Daingerfield State Park

Yesterday we decided to do a last minute day trip.  The truck needed to drive some to break in the new tie rod ends and ball joints before the long drive next week.  We looked in our Texas info guide and decided on Daingerfield State Park.  It was about 200 miles away with a nice large lake.  

When we got there the kids had fun playing on rocks while Jeff rented paddle boats for the lake :)

Jeff helping Grant get on his life vest.

Sandra

They even had a small one for our baby :)

Loading up the paddle boats.  Jeff got Grant, Sandra and Mhari.  I had the baby and Talmage.  It worked out pretty well.

Talmage

Mhari

the view while out on the lake.  Such a beautiful day, even if it was hot.

more scenery.

The last little area we paddled to had tons of lily pads.  It was super cool.  Talmage, and the others, had lots of fun playing with them - pushing them into the water.

Talmage

Baby and me hanging out by the lily pads.

The view of the lily pads

On our way back we got a head of Jeff.  This is what we looked like :)

Meanwhile Jeff had let the kids take off their shoes and put their feet in the water for the ride back to the dock.

They loved it!

When we were all done and hanging out on the dock we met a man who was fishing... and had actually caught a fish.  The kids loved it!

Oh, and they loved hanging out with him watching him fish.  He was a nice guy to put up with our curious kids :).

We had a great time and will probably do another day trip when it's a little bit cooler :).  It's nice to get out in nature as a family!

The tooth story :(

A couple of weeks ago we were at the store (buying our new table) and the kids were looking at the couches.  I was with them and we were going up to join Jeff at the front of the store.  On our way out there is a spot that has 4 or 5 steps - cement steps.  Mhari was in front of the group and I was at the back with the baby.  Suddenly I hear this smack and crying.  I put baby down and ran over to her.  She was at the bottom of the steps... she had tripped and landed at the bottom - not tumbled, but strait shot down all of her force landing at the bottom of the steps.  I picked her up to check her hands and knees, but nothing.  Then I checked her mouth :(.  

Ya, it was bleeding and her front tooth was loose.  Maybe the hard part of having lots of kids is that I'm starting to relive previous accidents... like when Grant was 1 1/2 and cracked his mouth on a folding table at church :(.  We ended up in the emergency room and no real answers.  

So, I'm experienced right?!  I knew it was bad, I could see the lines on her gums around the front left tooth where it had cracked into the cement.  I grabbed a wipey and held her trying to keep the tooth in place.  Jeff finished up with the purchase and we went home.  

She was in pain, but such a trooper.  I figured we'd get in with the Pediadentist on Monday and get an x-ray to see how bad the damage was.  Well, they were on vacation on Monday so we got in on Tuesday and had the x-ray taken.  Yup, the root was broken :(.  The Dr. gave her some antibiotics and decided to follow up in a week.  

I forgot to take pictures... but this is how quickly she healed - gums and mouth at least.  These were taken on Tuesday after the Dentist appointment:

It also broke her lip on the inside.  Really, it was looking really pretty good...

Until the next week Monday when Mhari jumped and bonked her tooth on my chin - Owe!  Oh, and re-injured it all over again :(.  I had to hold her tooth in place and the gums were pretty broken up again.

So we followed back up and did another x-ray and it confirmed that she's going to loose her tooth :(.  Her body is starting to dissolve the root and so the tooth will work it's way out on it's own.  She'll just be toothless for a few years.  I'll update a photo when it finally comes out.  Oh, it's sad, but she's such a good little girl.  I hope she enjoys having a toothless smile ;).  

Creative Kids

Our kids like to play outside, build things, and use their creative energies.  I love to see what they come up with.  We have had our swing set for about 5 years and there used to be a circle swing off the end of it.  After a few years the sun had weathered the rope and it broke.  The kids came up with their own solution for a rope swing:

I'm surprised the hose held up as well as it did!

I love that they made it a loop so they could use their feet to hold them up.

Sandra's turn.

Such creative kids.  

Grant swinging.  

Jeff and I were talking and wondered what they would do if we just left a rope outside to see what they did with it :).


On another note:


Boys will be boys!

All of my handsome boys huddled around the computer watching soccer.  Silly boys :).  

at the Grown Up Table

Over the years our little family has turned into a big family :).  We have slowly been outgrowing our kitchen table.  When Jeff's parents were in town we sent them home with our old table because we had ordered our first kitchen table that would fit our family (it could seat up to 8 people).  Well, that table fell through and we were left with out a kitchen table.  

It has been a couple of months since our small table left us and this was our solution.  I got my craft table downstairs with our extra chairs.  Let's just say it felt less than classy!

Last weekend we went out table shopping - again.  We had gone back and forth between buying and making a table.  At the 2nd store we went to I saw the table!  Yes, it was our table, the exact table that had fallen through that Jeff and I both loved.  It was great to sit at it, try out some different options and decide that we were ready to, once again, purchase our table.  The best part was that they could deliver it the very next week!  It has arrived and I love it... 

and the kids love it too!

It is nice and big!

This time instead of ordering the 2 extra chairs we needed we got a bench for the kids.  It is nice and long and could fit up to 5 kids on it!  That's even more seating... we could invite friends over for dinner ;).

 .
You can really see how long the bench is with all 4 kids on it... and there's extra room :)!

OK, so here it is without the kids:


After this picture, I centered the table to the pictures on the wall... I really like the distance around everything too.

another close up of the bench.

With getting the table we moved our hutch into the kitchen.  I really love the way it has changed the whole feel of our kitchen... we are grown ups now!

It's great to have a good job that we can buy a table that will fit our family and even a few extra friends!  
Now time to go make some dinner and start breaking it in ;)

Baby Love

Baby has really started becoming another one of the kids.  He will join in with the tackle games the kids play. He also likes to go up and give hugs to his siblings... well, parents too :).  He's just so cute!

Clark with Mhari and Sandra

Getting Sandra

Oh, and since I never officially documented it... Clark walks :).  Here's just a couple of photos.  He's walking a lot these days!

and when he falls he's happy to crawl wherever... since for now he's still faster at crawling.

Happy Baby days :)

1 Year old Handsome!

OK, so his birthday was a few weeks ago, but the time has come to do the 1 year pictures :).  He is such a good boy and has really been progressing a lot lately.  He now climbs the stairs and can go down them too!  He is walking more and more, but still faster at crawling.  He eats most any people food and still naps about 3 times a day... OK, OK, on to the pictures.

I was able to leave the other 4 with a friend so that I could just focus on Clark.  Which ended up being great since he wasn't in a real smiley mood.  I was able to get some good ones though :).  

I put him down my the lily pond and he proceeded to try to crawl into it.  Man does he love water!

Standing on the bridge

crawling

one of my favorites :)

good face shot

mischievous smile - stealing the fishy baggie

sucking the finger - the most common picture of Baby

smile with the finger

so cute

another of my favorites!

Man, he's just getting so grown up so fast!