New Year, New School

Well, the girls went back to school today after a very long summer break! They were a little apprehensive about starting a new school, but after they met their teachers the other night, they were both eager and ready to go! It was also a first for me to walk them to school and walk them home. It was wonderful. It was so great to have a relaxed week in preparation for a new year rather than a completely hectic one as I am usually preparing my classroom for a new group of students. They both had a super first day, and are already looking forward to tomorrow! I am so thankful for the great schools in our area, and for kids that LOVE to learn. It makes the school experience so much easier on the mom. I tried to take a picture of the girls together, but of course, Lincoln did not want to be left out.

Skylar ready to go to 2nd grade with no hesitation at all!

Londyn ready for 1st grade, but a little less confident about her new adventure, but I'm sure she'll come around.

MO State Fair

The girls and I spent our last weekend before school started in Missouri visiting my parents. We had made plans earlier in the summer to come back for the fair since school started so much later this year. Kevin and Lincoln were supposed to come too, but due to his car breaking down and some work he needed to get done, they weren't able to come. Not that I wouldn't have loved for them to be wtih us, it was really niced spending the weekend with my girls and my parents. Friday night, my mom made me and my sister-in-law, Kesha, dinner for our birthday and some delicious desserts. Then, Saturday we headed to the fair. The fair was great, but my favorite part is riding in the car visiting with my mom and dad. If you don't know this about me, you do now. There is nothing I love more than a good conversation, and there is no better place than when everyone is trapped in a vehicle. There's no way out. When we were growing up, and would drive from town to town to and from sporting events, I always loved the car conversation. Anyway, I've digressed...back to the fair. The girls visited Otto, the talking car. They were their shy selves, and didn't say much. They stopped for a photo opp with the Mizzou Tiger, rode a camel, visited the livestock, and of course had a snack break or two. They had a little bit of their own money so they bought a slush cup from an infomercial type booth. (it starts young apparently) Last, but not least, we watched the Vocal Trash concert, and I must say I was quite impressed. They were talented, energetic, and unique. Overall, it was a great weekend! It was a perfectly relaxing way to spend the weekend before the big back to school week!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy!

On August 16th, I may have had a birthday. I may have turned 32 years old. I may have gotten a cookie cake decorated by a 7 year old. I may have had the three cutest kids in the world sing me happy birthday. My mom may have also made me (and my sister-in-law) a cake and a pie for my birthday. I may have the best friends and family that gave me the best gifts a 32 year old can ask for. So far, 32 isn't too bad!

I'm Big and I Can Do It Myself

Lincoln has grown into quite the brave little toddler. He loves playing outside at the playground and jumping off of anything! He's not afraid of too much when it comes to playing around, but is aware of his surroundings....most of the time. He definitely keeps us entertained and keeps us moving. I love his age right now, and am trying to treasure the moments of watching him explore and learn so many new things every day.

Some Days....

...just make your heart happy. That was yesterday for me. It didn't go without a little frustration, but overall, a really wonderful day. We didn't do much. We had to be out of the house through lunch, so we got up early, went to get a donut and headed to the park. Then, we went to the mall with no specific objective, but walked around, rode the carousel (which was a first at the mall for my kids), the girls tried on a few clothes, and we had lunch. When we got home, Lincoln took a nice long nap, and I layed down thinking I would rest for 20 minutes, and took a long nap as well. The weather all day was perfect, so when we woke up, we played out in the backyard a little, I actually fixed a real dinner (roast, potatoes, corn on the cob, and cornbread) that everyone ate without complaint. After dinner we wanted to continue to take advantage of the beautiful evening, so we went to have a sno cone at Josh's (we've only been twice this summer b/c we've been gone so much, so it was long overdue) and headed back to the park. The kids played on the playground and wandered near the water looking for minnows and frogs. Kevin and I relaxed a little, and played a little. It was a nice balance. Obviously, we didn't do anything extraordinary, but it was nice not having anything that HAD to get done, and having no obligation to be anywhere. We could just go with the flow, and do whatever we felt like at the moment. It was relaxing and peaceful. Days like this are far and few between for me. I feel like I'm always making plans, scheduling things, jumping from one activity to the next. It's hard for me to just do whatever. However, I think I'm getting better:) I just want to make sure I don't forget how much I love the simple things, and just spending time doing nothing but being together. In my book, a good day at home beats beaches and Disneyland any day!

Let Me See

So, at our house, the girls put on a lot of "shows", and one of Lincoln's favorite phrases is "Mommy Watch!" Shows are generally a lot of gymnastic sort of things mixed in with a little dancing here and there, and Lincoln likes me to watch anything from him jumping to eating. Lincoln also thinks he is big enough to do everything his big sisters do. While I was out one evening, Kevin and the kids played with the camera and taped themselves. There's really not too much to this video, but Lincoln demonstrates his rolling abilities, and then they all run to the camera wanting to see.

