New York: loved it!!

Lee and I have now been married for 6 years! Where has the time gone? We took a special anniversary trip to NYC from Thursday thru Sunday. It was a total blast! We did so much in that short time...rode the Staten Island Ferry (which allows you to get a close view of the Statue of Liberty), shopped, saw 2 shows (Phantom & Les Mis), ate some phenomenal food, went to the top of the Empire State Building, walked around Central Park, Chinatown, and the Financial District (including Ground Zero); went to a Yankees game, rode several subways, and saw one mostly naked girl playing the guitar in the middle of Times Square. My highlight was definitely seeing Phantom. Lee's was definitely the baseball game and getting to see Yankees Stadium. Also, every stereotype I'd ever seen on t.v. was lived out at some point on our trip: men playing chess in the park as others looked on, lots of street vendors selling just about anything, lots of foreign taxi drivers (the 2 we used were both Arab), a few crazy people, lots of LOUD, abnoxious people, lots of pizza places, and breakdancers dancing to M.J.'s "Got to be Startin' Somethin'" in the subway station. A few things I was pleasantly surprised about were how friendly the people were, how clean the city was, and that I only saw one beggar/homeless person. I think one of Lee's and my funniest moments was when I was shopping at Ann Taylor, and the um, guy, I think, who helped me was a 5'2" asian man with a platinum blonde mullet that went halfway down his back. He was also sporting stilettos. His name was Benny. Very odd. Anywho, check out these pictures...

In Times Squareview of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

view from the observation deck of the Empire State Building (86th floor)

in Central Park

overlooking Central Park

Derek JeterA Rod

Birthday party

Well, I've decided that summer is the coolest time to celebrate a birthday! Even at 2 years old, Annalee & all her buddies had a total blast on Saturday...swimming, eating pizza & cake, playing with her toys after opening them...so much fun. She got several outdoor toys, as well as many other cool things...thanks for the memories, everyone! Here are some snapshots.

Our trip

Our weekend felt like a whirlwind, being that we drove 10 hours for less than a 2-day stay; but I'd say it was worth it! We got to Camp Travis around 5:30 on Friday evening, and got to hang out with Becky and Wally for a little bit before dinner. We got to experience a Camp Travis dinner as it always when we worked there...lots of loud music, dancing on the tables, farkeling to see who has to drink the liquid trash, Scraperhead games, and lots of good food; including a camp favorite: HONEYBUN CAKE! I'm so glad I got to taste this deliciousness once again; I must admit I ate 2 pieces!

Some fun new toys at the lake: trampoline, trapezes, new kayaks, another jet ski

The next day, we went to the Austin "zoo". I use that word lightly because it is nothing impressive; but Annalee didn't care. We met the Voskamps there, and we all appreciated the cool weather. Once again, God blessed us with a cool, overcast day at the zoo.

After the zoo, we got home and went down to the lake and played, then went to the pool and played some more. The girls really liked it! Annalee really had fun watching me & Lee go down the big slide at the pool (see video). After that, we drove into Marble Falls and ate dinner. Then this morning (Sunday), we ate breakfast & drove home. Pretty quick, but it was so good to see everyone!

I need your help!

First a quick update; things are going great so far this summer. Both girls LOVE LOVE LOVE the pool; we're there nearly every day. Annalee is on the verge of potty training; I'll probably start that when Lee & I get back from our 6th anniversary trip to New York at the end of this month. Annalee will be turning 2 in less than 2 weeks...hard to wrap my head around that one. Addie is already practicing walking, and can stand unassisted for a couple of seconds at a time. We've got a few trips planned, the next one being to visit Camp Travis (where Lee & I met) next weekend where Becky & Wally are now working. Also, we'd like to get back to the zoo at least once, although we'll be going to Abilene rather than Ft. Worth this time. This past weekend, we hosted a garage sale in which 8 other families were involved. Needless to say, my garage, driveway, and yard were full of anything you can imagine...including a 500-pound, cast iron, fire engine red claw-footed bathtub! I pocketed $500 for that sale. Overall it was a big success, as we collectively made over $2000.

Now for the part I need help on. Lee's sister Mary Kathryn was in town for the past week or so, and took some AMAZING pictures of the girls Sunday after church. I've narrowed my favorites down to 7. My original thought was to hang one of each girl in our hall, but now I'm thinking maybe I'll just get one of those collage frames...that way I don't have to choose! So, just for fun, tell me what your favorite ones of each is...I'm curious! (Addie's pics are in the next post.)

Annalee #1

Annalee #2

Annalee #3

Addie's pictures

Addie #1

Addie #2

Addie #3

Addie #4

"Home...Home on the Range...."

We spent part of our Memorial Day out at the ranch Lee's folks got recently. The girls & I hadn't seen it yet, and it was a great day weather-wise to head out there (only about a 20-minute ride from our house). Everything was so green and lush...lots of wildflowers in bloom. There was not a whole lot to see, but there were a few good memories, especially for Annalee. She got to see a windmill, some various cacti, a millipede, a pumpjack, some caterpillars (one of which she squished and was very proud of herself), and she got to eat a granola bar that had chocolate chips in it with Aunt Lindsy & Grandma.

Jump!

We put Addie in the johnny-jump-up last night for the first time...as you will see, she loved it. It was about time, since she loves to jump when you hold her in your lap. Thank you, Voskamps, for letting us borrow it!

2nd Annual Sisters Weekend

So, I left both the girls with Terri & Lee from Thursday through Sunday this past weekend to join my sisters-in-law for some fun in Dallas. People ask me what we did there, and the answer is pretty much shopping & eating. We also went the aquarium and to a couple of gallery openings of some friends of M.K. We hit all the good malls, and ate at some incredible places. Mary Kathryn & Becky did a great job planning our outings (they both live there), and Lindsy & I had just 1 requirement when it came to restaurants...we didn't want to go to any place we have in Midland. So, my favorites were Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, & Piciugo (think Italian gelato). MMMMM! Here are a few snapshots.

in front of P.F. Chang's. L to R: Becky, Mary Kathryn, Lindsy, me (and that's Josiah in the baby carrier!)

all stripes at the Cheesecake Factory...not planned, I promise

my cousin Hayden joined us for lunch on Saturday...she'd just returned 2 days ago from East Asia where she'd been a missionary for 2 years

we always get matching souvenires!

First crawl!!

Addie crawled for the first time today...and I was actually ready with the camera!!

lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Well, overall our trip to the Ft. Worth zoo this past weekend was a big hit. We left Addie with Lee's parents, and off we went with the Smiths and their 2-year-old twin boys. We also left something else behind. When we pulled up to the house in Muenster, Lee went to go unload the suburban. He came back in the house and asked, "Where did you put our bag?" I said, "What do you mean? Where did YOU put it?" He said, "I thought YOU put it in the car." This simple miscommunication resulted in everything but our camera and Annalee's snacks getting left on our couch at home. So, Christin went to Wal-Mart with me that evening to buy the essentials, like toothbrushes, diapers, something for Annalee to wear to the zoo, etc. Fortunately, the Smiths over-packed by about a week, so we were able to borrow a lot of things. Thanks, guys!
It was a lot of effort (14-hour round trip) for 4 hours at the zoo, but the kids would do it again in a heartbeat (the adults...not so much). Since returning Sunday evening, Annalee has asked for "more zoo" a few dozen times. Due to the large quantity of video & pictures, I made a slideshow.