Family Fun in Texas!

This past weekend my mom, Lindsey, Courtney adn I went to Texas to visit our cousins. My mom's sister, Aunt Jerry, lives outside of Dallas. Her daughter, Wendi, is my cousin that I typed about moving to Doha, Qatar! Wendi leaves at the beginning of November, so we wanted to see her again before they moved. My other cousin, Ashley, lives in McKinney so she came over while we were there. On Friday we went to the park for a pizza picnic! (Much easier than packing sandwiches for sure!) The kiddos played and we had so much fun! Beautiful weather!

This is a picture of the "big" cousins going to play! Barrett isn't sure which way to go! Ha!
This is Anna Lou! Isn't she the most precious thing?! She sat in the stroller for a while and then she was in the swing! We had fun seeing her! If you know my girls, you know they were ALL OVER her! So sweet!
(She's eating a breadstick, thus the funny face)

This is our attemt at the grandkid picture! First, Lindsey would NOT even go over there, so that is why she's off to the side. Brooks, the oldest boy, didn't want to either, so we gave him a piece of pizza as a bribe, then Wendi took it so he wasn't happy. Barrett just wanted his mommy (and it is nap time!), Anna was just looking around and Courtney was just standing there, not smiling or reacting to anything! Then there are the 2 Honeys...just smiling and laughing at all the kiddos and Wendi and Ashley jumping around behind me trying to get the kids to look AND smile! Didn't happen! Yes, 2 Honeys! My mom is Honey and so is her sister! Cute!

Brooks and Lindsey played really well together for the most part. We had our fair share of not sharing, I want this or that and he/she has it, etc. But for not knowing each other they played awesome!


Courtney LOVED their dog (small pony really!) named Buddy! Side story...Buddy was running along a big highway and Uncle Bill saw him. He had no tags. Uncle Bill called all around to shelters and things tryin to figure out who he belonged to. Nothing ever came of it, so they kept him. They also used to have another yellow lab, Sonny. But Sonny is now in heaven...so it is just Buddy! Courtney adored him!!!

One night we went to eat at this fabulous place called Babe's. It was a great kid place! Home style meal and waitresses singing and doing the hokey pokey! Fun times!!

Terrible picture of Lindsey, but she has very sensitive eyes to the sun...I guess. Ryan has always complained about it and she does too. Blue eyes?! I don't know! Anyway, there was this big old tractor thing out in front and they had fun sitting on it and playing.

Barrett and Courtney working a puzzle!

Uncle Bill made a train for the kiddos. Lindsey pulled the train, Courtney sat in the wagon, Brooks and Barrett were tied on with a rope. Buddy followed them around. By the time we got out there to take pictures, Barrett was finished riding! Not soon after that Brooks was too. It was fun while it lasted though! Way to go Uncle Bill!!!

Here are the cousins (really 2nd cousins) minus Anna! :( She got a fever and the doctor thought it was strep. With fever and possible strep, she stayed home so we only saw her on Friday. But, here are the others. Lindsey is 4, Brooks just turned 3, Courtney is 2 and Barret is 1 (16 months old). If Anna had been there she could have been our "zero" for not being one! Five kiddos 4 and under! Lots of fun!!!

We had a blast!! I'm so thankful for my close family. I have learned so much, even lately, to not take it for granted and to realize how God has blessed me! I am very close to my cousins and close with my extended family on my dad's side as well! We come from a Christian background and were raised to love Jesus! I pray that even though for now Wendi and her family will be half way around the world we will stay close and that our kids will grow up loving Jesus and their family!

Please pray for Nick, Wendi, Brooks and Barrett as they make this HUGE, MONUMENTAL transition in their lives! I have moved, but not this far and not to a whole new culture!! They will get to come home at Christmas and then it won't be until next summer before they come back to TX for a visit. They have a house there, but they will be "in transistion" while their stuff is shipped over, goes through all the security checks, etc. They know that it is God's will for them to do this, but it is still hard! What a blessing to follow God, even when it isn't where we want to go!