Very Different View

Yes, I had seen pictures....Lots of pictures...But just like everything else, it really doesn't sink in or pictures just don't do it justice....Seeing all the damage from the fires was just crazy...I think I said that word "crazy" hundreds of times this memorial weekend...Mind-boggling, crazy, weird, etc....

I drove down to the lake by myself on saturday (well with the 3 dogs in tow) and the closer I got I could really start seeing all the areas that got hit hard by these fires....Seeing First Baptist Church completely on the ground was really weird...They always have the neatest quotes and I loved reading them...So I thought there would be one up and there wasn't:(....

The amazing thing was seeing how a house would be completely gone and the one next door untouched....

These are from our area--Gaines Bend....You are just so used to all the trees and now it's just empty space...They have already started clearing all the trees.....

You've never been able to walk out of the house towards the road and see the lake.....Now you can...

Lake view of a house that burned.....

Street view of same house from inside Gaines Bend....

A view from the lake...This house basically was over the water....

And here is the same house from the street view inside Gaines Bend

Memorial Weekend

We spent the weekend at the lake like we do every Memorial Weekend...It was crazy windy and made it hard on all our eyes and allergies...All the dust and soot from the fires weren't fun....I will post pictures of all the fire damage....But the kiddos still have a blast....These girls argue like sisters one minute and love each other the next...We decided we probably still have a good 2 years of this and then they will probably be just fine:)

I told Kerry that although Kohen was with us the entire weekend I felt like I never saw him...I don't know if we hardly even spoke!!...He and Jaxson are at that perfect age where they DO get along great and they are in their own little worlds having their own little adventures....

Kresee and Kenzie had to take turns swinging in the baby swing outside over and over again....I thought she looked pretty sweet and cute here:)
And I pulled up a picture from last year during Memorial Weekend...Still blows my mind how fast they grow....All the hair she has now and it's still not very long!!

Kohen as usual spent his days playing outside in his underwear....We did spend a majority of the day on Sunday on the lake...We headed over to their favorite spot--Sandy Beach...It was crowded but fun....I NEVER get in my swimsuit much less the water on Memorial Weekend, but I did both this time...It was cold and it was just to wash the sand off me.....

I love this picture...Think I might need to make it my blog header for this month:)

The boys at the gas station looking at all the nasty fish who love to be fed.....

Last Rangers Game

We had team pictures a few weeks ago...Amber Reed was sweet enough to take a team picture and individual shots of all the boys...Then Ashley Thomas did a great job making the team picture look like this:)

So last Thursday wrapped up the Rangers T-ball season....We don't keep score during the games so we don't have any kind of record for the season:)...Kohen did hit 3 homeruns this season....Overall, he did really well and we were really proud of him...I think he enjoys t-ball and I know would love to do it again next Spring...It will be nice this Fall only doing one sport...But he really wants to try basketball out once Fall Soccer is over.....

My mom helped us out so much this season because she didn't miss any game and if she did miss it was because she was at home watching Kresee...Kerry was out on the field helping out and I was the dugout mom getting all the boys lined up with their bats/helmets when it was our turn to hit...So watching Kresee was impossible....If she knew we were there, she wanted in there with us....

So this last game Mom was helping my sister out at PETS and was late...So Kresee already had a taste of being in the dugout with me....And she was NOT leaving!...Here she is before the game started running around the field playing in all the dirt....

Last time for the whole crew to do their 1, 2, 3 Rangers!!!.....Then after the game, they all received their trophies...Kohen was of course first running around all the bases and was first to get his trophy....That's him way in the front;).....

The rest of the boys going down the line.....

And then Grayson and Noah bringing up the rear:).....

We had to attempt a Mommy and Kohen picture but Kresee needed in on the action.....

Then she couldn't miss out on Daddy and Kohen too.....

Kohen you are such a little super star....We hope you continue to love sports as much as we do (haha) and that you gain more confidence in your abilities as you grow!....

Playhouse

So I've only been begging Kerry for around 3 years now to buy Kohen a swing set....I mean we have this gigantic backyard without one single thing back there for him to play on....And then we have Kresee who is at a perfect age to go out there and have fun with him....I've made it pretty clear to everyone that I really think the kids would love a swing set....So my dad and his sweet girlfriend bought the kiddos one a few weeks ago and it's amazing!!!....And we paid for a guy to put it up--expensive to do, but worth every penny....Because if it was left up for Kerry and I to get it done, it would have taken us months.....It took this guy a 1/2 day to unbox, sort and organize the 1,000 pieces...It was a huge mess!!!...So I can only imagine how not fun it was to actually put together:)

But the kids love it and they think its great...

Sunday Swim Day

Sundays are one of the kids favorite days of the week because we head over to Maw and Papa's house at lunch and don't leave till bedtime...What makes it their favorite is because their cousins come over and they play all day long...Now that it's getting really hot outside and the pool is slowly getting warmer, they will be outside swimming most every Sunday...We now have a second little fish on our hands...She gets in there and just loves it....If we could only get Kohen to learn how to swim without a lifejacket...That is my goal this summer!!!

Kerry tied a little rope to her so she could just swim around on her own without us being in the water...It's still a little too chilly for me...I don't know how they spend hours in there....

Artichoke Art

Leslie and I went to art class tonight on a whim. Kerry and the kids headed to the lake and I have to work tomorrow. So I went and painted; a great way to spend the evening for myself;) I think mine turned out well. I'm pleased. I don't hate it;)


Leslie and me;)


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