Carriage Hill Metro Park

Owen & Ashton

I love this picket fence

The boys

I love this picture!

First I want to say Happy Anniversary to my Amber and Landon!! We miss you guys and Hope that you have a wonderful day!

Today We spent the entire afternoon at Carriage Hill with the Herman and Brady families. It was really neat. It is an actual old time working farm. Horses plow the fields, the have an actual blacksmith that shows you have they did metal working, the woman hand wash linens and do baking from scratch. The kids had fun and learned a lot today with out being bored to death. We got to see horses, cows, pigs, and chickens roaming the yard. We got to watch how they milk the cows by hand and pet the horses. Then we walked the farm and saw the graveyard of the original family that settle there and an equipment grave yard. Seeing all the original farm equipment was awesome.

Wegerzyn Gardens

Monday we took the kids to Wegerzyn gardens so Meegan and I could photograph the beautiful flowers and so the kids could play in the water. It was a nice way to spend a hot afternoon. I got lots of great pictures of the flower and the kids.

Ashley & Owens Bday Party

Ashton with his cotton candy drink

Owen with his cotton candy drink

All the kids in the pool

The Birthday Kids

Sunday we headed over to the Brady house for the kids birthday party with all our friends. Owen had a How to train your dragon cake and Ashley had a horse cake. The cakes were made of cupcakes and they were to die for! Butter cream icing and moist chocolate cake what is not to LOVE!! We gave the kids water bottles with candy for their party favor. The water bottle is something they can use this summer and who doesn't want candy... they are kids right! The kids had such a wonderful time hanging out and playing together. Ashley and Owen got some great birthday gifts. Owen was definitely excited about he gift cards so that he can go buy more legos. He already has what he wants to buy sorted out. They swam in the pool and dove for change. The boys collected $1.oo between the two of them. They had so much fun. The kids played volleyball in the yard with Justin and Zane. Then Ashton got stung by a bee twice and Zane got stung by a bee as well. We were happy that the weather held out and didn't start storming until about 8. I want to Thank everyone for coming and sharing in the kids special day!

Mom, Dad, Aunt Amber, & Uncle Landon all came to visit this past weekend to help Owen celebrate his 8th birthday! We had so much fun swimming in the pool. Dad got a sun burn. We had cake, pizza, then Owen opened up his presents. He was so excited... he got more legos which he loves, books and of course clothes. Then we swam more until us ladies had to get ready to go to Ashleys dance recital. It was a great show and the kids did really well. While we were gone the guys BBQed and watched tv! It was a wonderful weekend and we were sad to see them all leave on Sunday.

It has been a busy week for us. Owen had his 8th birthday on Monday! I can't believe that my baby boy is 8. Time has sure flown by. We gave him 2 of presents on his birthday but he will get the rest this weekend. My family will be here friday and Saturday so we are going to have a little party with them. Then on Sunday we are having a party for Ashley and Owen with our friends! So I have been spending this week cleaning and fixing up stuff. I redid the caulking around the boys tub and got their bathroom cleaned. Then it was on to the basement to clean the walls, fix the dehumidifier, and do the laundry. I have dusted, cleaned floors, and it looks like I will be doing it all over tomorrow before everyone gets here. Between the kids and the dogs my job is never done. But on a lighter note the boys have both learned how to do a front flip off the diving board. Ashton mastered it first then Owen did. I was so proud of both of them! They are quite the little swimmers! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I will post pictures from the parties this weekend!

Happy Fathers Day Justin!

We are very lucky to have such a wonderful husband and Father in our lives. He takes care of us and is always there for us. WE appreciate all his sacrifices and we hope that he is as happy as we are! Happy Fathers Day Justin! We love you very much!! Even though Justin had to work today we managed to spend a bit of time together. Justin woke up to some nice cards (clothes & a book too!) from me and the boys then came and got in the pool and played with us for about an hour. He got out just in time to have a quick dinner then off to work. It was a rushed Fathers day but maybe Ashton & I will take him and Owen out for lunch tomorrow for fathers day and Owen's birthday!

