Trip to Arkansas

We just got back from our second trip to Arkansas this year! Paul's dad is from Arkansas and has many relatives that still live there.

On our way, we stopped at Murphysboro to dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Paul really wanted to do that this time. We stayed at a very interesting place...to say the least, Diamond John's. We stayed in a cabin which was on the River. We got to see many animals roaming free while we were there; peacocks, ducks, geese, a rabbit, hens, roosters, and a goat. Needless to say, the girls loved it!!! They got to do a gem hunt at night with flashlights and were very successful. The day we were going to hunt for diamonds...the sky decided to fall out into a flood!!! We managed to make it out though and dug in the mud for diamonds. Nope, we didn't find any, but had a great time playing in the mud! The girls kept asking if it was OK for them to get dirty.

We then headed to Cherokee Village to relax with family on the lake. We stayed in a rented four bedroom house with Paul's parents and his Uncle Gary and Aunt Karen. We shopped in Hardy, went fishing, rented a boat for a day and went tubing, and swam in the lake. Beth also got to see real live horses up close at Delora's house (one of Roger's cousins). She loves horses, so this was a special treat. The last evening we were there the family came over for dinner. We had a great time visiting with family and ate some wonderful food!!! We can't wait for the next trip....


Diamond John's Murphysboro, Arkansas

Our cabin and the beautiful River















Our rent house in Cherokee Village



Paul and I and our little fishes!



Misty tubing for the first time!

Beth tubing for the first time...she wasn't too sure about it!

Misty going it alone...what a brave girl!

Yogi's Jellystone Park

The girls and I packed up and headed to Yogi's Jellystone Park with Vanessa and her boys for a few days. Once we arrived we unpacked the car and put away things...you know I have to have everything in its place. Once we were finished we took the kids down to the water park. I couldn't believe that Misty and Beth went down the big slide this year. They loved it!!! After a few hours at the water park, we headed back to the cabin for dinner. After dinner we had Beth's "donut" cake...it was her own creation, with marshmallows and chocolate chips. It was decorated like her favorite donut, pink icing with sprinkles. The girls enjoyed snuggling up with their Yogi quilts that MaMoo made for them. Day two, we started off with a trip to the petting zoo. The girls loved the donkey, they got to feed and pet him. We then tried the new huge blow up Dino slide. After lunch we decided to hit the water park again!!! After too many hours at the water park we headed back to the cabin. The boys got a little extra sunburn....OUCH!!! The kids were so tired they played Uno and went to bed after dinner. The next day we packed it up and headed back to Houston! I had a great time visiting with Vanessa and the girls enjoyed having the boys to play with. It was a nice quick trip packed with a lot of fun!


Steven, Beth, Misty, and Brandon







Beth getting ready to go on the big slide!



Misty getting ready to go on the big slide!

4th of July Weekend 2009

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!!

Saturday, Paul cooked a yummy brisket on the grill. Paul's parents came over and his dad cooked his homemade baked beans. We also had corn on the cob, fresh homemade beer bread, watermelon, brownies, and some yummy cookies! We played Smarty Pants on the Wii. Boy was MaMoo beating us all!!! We ended the night watching the fireworks from our own front yard. The neighbors joined us as well. You can see just enough of them to enjoy it without having to get out with all of the crowds. It was a great end to a wonderful 4th with family!

Sunday, the kids, Paul and I spent the day at the pool...we had a great time relaxing and playing. It was so nice to just hang out together...the girls are becoming little fishes!!! After swimming we finished off the day with dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant, Las Palomas. It was a great ending to a wonderful fun filled weekend!!!