Williamsburg, Virginia 2014

Last week, we took a trip to Virginia with James's parents, his brother and family and it was incredible! I've never been to VA before, so I was geared up to see what this part of the country had to offer.  It did not disappoint.  Luke, James's brother, spent two summers at the University of Virginia getting his masters degree in Accounting.  He and Meredith lived on a friend's gorgeous farm, so we got to walk down memory lane with them.  We spent some time at Monticello touring Thomas Jefferson's home and then it was off to Williamsburg to see what it was like in the colonial times during the Revolutionary War.  It really was like stepping back in time…such a fantastic history lesson!  Our last day we went to Jamestown, the first colony in America and then we saw Yorktown, where we defeated the British.  Of course I'll post too many pics, but there was a lot to see!!

Up early, dark early.  Our flight left Amarillo at 5:30 am.

Sydney couldn't understand why she was up this early…neither could we!!

We got to Dallas and it was still dark.  We rode the train around and around the airport and the kids loved it (even though they could only see lights).

The 3 hour plane ride to Richmond got a little interesting.  Toddlers don't like to sit long. :)

We finally made it and had a blast touring UVA!

Walking around campus while all the students were there just took me back…I LOVED COLLEGE!!!

Mischief!

We stayed the night at the Boar's Head Inn and were up bright and early the next day checking it out.

Beautiful!

Anyone spot a boar?  The details were amazing!

In the car and off to tour Monticello!

This place was awesome!  Thomas Jefferson built this house and lived here as a grown man.  He wasn't here much as he served as Virginia's governor and eventually became the third president of the US.

That night we made it to Williamsburg and ate at a tavern.  You really do go back in time…no electricity and everyone was dressed in clothes from the times.

How do you entertain a toddler in a tavern from the 1600's?

Shadows!  Uncle Luke was her entertainment for the night!

The next morning we walked around and explored the GORGEOUS hotel and grounds.

The Williamsburg Inn

Getting' goofy with the ducks!

These two...

Sydney loves horses.  I mean, loves them.  She squeals when she sees one.  There were horses everywhere pulling carriages.

My man!  

Yes, our daughter is barefoot in 50 degree weather because she REFUSED to keep on socks or shoes.  I pick my battles.

There were gardens everywhere…back then there were no grocery stores.  :)

Give me a tent and my family and I'll live the rest of my days happily in God's beautiful creation here!

We came upon the gallows at the courthouse!

This pic is pretty appropriate!

Auntie M…our in-house photographer!!

A picnic in the rain!

Colors

A good idea of what the street looks like as you're walking down.  Little shops, taverns and homes everywhere.

And here comes the Colonial band with their fiddles!

The boys loved this!

Can you name this person?

We ran into characters like this everywhere!

Every afternoon they fired off cannons in a reenactment of the Revolutionary War.

Parker was ready.

Williamsburg became the capital of Virginia after they settled at Jamestown and decided to move the colony.  This was the governor's palace.  Thomas Jefferson lived here.

Katherine and Parker

Getting a little patriotic!

That night our Baylor Bears played TCU and I'm pretty sure we were the loudest room in the whole hotel!  Go Bears…we won!!

Sunday morning and ready to roll.

These boys...

Playing around at the governor's palace.

There was a maze in the "backyard".  AMazing…no pun intended!  ;)

Our last day we visited Jamestown which is right on the ocean.

We saw where the very first settlement of the 12 colonies was.  Remains of the original fort are still there.

A statue of Captain John Smith stands and overlooks the water.

Father/son conversations…so sweet.

Back at the hotel, we rode around the golf course after the guys finished playing.

So, so beautiful.

Sydney did great at dinner.  The high chairs they used were hand made in Williamsburg and just adorable.

And this about sums up how we all felt on the way back home!

If you ever have a chance to go to Williamsburg, I highly recommend it!  It's the best history lesson you'll ever have about our own country!!

October fun!!

Wow!  Has the fall flown by or what??  I can't believe we are almost to the end of October but you know what that means???  The
holidays are almost here!!!!!   It's the most wonderful time of the year! (I may or may not be playing that Christmas song right now)! ;)
October has been a busy month.  We started off by having my family out to the ranch for a weekend of fun.  The weather was perfect for sitting around the fire pit, four wheeler rides, walks and even some apple picking!

Parker picking apples with Braz and Aunt Lindsey!

We love having Neesie and Grandad at the ranch!!

Did I mention that my beautiful sister is ENGAGED??  James took some pics of them out there to use for their save the date cards! ;)  April is going to be a fun month!!

We love Braz and are excited to welcome him into the family.

Rocks are so fun to play in.

So little miss priss decided she wanted to sit and get her picture taken too.

Then she started posing…y'all, I died!

I could eat her up.

A beautiful sky…God is so creative!

And the next day Braz decides to scale the tallest windmill at the ranch…CRAZY!!

That thing is old, I wouldn't even get on the first rung of the ladder.

A little fun with the camera!

