Our 4th of July

We had a fun 4th of July Celebration this year! The kids wore their fun red, white and blue outfits from Ten-Ten (a super sweet family friend). We went swimming in the apartment pool (the first swim for Mr. Mig and he loved it!), then we had a light lunch and naps.  For dinner Byron BBQ'd some tasty ribs and I made some yummy gluten-free strawberry and blueberry shortcakes! If you are on a gluten-free diet and haven't tried out the Gluten-Free Bisquick - now is the time! It is delicious!!

After dinner we played with glow sticks while we waited for the firework show.

I also made some glow drinks! These were so fun! I found the idea on www.dollarstorecrafts.com. They have some great crafts ideas on the cheap.

And finally it was time for the Firework Show! This show took place somewhere right outside of our apartment, so we were able sit on our balcony and enjoy!



Hope ya'll  made some great 4th of July memories, too!

Miguel is 9 Months Old!

This week Miguel turned 9 months old! He weighs 20 pounds 11 ounces (at her three year check-up, Selah only out weighs him by 2 pounds!) and is 27 inches long. This month he learned how to wave good-bye, clap his hands and pull-up to standing. He is eating finger foods now and is a fun little guy! I can't believe he is already 9 months old!

1 month old:

3 months old:

6 months old:

7 months old:

8 months old:

9 months old:

Cousins

As promised here are pictures of the cousins together for the first time at Selah's 3rd Birthday!

The baby boys (Adrik and Miguel) both had tuxedo onesies to be the prince charmings at the princess party. The big boys (Gabriel and Xander) were dressed as knights - but the knight armor wasn't good for holding babies so Gabe's not wearing his garb here.

Gabe and Adrik:

Selah and screaming Adrik:

 The baby girls had tiaras on their headbands and Rachel made sweet tutus for them to wear - they were precious!

Princess Tali: (Daddy had her tiara on upside down - so she looked a little more like a flapper than a princess - but still adorable!)

Princess Charli Kate snuggling to Devon:

Charli Kate cuddling with Aunti M and cousin Miguel. Miguel was asleep on my lap but woke up and gently reached up and touched Charli Kate's hand. SWEET moment!! Look how HUGE Miguel looks compared to tiny CK!

All of the cousins together - boy was that shot tricky, but oh, such cuteness all in one picture!

Memories of Momma Dale

My "Momma Dale" passed away peacefully after a long courageous battle with breast cancer on Tuesday, July 12, 2011. 

 Though my heart is grieving, it is such a comfort to know that she is in a place where cancer doesn't exist and there is absolutely no suffering.

When I was a little girl, I thought of Momma Dale as the "cool" grandma. Memaw (my mom's mom) was the traditional grandma - her baked goods tasted like they came straight from heaven, she was plump and cuddly, her hair was gray and she was content to sit in her recliner and cross-stitch all day. Momma Dale on the other hand was always energetic, and ready for fun! She was stylish and looked younger than she was. When we would go somewhere with Momma Dale, people always thought she was my mom - not my grandmother. I remember one time, when we were junior high age, that Momma Dale and Papa Charlie took Rachel and me to a museum there in Fort Walton Beach.. There was a lady that worked there that was amazed that Momma Dale could have teenage grandchildren and asked her what was her secret to looking so young. Momma Dale thanked her for the kind words and told her the secret was simply "Dare High", and then we walked out. Curious, I asked Momma Dale what Dare High is (I wanted to remember the secret for the future). Momma Dale looked at me confused and said, "What do you mean?". I told her, "Well, you told the lady that the secret to looking young is 'Dare High'." Momma Dale laughed and said, "Did I say that? I meant Hair Dye! She must think I am crazy!" When in reality the lady is probably still looking for "Dare High" to make her look young, too!!

We would only see Momma Dale once a year at most....ususally during the summer. We would head over to Florida to spend a week or two swimming in Momma Dale and Papa Charlie's pool and hanging out with our cousins. We looked forward to this time every year. Momma Dale would take us on shopping trips, talk about what was going on in our lives, sing with us and let us play in her jewelry. Many times she would take my sister, me and at least 5 of our cousins to a water slide park or the beach by herself! AMAZING! All of that showed us that that though we didn't live close and we didn't see her as often as we would have liked, we were special to her.

Momma Dale was such an example of how to live the Christian life. At our last trip out in March she showed amazing grace and dignity - even as she was losing the battle with cancer. Her faith is what pulled her through and let her face each day. I was blessed to see videos my aunt took of her singing praises from her bed in the last few weeks of her life.  Momma Dale was a picture of the lyrics of a Christy Nockles song "the weak and dying glorifying you in it all....it's the song of the beautiful Jesus Loves Me". What a testimony!

I will miss Momma Dale dearly, but I will hold tight to my memories of her and pass them down to my children - her great-grandchildren. I know that she is now in total peace in the presence of our God.

Hot Fun in the Summertime!!

A few years ago Belton and Temple constructed Splash Pads at some of their parks. They are a fun and free way to cool off during the super hot Texas summers. We had a great morning playing in the fun water features last week!!

Gabe ran around like a mad man enjoying each sprinkler, while Selah preferred the gentle streaming sprays. Miguel just liked to splash around in the puddles!



And we all slept really well that night!



Fun Day at the Museum

These are more pictures from the Mayborn Museum in Waco. It was really so much fun exploring all of the areas - even Miguel had a really good time! Along the way the kids learned about Texas History and Science - as well as Ancient Egypt!

Our Beautiful 3 year Old!

Selah was so fun to photograph this year! She enjoyed having her pictures done and was such a ham for the camera! I can't decide which picture I like best!!