Hello Summer!! 🌞

Memorial Day we spent the day at the athletic center enjoying some fun in the sun with Ashley, Adam, Addison and Kennedi.

It was too chilly for me to be interested in the pool, or getting splashed, but the kids sure did have a great time. 

Kennedi's shivering in this pic, but the kids said it wasn't cold once you got in. 😳

We ran into lots of friends while we were there.  I only got a pic with one though. Maycee's friend from her Kindergarten class.   He is a sweetie and and played great with all the girls. 

Kennedi has been taking swimming lessons and she showed us how brave she is now.

  It was a great day and we all enjoyed some sunshine!!

Ward Family Camping Trip

We had a great time at Powell Park on Lake Sam Rayburn with the Ward Bunch and even got to see some other family. It was a great weekend lots of sun, a little rain, perfect temperatures and not nearly as many mosquitoes as I was expecting. We swam, boated, danced, drank, tubed, fished, ate, drank some more and caught up with each other and reminisced about old times.

Daytime Fun!!!
Nighttime Fun!!!

All the Kids!

Adam blowing out the candles (lighter) on his birthday cake. Happy 30th Birthday, Adam!!The first one was destroyed in the storm on Thursday night. It was submerged in water when the cooler flipped over and then attacked by ants. The kids still wanted to eat it. YUCK! But Aunt Kathy saved the day and baked a new one ( at her house, she wasn't camping) and brought it to Adam. It was YUMMY and so thoughtful of her. Nothing like fresh homemade birthday cake.

Dad and Uncle Dan frying fish. We had a weekend packed with Yummy food. Awesome Fried Fish, Gumbo and Burgers. Not to mention fantastic pancakes and bacon. Why does everything taste so good when you're camping?

The view from the beach. In the water (Uncle Chuck, Aunt Kathy, Guy and ), on the tube (Maddie and Madison), on the boat (Dad, Uncle Dan, Kaleigh, Maycee, Aunt Diane and Jason.)

Adam, Ashley Addison and Kennedi

The Party Boat! Yes they are dancing (Adam, Kaleigh and Danielle) and yes that is the infamous Captain Tina driving. The only thing left to your imagination is hearing Low (Check out this link , this kid is hilarious. I don't know who he is, but I saw it on Facebook a few days ago) by Flo Rida blaring from the radio and Danielle blowing that air horn to announce their arrival. Don't worry they aren't the only ones that did some dancing on the party boat over the course of the weekend. :-)

Oh, and I forgot to mention...the party boat wasn't lost all day, it was just out sight seeing!!

Ward Family Trip

We are leaving today to go camping with all the Ward Family. We will be camping on Lake Sam Rayburn. I'm excited to see everyone (I think there will be at least 35 people there) and because this is the lake I grew up camping on and no other camping has ever compared. I am looking forward to getting there and making lots of new memories with lots of great family! We will be enjoying lots of boating, swimming, great food, beer, horseshoes, visiting and singing the Family Trip theme song "Little Ole' Wine Drinker" at least 100 times.

My Dad's family has been having an annual trip planned at a convenient time for Fantasy Football drafts for several years. I'm not sure exactly how many years, but I know for sure we were there in 1997 because I remember watching the coverage of Princess Diana's death in the Condo in Florida.

Here are a few pics from some of the previous trips:

Gulf Shores 2003--This was Maddie's first trip.

The five Ward brothers...left to right: Frank, John, Pat, Robert and Dan.

Hot Springs, Arkansas 2005 This was Maycee's first trip.

Mississippi 2006

Gulf Shores 2008

We were evacuated for a hurricane and had to head north and fly home from their. We only stayed a few days and I don't have many pictures. I was planning on more pics later in the week :(

The beach and pool as we were evacuating. So different from the day before.

P.S. I am changing my music player to Dean Martin's "Little Ole Wine Drinker" for the weekend. Enjoy!

The Golf Cart

Last summer my Dad won a golf cart. The kids knew about it and have been dying to take it for a spin, but it was down in Beaumont. Earlier in the summer we borrowed a friends trailer and picked it up. We have been using it around the neighborhood ever since. The kids love driving it. We have taken it to friends houses and to the lake. There is a trail all the way to the swimming area that is perfect for it. We really should be walking, but it sooo hot and the golf cart is much more fun. :)

Today we took it out so Addison could drive (they only operate the steering wheel not the gas pedal). We didn't have anywhere to go so we just rode around the neighborhood. (We get some really strange looks.) Anyway everyone got a turn driving and when we got back they decided it needed to be cleaned. They did a great job scrubbing it clean.

I was trying to take Maddie's picture and she huffed and said "Only one more Mom, I'm trying to clean!"

Wow, I need to figure out how to channel that cleaning energy into their rooms.

Water Fun and a Sleepover!

Today Ashley and I took the girls to a little water park. They have a kiddie area with slides and stuff, a pool, a big slide and a lazy river. They were very excited to go.

Miss Addison. That girl is so fast I never got a good picture of her. Maddie finishing on the little slide.
Maycee 'water bombing' people in the lazy river.

The BIG slide!
Uh Oh! Not quite tall enough.
It is so tough being the little sister :(
She was not happy about this height rule. I really felt sorry for her because there weren't any good size slides for her. Maddie told her to eat more vegetables so she could grow taller and be able to ride. That really ticked her off (which I can understand because she is definitely the better eater when it comes to vegetables!)
Maddie waiting her turn.
Maddie on the big slide.
It's snack time!

Sweet baby girl. She loved splashing in the water.
After the water park, Addison came to spend the night with us. We had to come straight home to get ready for cheer practice. They have been having practice 3 times a week for 1.5 hours each day. Wow! It's kept us busy, but they LOVE it. Addison said she couldn't go to cheerleading practice because she didn't have her cheerleading suit. So we had to find her one. I wouldn't want to send the girl the cheer practice unprepared. (No pictures from tonight's practice, but here is one from the practice she came to a week ago. Notice she was wearing a cheerleading suit that day also.)
After practice we came home to have breakfast for dinner (pancakes and bacon), the girls played barbies and candy land while Guy and I cooked. After that is was bathtime.

This is where they are now. So sweet. So exhausted. I sure hope they sleep late in the morning :-)