It should be noted that he proposed to Lindsey by taking her sky diving and having a huge banner on the ground for her to see as she fell to the Earth that said "Lindsey, will you marry me?"  Heights do not bother them, clearly.

Riding four wheelers with this guy will never get old!!

I still remember my first trip to the ranch when we were dating in college…16 years ago.  

Gosh, now I feel old.  :(

Dad and his girls!

Love birds!

Stay tuned…pics from our Virginia trip are up next.  

I'm a Texas girl and always will be, but my word…Virginia is GORGEOUS!!!

Labor Day weekend

Labor day weekend is always a fun weekend at the ranch wrapping up summer with the family!  We try to pack it all into a long weekend before we "shut it down" for the summer.  The pool gets covered out there, deer feeders and blinds get ready for the upcoming season and believe it or not, the trees start changing here pretty quick!!  It's SO weird…it's hot up until Labor day and then miraculously, we cool down the next week and fall is here to stay!

Two little monkeys helping me pack for the ranch!

Sydney was all about playing around the pool, not so much in the pool!

She sure looked cute though.

The kids even swam in the lake.  

Blake and Parker taking a dip!

One night we all cooked hot dogs and s'mores in the creek bed.

Which translates into a sand party for the kids!

I was digging sand out of Sydney for days and days after this!  ;)

Parker making four wheeler noises and taking Juliet on a "ride"!

Just hanging out while the bacon was being cooked outside.

Two professional bacon taste testers right there!

Little miss I want to go fast!!

And somewhere in there…I had a birthday!   

My in-laws were sweet to throw me a birthday lunch after church on my big day!

First day of kindergarten

We are into our 4th week of kindergarten, so it might be a good time to post about the first day!  ;)  Leading up to the first day, Parker was so nervous.  He didn't want to talk about it or even think about it. Thankfully the school had a "burger bash" night where all the families could go up to the school, meet the teacher, and eat burgers.  It was a fun and casual night meant to calm some nerves.

Then Monday morning rolled around and he was all smiles when he woke up.  We had a special cinnamon roll breakfast, then he put on his new outfit, sported the new backpack and lunch box, took some obligatory first day pics in the back yard and off we went!

Once we got out of the car, that's when the tears started.  Parker was still good, but I was crying.  I was such a wreck that whole morning.  We walked him into his classroom, greeted his teacher and then gave good bye hugs.  More tears…from all of us.  James walked me to my car, ( I was wearing my sunglasses at this point to hide my ugly cry).  I got in the car and just sat there and cried.  James stood at my window and asked if I was going to be ok (because clearly I looked like I had lost it).  My saving grace was having my baby girl in the back seat…I still have a buddy at home with me.  We won't talk about the day I drop her off.  I will head straight to counseling after that. 

In the end, Parker had a wonderful first day!  In fact, when I picked him up at 1:00 that afternoon, he came running out of the school and announced that kindergarten was great and recess was the best!!  What else could you ask for?  Here are some pics to document this momentous event…

Meet the teacher night!

Mrs. Casey had a fun activity for us to do together.

Even Sydney had a great time!

All ready the night before.

Eating breakfast the morning of and reciting scripture.  

Jack, a sweet friend of Parker's, gave him a framed verse that he could claim on his first day of kindergarten.

Walking to the front door.

This day was special for James because this is the same school where he went to kindergarten!

Parker is so nervous in this pic bless his heart.

Excited to find his name at his spot.

Saying goodbye.

There are no pics of me at this point because I was a mess.  I hid behind my sunglasses and phone and took pics of everyone else.  

 I may or may not have showed up to spin class later that morning still sporting my sunglasses.  The good thing about that??  I was surrounded by other mommies who had just done the same thing or experienced it in the past, I was in good company! ;)

Proverbs 24:3-6

This is something that I wanted to be sure and record because I want our kids to be able to go back and see these pictures in the blog book that I print for many years to come!

Proverbs 24:3-6
"By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it's walls are established.  Through knowledge it's rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."
From the day we bought our lot of land to build our future house on, through all of the planning stages and design, and now during the actual framing of the structure, we have put our trust in the Lord and His perfect will and plan.  He has opened doors and continues to guide us through this process.
As the bones of our house are formed, we give Him the glory and want the very foundation of this house to reflect Him.
On Saturday morning, James and I went over to our house armed with verses from the Bible that we thoughtfully claimed for each room and wrote them on the beams.  Long after they are covered with more wood, sheetrock, etc…we will know and remember the truths we claimed for that room.  My prayer is that the workers who show up Monday morning will read these verses and be forever changed!

James on a ladder writing a verse on a casing.

The kitchen

The laundry room

Homework room

The pantry

The dining room

Guest bedroom

Front entry

James's office

A doorway

Entrance to garage

My desk area

A quote from Jim Austin (James's dad) that James grew up hearing!  ;)

James's office

I will post more as the second story comes into fruition.

We are waiting on a main bean to go up with the family room…Deuteronomy 6:5-8 will be written there, love this verse...

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.