Summer Fun

Can't believe the summer is half over! We have tried to stay busy...

Swimming at friends' place at Lake Cherokee.  

That is Ryan in the middle jumping and Reagan on the far left.  More friends with all boys except for the one lone girl .

Donuts at Shipley's.  Yum.

Dinner at Big Pines Lodge on Lake Caddo.  

Gator surfing

Playing at the park

Rangers game with friends.  Again, some more friends with lots of boys!  

The grown-ups.  Reagan took this for us!

A summer must - playing in the water hose

Had to Share

Love this goofball.

4th of July in the HC

What do you get when you combine three neighborhood families with all boys and lots of pyrotechnics?  Crazy loud fun.

Prefestivies dinner - pizza, ice cream and peach cobbler.  Yea America! (Check out little dude looking out the  window. )

When you are not very tall, it helps to drop poppers from higher ground.  Or so these guys decided...

There was a lot of sweeping to do the next morning...

Andrew and Greyson - they were cool just to watch, but I don't imagine that will be the case next year.

Smoke bombs? Check.

Crazy long sparklers and Ryan with his mouth wide open? Check.

Reagan being safe? Check.

Bring on the Roman Candles.  

Not bad, eh?  Not sure what that was we blew up, but I was impressed!

Firing squad.

So serious.

Taking a quick break while the big boys shoot the big fireworks.  Yea America!  Yea fun neighbors with boys!

Go Rams!

Reagan played Upward basketball this winter and loved it.  I didn't even know Reagan could dribble or shoot a basket until try-outs. Guess I really should spend more time outside with John and the boys!

Before each game, the announcer would call out the kids names and they would race out onto the court (from a closet!).  Very entertaining.

Reagan is #3.  As you can see, he was the Spud Webb of the team.

Action shot!

Bench warming.

He shoots!  He almost scores!  :)

Ryan's Chuckapalooza

I have posted mostly Reagan lately, so I need to play catch up and throw Ryan a bone.  Back in January Ryan turned four and we partied at Chuck E. Cheese.  For years he had asked for a Pump It Up party over and over and over but wouldn't you know it, in October, it closed down for good.  So, he begged for Chuck E. Cheese instead and I had to oblige.  IT WAS CUH-RAY-ZEE.  No matter - the kiddies had a fun time and it was totally worth it to see Ryan in the "Ticket Blaster".  You get in a tube and a fan blows tickets and you grab as many as you can in 30 seconds.  He had seen it on TV and thought he was prepared.  The best was before it turned on, he found the big prize ticket - good for 100 tickets.  Grabbed it and held on to it until the thing started.  He threw it and started grabbing for others!  He was laughing and grinning and John and I were laughing so hard that I was in pain. Awesome.

Birthday crown for the birthday boy.  Compliments of  Ms. Shelia and  Ms. Stacie.

Big boy bike for the big boy.  It took a few days, but now he tears up and down the driveway and the neighborhood on that thing.  The training wheels are about to fall off.

Now to Chuck E. Cheese.  

Like I said, CUH-RAY-ZEE.

The Chuck E. Cheese cake he had requested.  I offered every other cake under the sun.  Nope - wanted the Chuck E. Cheese chocolate sheet cake special. 

Ready for the insanity.  

Pure joy.  Doesn't get much better! 

Space Camp!

LeTourneau University holds several academic and sports camps throughout the summer and this year Reagan tried out the Space Camp.  I was so impressed - they learned about the solar system, Newton's laws of motion and got to create and launch their own rocket.  He had an amazing time (and it takes a lot to impress Reagan) including going to the campus bookstore and getting to pick out whatever he wanted to eat for a snack each day (Skittles and Mr. Pibb Extra) and sit on couches and "chairs with ottomans" where Sponge Bob is playing on a TV.  All the things he is not allowed to do at home!  : )  I don't think Reagan needed much convincing he wanted to go to college, but that sealed the deal.

Ryan and I went out for the rocket launch today and it was amazing.  The rockets truly went so high you would lose sight of them and then later a tiny dot would appear and the rocket with parachute would be floating back to earth.  Check out the video...