Lila goes to Sky Ranch!

Madison has been to Sky Ranch for the past two summers, and always raved about it.  Lila has heard all the awesome stories and longed for the day that it would be her turn.  Towards the end of July, that time had finally come.

We decorated my car and headed off to Van, TX with Brooklyn and her mom.

As we approached Sky Ranch, we saw counselors on horseback, counselors riding jet skis in the lake, and others who gave us cookies for having our car decorated.  Such a cool way to welcome us to summer camp!

We found her friends in their cabin, got Lila's bed made, things unpacked and met her four counselors.

This was the view from the back of their cabin.  So pretty!

We gave her a hug and said our goodbyes.  I didn't cry when we left...I'm pretty sure I had already gotten all my tears out earlier that morning.  Sending Lila away for a week with no way to hear from her was harder than I had thought.  This is my girl, y'all!

We knew she was about to have such a fabulous week.  One thing was for sure--she wasn't going to be bored!  Check out this activity calendar.

Each night there was a different theme.  The first night was "I'm with the band."  We scoured the Sky Ranch website until we found our girls!

The next night we saw them in their Rockstar attire...

followed by some cute ones at the jumping pillow...

and with her friend, Madi.

While the girls were at camp, I let Jackson invite some friends to Lake Texoma.  On Wednesday afternoon, we had arrived with three baseball buddies--Mason, Cooper and Beau.

These boys were pumped about the lake!

Cameron was beyond happy to be able to hang out with Beau.

We had such a good day on the water...

and Cami even talked Boom into riding the tube with her! 
They did great, and didn't even fall off once.

These boys were ready for a little more speed than Boom and Cami, though.

They asked if all four could ride at once...

and had a ball trying to all stay on there!

Later that afternoon, we hooked up to a buoy and the boys got to swim and explore the shore for a bit.  We cooked dinner at home...

and the boys got up before sunrise to go fishing.

Little Missy and I joined them later that morning, but no one had much luck.  

We got back to home in time for me to get ready for my hot date that night. 
It was our 15th wedding anniversary!  Love this guy.

One more day went by and then it was time to go pick up Lila!  Cami made her the sweetest card.  She really missed her big sister.

We had to sit through the Sky Ranch presentation, listen to a few speakers and it just seemed like an eternity before they brought in the campers.  As soon as I spotted Lila near the stage, the tears began to flow.  A little while later, we all got to hug her neck.

She'd had the best week, loved her counselors, and had been given the Steadfast Award, for her strong faith in God.

Oh my goodness, we had missed our little girl SO much!

It was really good to see her...

and very rewarding to hear her tell us all about her amazing week. My heart was full again! 

That afternoon we celebrated in our backyard with a family swim party. 
Baby Connor liked the water...

and we all enjoyed spending time together.  It was really nice to be able to relax a little before our next trip to Sky Ranch--he was camp bound the next day!

Jackson's school project

Here you go, Jackson!  Hope these pictures are what you need for your project today.

Dog Days of Summer

 August brought some crazy high temps for Texas this year!  

We had two weeks of 106, 108 and even 110 degrees.  Ay, caramba!  In those conditions, you gotta find ways to beat the heat.

Gavin and Brock came over one Saturday afternoon with their parents and swam in our pool.

That evening, the boys and dads went to see the Frisco Roughriders play some ball.  It was such a fun surprise that Gavin's dad had gotten them front row seats behind home plate!

We haven't been able to spend much time at the lake, but on a free Sunday, we ran up to Texoma.  A neat treat--we found Blake Shelton's lake house!  It's the white one with three guest houses. 
So cool!

Another plus about being inside more--baby snuggles!

Little Mama Lila was in her element taking care of Lilly one afternoon.  She's such a natural.

Another great thing to do inside--musical theater camp!

  Madison played the role of Cinderella...

while Lila played one of her mean step-sisters, Drizella!

They were perfect for their roles and I loved hearing Maddie sing again.

Lila really impressed us with her comedic timing, too!

   

They were perfect for their roles!

         

We enjoyed meeting the Hays family for dinner one night.  
This little guy was a fan favorite...

  

with both the girls.

Chloe's birthday party was also a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. 
She had snow cones AND a 75 foot long slip and slide!

The Chocolate Angel was a big hit with these precious girls and us mamas.  Afterwards, we invited Mallory over to swim while her mom packed for their trip.

The sun was beaming down on us, but the water was so refreshing!

They really are two peas in a pod!

And last, but not least...being inside more means more Maverick snuggles.  Awww! 
This girl loves her doggy.

We do adore summer, but the cooler temps of fall won't be all that bad!