A Wolf at the Blue & Gold Banquet!

So, I was thinking tonight about how many Blue & Gold Banquets I've attended in my life. It's a lot and I still think they are super fun! Henry was our center of attention tonight. He is doing such a great job in scouts. We are super proud of him. Henry performed in his first skit ever tonight and did a really good job. Those are so cute. They even got Jeff into one skit since he tags along to scouts every week with Henry and Dad. Tonight Henry was awarded his Wolf rank as well as 2 silver arrow points (30 electives completed) and 4 new belt loops for computers, chess, music, and video games! Whew! I received my first mother's pin for Henry's Wolf rank. He pinned it on at the dinner but the photo was blurry so we took another one at home. He pinned it on upside down and then for his "good turn" he played with Kelsey and gave her one of his stuffed toys to sleep with. After I saw him being so nice to Kelsey I let him turn my pin right side up. :) The cub program in our ward is awesome! Even though Henry is the only boy his age, his leader Brother Hickman comes prepared and excited every week. Henry loves it!

Monday at the Beach

Before Dennis and his family had to head out of town, we pulled the boys out of school early for a little beach time. The beach here in Biloxi isn't the best swimming beach but kids don't seem to mind that. I prefer to either head out to the barrier islands or head east into Florida where the water is clearer. The kids had fun splashing and playing while the adults lounged on the beach. Micki, my brothers wife who I have no photos of, was tending the little sick one in the van. The poor little thing was still sick and didn't want anything to do with the beach! They hit the road and made it to Montgomery late Monday night. Unfortunately, all their little ones ended up with the yuck once they got home. No fun! Only our little Kelsey got a little something, but she's already back to her old self. Despite the illness, cousins sure are a fun thing to have! As someone who missed out on the cousin thing, I know!

Campfire!

Sunday evening Dustin and Dennis got the campfire going and we enjoyed an evening of visiting, eating, and music. Dustin played the guitar and Emily played the flute. She has only been playing for about 6 months and she is doing so well. Mom and I were very, very impressed. We ate yummy s'mores until we couldn't eat any more! Jeff wanted to try having a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup on a s'more. I didn't try it, but it got rave reviews from those who were braver than me!

Sunday Afternoon BBQ!

Not everyone was feeling well this past weekend which is why I don't have photos of everyone

who came to visit. :(

After church the little sick one perked up a bit and we barbequed hamburgers and ate outside. It was so nice out. To my surprise, the three little girls all went out to the gazebo to eat on their own. I found them out there eating and chatting after I was finished helping the kids get their plates. They were so cute! The kids played and played and played. I don't know where they get that energy!

My Big Brother's Visit! First Activity: Go Kart!

My brother Dennis and his family came for a visit this past weekend to see us and to see mom while she was down South. Dennis has six children so it was a pretty crazy weekend with ten children in the house! It was super fun and the kids had a lot of fun together. One of the first things we did together was take the go kart out for a spin. We ended up taking it out twice to make sure everyone got a turn over the weekend. I didn't take the camera out the second time and I wish I had. Ben, 10, was so excited to be able to drive it himself and to have taken it "off road" which wasn't supposed to be part of the deal! :) Even Dennis took it for a spin. I love the photo of him. The big kids all got to drive and the little kids took turns as passengers. They all had a really good time. I wish I had had something like that as a kid! Too cool!

Woo-Hoo!

Dustin surprised my mom with tickets to see Gladys Knight while she was here for my mom's birthday gift. Mom and I went and it was so much fun. She is a great performer, even at 66! Her brother, one of the original Pips was also there. One of my favorite songs of all time is Midnight Train to Georgia and it was awesome to see her perform it life. Loved the concert! Loved the "super fans" who were going crazy at the concert, too. She was so personal with the audience. She even took requests, shook hands with people, hugged people, called people out from the audience and sang a version of Happy Birthday to all those who were there celebrating a birthday. How cool is that for my mom..."Yeah, Gladys Knight wished me a happy birthday and sang to me!" Way cool!

What an Awesome Trip!

I am so glad that my mom and I took this cruise together. It was so fun to spend time with just her and to be lazy and relax and have a great time. We ate when we wanted. We slept when we wanted to. We read books and did puzzles. We went to as many activities as we wanted. We didn't change a single diaper, wash a single dish, or do a load a single load of laundry. One day, soon after we got home I was ready for bed at about nine o'clock and I had to laugh. On the cruise we stayed up very late every night. We just weren't tired. We saw the late show, we went to get late night snacks, we read or watched TV. We woke up at about 7 each morning and just enjoyed the day. I realized how tiring it is to take care of little ones when I was done for at 9! Even though I had an amazing time on the cruise and only had to take care of myself, I was very ready to get home to all 5 of my sweethearts as we left the ship. Now, I am all recharged and ready to tackle all my kids can dish out again!