Cotillion Final Party

I was blown away with how beautiful Cadie was for her final Cotillion party! Why is she so tall and gorgeous!? She HATED Cotillion, but she sure is killin it with that amazing dress. She and I shopped long and hard for that dress, and it was worth it. I hope she has an opportunity to wear it again. Grant looked pretty handsome too!

Pumpkin Day

I was totally blown away by Pumpkin Day when I first realized everything it entailed. Amazing pumpkins, an all-school picnic, and then the carnival in the evening. Christy Rome was in town the evening before Pumpkin Day and she helped with the pumpkins. Ranger did a lego theme and Cadie did butterflys. They did their pumpkins themselves, which obviously is not the case for every family. Pretty much every kid brings a pumpkin and they are displayed all around the outside of the school. The pumpkins are EVERYWHERE and there is so much creativity. 

DD was able to join them for the picnic and she said she and Cadie has a fun time looking at the pumpkins, but JR was a bit busy running around with his friends. Peyton took the kids to the carnival for a bit and then I joined them for JR's football game.

JR is 8!

JR was very clear about what he wanted for his birthday party this year. A Chuck-E-Cheese party with his whole class. I tried to steer him to other ideas because I wasn't sure if the kids would still think Chuck-E-Cheese was still fun, but JR was confident they would love it. Then, I tried to get him to only invite the boys from his class, but he said, "I don't want anyone to feel left out. I want to invite everyone." Since that was the sweetest thing ever, I agreed. We invited the whole class, plus Nathan Brown and Parker Walsh. It was an All-You-Can-Play party which was not cheap, but it was easy. I didn't have to do a thing. They provided balloons, party favors, cake, dippin dots, pizza, and all the games the kids could play for two hours. Almost the whole class came! JR really loved it and told us multiple times Thank You and talked about how fun it was. I was happy he knew what he wanted and happy that it turned out the way  he wanted.

Then, on his actual birthday, I decorated the kitchen and made birthday cinnamon rolls for breakfast. He really just wanted to be silly and put the decorations on his head, but I could tell he appreciated that we did something special to celebrate him.

Jack Ranger is so amazing and I can't wait to see where God takes his life. He is literal, sensitive, funny, helpful (he always takes out the trash for me), friendly, inventive, smart, and snuggly. He still wants to me cuddle him every night before bed. We have a "thing" where I Eskimo kiss his nose, kiss his face, hug him, give him a big love smoosh (a love smoosh is essentially smashing his body with mine), and his a gentle swat on the behind. He giggles so much every time and he won't go to bed until we do our "thing." I hope he remembers it when he is grown. I love you so much my little 8-year-old!

TX/OU Weekend

We are either genius or crazy. I think a smidge of both. My Mom and I braved the DART and took the boys to the Fair during Texas OU Weekend! The DART took a bit longer than expected on the way to the fair, but was SO worth it since we saw people walking what looked like miles for parking. The DART was super quick on the way home and actually a nice way to cool down. Getting into the Fair was nuts, but once we were in it was really empty around the games and foot stalls. We really didn't wait in any lines for rides or food. The trick was to make it out before the flood of fans emptied out of the stadium. Luckily, it was a good game and everyone stayed put to watch and we were able to scramble out right around 1pm and had no crowds during our departure. The boys were happy, but I wish we had been able to fit in the pig races! Mom was a trooper because she braved the Fair with me after a late night out at the SMU game. We always keep Mom and Dad busy when they are in town!

Brosins

These boys think they are brothers! They love and fight just like brothers and I pray they will continue to positively influence each other and be there for each other for the rest of their lives! They are bonded by time at DD and Big John's, Paw Patrol, love of anything with wheels, and their last names. I love you Parker, Colton, and Ranger!

What a fun summer!

It went too fast, but we sure did make the most of it!

- This is the first year that Cadie and JR could go to the pool themselves. They loved getting to walk up and swim more often and they acted very responsibly.
- Cadie and JR both flew for the first time by themselves!
- All 3 kids can ride their bikes for the first time ever!
- Colton was big enough to go to camp - Camp Funshine, VBS, and Sky Ranch Launch camp
- Peyton took a big trip to Europe in July and we were so thankful her friend Ali was able to help us for the whole month!
- Lots of trips! KC for the Gullickson Family Reunion where we celebrated Grandpa Weldon's 90th birthday, Cadie and Erin to Houston to visit Lindsey one last time before her baby girl (kiera Elizabeth) was born, Grant and JR to LegoLand, etc.
- Both Cadie and JR had a "day with Mom" at work and they both were on their best behavior
- Lots of dinners at Dive, time with friends, and musicals at Fair Park Summer Musicals

I really love summer and was sad to see it end. I love the pool, relaxed schedule, vacations, water fights in the backyard, etc.