Parker on the Angels

Parker had a great season on the Angels, playing first base. Every season seems to bring a new team, new friends and hopefully, some skills learned. We are excited to see what fall will bring!

Young Women Talent Show

Audrey did a great job in two little numbers at the Young Men/Young Women talent show last night. She sang a song from "Brave" with her friends, Kaitlyn and Madie, and played "In Dreams" from "Lord of the Rings" on the piano. Enjoy!

Being Outside

So, there are upsides to living somewhere that gets really hot in the summertime. I think we are overly sensitive and more proportionately aware of the days when the weather is perfect. And we spend the entirety of those days outside, if we can.

Taking a walk into the "fancy" neighborhood behind ours.

"Let's go outside and fight," they say.

Enjoying some time on the swing with Pa when he was here last week.

Miles and me, doing the same after a long week of busyness.

Trooper, all cleaned up by the groomer. The kids go crazy when he is freshly poofed and bandana-clad.

Weekend with Family

We had a great weekend with all of Neal's family. His six siblings descended upon us here in Dallas and we surprised his dad for his 80th birthday on Saturday morning. The rest of the day was spent swimming, eating, and having fun at Jeff's house. On Sunday, after church, we all went to Daddy's house to spend more time together. Charlotte and her family stayed with us and we had a blast! Oh I wish we could get together more often.

Johnny got brave one night and held the tarantula!

Matching cousins.

Audrey and Emmaline. These two are good buds.

The boys in the treehouse (Georgia was holding onto Johnny)!

Daddy and his cousin, Jack Cook.

 Some of the great pictures Charlotte gathered and displayed.

We put a book together with letters and photos from all of Daddy's kids and grandkids, and some great-grandkids, too!

Neal chatting with his great aunt, Zilla, who is Daddy Jeff's mother's sister. She turns 95 next month!

 It rained off and on, but that didn't prevent the kids from enjoying Uncle Jeffie's brand new pool!

Uncle John and Aunt Kami cooked the traditional seafood boil. It was delicious!

This is the most people that have ever been on my couch, I think.

Daddy and Shelby cooking onions for some delicious sandwiches Sunday evening in Weatherford.

Tucker, Johnny, Oliver, Miles and Parker playing in Daddy Jeff's backyard.

Chatting on the back porch in Weatherford.

Audrey's Field Day

Audrey only hung around for about half of her field day. After all, we had cousins at our house and they are way more important than schoolmates! She did stay long enough to participate in the elbow sponge relay, below.

Miles on the Tigers

Miles had a fun baseball season, playing on the Tigers with one of his best buddies, Benjamin. Here are a few shots from the games!

Miles is the third from the left on the front row.

First on the left in the second row.

It's almost too hot.

This week, it turned into summer around here. The humidity kicked in, we had tornados coming our way, and it got really warm. Alas, our days in the backyard in clothing rather than swimsuits are numbered. For now, we are trying to tell ourselves that soon, 92 will feel great. 

Body-less dog photo.

Neal's blueberries will be ready soon!

Fashioning something out of twigs.

Fathers and Sons Campout

Neal took the boys camping with the Stake Priesthood this weekend, out west near Mineral Wells. They had a great time, despite the steamy temperatures!

Whittling a stick. This kind of thing doesn't happen when moms are in charge. Eek!

The view from the campfire site.

Lots of hiking with buddies at Mineral Wells State Park the next morning.

Meanwhile, back at home, Audrey and I had fun fixing her hair, having dinner out and yogurt with a few girlfriends. We slept in, read our books, and enjoyed the quiet!