Family Pics

Well, again, if you are my facebook friend, this is a bit of a repeat, but I thought I needed an update over here, and the posts I'm brewing in my head take more time than I have to write at the moment, so once again, here are some of our family shots taken by Sara. I believe we probably take more family pictures than most normal families, but someday my children will be thankful, right? Anyway, we're still going strong, and it is still HOT, HOT, HOT here in OK! We're still enjoying every minute of summer, but are also excited about getting back to school! Life is good, and I am so enjoying being able to spend the last days of summer having fun with the kids without the stress of getting a classroom ready. I love teaching, but I love the lack of stress that I am currently feeling as summer comes to a close.

10 Years of Marital Bliss...

Okay, so you know if you've ever read this blog that the heading to this post may not actually be true. In fact, I'm not sure I believe that it's even possible. I do, however know that I have spent the last 10 years learning a lot, have been incredibly blessed, and there is not a thing in the world I would change about how things have played out in my life. Next to my relationship with God, there is nothing I value more than my marriage and family relationships. I know that even when you are purposeful and intentional in developing these relationships that it's always hard, that it will always take time, and that it is so easy for life to get in the way. I also know that it's worth it. I am grateful for a husband that loves God, puts up with me, and is a great father to our children. I am thankful that he accepts criticism w/out being defensive, and works to improve himself. (It's been ten years, I think he'll be ready to graduate basic training in about another five.) I am thankful that he listens and strives to make me happy. This post is getting a little sappy, and if I go on, there would just be lots of rambling that doesn't make sense, there could possibly be tears, so I'm going to stop here and just say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I'm looking forward to the next 10 or 20... Yes, I know I just posted this collage the post before last and that it's not even that good, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, and I'm not sure I have anything better to post anyway.

The Kids...

I'm not quite sure how it is the middle of summer, I am not working a real job, and the kids are not involved in any activities that I still feel like I don't have any time. I guess that must mean that my time is filled doing wonderful things that I love, right? Anyway, since we've been back from our travels, we enjoyed a few days of VBS last week, and have just spent time catching up around the house. It's pretty much too hot to do anything outside unless you are in the water. In case you are not from Oklahoma and you aren't up on the forecast, it's supposed to be like 115degrees today. I honestly didn't even know that was possible. We only have a few weeks left before we head back to school, so hopefully we can squeeze in a few more of our favorite summer time activities. It has been great to be home and spend some quality time with my crazy kids.

While we were in MO, I had Sara take some pictures for us. I loved these flag pictures, I thought they were super creative. I am still kicking myself for not dressing them in something that coordinated, but I still love them. Thanks Sara! If you are my friend on facebook, I know these are a repeat, but I really haven't been taking too many pictures of the kids lately, so this is what I've got for now.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy, that would be the name of our ship! It was a five day cruise, which was enough for me. We both enjoyed it, but I also think we were both ready to come home. We made two stops, one in Progreso and one Cozumel. (I know what you're thinking...what is Progreso? Well, not much,but it did have an excursion to Chi Chen Itza, so that 's what we did.) Both stops we planned excursions which were fun, but we felt a little rushed. It was a very relaxing trip! We enjoyed just hanging out together on the boat watching the ocean, we were entertained by live music, karaoke, and some semi-funny comedy. We met several other great couples, one which just graduated from OC, and one that actually live in our area, small world! We were asked if we were on our honeymoon a couple of times, which was a compliment to me, and an insult to Kevin. (he's paranoid about people thinking he looks young.) I did learn that they do not like it when they come around asking if you want a drink and you order diet coke. I got a lot of annoyed looks, and it took them forever to get it to me. They definitely cater to the drinkers. Oh well, I just kept asking. I paid for that all you can drink soda card the first day, so I was determined to get my money's worth!

This picture should actually be second, but I accidentally deleted it and am too lazy to rewrite and upload everything and too dumb to figure out how to rearrange them. Anyway, from Progreso, we went to Chi Chen Itza. For those of you that don't know, it's apparently one of the seven wonders of the new world. (whatever that means) But as far as Mayan ruins go it is supposed to be the largest and best. So, here you have it...Chi Chen Itza. Our time was pretty limited considering we were two and half hours from the port, but I think we got to see most of it. I would say it was worth the experience.

This is us the first night on the boat. We pretty much just explored the ship and enjoyed the ocean view. Oh, and walked around taking pictures of ourselves. Yes, we're dorks. However, everyone else was doing it too, so that made it feel a little less weird.

