Cramming in the last of summer.....

Wow, only 11 days left until school starts back! We have been trying to take advantage of the last little bit of summer break by cramming in more fun than we can stand over the past few weeks!

Jacob and Mary Rose had a great time at Kamp Kennessee. They loved.....seeing old friends and making new ones, getting freaked out on the 60 foot high zip line, the daily Bible devos and spiritual atmosphere, the grand-daddy of all "slip and slides", (which incorporates dish-washing detergent, shaving cream and industrial strength fire hoses down a very steep hill--whoa!!)
....just to name a few of their favorites.

Here is Mary Rose with some of her camp friends and bunk mates:















And Jacob with his good buddy, Tanner:















After picking the kids up at camp, we headed to Texas for our annual trip to the Lonestar state. It was awesome, as always.....lazy days, humid nights, dear friends and loads of fun! We thoroughly enjoyed staying in Conrad & Mary's beautiful new home, a modern marvel perched in the treetops.




Here is a view from their living room...










And we finally got to meet their newest addition, Cora Mae, who is 5 months old already!!





Here is a snuggly, swaddled baby Cora with Jacob What a sweetheart!









Kevin played with his "boys" in the Tyler golf tournament and put up some respectable numbers. His buddy, Reagan, talked the guys into having a "retro" dress up day, so they showed up on the course modeling some happenin' vintage golf wear. OOOOweeee, I know they were having to fight those cart girls off!! No, I'm not posting a picture of them......I don't want all of you viewers to be blinded by their male beauty.....just trust me when I say they were SMOKIN'!

We headed out of Dallas and spent a couple of days visiting other friends and relatives on the way back home. Spent an afternoon with my Aunt Anne & Uncle John in their "retirement" home in Bryan/College Station. They were so good to us when we lived in College Station while Kevin was finishing school at A&M. We love them dearly and wish they weren't so far away!





The kids with Uncle John & Aunt Anne











Then we headed to Centerville, TX for a great (but too short) overnight visit at the home of Brian & Rebekah Klutz and their 4 kids, Magnus, Titus, Justus & Rayah. What a wonderful family...we wish we could see them more often!

We spent the night with my sweet Uncle Andrew and Aunt Polly in Bradley, Ark on the last night before heading home. Going to Bradley is always an adventure...we love to hear Uncle Andrew's stories and see his "souvenirs" from all of his world travels. And he always takes us on a tour of the farm............acres upon acres of soybeans, cotton and sometimes wheat. The kids get to ride for miles in the back of his pickup down dusty dirt roads and if they get too hot, he lets them drink out of the irrigation pipes. How fun is that?! Sometimes we go up the road to where the Amish farmers raise catfish and the kids get to watch thousands of catfish leaping up out of the surface of the pond during feeding time. Talk about exciting! Who needs Disneyworld when we've got Uncle Andrew and his farm?!!




Jacob taking a swig from the irrigation pipe....



















Uncle Andrew teaching Kevin how to calculate yield per acre.



















Riding country roads in the back of Uncle Andrew's truck


















It's a great year for Uncle Andrew's cotton....it's already taller than Mary Rose and still a month away from harvest!!















"Farm livin' is the life for me!"














SO, that's our "western" trip in a nutshell!

Home again, but still on the go! The day after we got home, Mary Rose headed north to Bowling Green for violin camp at Western Kentucky University. She and her friend Emily had a great week at camp and she enjoyed seeing her relatives and friends in BG.





Emily and Rosie at violin camp with cousin Claire, who came to see their final performance.










This past week everyone has been back home for good, and we've enjoyed having my sister, Sharon, and her kids here from Atlanta for a few days, as well as Kevin's parents for a short visit.
Busy enough for ya?? Like I said, we're cramming in the fun while we can!! Only 11 days and counting down...........