The Dog Days of Summer bring a smile to my face!

Ahhh...How peaceful the neighborhood is in the middle of the day. Too bad those moments will be missed by the Banks family all too soon as teachers start back to school next week :( But, we are enjoying it while we can!

Greg and I recently celebrated our 4 year anniversary! Crazy! Am I old enough to have been married that long?! I guess its true that time flies when you are having fun:) Em'ry stayed with Aunt Brandi so that Greg and I could go into the city for a date night. But, we wanted to include Em'ry in our celebrating so we went to dinner as a family the night before. Here are a couple of pics of Em'ry and the beautiful flowers Greg bought me.

Em'ry and I made a trip to the zoo last week while Greg was working freshman football camp. Now, my dad gave me a really hard time about it because he ALWAYS wants to go to the zoo when he is in town and we never do. But, let me clarify....In order to enjoy the Houston Zoo in August, you MUST arrive when the gates open and be done viewing the animals by 11:00 am. This is because it is so hot that the animals are asleep by then anyway and it is too hot to walk around and look for the animals who are napping in the shade only to be disappointed because they are nowhere in sight. So, I talked to my dad and he agreed that the next time he is in town we will leave the house by 8 and thus enjoy the zoo :) But, since he missed our trip, these pics are for him.

I guess I should note that Em'ry's favorite animals right now are elephants and frogs. We visited the elephant yards 4 times! It seems like we had to go back there between each exhibit.

Hot, sweaty, and ready to see the elephants again!

Greg's mom came to visit this past weekend and we had loads of fun! Em'ry loves being spoiled by her MiMi. We played outside alot, played putt-putt, and Em'ry talked MiMi into trying out her new pool.

Love and Laughter=One LOUD House!

A couple of weeks ago, we were happy to open our home to a rowdy bunch:) My parents came to visit and brought along Hailie and Kayley. Em'ry loved the attention and we stayed busy the entire week.

The Beach!

KEMAH!

Chuck-E-Cheese!

Em'ry's 1st Circus!

It is so nice having both Brandi and Jana in the same town! Now, when my parents come visit its like a big family vacation with all the conveniences of home :)

Rotan, TX and the Crazy Cades!

We have wonderful friends that live in the middle of nowhere! So, on the way home from Booker we took the scenic route and our detour through West Texas included Rotan.

We had a great time and wish we could have stayed longer. Because of a rain delay over the weekend of the 4th, we got to watch the town's fireworks display. We also got to enjoy Clay's amazing cooking! It was nice to sit around and visit with Katy, Clay, and his family with no agenda. We had alot of catching up to do!

We spent an afternoon at the ranch that Clay helps manage and it was a blast. Em'ry loved the cows, horses, grasshoppers, and butterflies that were swarming the fields! I only wish we had a pic of Katy driving Em and I around in the "mule." My mom would have flipped out if she had seen Em'ry standing between us as we sped through the fields ;)

Best Buds

Feeding Nickel cookies with Uncle Clay

Em'ry isn't too sure about Clay's dad but since he is giving her cookies she'll amuse him.

Sightseeing in the "mule" wore her out!

Playing necklaces with Aunt Katy!

Oh, I miss the Cades! They are great friends that Greg and I have known since very early in our marriage and we are blessed that God has placed them in our lives. For that reason, I am so glad Em'ry is getting the chance to know them as well!

Road Trip!

We were only home from Mexico for a week when we loaded up and headed to Booker. It was a ten day trip spent on the road, in Booker, and in Rotan, Tx. I'll have to do a separate blog for the time spent in Rotan because by the time we got there I had taken so many pics that my camera's battery was dead. I'm waiting on pics from a friend (hint hint Katy!)

Ugh! Every time Em'ry gets around other kids I'm reminded that she is turning into a "big kid!"

I mean, posing for pics! Really?!

We had a great time in Booker over the 4th! We just relaxed and spent time with family.

After the heat we had been experiencing in Mexico and Houston, we made sure to seize every opportunity to be outside and enjoy the cool weather!

On Saturday, one of my college friends drove in from Tulsa to visit. We had such a good time! I can't believe Ashley wanted to drive all the way to Booker for a day just to see us but I'm so glad she did.

Em'ry had fun doing pop-its and sparklers with Blair and Hailie!

We watched fireworks and had great food with the Hughes family at Lake Fryer and loved meeting Miss Kaycee. I love it that Em'ry loves babies!

MEXICO!

I know I'm a little behind and I have a really good excuse...WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING ALL SUMMER! I could go on and on about how amazing our trip to Playa del Carmen was but pictures tell the story so much better than I could. So, I'll cut to the chase and show you pictures.

The Resort was beautiful!

Em'ry loved the pool!

Em'ry loved the dolphins!

Em'ry loved the beach!

And, paradise wore her out!

Mommy and Em'ry do VEGAS!

And, it was amazing! Our first mother-daughter vacation was packed with sightseeing, food, and friends. We started our trip on the strip and Em'ry was so excited to see the Lions during feeding time at the MGM Grand.

Then it was on to the M&M Factory! Em'ry was in heaven. She loved all of the memorabilia of the green lady M&M and I was sure she would pick green M&Ms when the time came. But, she surprised me with pink!

We continued our sightseeing throughout the day and then headed back for a nap and to get ready for the wedding rehearsal and dinner.
Em'ry did great and got reacquainted with Jalen. She was thrilled that there was another kid around and spent most of the dinner coloring and talking to Jalen and Ashlyn.

There was an awesome shark tank in the middle of the pool at our hotel. And, although she wasn't feeling great, those 30 minutes in the pool made her so happy!

I think she could have watched the fish all day!

And then it was show time! Em'ry and I traveled out to see my childhood friend get married. I feel so blessed to have had Cassie in my life for 22 years, and was so honored when she asked Em'ry to be her flower girl!

Em'ry was beautiful and did a great job!

Em'ry and Cassie. What a beautiful bride!

No Vegas wedding is complete without Elvis!