Here are some photos I downloaded from my phone. It's the only way I've been taking photos lately and FB is the only way I've been staying up to date. Sorry about that!

Christopher was able to go to a karate class with his best friend William when we were visiting them in TX. It was so cute!!


 Sophie, Brandon and Reagan cuddling together after some fun on the slip n' slide all afternoon.


We bought some guns. William had a couple of these and I felt like we needed some of our own.I recommend getting some for yourself if you want some hilarious entertainment.


Sophie dresses up in at least one costume (or random clothes) a day. This day we went to Walmart and then she asked me why everyone was calling her a princess. The next person that walked by didn't call her one and she asked me why he didn't say she was a princess. I'm not sure will we be lacking in confidence when we get older.


 We bought Brick a new bed in hopes he will not sneak onto the couch anymore. He loves it!


We took swimming lessons. I loved these when I was a kid. I did not love the ones my kids took. But I don't want to get started on that. They are over, Brandon and I taught the kids how to swim and that's all that matters.


 More costumes and some brotherly love. (And a random moment when Christopher will actually let me take his picture.)


 Proud of the boat he built. The driver is headless and he said he wanted it that way. Maybe he was making this for a drinking while boating ad. Not sure, but it would work for me!


 Since we are moving we eat random things throughout the day. Like jelly out of a jar for lunch.


 Sophie is now convinced she needs an i.d. to get on base. This is it. The guards have been very sweet and humor her. Some don't find it as funny as others. They must be over heated because she is very serious about using it.


 Crazy kids at the mall. They love this thing. One time we actually turned it on when we had about 5 kids in there. I'm thinking they should let you rent them to hold your kids while you shop.


 Another day, another costume. The kids wanted to take Brick for a walk. Halfway around the block she decided to walk and I had to drag the bike home.



 Christopher walking Brick. It felt like 110 degrees out, but we had to wear our rain boots.


 Another dress up day. By the time we made it to taekwondo we'd lost the necklaces and bracelet.


And in sad news, we decided to sell the truck. It won't be driven while Brandon is gone, well, not enough to justify keeping it. I feel like I'm driving an 18-wheeler when I have to drive it. It is beautiful and we love it. It is in fabulous condition and if you are interested, let me know. I will send you info.

That's about it for now. Saturday is moving day and I don't feel anywhere near ready. My amazing in-laws came down last weekend and helped more than I could have ever hoped for. All that's left now is the little annoying things that are lying around the house that you know you will just throw in a box and will never open it again because nobody in their right mind wants to sort through 12 junk boxes. So I'm stalling. Please pray that it all goes smoothly and it doesn't pour when it's time to actually load/unload the truck. We have mixed emotions about this move. The kids and I are excited about being around family and friends, but not excited about being away from Brandon. I know we will be fine, but I also have no real idea what it will be like to be apart from him for this length of time with kids at home. Last time we apart this long we were engaged.

I better run. I just spent the last 45 minutes cutting the grass and I smell so bad I'm sure the neighbors will come knocking to make sure something didn't die. Not sure when I will be back on here again, so hope you all are having a great summer!!

We just got back from our big trip for the year.  (Not a single photo was taken, not sure why.) Brandon wanted to take a review course for the final board exam next month and it was in Dallas. Fortunately our best friends, the Ramages, moved about 2 1/2 hours from Dallas last summer and we haven't seen them since then. The kids (especially Christopher) were very excited about getting to see their friends William and Reagan and I couldn't wait to see Tiffany again. After a couple days at the lake, we loaded up the morning after Memorial Day and headed west. We didn't have a destination set, but on the drive we realized that our friends who also moved recently, the Newells were in Shreveport and we could stop and see them and maybe have dinner together. We gave them a call and they told us to just come over for dinner and spend the night. The kids were so happy to see each other they ran all around the house and the backyard playing and chasing each other. After dinner and baths we put the kids to bed and it was so nice to be able to catch up with Adam and Melissa without any interruptions. The next morning we went swimming and then hit the road after lunch. We got to Dallas that afternoon and swam some more. (The kids have been working really hard at swimming without any floats and this was the day that it clicked for both kids.) After dinner out we all headed to bed.

Thursday morning Brandon was gone early to start his review course and the kids and I went back to the pool for a little while. Tiffany and the kids were going to be driving through around lunch so we were trying to kill time until they arrive. I wish so bad that I had a video camera for when they did arrive and the kids saw each other, it was priceless!! These are kids who spend almost every single day together for two years and haven't seen each other in 11 months. It was awesome!! Reagan was just a baby the last time we saw her and now she is running around chasing the big kids around. We loaded up the van and hit the road. The kids talked and laughed and screamed the entire car ride and then ran around doing the same, just louder. Tiffany and I just looked at each other and wondered how in the world we were going to survive the next 4 days with these crazy kids.

We did and we had so much fun! It was great seeing them again and watching the kids play and laugh together. We took trips to Target, played on the slip and slide (Tiff and I joined in too!), went to church, watched movies, had Nerf gun fights, played Wii, and ate lots of food. Next thing we know, Brandon shows up and the next morning we have to head home. Christopher even told Brandon, "Daddy, you got here too late and missed all the fun!" It was so cute! (And true!) We loaded up and hit the road Monday morning and drove 550 miles before stopping for the night. We did more swimming and then everyone crashed hard for the night. The next day we swam some more and then headed to Montgomery and stayed with Mimi and Papa John for the night. The kids were so happy to see them and to be closer to home. My mom brought Brick into town Wednesday morning and we were home by lunch time.

We traveled about 2000 miles and had a wonderful time and the kids were absolutely amazing travelers!!! Brandon and I were talking about it last night and laughed because we realized either the kids were better at riding in the car OR our expectations were so low that anything was better than we thought it was going to be! Regardless, it was a great trip and I am so glad that we did it!