Fun at the Terrell's...The kids and I went over to Marlow, OK (John's hometown) to visit with our friend's Kristen and Steve and kids. We met at OSU through them and I had not seen Kristen in probably 2 years. They have twin girls a couple of months older than Jacob and a 3 yr old son. The kids all had a ball playing together and splashing around in their pool. Jacob made great headway in his swimming skills. He actually managed to swim all the way from one end of the pool to the other without touching or using any kind of flotation device. He was so proud! It will be great when we go to my mom and dad's in TX later in the week so he can continue to practice since they have a pool. We wound up spending the night and then joined us the next day. The kids and I came home last night due to exhaustion (ha!) and John stayed over last night to play golf with Steve. Summer fun!

A Night Out...I took the kids over to our friends, Chris and Kathy Kirk's(aka. Fireman Chris and Aunt Kat), house last night for pizza and chatting. We had such a great time catching up and just hanging out. The kids just love them. Their son just got hired on as a Fireman at DFW Airport and is engaged to be married so they are super excited. They are building an addition on to their house and it is going to look so beautiful when it is done. Not to mention, guest room for us to come and stay when it is done. Yippee! I laughed, though, because they bought a hot tub off ebay and it is still on a trailer in the back yard. I told them they really were red necks if they could hook their hot tub up to the truck and go to any party in town. Ha! Reminds me of that song "Redneck Yacht Club". Love it!

Update on the Elliotts...Last weekend was really busy for us. Saturday, we drove to Davis to Smokin Joes BBQ for Patrick's 5th birthday party. It was really fun to be back with them for the celebration. We ate wonderful bbq and the kids go to play in a little kiddie pool and slide down some mega slip-n-slides. So they had a ball and were covered in grass! Sunday, we made a whirlwind trip up to OKC to go with Carolyn and Jared to take Bill out to lunch for Father's Day. Bill looked so pleased and happy to be out of the hospital and surrounded by loved ones. Julia sat next to him at lunch and just patted on his arm and hugged him. Jacob enjoyed pushing him around in his wheelchair. They were very sweet together. I have a lot of pictures to post for alas, my USB cable is packed in the POD so it will have to wait. John is commuting back and forth to NY to fly until he get assigned back to DFW. But it is still good to be back in OK and TX.

My mom is recovering from hernia surgery but as soon as she is feeling perkier, we are going to head down to Dallas for a few days to visit Ma Mere and Pa Pere. The kids can hardly wait to see them, the dogs, and splash around in the pool. Even I am looking forward to pool time with all this unaccustomed heat and humidity. Ha!

News Alert...Jacob tied his shoes today for the very first time! He is so proud! It has really been hard for him since he is left handed living with right handed parents.

Also, I weighed the kids today. Jacob weighs 70.8 lbs and Julia weighs 50.2! You can't tell it by looking at Julia since she is a a tall sip of water but pick her up and she is heavy! And she is only in pre-k! Wow! She'll be tall like John and his dad and grandmother.

Summer Rain...Spent all day yesterday and today inside due to heavy thundershowers yesterday and heavy mosquito population today. The rain did bring the temperatures down some so that was nice. But poor Jacob is just like me in that he can't even say "mosquito" without acquiring 3 more bites. And that is with bug spray on. Ick! The kids and I went down to the Dollar General the other day and bought a blow up baby swimming pool, goggles and snorkles, and water guns so as soon as the sun comes back out and dries out the back yard a little bit, we are back to splashing in the water outside.

We are trying to plan a trip down to Dallas soon to see my mom and dad. We have a birthday party in Davis on Saturday for Patrick's 5th birthday. Should be fun!

Playdate...Spent yesterday at my friend, Kristin Littlefield's, house with the kids. The kids had a ball and we got a chance to catch up. It was really fun! I am so glad to be back closer to her again. I even got the chance to finally meet her niece, Brenna, and nephew, Ethan, that I have heard so much about. Brenna is spending this summer with her again. My only problem is that they sound so much alike on the phone that I never know who I am talking to. Ha!

Today, I relaxed, cleaned house, and tonight John mowed the yard and made smores for all of us on the chiminea. The kids call it having a "campout". Making memories!

Back in God's Country...Otherwise known as the Bible Belt...Well, we made it back to Oklahoma today. It has been 8 days since we left NY. It has been a good but long trip. The kids did great and were real troopers. It helped that Daddy found them a pool in every hotel we stayed it! Ha! Along the way, Jacob got pink eye, John's allergies kicked up, and I got some mysterious fever for the last day or so of the trip. It will feel good to be out of the car for a while! We really miss all our friends in NY and are looking forward to seeing our friends back in Oklahoma again. Jacob and Julia already have a birthday party to go to in 2 weeks. Ha! Will post more once rested. Happy Sunday! And thanks for all your prayers for us for a safe journey...it worked!