early birthday gift

In 6 days my little girl will be 6 years old!

She has totally outgrown the bicycle we got her back in 2007.  

If you click on the link you can see how tiny she was when we bought it. 

Little Miss Layla informed us the other day that the block party was in a few days and she didn't have a bicycle to ride.  Awwwww...poor thing.  haha!   One of the fun things about the block party is that the street is blocked off and the kids can ride in the middle of the street.  

We were planning to get her a new bike all along so we just did it a week early!

As you can see she jumped right on and took off!  She loves her new bike!  She is looking forward to taking off those training wheels, but for now she is just getting comfortable on the bigger bike.  She told us it is much easier to pedal.   She had a hard time being squeezed onto a tiny tiny bike.

Below is a photo of her riding it during the block party on Saturday.  

She was so proud to show it off  :)

Gary and I each have bicycles.  I look forward to the day when the four of us can go on rides together!  I'm sure they will all ride fast & leave me in the dust, but then I can take pictures of them right?!

fire works in our own front yard

We enjoyed fireworks on Sunday night at our house.

Our next door neighbors, the friends two doors down and our buddies across the street all had a fun time watching the fireworks put on by our HOA!  It was a great treat!

We grabbed chairs and blankets and patiently waited to see the show we have grown to love over the years.  And I must say the show has gotten MUCH better!  We were very impressed this year.

Hayden asked about the fireworks all day long.  With a burn ban in full effect in our county we were worried there may not be a show, but there was!!

The grand finale was so pretty!!

God Bless America...Happy Fourth of July!!

6th annual 4th of July block party

We started out the 4th of July holiday hanging out with our neighbors!

Our neighbors throw a fun party with a water slide, tons of food and lots of patriotic activities.  It's sad when the water slide is almost taller than your home...heehee!

We get permission from the city to block off our street to thru traffic for the night.  

Layla was more than happy to cool off in the water slide.

There was a long line to the water slide all afternoon and into the night.  See Hayden sliding down?!

We invited some friends of ours who don't live on our block.  Layla was so excited to her little best friends.  She has been out of town, so the reunion was so sweet!  Layla was so happy to see her.

The kids had so much fun riding their scooters and bikes.

Hayden (sporting his patriotic necklace) was in hog heaven riding his tricycle in the middle of the street. 

Layla loved having her hair sprayed with blue hairspray!

The girls showing off their patriotic hair :)

Cuties...taking a break!

Popsicle cheers!

They were standing near the water slide in hopes of getting splashed. 

I took this picture to show off the glow stick anklets and necklaces, but you can't see them :(

Hayden and Daddy...I totally cut Gary's head off in this picture.  It was so dark...I couldn't see!

sparklers!

Hayden loved the sparklers...Layla didn't love them.  Can you tell?  haha!

We can't wait to celebrate more as the weekend goes on.  Fireworks are tonight...right in our backyard!!  We can't wait to see them!

scenes from our camping trip

Gary and I love taking the kids camping.  We enjoy visiting Texas lakes and campsites.  Gary took a few vacation days this week so we could do some camping!

We love Lake Ray Roberts.  It is one of our favorite camping spots.  It has beautiful sandy beaches (nothing like the ocean) and the kids love to play in the sand.  Here are a few pictures from our camping trip this week.  

Hayden isn't big into the lake water right now.  He loves to get wet, but is terrified to play in it.  I'm not sure why, but I enjoy sitting in the sand with him.  We spent a few hours building sand castles while Layla and Daddy played in the water.  I have been battling an ear infection, so I couldn't get my ear wet anyway.  It worked perfectly :)

*******

There were a few walking trails near our campsite.  The kids and I explored them while Gary was setting up our campsite.  We were a bit afraid of the trails because of poison ivy and scary bugs and creatures.  When we saw the end of the trail we were surprised.  We came upon this "Gilligan Island" beach.  We felt like we were on a deserted island.  It was fun, but we were a bit afraid of snakes and other such creatures.  We didn't play too long, and of course I went nuts with the camera!! 

This last picture has became my favorite family photo!  I think it is fun.  If you look closely Hayden's shades are all crooked and his tongue is sticking out.  It is so funny and totally him.

We had a great time but we are so happy to be home.  

We are excited about a fun holiday weekend to come!