We are back!

We just got home a bit ago, and instead of unpacking, I was itching to blog...I mean...it has been since FRIDAY! I haven't loaded our New Orleans pics yet, so I will blog these. Rachel wanted to model her new clothes for pictures that we got on sale on the 4th, and then everyone else wanted to join in. We all had a great time, and I will tell ya about it soon!

I love these 2 of Noah and Leah. I am always amazed at how they don't look a thing alike to me. I had told them to put their faces right up against each other, and Noah turned his head instead to give Leah a kiss on the cheek....and this was her reaction!

Man...they look SO GROWN UP to me in these pictures!



And this is Noah's latest hole in his mouth. That makes his 5th lost tooth. He goes around showing his mouth off to everyone!

Happy 4th!!

The kids were so excited about the 4th, they picked out and laid out their clothes all on thier own the night before. They even picked out mine and Clay's. We were very patriotic today! We read a book about independence day so that I could teach them the history of it, and then we decided to go do a little shopping. Thanks for the idea, Angie, there were a lot of sales going on today! We went to Old Navy, JC Penney, Quiznos, Payless, and Sports Authority. I have to say....I have never seen a more excited bunch of people having to work. And I totally don't blame them. Every store had a lot of employees, and I don't think I got a friendly greeting by any of them. Everyone looked to be in the depths of despair for having to work today. And you know, there wasn't really that many people shopping today. Stores should have just closed and given those poor people the day off! We only went b/c we didn't have anything else to do. Well, except clean house and pack...

I said we for sure had to get a family photo since the kids went to all that trouble to coordinate our clothes! I think this may be one of our bests so far as far as cooperation and everyone's smile...and the fact that we got this with the first try! I know the flag was a bit cheesy, but Rachel was proud to hold it!
We had planned on going to a parade in Maumelle today, but then we ended up shopping too long and missed it. I found these visors at Target off the $1.00 bin, marked 75% off, and then when I got home, I notice that the girl only charged me for 1, so I got all three of these for a whopping twenty five cents!


Leah took this one of us.
Then we went down to Lake Wilestein in Maumelle to watch the fireworks. They are so awesome, and I love how easy it is to get to it.
I think Rachel liked them the best.


So, how did you celebrate the 4th???

Little Chef

Leah loves to fix us cinnamon/sugar biscuits for breakfast. And they are so yummy! She does a great job!

The girls can do laundry too!!

This is such a great sight to me!!

After doing the laundry, they wanted to wash their stuff animals!

New Orleans....here we come!

Thank you to EVERYONE for all of your good suggestions. There was a lot of good ideas. Clay suggested New Orleans, and at first I was like no way...but the more I thought about it I got really excited. We have both always wanted to go, but we would not want to take the kids. It looks like we can do as much as, or as little as we want to do and still have fun. I like the idea of just doing one of those tour buses and they tell you all about the city....and I am really excited about maybe getting some cool pictures down there.

So...have any of you ever been to New Orleans?? If you have....any suggestions on where to go, things to do would be great. We don't have a clue!

Help us plan a trip!

Nothing like planning for us! Clay and I have a wedding in Hamburg this weekend. The kids have been begging to spend time with their grandparents. We have talked off and on, so we have finally decided to just do it. Clay and I are going to take us a trip....by ourselves! We have been without the kids, or stayed over night when we had a wedding or something, but never a planned, fun trip...just the 2 of us. We thought this would be an early anniversary present...it will be 9 years for us in just a month. We have the babysitters lined up....(I think so anyway...gotta talk to my mom one more time after talking to my mother in law...). We had first thought somewhere south of Monticello so we could swing back through to get the kids. And may still want to do that. My mother in law did offer to bring the kids home to us, so I guess something north of here would be o.k. too. We thought this might be the best time, before we get anymore kids. But, only for about 2 or 3 days...Clay has another wedding the next weekend. Clay mentioned Hot Springs, but it isn't far from here, and we go often enough with the kids....that doesn't seem exciting to me. We did talk about maybe going to Magic Springs and getting to ride the rides without kids...that would be nice. I did remind him though, that the last time we went to Six Flags, right before we were married, we decided that we were already too fat and old...and I told him tonight, well, we are fatter, and older, so do you think we would enjoy it?? LOL

Any ideas?? We would like something calm, quiet, maybe something romantic, but also with a few fun things to do...enough to feel like we actually took a vacation. But I also don't want to spend all our time driving either.

Fun day of friends

My kids were on cloud nine with all the friends they got to see last week! First, you know, we met up with Becky on Thursday. Noah kept saying he was so excited to meet all her kids except one, and then girls were talking about how they remembered getting to go to her house when we lived in Warren.

Then, on Friday we traveled to Woodlawn for me to meet a fellow blogger. We knew that we had a lot of friends in common, but had never met, so that was exciting. A couple of others came too, and between 4 momma's, we had 16 kids!! You know, we had to get a picture of that. I can you believe that many kids stayed still and cooperated at once for a picture?? And long enough for her, and me to both take several pictures?? WOW

Then, it all worked out great that we were in that area, b/c my friend Robin was in Pine Bluff for a softball tournament with her daughter. They have played AWESOME this year, and we were excited to get to see them play. I have known Robin since we worked at Cooper's Jewelers together, back when I was still in college! We were talking the other day how back then we would have never imagine we would be such good friends now. She is my late night e-mailer...we talk that way everynight. I love my Robin! And, I am horrible, that I didn't even get a picture of Avery playing ball! Good grief. I had my little camera, so I didn't even think about getting a picture of her. Well, you can check out plenty of her playing on her momma's blog.

That's her daughter Dalton in the picture. I think Robin and I started talking a lot around the time Dalton and Rachel were born. They are only a month apart in age. Our babies will be 5 in just a few months!

This is the first time we have ever had a picture together. I got Noah to take it of us....and the wind was horrible!
Eating Tootsie Roll Pops

Eating Sunflower seeds....Dalton was teaching my kiddos....and now they have been asking me to get them some!