On our Cozumel stop, we took a twister boat to Passion Island. A twister boat is just a speed type boat that does spins in the water and gets you soaking wet. It was a fun ride, and the island was beautiful. We enjoyed hanging out at the beach and a buffet lunch which I thought was a mexican buffet. Kevin said it qualified since it was a buffet in Mexico:) It consisted of fruit, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, tilapia and chips and salsa. The chips, salsa and guacomole were excellent. They should really stick to what they know.

This would be our self portrait collage. I have mentioned before that I hate asking someone else to take pictures for us, but I want to come home with some pictures. So, we took a few self portraits. I'm just glad that we have figured out how to actually get both of us in the photo. Again, more evidence of us being nerds, but you know you do it too! (Well, some of you)

And now, we are back home, in the real world, and staying for a while. I have to say, though sometimes I forget for all the craziness around me, it's my favorite place to be! Happy Summer!

Bon Voyage!

By the time you are reading this, I will be relaxing on something that resembles this.

Kevin and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year, so this is an early gift to ourselves. I can't wait, but am a little nervous as well. I'm a cruise virgin, so I really have no idea what to expect. I'll get back to posting when I return.

The Creek

While we were in Missouri, we took one morning to go exploring at the creek. What I had in mind and what the kids had in mind were a little different. I was thinking a few nice pictures, they were thinking catching minnows and splashing around. The girls are becoming quite the country girls as they have apparently even gone back to the creek in recent days to catch crawdads and minnows. Lincoln just walked right in, and so we just stripped him. You'll have to excuse the white trash baby hanging out in his diaper.

Lincoln and Malachi both love the water, and thankfully Malachi didn't mind Lincoln showing his love by continuously pouring a cup of water over his head.

The girls in action trying to come up with a good catch. I'm so glad they have opportunities to spend time at my parents and experience so many different things that I certainly wouldn't be able to expose them to, but I must say, I'm missing them!

St. Louis Zoo

One of our Missouri stops wast to the St. Louis Zoo, one of my favorites. It worked out that everyone was able to join us. All the kids were really good, and had fun seeing the animals and playing together. The greatest success of the day was actually getting all six grandkids in one spot and almost all of them looking in the same direction. It's probably as good as it's going to get for now considering their ages.

Lincoln and Malachi hanging out in the wagon sharing some snacks.

These two are like peas in a pod. When they are all together, these they seem to migrate to each other. It's super cute!

So, I just realized that I didn't actually post any animals from the zoo. Oops! Oh well, it was the usual animals. I was focused on the kids! I'm also in a bit of a hurry to get a few posts up and scheduled before we leave town...AGAIN! Have a great weekend!

Meramec Caverns and Cards Game

Following the 4th, we spent the week in Missouri. There are always more things on my to do list than I have time for, but we did manage to get in an excursion or two while we were visiting. Tuesday, we started the day off with a stop at Meramec Caverns. For those of you non Missourians, MO is also known as the cave state, and Meramec Caverns is supposedly one of Jesse James' hideouts. If you've traveled on 44 through MO, you couldn't have missed the signs. Kevin has driven past those signs for about 13 years now, but we've never visited, so this was his pick of destinations for the week. I did get a few pictures inside the cave, but I felt kind of rushed and didn't want to hold up the line. I'm just posting ones with people in them. (as if you aren't tired of seeing pictures of us!) The grandparents and the girls at the entrance

Our family pic inside the cave

Kev, Dad and Mom leaving the wine room (I think that's what it's called..)

After the cave tour, we took a little boat tour of the river. Overall, it was a pretty fun little outing. I thought it was a little overpriced, but interesting nonetheless.

Me forcing my dad to smile while taking a picture with me so I have a picture to post when father's day rolls around next year:)

After we went to the caverns, we sent Lincoln home with my parents and we headed to St. Louis for the Cardinals game. I am always terrible about knowing what to get Kevin for his birthday and father's day, but I wanted to surprise him with something. So, I got him tickets to the Cardinals game. Unfortunately, this was the best picture we came away with. Overall, a great day!

Fun on the Fourth!

Did we have fun on the fourth? You bet! It isn't all that often that we have all the Fredendall cousins together, and it still is nearly impossible to get a picture of them all together, but they did get to spend the better part of the fourth playing with each other. We spent the morning leisurely sitting on the porch and hanging around the yard at my Mom and Dad's.

As the temperature rose, the water was rather tempting, so we took advantage of the slip-n-slide. Londyn and Lincoln LOVED it! Skylar tolerated it and was a little awkward, and Malachi and Anastyn gave it their best shot, but it probably wasn't their favorite part of the day. After that we enjoyed my Dad's BBQ pork steaks before heading off to watch fireworks.

We spent the evening watching fireworks at the capital. My sister and her family and my dad weren't able to join us, but we tried to have a good time anyway!

It was a wonderfully filled day that included a few of my favorite things and a lot of my favorite people!

(Aren't you glad that I decided to create collages instead of making 18 posts over one day? You're welcome!)