Summer Fun

Last night we met the James' at Tyler State Park. They've been camping out there this week and invited us out for the evening. Emma caught her first fish! It was very small, but it still counts. There were tons of little fish right at the dock. We saw a little turtle swimming around the bottom of the lake. We heard lots of frogs, but never got to see them. The kids got to play on the nice, new playground while the guys did a little more fishing. It was a really nice relaxed evening.

Susie made Emma a quilt and matching sham for her bed. My grandmother made me one and I still cherish it. Nanny helped a little so she had to be in the picture too.

Danny and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on July 5th.

We went to Pleasant Hill again this year to watch the fireworks show. I think it was even better than last year. Little Jonah got to see fireworks for the first time. He was so good. He even fell asleep during the show. The Smith's were there too and we saw some friends from church. It was a great way to celebrate Independence Day.

Disney World

I took about 500 pictures so I tried to pick some of my favorites. We arrived in Disney on Sunday and went swimming at our resort, then off to Downtown Disney to shop and eat at Planet Hollywood. Monday we tackled Magic Kingdom. We got there when it opened and planned on spending the whole day there, but by 5pm we were worn out and decided to go back to the hotel and swim and relax a little before heading to dinner at Chef Mickey's. We got to see and get autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Goofey, Donald, and Pluto. It was really fun. Tuesday we went to breakfast and got to take pictures with Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White. Then we spent the whole day at Epcot and got to see the fireworks show there. Wednesday was Hollywood Studios where we ate at the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater which was neat. We sat in old cars and watched old drive in movies. We saw a fun parade there and some neat shows. Thursday we had 8am breakfast reservations which Alyssa and Danny were not thrilled about, but they got up and we made it. There we saw Pooh, Tigger, Mary Poppins, Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland. The autographs were just about full. Then off to Animal Kingdom. There were some animals there that we don't have here and the tree of life is really interesting. My favorite show was there, The Festival of the Lion King. On our way out it started raining so we had to ditch our plan of swimming at the hotel and go shopping instead. They have a big outlet mall there which was the highlight for Alyssa. Emma loved it all. She says we're going back when she's 8 which Danny actually agreed to so I guess that says he had a good time too. It was a great family vacation.

Emma's 1st dance recital

She got a 1st year ribbon and a carnation from her teachers!
The big performance

On our way to recital

Emma was a natural on the stage. She wasn't a bit nervous. Of course I think she was the best one up there:-) She had a great first year at Dance N Drill and she's looking forward to going back in September.

Getting back to my roots...

Every Saturday before Easter my dad's family gets together in Garrison, TX for the "Easter Davis Family Reunion". This has been going on since way before I was even thought of. My sister and I spent every Spring Break there as kids and we loved it. I realized today how many wonderful memories I have of being there. It's literally in the sticks so there's no cable, no shopping, just dirt roads and mother nature. The old homeplace, as they call it, where my grandmother and her nine brothers and sisters grew up, is still there. It's atleast 75 years old and it survived the raising of 10 kids, numerous grandkids, greats, and now great greats. Amazingly it's still standing, although one of my aunts refuses to step foot in it for fear of the ceiling caving in or the floor rotting underneath her. It did seem so much smaller than I remember, but I guess I'm a little bigger too. Sadly they did finally tear down the old outhouse. I wanted Alyssa to experience that;)
My grandmother, MeMaw, passed away in 1996, two months before Alyssa was born. I went to one reunion the year after her death, but it wasn't the same without her there so I never went back. Well, one of my cousins started a blog and all the family gets on, even the older ones, and my aunts kept asking us to come. So today, Alyssa, Lori, and I loaded up and first went to White Rock Cemetery, where my dad and MeMaw are buried and placed some flowers on their gravesides. Most of the people buried in that cemetery are our relatives so that was neat to show Alyssa. My great grandparents are buried there, as well as some uncles and cousins who have passed over the years. After that, with the help of my GPS, we ended up on a five mile long red dirt road, with absolutely no cell phone signal, on our way to the homeplace. We were chased by dogs, saw a dead cow in a pond, and almost ran smack into a calf standing in the middle of the road. I so wish I had a picture of that. After those few near death experiences and a lot of laughs we finally made it there. To be honest I dreaded going. I thought Alyssa would be bored and I thought it would make me sad to go back, but it was just the opposite. I think Alyssa must have liked it, b/c she's going back with my sister tomorrow for the reunion. She says she wants a cow. LOL!! I'm so glad I went back to my roots and shared some of them with my daughter. I'm looking forward to bringing the whole family back next year.

I'm a cheer mom...

This past Friday was a very stressful, but proud day for me and Alyssa. She has been cheering since she was 7 years old and tumbling since age 5. She has tried just about every sport...t-ball, soccer, karate, dance, and gymnastics, but cheer was always her passion. All her hard work paid off. She made 8th grade cheerleader. 34 girls worked really hard that week and tried out, but only 12 were chosen. I am so proud of her. It was an emotional roller coaster for her, because her very best friend did not make it. Alyssa was excited for herself, but devastated for Mallory. I'm sure all this means I'll be sacrificing more time and money, but it's worth it to see her doing what she loves.

Emma talk

The day after the presidential election....
Emma: Mommy do you know who our president is?
Me: who?
Emma: The Rock Obama

Today...
Me: Let's get your clothes on for school. (pink shirt)
Emma: is it not Aunt Patrick's day anymore?

I love this age when they just say what they hear (or think they hear). It was so cute that I couldn't bare to correct her. I think she's growing up so fast, but when she says things like this it makes me want to scoop her up and rock her like my baby she'll always be.

Fire Mountain

Friday night we went out with our friends to eat Mexican food and then went to Fire Mountain Amusement. We started our day in capris and short sleeves and ended up running home to get jackets before heading to fire mountain. You gotta love East Texas weather! We did the bumper boats first. Emma started off wanting to ride by herself because Dylan was, but when it came her turn she decided to let Daddy drive. I think this was her least favorite thing because she got a little wet. Then we were off to the little go karts. She had no fear when it came to these. She was a pro. I was a little nervous b/c she has never done anything like this by herself, but she just got in there and took off. Well of course the big guys (Danny and David)weren't gonna let the little ones have all the fun so they had to ride the big karts. They did let the little ones come along for the ride though. After a few games it was time to call it a night. Emma was pooped!!

Hopefully she will be this brave at Disney World. I got to make our dinner reservations yesterday and the girls' hair and nails appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo. My "Disney Plan" is coming along more and more each day. Danny thinks all the planning is crazy, but he will appreciate all my organization when we get there...I hope. Only 86 days:-)