Fun in the Sun

This weekend the boys and I spent a lot of time in the pool while Justin had to work. It has been so hard and humid that the pool has been such a blessing. Ashton has mastered a front flip off the board. He runs and jumps off then curls into a tiny ball. If only he could bounce a little harder he would sure be able to do a 1 1/2 flip. He has also perfected his dive off the board as well. Owen tried and tried yesterday to do a front flip. He can almost do it but I think he is a little scared of hurting himself. I am pretty sure after practicing today though he should get it mastered. With the weather being so nasty the kids keep asking me to turn the AC on. But I had to tell them I refuse to turn on the AC because they are always running in and out of the house so why turn it on right?! So I totally understand now why my dad was always yelling at us to keep the doors & curtains closed and to turn the lights out. You come to appreciate those things when you have to pay an electric bill :) Hope everyone has a wonderful Fathers Day. We will be celebrating tomorrow since Justin had to work tonight and he is asleep right now :(

Blue Dragon fly

Ashton and his huge crawfish

Ashton fishing

The kids trying to catch polywogs and crawfish

Wednesday we took a trip to Ceasar Creek to take the kids fishing. Ashton and I went with the Brady family while Justin and Owen stayed home and slept. Owen didn't get out of his pjs all day and Justin was catching up on sleep from work. So Ashton and I got our fishing poles and swimsuits and headed out. The played at the pond for hours trying to catch crawfish and polywogs. Ashton and Riley both caught some crawfish but we had to release them before we left. Meegan and I got some great pictures of dragon flies. We had a picnic lunch for the kids to eat after we did a little fishing. No one caught anything.... except Meegan. She caught a tree :) The kids also fed the fish and the turtles at the pond. They are tons of fish and we even saw a huge goldfish. It was another great day out. The kids were good all day and being out got them all worn out so by the time we got home they were tired :)

Happy 25th Anniversary Chuck & Leta

Happy Anniversary to Mamaw and Papaw Cupp! They have been married for a wonderful 25 years. We were happy and honored to be able to share such a wonderful day with them. It was also nice to see the rest of our families as well!

Checking out Ceasar Creek

These are pictures from last weeks trip to Ceasar Creek. I am trying to get the blog caught up so bare with me :) Meegan and I took the kids to Ceasar Creek to check out camping sites for our trip in July. The kids played at the playgrounds in each section as we checked out the sites. Then we looked around the visitor center, scouted out a place to take the kids fishing, did a little walk on a trail then headed to the pond to feed some fish. It was a great way to spend the day and to stay out of the house so that Justin could sleep.

Swimming at Buck Creek

Here is my little fish named Owen. This kid loves the water and probably live in the water if we would let him. He stayed in the lake the entire time we were at the beach. The only time he got out was to go to the bathroom or to grab a snack :)

Here is my other fish named Ashton. He swam quite a bit that day as well. He liked to play in the sand too with Ashley. They built sand castles and dug huge moats to fill up with water. He built an awesome sand castle but the water knocked it over before I could get a picture :(

Meegan, Jane, & I taking time out for a photo op. We enjoyed swimming in the lake and watching the kids swim and play all weekend. There were not a lot of fights so it was actually very relaxing.

A storm rolled through Saturday afternoon and soaked everyone while we were fishing at the marina. So we fished for a bit more then headed back to camp for lunch and activities. After the kids finished some activities we decided the weather was going to hold out so Justin could take the kids tubing. I am not sure who was more excited.... Justin for getting to use the boat and the new tube or the kids who got to ride on the tube. All the kids tried it at least once and I think they all enjoyed it very much! I know we enjoyed watching them :)

Activities at Buck Creek

Todd the toad
The boys got to learn about the differences between frogs and toads. They got to pet Todd and watch him eat the meal worms. We tried to catch it on film but unfortunatley Todd's tongue was too fast for the camera :) It was really neat that Buck Creek has different activites for the kids to do everyday and it is educational.

Owen picked a coyote print to mold.
The kids all learned about different animal tracks and where you might find animal tracks.

Ashton picked the Opposum footprint to mold.

Fishing at Buck Creek

Ashton and his fish

Justin and his little fish

Owen and 1 of the many fish he caught

Well we definitely have a fisherman in the family. Owen caught 8 fish during our fishing outing @ Buck Creek Marina. He was so very pleased with himself and so were we. Ashton did well also. He caught 3 fish himself. He just does not have the patients for it like Owen does. Owen even made the husbands angry because they had been fishing off the rocks across from where the kids were fishing for a good thirty minutes when Owen comes over and sits down. Owen cast his line and i swear 1 minute later he reels in a 12in bass. They were furious and Owen was so excited! To see the look on his little face was priceless :)

Buck Creek Camping Trip

The three stooges

Owen & Ashton in front of their tent

Harleys first camping trip. He was so good :)

Last Friday we headed to Buck Creek to camp for the weekend. We had a blast with Soubrin, Herman, and Brady families! The first night we pretty much just hung out and got the camp sites set up. Tents, Campers, kids, dogs, and adults OH MY!! The kids had fun playing at the playground until it got dark. Then they had a snack, got showers, watched a movie (the campground provided them with Herbie to watch just like a drive in) and then back to our camp sites to play with glow sticks until bed.