Kayt Captured

I was browsing through pictures and these made me laugh. 

I took them on my phone during our early morning flight to Disney World, per Kayt's request.  

She would say, "Take my picture!"

Then, "Let me see." 

Finally... lots of giggles.

Kayt is such a silly girl.  She doesn't take anything too seriously, she is as easy going as they come.  

I laughed that her eyes are closed in each picture and at the fun we had that morning while all of the other passengers lulled in a state of sleepiness.

My early-riser was ready for the fun to begin. 

And so she initiated it before the sun came up.

I know that as she gets older, everyone will want to be Kayt's friend.  She will be so much fun to be around... she already is! 

Disney World Extravaganza

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Noah and Kayt started asking about Disney World.  They wanted to know all about it and had mentioned several times how fun it would be to take a trip there.  Brad and I decided to surprise them with a trip for Christmas.  It was quite atypical for my type A personality, but I decided to join my adventurous husband and plan a spontaneous trip.  I am so, so glad that we did! We surprised them Christmas morning and left eight days later.  After debating, we decided to leave Emery with my grandma. One is a tough age for a Disney adventure.  As much as we missed her, we know that it was a wise choice.  And besides, not taking her guarantees that we will go again in the future.  We went the 3rd through the 7th of January.  The weather was great, the crowds were low, and the trip was something we still talk about daily.  Brad and I knew that we would have a great time watching the kids enjoy the magical place, but we failed to realize how much we would love the adventure ourselves.  It was oddly relaxing and easy.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures and memories::::

Lunch at Epcot

Breakfast at Chef Mickey with Minnie and the gang

Noah the Viking

Eskimo kisses before dinner at Akershus

Showing off her cheerleading moves with Daddy

The infamous Epcot ball

Kayt's favorite, The Tea Cups

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Fun at Animal Kingdom

Hugs for Daisy

Breakfast at Donald's Safari

Excitedly watching a parade

Our first meal after arriving at our hotel

Waiting on a bus

Loving this place

Riding the Carousels 

Dusk at Magic Kingdom

Gotta love Cinderella's Castle

Noah's friend, Woody

Pluto at Animal Kingdom

Family time on the Tea Cups

Princess dinner with Snow White

Princess hair

Posing while waiting for the boys

Princess dinner with Ariel

Digging for dinosaur bones at Animal Kingdom

Brad and Noah after they rode Mt. Everest

And that's a wrap!

Disney World is really worth all the hype, especially for a three and four year old!!!

Whew!

My two summer getaways were compacted into less than a two week span.  I spent Memorial weekend with my college friends on a lake in east Texas and then shortly after returning home, the Hubs and I drove to San Antonio with one of our couple friends.  Fun stuff!

But I am home.

Whew. 

Tonight was a fun night back in routine.  The males of the house had a guy's night out.  They went to a concert and are still enjoying conversation at Sbux.  The girls... well, we did what girls do. We went to the grocery store, purchased princess bandaids (a must) and then drove through McDonalds for dinner.  My Kayt loves (with a capital L) McDonalds.  Those high-calorie, salty french fries wooed my mouth right over to the joint.  We rented a movie and came home to eat and enjoy the flick.  But... we ended up playing house.  I was the Sis, Emmy was the baby (big shocker), and Kayt was the Mommy.  That sweet girl is a nurturer.   I could not help but laugh on several occations listening to Kayt repeat things that I say verbatim. That girl...

So, vacations are over and summer is officially underway.  The pool is our stomping ground for the next few months and sunscreen is my morning companion.  I am soaking it all in, literally. :)  Happy summer!

The Weekend 10

1. Drove over twenty hours with my three nomads. They did ridiculously well and made me so proud!

2. Prayed for my hubby and a team of forty-five church friends who traveled to Belize to do Kingdom work.

3. Visited a wildlife museum.  My older two are still laughing about the chimpanzee named Brad.  The little things...

4. Took maaannny pictures on a daffodil farm.

5. Tried two new Southern Living recipes. One hit, one flop.

6. Ate breakfast at Burger King.  Who knew that they even served breakfast?

7. Came up with a plan for re-doing our sun room.

8. Watched my husband perform the wedding of new friends.

9. Swam with my older two only to discover that my big girl does not like for her swimsuit to be wet.  This could be a long summer.

