4th of July 2009

We spent the 4th at home in Canyon. We went to the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast that morning and then to the parade. It got started late, so we only stayed for about 1/2 of it- it was hot. As we were leaving we discovered that we had been standing in front of a building that was blocking the breeze- oh well. Walt's family- parents, aunts, uncle and cousins came over for a cook-out. We spent the afternoon eating and playing Skip-bo. We finished the evening watching fireworks from the lot behind our house- we just had to add the music- thanks Alecia and Lauren.

More photos on Flickr.

What do you get????

Q: What do you get when a gallon of paint falls out of an SUV?

A: refer to picture

On Wednesday my sister and I started painting the dining room a deep shade of red. We primed the walls and put 2 coats of red on the walls before running out of paint. On Thursday we went into Amarillo to get some more paint and look at curtains for the dining and living rooms. We went to Lowe's and I told the paint guy what I needed. He asked 2x about the finish of the paint- satin. We finished up our errands and headed home. The girls were cranky and didn't appreciate being dragged all over town. We put them down for a nap and then I started getting the paint supplies ready to finish the room. I went to open the can and looked at the label... semi-gloss. I had to drive back to Amarillo to exchange the paint. I was a little perturbed and just wanted to be done with the painting. I decided that I was too frustrated to paint and we would wait until today to finish. I got home, opened the back door and... that's when all hell broke lose. The paint can fell out ad busted open. Thankfully it didn't get in the car. I got my sister (who was having issues with the girls not wanting to take a nap) and she started "scooping" it back into the can. We got about 3/4 of the gallon back in the can. We decided to use the water hose to clean the rest off the garage floor- bad idea. We didn't think- it might not be a good idea to spray the paint down the sidewalk to the street. The street was now magenta right in front of the driveway and starting to run down towards the neighbors. About this time a neighbor was out and decided to come over and introduce himself- not great timing. We chatted about our families and he told me just to just keep rinsing the run-off to dilute the paint. We stayed out there at least an hour with the hose, a plastic pitcher and a broom- I felt like I was in an old "Lucy" episode. We looked pretty silly. A few neighborhood kids came by on their bikes and gave us very strange looks. One kid even asked what it was that we were cleaning up. To say the least it was a long day and very frustrating. We finished up the room this morning and I will post pictures soon.

Trip to H-town

Last week the girls, my sister, my mom & I all flew down to Houston to see my Nonnie. This was kinda a last minute trip for the girls and I- we got our tickets the week before- thanks to Walt's dad! This would be the first time for the girls to be on an airplane and my first since the honeymoon- 8 years ago. I was a little nervous to say the least. The flight went great and we made it to Houston safely. We spent the week at my Nonnie's house hanging out and swimming. The girls loved the pool the first day, but lost interest the following days- oh well- Lauren and I enjoyed it! We were able to hang out with my cousins and got to see some family friends who were also in town that week. The girls were tired by the end of the week and you could tell they had been in one house most of the week- we didn't even go shopping!

Back at the beginning of the year Nonnie was diagnosed with lung cancer. She has been on chemotherapy, but decided to skip the last treatment because it was making her feel pretty bad- she's 84 years old. She had a PET scan last week & the doctor called my uncle with the results at the end of last week. All three tumors present had decreased in intensity! Praise the Lord! The doctor wants to start another round of chemo in about 6 weeks. Nonnie had an appointment yesterday to discuss the treatment. Please keep her in your prayers. I will put some pictures up once I get them off my camera and on the computer.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Today the girls turned 2- how did that happen. I know everyone says it, but... where does the time go? I can remember clearly the day they were born like it was yesterday. We had a great day with family and ELMO. Every time you would ask about the party the girls would say 'ELMO'. I think they will be associating birthday with Elmo for awhile. We had a fun party and the girls got so many fun gifts. I think I could pull out a new gift each day and have enough for a full month! They are blessed little girls. Here are a

few pics from the party- more on Flickr.

Weekend Fun

This weekend my parents came up from Lubbock for a visit. Walt was suppose to go out of town for a conference, but the weather was bad and he stayed home. We mostly hung out around the house. On Saturday before they left we drove down to the Happy Hereford Ranch so my parents could see it. The drive is only about 30 minutes and you go through a wildlife preserve- very pretty. Rusty had come over in his plane earlier that morning, so we were able to see his plane. The girls weren't too sure about going inside to look. I also forgot to roll up the window in the car, so when he started it up to take off- we had a car full of dust. I looked in the back seat and Gracie was moving her mouth like she was eating something- gross! We finished the trip with some great BBQ at Rafter G's in Umbarger, TX!
This afternoon we went up to Amarillo to eat lunch with some of Walt's family at his aunt's house. His cousin Lauren was in town for the weekend too. We had yummy burgers while the younger cousins- Lily, Gracie & Will- played hard. They weren't into the food much, except for chips! They all played so well together. The girls had a great time playing and running around Alecia's big backyard. Here are a few pics- more on Flickr!

Money Saver

Well, I don't know if their dad put them up to it or if he just got the better end of the deal... I will not be taking my children shopping by myself until they are much older!!!! The girls and I went on an outing to Amarillo after lunch today. I am looking for curtains to go in the living room, dining room and master bedroom. I had a list of 4 stores that I wanted to go to.
We first tried to find Kirkland's- it's not located where the website says it is- never did find it! So, we turned around and went to Pier One- not a stroller-friendly establishment! Some of the walkways were even small for a single person to get through. We finally made it back to the drapery, but the girls had found their snack cups in my purse- I was hoping to pull them out when I needed them later in the afternoon for a bribe! Next we went to Kohls- they don't sell curtains- strike 3. We took advantage of the nice breeze and walked down to Bed Bath and Beyond. I struck gold- I found several options that could work, but I want to get some second opinions.
We then headed to Target. I let the girls walk in- hoping that stretching their legs would help. We loaded up in the cart that has the two toddler seats in front of the basket. Gracie threw a fit because I hooked he in with the straps. The other seat had a weird strap, so I did the best I could getting Lily strapped in. That lasted about 30 seconds- Lily figured out how to get out. I asked her in the nice mother voice to sit down- didn't work. I asked again- a little sterner. This went on a few minutes as I tried to find Epsom salt- hard to locate by the way. We then headed to the curtains. I thought I might as well see what they had. Lily still wouldn't sit, so I pt her up in the cart. She kept trying to stand up. I tried carrying her, but I got tired and put her back by Gracie. She then proceeded to slap, hit, punch, etc Gracie. Gracie didn't take it- she start doing the same to Lily. I was trying to break it up, and this lady next to us had the nerve to laugh and say something like, "how cute"! I was not thinking they were cute at that moment! We loaded up and headed home- probably for a very long time.

Girls' Room

Today, Walt helped me hang up some of the girls' stuff on their walls to help make their room feel more like theirs. Some of the things are from their old room, but one wall is all new! I have to say that I am very happy with how their "name" wall turned out. I just have to figure out what to do on the other walls to complete them. I found a website that had great wall stickers, and I fell in love with the Fairy Princess. I think I am going to look for a quote to put on the empty wall- we'll see.