Birthday fun, 50's style

The girls and I headed to Tomball last weekend for my aunt's surprise birthday party. She is turning 60, but my cousins and mom decided a 50's theme would be fun. The cake was super cute, as were all the little ones dressed in their jeans and poodle skirts. Ashlyn and Makenzie had fun playing with all of their cousins that they don't get to see very often. They also enjoyed our stop at the country to see all the animals and ride the 4-wheeler with their pawpaw.
We are glad we were able to make the trip. Happy Birthday, Aunt Peggy!!

New Gymnastics Class

Makenzie has started a new gymnastics class this fall. She is getting to participate on the beam, bars, floor, and trampoline. She seems to really be enjoying the class which is a refreshing change to the one she took this past summer through a different program. I am sure at some point, she will develop a favorite "rotation." For now, Makenzie is enjoying learning new things and having fun with her great friend Kylie who is also taking the class. Please excuse the last picture....my camera was not agreeing with the lighting in the gym (probably some operator error as well)!

Camping Trip #2

We took our second camping trip with the girls a couple of weeks ago. This time, our friends, the Alcorns, joined us for some great outdoor fun! The girls were supposed to get out there early to secure a campsite, but the guys managed to beat us (Aaron REALLY wanted to get the same campsite that we had last time). We didn't get the same campsite, but the one next to it, which turned out to be just fine. We couldn't have asked for better weather! The girls got to swim in the lake this time which was an fun addition from the first camping trip. It cooled down in the evening which was perfect for s'more making and for sleeping outdoors.
Aaron planned a treasure hunt for the girls in which he made a treasure map, told the girls this awesome story about how pirates long ago sailed the lake, and then sent them off to find the map and buried treasure. It was so fun to watch the girls as Aaron told the story of how the pirates would pull out one of their eyeballs and place it in the treasure box so that there was always an "eye" on the treasure. He found these bouncy balls that had a wiggly eyeball in them, so that was perfect for the treasure box. Makenzie and Kylie did a great job following the map to the hidden treasure. Ashlyn joined in at the end when the older girls started pulling jewelry out of the box. She had to have her share of course!
Our family stayed for a while on Sunday to do some more hiking while the Alcorns headed out to get their little boy whom they were missing greatly.
We had such a great time with our friends and look forward to more camping trips in the future. This time, we will try out another state park.

Zoo Trip with the Torres Clan

My friend Stephanie and I took the kiddos to the zoo several weeks ago. We didn't even see a quarter of the zoo because we took the kids to the children's zoo area and they had too much fun playing in the water. Thankfully, I went prepared! Despite telling Ashlyn that she could just put her feet in the water and walk around, she decided to do a belly flop down in the water like a little fish. She definitely didn't set a great example for Ashton, because he quickly followed suit and we had some very wet kiddos! We did manage to see the Giants of the Savanna exhibit beforehand, and the kids enjoyed the elephants, cheetahs and throwing lettuce at the giraffes. Ashlyn and Ashton loved pulling the wagons for us, but that made for a lot of in and out and switching around of mine and Stephanie's wagon. We've decided another trip to the zoo is in our near future.

Grass Maize with Friends

About a month ago, Ashlyn and I went to the grass maize in Allen with Tera, Trent, and Malorie. Ashlyn and Trent had fun building towers in the caboose, taking a quick trip through the maize, and playing in the little buildings they have there for the kids. The weather was pretty warm, so after about an hour of playing, we headed back to our house so Ashlyn and Trent could play some more. I think Ashlyn was most excited about her opportunity to hold baby Malorie!

New Bible Excitement

It's been about a month ago since Aaron came home with a new bible for Makenzie. Since then, the girls have loved reading different stories from the Old and New Testaments. This is the first book Ashlyn picks up almost every morning she goes into Makenzie's room. I love how excited the girls are to read from it every night. I have to share some things that Makenzie has said lately that have made me smile and at the same time, feel a since of excitement that she is really paying attention to the stories she is hearing.

#1) There is a house we pass on our way to the library that has many (at least 30, if not more) statues in the front yard. I have explained to Makenzie that the people who live there worship those statues and not the God we worship. We were in the car one day (and not even driving by this house), when out of the blue, she asked, "Mom, are you going to tell those people that there is only one God?" Hmm, not sure how to respond (because the possibility of stopping in to tell these strangers is very unlikely), I tell her I don't think so. More questions follow and she finally stops asking. Fast forward to about a week later when we actually do pass the house and Makenzie says, "Mom, aren't you going to stop and tell those people there is only ONE GOD?" The passion she has to get her message across amazes me. Part of me thinks she just might go up to the front door if I stopped and allowed her to do so.

#2) We were eating at the mall a couple of weeks ago when Makenzie gets up from her seat and proceeds to grab a handful of wood chips surrounding the base of a tree. When I ask her what she is doing, she says matter of factly, "Mom, I am Jesus feeding my disciples!"

#3) Ashlyn and I were outside playing yesterday when I went in to look for Makenzie. She was not answering my calls so I go toward her room and see that her door is shut and the lights are on. I proceed to open her door and she stops me and says, " I am having prayer time." I am sure I had a little bit of shock on my face, so I allow her to shut the door on me and walk away. She comes out a few minutes later to inform me of all the people she was praying for. My heart was FULL!!! This happened again, today, at about the same time. This time, I asked her if she could add someone to her prayer list, and she happily agreed.

I pray for my girls daily. I hope they come to know their Lord and Savior at a much earlier age than I did. Here's praying that the questions keep coming and I will be able to answer them in a way that she (and Ashlyn) can understand.

Trip to the Country

It's been a while since I last updated. This seems to be the case as of late. Now that Makenzie is rarely napping, I find that my only free time is at night after the girls are in bed, and by that time, I find myself reading a book and falling asleep. Maybe one of these days, I will find more energy to stay up late.
We took a trip the first weekend of September to my parents' ranch to celebrate my dad's birthday. The girls had a great time playing with their cousin Madelyn, and enjoyed some swimming and riding the mule. Other than Aaron doing some dove hunting with my brother-in-law, we really just hung out as a family. I always enjoy our trip because it seems like things move at such a slower pace. It is just so nice to get out of the city sometimes!
I guess the highlight of our trip came during the evening when we were getting the girls ready for bed. I was giving Ashlyn a shower when Makenzie runs into the bathroom to inform us of the bug her daddy killed. Once Ashlyn is dried off, we head into the other room to find a dead scorpion. Yeah, imagine how well I slept that night?! Guess that's what you get in the country.
We survived the night, and like always, the girls are asking to go back already.