She's BAAACCCCKKKK!!!!

And, bigger than ever! Oh my gosh. My girl grows like a weed ever time she leaves my sight. Em'ry had a blast in Booker and just to prove it I randomly received pictures like these...

Now that's a crowded bed!

Ice cream to calm tears after leaving the Liberal Water Park :)

I just knew she would never want to come home. I mean, she didn't even want to talk to me on the phone :( But, I'd rather her have fun than be homesick. I'm sure it helped that there are no rules at Nana's house, she always has a playmate in Hailie, and she can stay up until midnight if she wants. Not to mention that she came back asking for foods I would never give her like Hamitizer (mayo sandwich) and bologna lol...


I met my mom, Jana, and Hailie in Ft. Worth to get Em'ry back and spend some time with Cassie, Jalen, and the new baby Jackson.

Em'ry, Jalen, and Hailie

Jackson Charles Pope

That was a week ago and this is what we've been up to lately...
Brazos Bend State Park:

Photo opportunity on our hike around the swamp!

Alligator viewing from the dock!

Old School playground at the campsite!

Around the house:

Blow-up Waterslide we found for 50% off at Kroger! Totally worth it!

Food, Family, and Fireworks!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

We had so much fun spending time with family over the recent holiday weekend. The heat sent the kids straight to the pool which gave us time to hang out and visit.

Kayley, Hailie, Em'ry, and Amir

We usually make a trip to Booker for the 4th of July since we are on summer vacation but burn bans resulted in cancelled fireworks shows and no chance for s'mores. Take a look at this pic of Em'ry from this time last year...

my how things change in a year!
Blair and Em'ry July 4th, 2010

So we hung out here and enjoyed the pool, cooked out, watched fireworks, and made a trip to the zoo.

My parents recently celebrated their 32nd Wedding Anniversary and we took them to dinner to celebrate and thank them for being such and amazing example of unconditional love.
Waiting on a table

P.S. My dad doesn't dress up :)

Em'ry has been begging to go to my parents and she didn't want us to tag along :( Every time she would talk to my mom on the phone she would say, "pleeeaaaase come get me!" which was normally followed by tears. So, we let her go. My mom is crazy to take this crew on! Matching shirts to make sure no one gets lost!

Update on her trip coming soon....

Fun House Guests!

I cannot begin to express the joy that filled our house last week when a great friend visited and introduced us to the newest member of her family.

Em'ry Dove and Parker James

When Katy texted me and let me know about an upcoming training she was attending in Houston I immediately jumped on the opportunity to host them. Although the training was on the other side of town, Katy agreed to visit us after the training. They arrived in time for dinner and spent two nights with us before making the 9 hour trek back to Rotan. Too busy playing with Parker to get dressed!

Em'ry is such a little mommy! She followed Katy around and every time she fed, burped, bathed, or put Parker down for a nap she did the same to her baby doll. She "held" Parker several times but he is almost as big as she is and he just looked at her like "WTH?" lol... He would rather be looking into her face and flirting!

The Banks LOVE the Cades! We missed you Clay!

Road Trip!

Last weekend we hit the road and enjoyed San Antonio. We left early Friday morning and explored the San Antonio Zoo before it got hot. I must say it blows the Houston Zoo out of the water! It was a beautiful day and all of the animals were out to play. I'm not sure if Em'ry enjoyed the chimpanzees swinging from their ropes or the butterfly exhibit more. One thing is for sure, Greg and I enjoyed the day as much or more than Em'ry. I'm kicking myself that I forgot the camera in the car and relied on Greg's camera phone only to find the pictures were no where to be found the next day :(

Greg's parents joined us that afternoon and Em'ry couldn't wait to get them in the hotel pool. She spent the majority of the afternoon entertaining them in the pool before we decided to get cleaned up for dinner.

One our favorite places to take Em'ry to eat is Rainforest Cafe. It is so neat to see her reaction to the animals as she grows. She was a little nervous but did great and loved showing her Mimi and Grandad around the restaurant.

The face says it all! The pandas behind could come to life at any minute and she was preparing herself lol...

After dinner, we took the Riverboat Ride around the River Walk and then it was off to bed to rest up for a big day at SeaWorld.

We were up bright and early (9:00am) for SeaWorld. Hey, don't judge, its SUMMER! By this point, Matt and Savreet had joined us. Em'ry was super excited about the day when she woke up but grew impatient after driving, waiting, and waiting some more. To make up for it we headed straight to the kids Splash Pad!

Sesame Street Splash Pad!

We watched shows, rode rides, enjoyed the water park, ate amazing food, and visited the Splash Pad a few times.

Ice Cream!

I am so proud of Em'ry. She actually held the fish in her hand and fed the dolphins!

Putt Putt!

And, after a late night we hit the hay so that we could wake up and do it all again on Sunday!

By Sunday evening, we were all worn out but we had a blast!