Vacation Baby - Lake Catherine!!!!!!!

Well in typical fashion.... the pictures below are us all ready for our vacation adventure.  At least we all had a place to sit - granted we couldn't move beyond that but that's ok!

 

We went cabin camping to Lake Catherine.  We brought only a few things that we didn't actually use/need.  So that will save a bit of room next time.  Scarily enough though - we used everything else we brought.... that's one good thing.... at least we bring it and use it not just bring it to not use it. 

 

 

 

We borrowed the incredibly awesome hitch box below - seriously AMAZING, it held so much stuff (well you know.... we tend to bring a few things with us).... so we have a bigger car and now access to the best hitch box ever...and well.... now we can bring more HA!

 

 

 

 

We made our 7 hour journey to Lake Catherine in Arkansas.  This is our fourth time there and we seem to fall in love a little more each time we go!

 

Part of all of that stuff we drug with us is the raft below!!  YES!!!  We brought our own little boat to tootle around the lake in.

 

 

 

One day we ventured into Hot Springs one afternoon and went to the Mountain Tower for some scenery and pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went hiking - let me say this trail kicked our butts!!!!  Holy smokes, it was hot, wicked hot, it was steep, it was wow!!!  But it was fun.  There is a reason I was taking the pictures and not in them - you wouldn't see anything but a bright red hot face in the middle of the beauty.   It was just over 4 miles it was fun.

 

 

 

Poor turtle scared Mikayla senseless..... she was certain it was a man eating critter there to attack her.

 

 

We made our way to the waterfalls.  There were people swimming in the pool below, if we had known, we would have been prepared for that too!  Next time! 

 

 

She was saying get me outta here! 

 

 

I was hard to capture the sunsets....but it was truly amazing!  I actually spent more time enjoying the vacation and not photographing every single second.  (I still have 340 pictures from the week though) 

 

 

 

 

Good times!!!  To be continued.........

 

Happy July 4th!!!

Wow!  So many things to say but I'm going to start with our July 4th celebration.  We had a Plan A that didn't work out so we went with Plan B and that was we took my dad out to dinner and then our next door neighbors bought "the Godfather" firework box.... so we had our own personal firework display in our front yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously - it was AMAZING!  It was professional fireworks in a box for the average consumer!  Plus Michael liked the name LOL!

 

 

It was sprinkling so we hung out with our umbrellas for the fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish the pictures had come out better but it was a combination of rain, cell phone, night time that changed it but that's ok, we had a great time!!! 

Grand Prix of Houston

Well there are so many parts to this puzzle that suffice it to say that we got tickets to the Grand Prix because we test drove a Honda (ended up buying one too) - so the consolation prize for that was tickets to the race yay!!

 

Turns out it's also our big Birthday week Tami, Michael and my dad.  So this was all a part of our weekend fun.

 

We've never been to this kind of race before (besides drag races which are very different - duh) but anyway prior to the race, the racers ride around the track in the back of a pickup....

 

I am a big fan of Helio and it's all because I "know" him from Dancing with the Stars, I was an avid voter for him to win that show....

 

So he was here!!! He was racing today!!!!! Prior to the race, the drivers ride in a truck and drive the track, I took a picture of every single driver as they were going by, just in case I missed him.

 

 

driver 1, nope

 

 

driver 2 - nope

 

 

driver 3 - nope

 

 

driver 4 - nope

 

 

driver 5 - nope

 

 

driver 6 - nope

 

 

driver 7 - nope

 

 

Nope - he was driver 8 or 9 that I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE OF!!! I swear he looked right at me and said HI!!!! YES he did, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  (I am easily star struck)

 

My excitement was ridiculous at just being in the same vicinity.... how ridiculous am I  (no need to answer that.....)

 

I'm sure as he was driving by at 200+ miles an hour he was waving to me in the picture below.

 

 

M&M down at the fence looking at them fly by!

 

ahhh here he comes again, see - he kept coming around to wave to me!  (not because the track was 51 times around or anything)

 

 

We had to find some shade, the direct sun was brutal!!  Hello tiki umbrella!

 

 

Those cars are so small!  SO SO SO small

 

 

I got my picture with Helio!!!!! 

 

 

What a fun birthday weekend!!

 

 

 

 

 

Phone dump

Crazy title but I have just a bunch of random pictures for today.  We've been really busy settling into our new routine - the summer routine.  I LOVE summer routine!!!  Literally 1/2 mile to take Mikayla to summer day camp and then literally 1/2 mile to work, 1/2 mile back to pick her up and 1/2 mile home provided there aren't any errands to run. It's amazing!!!!!!

 

This was Mikayla in LESS than 5 minutes after we got home on the first day of camp.

 

Our weekend mermaid - she can not get enough swim time!!!

 

 

 

Random!!!  We were out for a drive and stopped at a restaurant to eat and this little fella was here waiting for us to come along and take a picture!

 

 

We played glow in the dark put put gof....seriously fun!!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Some slime making with Elmer's glue, borax and water.  Good times!!!

 

 

 

 

Ran into some friends with their new baby.  Mikayla couldn't wait to hold her.  She loves babies! 

 

 

 

That's it for now!  we've just been running from something and to something else with a bunch of stuff in between Ha!

 

Have a great weekend!