Good Times and Great Memories at the Lake

The ever-exciting trip to the marina for "treats" with Papa.
















The kids thought it was so funny that that truck was about to go into the water! They watched it the whole time!


Just kickin' back and relaxin'.






















The three amigos... or the three stooges.

More Great Times at the Lake

Just havin' a good time!























My honey showin' his stuff on the wakeboard.
















I don't know, I just like this one.
















Aubrey really liked baby Ashlyn, her youngest cousin.

More great memories

Papa shares his ice cream cone with his very appreciative grand daughter.
What better thing is there to do after finishing off a cold treat? Race up and down the dock!


This is probably Aubrey's favorite activity at the lake.




Josh and Aubrey swam from the boat to the shore.

Group Picture!

After much effort trying to get a group picture of all the girl cousins, sadly, this was the best of what I got. Did any of the other photographers who were there get any good ones? I did end up with a great video, though, thanks to Ryan who filmed it all for me!

...And More Lake Fun

Nana loves her grand babies!
















And so does Papa!
















Papa floating away on an "ice burg" (or huge piece of foam) the guys found on the lake.
















Uncle Ryan slaloming like a pro!

Birthday number FOUR!!

Taylor celebrated her fourth birthday with a horse riding party at the ranch. It is amazing to think that she has been a huge part of our lives for four years! She has been looking forward to being four for a long time, because that means you are really a big girl. Tomorrow is the first day of her Vacation Bible School. She keeps telling people that it is for four-year-olds, and that means she can go. Whenever she learns something new she attributes it to her being four now. She technically turned four today, and it was funny hearing her say several times, "I don't feel any different. I don't feel bigger. I still feel three and a half." One thing that was exhausting at the time but is funny now that I can look back at it and think she understands, was trying to help her understand the difference between a birthday party and an actual birthday. All day yesterday and plenty of times today we had conversations about how the party was when we celebrated her life, and her birthday is just the day/date she was born exactly 4 years ago. Try explaining that to someone who has very little concept of calenders and dates! *Maybe this is a good opportunity to start teaching that! I was planning on just letting her think she was really four at her party, but I think someone said something that brought up the question. The good thing is, now that she's 4 she understands so much more than when she was only three and a half!!... But you know, from God's point of view, that is how I sound when I think I know so much now because I am a "mature Christian adult"! And yet, He so patiently continues on loving me and teaching me.

Well, Taylor truly is an incredible blessing in our lives. I was just watching her play the other day and I was AMAZED at the fact that God has given her to ME to love her and to raise her. (This is one of those "why" questions that I will never be able to fully answer with my four-year-old mind.) But I wait with eager anticipation to see what this next year holds for her as she grows more and more in the grace of God and develops into the lady God has created her to be.



Happy to be four!

Taylor with Darin and Jody, some of our best friends ever and some of Taylor's favorite people ever.

Taylor had a blast with so many friends and cousins all around her at one time! (I think she gets that from her mommy, and not so much form her daddy, who is much more of a one-person-at-a-time kind of guy.)

Aubrey just wants to be where the dogs are. She gets that from her daddy-mostly. This is Aubrey and Sky, Jake's new girlfriend.

This is Rachelle, who is living on our cabin now and working with the horses on the ranch. Taylor loves her to death! "Because she is the best tickler in the whole wide world!" -Taylor
And now Aubrey as added "chelle" to her petite list of words.
















Taylor had fun riding, but I think she enjoyed leading just as much!

Sharing the goodness!

Sisters and Buddies