.