Summers are made for...

last minute swim days with friends.

Races to see who can touch the bottom first...

lounging on the Island with Lexie and Lauren...

and being by mommy's side.

Playing with the water hose on the trampoline...

catching up with Presley, Teagan and Brooklynn...

and smiling till it hurts.  We love summer and are not ready for it to end!

Cedar Creek Lake

We discovered a gem of a lake a few weeks ago when Mandy and Tim invited us to their lakehouse.  Cedar Creek Lake is so cool!

Before we even had the car unpacked, these kids had joined the Shubzda kids on the dock.
They simply had to check out the slide!

It's such a great set-up.  Big yard with the dock right out back.  Perfect for all ages to enjoy.

The slide is one thing we do not have at Lake Texoma, so the kids were all about it.

Whoa, little lady!

There were plenty of slides and even a few jumps sprinkled in the mix. 

The two littlest were doing a fantastic job keeping up with the big kids. 

Brooklynn and Finley's grandpa brought his boat over...

and the kids all loaded up on the Hot Dog.

They had a total blast flying all over the lake.

Giddy up!  

Very soon after we got back on the water, this little one was down for the count.  It was loud, kids were screaming and she was oblivious to it all.  Sweet baby girl just needed a nap!

I just loved hanging out with one of my favorite girls!

Grandpa Jimmy dropped us all back at the house a little while later and the kids started playing on the giant floating mat.  One minute everyone was smiling and having a great time, then we heard Finley scream.  Sweet girl had jumped off the slide towards the mat, and somehow broken her leg before she hit the water.  It was so scary.  Her daddy swam to get her and carried her out of the water, while holding her broken leg in place.


This tough little cookie broke her tibia and fibula and is now in an enormous cast for a while.
We are all so thankful that she's going to be OK.   And when she is, we will have a big swim party to celebrate:)

 

Happy Anniversary with a Splash of Work

When your husband asks you to join him on a work trip and attend a conference all day on your anniversary, what's a girl to do?  Say yes, of course!

Last week we flew into Washington D.C. Since I had never seen much of our nation's capitol, we decided to spend the evening there.  It was a surprisingly easy city to navigate our way through.  We found a parking garage and walked towards the Capitol.

It's so much more impressive in person than on TV!

We sat outside just admiring it's beauty and the amazing-ness of 75 degree weather in July.

Directly behind us was this view--the sun setting to the right of the Washington monument.

It was such a fabulous way to kick off our trip!

There was even a band warming up on the steps of the Capitol.  So cool.

We found a restaurant within walking distance and set off on a nice stroll.  As we were leaving, we were struck by the magnificence of the Capitol--makes you proud to be an American!

Sitting on the patio enjoying a cold glass of Rose and Stella on tap--now that's our kind of night.  We were highly amused by the scene next to us, too.  So many interns and young people that work on Capitol Hill.  We totally felt like we were in an episode of Veep!

The next day we spent most of our time at the Data Center Conference.  We chatted up some industry peeps, passed out business cards, and tried our best not to show how boring we thought the panelists were.  By 4:00 we were done--thank goodness!  We didn't want to waste any of our time there, so we researched cool places to go see.  Turns out Great Falls, VA is amazing!

God's Beauty is always impressive.  While we were looking at this gorgeous scene, we noticed 10 bald eagles flying overhead.

A few hours later, we were enjoying our awesome dinner at Eddie V's!  We started out with cocktails in our special rose petal-decorated booth.  Cheers!  Dinner was outstanding, and the service was on par, too.

They treated us to Bananas Foster for dessert.  SO good!

It was the perfect way to celebrate 14 years together.
Happy Anniversary, babe! Here's to many more!

Lake Life

Friday afternoon--

There's no place we'd rather be!

We are able to kick back, relax a little and just enjoy the simple things in life, like watching some geese.

We got out the new slip 'n slide before my dad arrived.  Such a great way to beat the heat.
They really should make these in adult sizes--it looks so cool!

Boom's here!

A little post-dinner dancing at The Island and then back home for bed.

By noon, Tucker, Nash and Brentley had arrived with their parents.

The little kids...

big boys...

and big girls all had fun sliding in the cold well water on a HOT summer's day.

Against all odds, we finally made it out on the boat that afternoon!
So many curve balls were thrown our way, but we didn't quit! I'm so glad, too.
Tara and I have been talking about a lake trip for a long time.

These four goofballs tried to convince us that they could all tube at the same time.  They had to settle for only three at once, though.

The next morning, we were at it again.  Sunday mornings on the lake are always my favorite.

Anytime is the right time for snacks on the boat.  This girl is cuckoo for snacks at the lake.

We put the Waverunner in the water and the boys zoomed off.

The girls got plenty of play time on it, too.
The littlest girl is always urging me to "go faster, Mama!"

While boating, tubing and riding the Waverunner is always entertaining, my favorite moment came when Lila put on her water skis.  Her daddy was in the water with her, helping to keep her steady.  I was driving the Waverunner, with Cami in front of me and Bubbie behind me.  I took out the slack, Jared gave me the thumbs up and I pushed down the throttle.  And guess what?  My baby girl popped right out of the water and SKIED for a good long while!!!  She did it!  She was the only kid even brave enough to try to ski and she succeeded--on the first try!  I was SO proud.

We ended our afternoon with a leisurely boat ride to Preston Point and then headed back to the house.  Another weekend full of memories was in the books.  See you soon, Lake Texoma!