Fun Stuff in July...

Swim Lessons...this is Reese on her first day...awaiting our session.  Ha.  So serious.  She was not too sure about everything, but eager to get in the water!!!  She is basically a fish.

She is taking lessons @ the Swim Ranch in Fayetteville.  This is her teacher Mrs. Virginia.  She is great and Reese loves her.  This place is beautiful, I have really enjoyed taking Reese each day this week.  Tomorrow, Daddy will get his turn getting in the water with Reese at swim lessons.  I will be sitting in the sun, trying to catch a tan while watching.  That is the plan.

Monday our sweet friends Ryan and Rachel Blackwell had their 1st baby.  

Brady Ryan Blackwell.   It was so fun to go and hold him and anticipate holding our own in just 4 short months...16 weeks!  Ryan, Nick and another guy named Bode grew up together and were really good friends from Kindergarden to 12th grade.  Well, Bode had a son several months ago.  Ryan just had a son on Monday and we will be having a son in Nov.  Ha.  Perhaps these 3 guys will be best friends too?  Fun to think about!

We had our small group over Wednesday night.  We played catch phrase and had a great time! Thanks guys for coming and for those who couldn't come....you were missed.

Last Sunday night the Pinnacle campus had a family night @ the Springdale Aquatic Center.  It was really fun but I was freezing.  Nick did most of the swimming with Reese.

Our good friends from Dallas came up for a visit several weeks ago.  

Ben, Jen, Kingston and Kennedy Hangartner.  

Thanks guys for coming!!! We had so much fun!

(OK, you other Dallas friends...we are awaiting your visit.  

You are always welcome in our home.  Come see us!!!)

We took them to the creek behind the Church at Pinnacle Hills.  Usually we just put our feet in, but Ben said that he was thinking about getting in.  He did!  It was freezing and Kingston and Reese joined him.  We had lots of fun.  It was beautiful.

Several weeks ago we met our friends Serenity, Ashlyn and Kerrington @ the Splashpark in Rogers for a little playdate.  This was Reese's 1st splashpark adventure, she loved it.  

Thanks guys, we must do it again!

July 4th/Destin Vacation...

Happy 4th of July everyone!  The Sunday before we celebrated at Pinnacle Hills....baptism @ the Crosses.  There were 117 people baptized.  It was awesome.  There was live music, food and fireworks.  Reese really liked them, she was not scared.

Ronnie baptizing under the crosses.

Last Sunday we had Tim Lee preach @ both campuses.  He is a military veteran who lost both of his legs while at war.  These are 3 of his grandchildren.  They sat with us at the fireworks and entertained Reese.  It worked out great!  Lots of duck duck goose....lots of beads...lots of I don't know.  I just know I am glad they came b/c it made that experience much more pleasant that it might have been.  Thanks girls!  Tim Lee's testimony was amazing.  You can google him if you want to hear his story.

Mom was with us this day b/c she flew up to stay with Reese while Nick and I went to the Southern Baptist Convention...(I need to add those pictures to the blog too!) and to Beach camp in Destin.  She stayed with Reese all week!  Thanks Mimi!!!

Reese watching the fireworks with Poppy and GiGi.

Floyd Family Vacation 09...San Destin Florida.  

Thank you Lord for this blessing.

Last week we were all together in one condo...ha...Poppy, GiGi, me, Nick, Reese, Josh, Kate, Peyton and Parker....and baby boy Floyd too...we can't forget him.  By the way, have I mentioned Reese is outnumbered.....poor baby.  Perhaps Olivia will have a girl??? Or me or Kate one of these days????  It was really fun.  My youngest sister Abby drove up from my hometown of Sebring Florida to be our babysitter @ night....it was really nice.  She would help during the day and babysit @ night while we went out to dinner.  She stayed part of the week.  Thanks Aunt Abby!!!

Parker, Peyton, Reese 

This is the 1st summer Reese has really been able to have fun in the water.  Last summer she was just so young....but this summer she is a new person.  She LOVES it.  She would stay in the pool all day if I let her.  She is so brave...just goes right in without me helping her...So I guess that is a good thing and a bad thing.  I will have to keep my eye on her.  All that to say, she loves to swim and is not afraid of the water. 

 It was so enjoyable to see her joy this week.  

Ok....so this was definitely a crazy moment of the week.....We went to see our friend's home in Seaside.  She was going to take us from the 2nd floor up to the 3rd floor on her elevator...well...we got on...6 of us (bad idea....) and she pushed the button and we did not move.  FYI: this elevator is probably at the most 4 by 4...small for 6 people.  SO....we were going to open the door to see if we had moved but it was LOCKED....oh my.  I have never been locked in an elevator!!!!!  Here we are....6 deep...summer time...I am pregnant....and I tell Kate....  "I am claustrophobic"....I didn't know that I was but I decided in that moment that I was!  I had a heat wave come over my body from my head to my toe...I was burning up!  I was starting to panic...thinking...we are going to die from lack of air...there are only 6 of us...I started imagining what it would be like to have trouble breathing...muggy...hot...So Johnelle called out to Ronnie.....THANK GOODNESS he did not get on b/c he was going to save us!!!! I have never been so happy to hear his voice.  Everyone is remaining so calm except me....I am thinking...we should just call 911 right now so they can be on there way to rescue us....Johnelle tells him where there is a sewing needle and how to try to unlock the door.  Finally Nick does something to this top lever thing and we are free.  OH My....I was sooooooo thankful to get out of that elevator.  This must have lasted 5 minutes but it felt like an hour.  Oh and while we were waiting, it was mentioned that we might be stuck between the two floors...that is what really got me freaked out...but we had not moved...still on the 2nd floor.  Too much weight?

We decided to take the stairs...

Thanks for the adventure Johnelle, I love your house!

Rhett and Laren Lashlee were @ Seaside the same night we were....it was great to see them!

Happy 18th Birthday ABBY!  

July 6th was her birthday.  We surprised her when we got home one night with a beach themed cake...ha.  

One of the nights we took the kids to this park thing...Nick took Reese on the bumper cars and go carts....I wanted to take Reese on the bumper cars but decided not too since I am pregnant...I am soooooo glad I did not go!!!  Kate came off soaked....Nick had something to do with that..and some random guy who kept following Kate around in the pool spraying her....random....

AND...we decided that they really shouldn't let kids this little ride the go carts....she is jus so tiny.  They had fun though...Nick went slow on the outside of the track and kept my baby safe.

This is the 1st big ride Reese has ever been on in her life...I was so proud of here....this plane actually went up in the air...yes mom...I tied her in extra good!!! I know you are thinking right now that you can't believe I let her do that....but she was fine...ha.

Above...Reese and Peyton watching fireworks from our balcony.

Below....Pictures of Reese, Parker and Peyton at dinner one night....And yes "orange" is the new red, white and blue....if you didn't know.  (no actually, I got back from shopping and Nick had done such a great job of getting her ready in this cute orange dress with her hair fixed and everything that I hated to change her.  She looked so cute in this dress with her tan skin....so I ended up not even putting her in her July 4th outfit on July 4th....crazy mommy...oh well.  She got to wear it to the Fireworks at the Crosses....that makes me feel better.

Reese did really well on the plane...really into buckling and unbuckling...whatever floats her boat and keeps her quiet works for me.  

Great week!  Lots of fun.  Thankful.