10. Spent time with my wonderful, hospitable extended family.  And then returned home to my sweet family of five.  Nothing is quite as comfortable as being inside the walls of your home with ones you love mostest. :)

Wonderful, Whimsical Wedding Weekend

I have a new sister-in-law!

Clay and Lindsey were married in Oklahoma City and the wedding was such a special time. Some great minister that I may be married to performed the ceremony and it was so sentimental and sweet.  Everything was absolutely beautiful. The reception was as if you were standing in the pages of bridal magazine. 

We spent time with many friends that we don't see often enough.

And watched the youngens boogie the night away on the dance floor. 

The master ring bearer completed his third wedding of the season. We have gotten our money's worth out of his cute suit.

And we walked the streets of Bricktown. There is so much to do in downtown OKC. The window of our hotel overlooked the baseball field and a certain little sports fanatic was captivated. Speaking of sports lover, Noah wore his jersey everyday we were there. It's just a battle that is not worth fighting. 

My dear, dear mother and grandma went with us to help care for the mini-Ingrams so that we could fully enjoy the weekend. They are my heroes!

This was the most delicious wedding cake ever. Period. It was white chocolate rasperry and it melted in your mouth. Actually, it sounds like a tasty late night snack right now.

Lots of good time with one of my best friends. 

My man in his tux.

The girls of the family. They are so much fun and I look forward to all of the holidays we will spend together.

The minister and the Mrs.

She was a stunning bride who is now enjoying a deserved week with her HUSBAND in Maui! 

Congratulations, Clay and Lindsey! 

WE LOVE YOU!

Vegas Las Viva!

Ahhh, Vacation! We are home from our lil' trip; we had such a wonderful time. The best part of a getaway like this is having my husband ALL to myself. I didn't have to share him with anyone or anything. Not the kids, not work, not friends, not television (except for the Cowboys game), not even his cell phone! He left his phone in the hotel room every single day. This is big! (I'm not sure if he even realizes that I noticed. I did. Thanks Babe!) 

 He was ALL mine! 

We did a wholelotta whatever-the-heck-we-wanted. Sounds great doesn't it? We  had no agenda and we loved it that way. We shopped, walked, ate, slept, relaxed, lost a little mula, and a lot more. I will spare you the majority of the photos and only give you a peek into how we spent a lil' bit of our time.

One of my favorite things was the romantic gondola ride through the Venetian.

With a real, live Italian host. Oh wait, I mean...she had a beautiful voice.

By this point, we had walked about a million miles on this hot Las Vegas day. Thus, the fresh-from-the-shower look.

Awaiting the Belagio water show on our way to a Cirq du Sole show. 

Not posed. Promise. :)

And Brad's not-posed picture. He DESPISES having his picture made. Which is all the more reason for loving to have him 'make like a tourist' and smile.

And we relaxed by the pool. (This is the only pale, white bathing suite shot YOU will see.)

I had to show Brad how I could tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue ;-)

The Monte Carlo treated us right!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Do you see the hand coming out of my arm pit? Kind of weird, hugh?

We were SO anxious to see our kids.  Kayt, Noah and the nice shiner on his eye greeted us at the front door.  We spent the evening kissing their faces off. Gosh, I missed those sweet kisses. 

To remind me of our lovely time, all I have to do at this point is turn my head and inhale deeply to smell my hair. I am still reminded of the cigarette smoke that spells Vegas. My body is still on Vegas time, making me think the night is young, but my mind knows that I am back in the real world. With that, I think I will shower and head to bed. 

Thank you to my sweet spouse for treating me to such a wonderful birthday getaway. You're good to me! I love you!