Uneventful Week

Well, there's not a whole lot to report this week, but after last week's near-fatal scooter crash, we're grateful for all the "normal" days we can get. I actually had the day off Saturday (the one I get for the month) and Scott thought it would be a good idea for us to drive up to Eureka Springs for the afternoon (he just wanted to try the new car on some fun roads, as you could have guessed). It was a BEAUTIFUL day for being outside and walking through downtown Eureka. We ate some, walked through a few shops, ate some more, and then came home. If anyone's been wondering if Eureka has changed much in the past 15 years, it hasn't. Scott was just bummed that we missed the Corvette rally by one weekend. Oh well, there's always next year...
The girls fell in love with a dog in one of the toy stores. It took us a while to figure out if it was real or stuffed because it had dreadlocks all over. Have you ever seen a dog with dreads?? It was wild! Anyway, this one's for you, Papaw.
















On a completely different note, this is going to be my last week at Gymboree. I know you all thought you'd never see the day, but I finally realized something had to go. And for anyone that's ever taken Anatomy and Physiology before, you know exactly what I'm talking about! I'm excited about being able to spend the entire holiday with my family this year and not have to go later or leave earlier than everyone else. And I get my nights and weekends back!! I don't think I'll miss the retail world too much....

Watchin' the Hogs

Our good friends, Jill and Tony, have season tickets for football and invited us to go with them on Saturday to the AR/KY game. The weather was perfect and it was a decent game (for the most part). One of the highlights of the night was the stealth bomber that flew overhead right as the game was starting. I wasn't aware of how rare it is to see one of these, but everyone else around me obviously was. I think everyone at the game took a picture of it with either a camera or their cell phone. We ended up leaving right after the fourth quarter started because a) we were parked at the BASEBALL field, b) we had to get across town to mom and dad's to pick up the girls and, c) neither of us had eaten since 9 o'clock that morning. You could either say we left right when things started to look really good for the hogs, or we left right before it all fell apart. (It's hard to blame a bunch of guys that are out there running up and down the field and then throwing up in between plays...) Either way, we had a really good time with our friends - thanks, Jill and Tony!!

Payton (aka Evel Knievel)

We obviously haven't mastered the electric scooter yet. We still aren't sure how this happened exactly, but we know for a fact that braking was NOT involved. I was watching from the window when she went flying down the driveway and disappeared on the ground behind the brick mailbox. I heard the screams before I got out there and when I ran up, I saw blood coming from her chin. When Holland saw her, she covered her mouth and said, "Oh my goodness!!" and the next thing she said was, "Are you gonna put this on the blog?". Why not? We went back and forth all night trying to decide whether or not to go to the ER because we knew by the time we got there and actually saw a doctor that it probably wouldn't be bleeding anymore. And sure enough, it had pretty much stopped by 9 that night. We're keeping it bandaged up for the next couple of days and we're expecting her to make a full recovery. We'll just have to put the ramps up until she learns where the brakes are.

Dad & Daughters Day

I had to work on Saturday, and Scott had to take his car back over to Tulsa to get some protective coating put on, so he took the girls with him and they had some father/daughter bonding time (or something like that). They ate at Denny's, looked at cars, visited the aquarium (where Payton touched a real shark!), and then went to the mall and Scott got them each a Webkins. In case you're not up on what's cool with 7 and 8 year old girls these days, a Webkins is a stuffed animal that comes with a code which gives you access to a website where you take care of your animal, play games to earn money, etc. (The genius that thought this one up is LOADED!) Payton was so desperate to be a part of this phenomenon that she wrote down the code to her friend Paige's Webkin and took care of hers for her. According to the girls, "EVERYONE" has one, so they were more than thrilled to have their own. As if they didn't spend enough time on the computer already...

Better Late Than Never

I spent most of Sunday trying to study for a major test that I have this week, so when the girls decided to have a WWF throwdown in the office, I sent them outside to play. Just look at the payoff! They BOTH learned how to ride their electric scooters (that have sat in the garage for the past 2 years) AND a bike without training wheels! By the way, try to overlook the fact that they aren't wearing a helmet and/or shoes in some of the pictures. There wasn't a whole lot of danger involved when they were riding a preschooler's bike with training wheels in the driveway, so this is all new for us. Notice Payton's "game face" in the picture of her on the bike. It was serious business.

11 years & 15 cars

Scott and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on Friday (an eternity by today's standards!) and decided to go over and spend the day in Tulsa. We shopped a while, ate at the Elephant Bar Restaurant (really good!), and decided to buy a car. Surprise, surprise. This makes #15 since we've been married. I know there's probably a family pool going for how long Scott will keep a car, so whoever had their money on 12 months, you're the big winner. We're trying to find a support group for him so maybe he can overcome this addiction. And if such a group does exist, my dad should be the president. It's got to be some kind of illness. Anyway, after driving through MANY lots and test driving a couple of cars, Scott chose the Infiniti G35. Very nice choice, I must say. The down side is that it's a stick-shift, so I'll need a few lessons before I can even think of driving it. Oh well, the next one is MY choice. I'm thinking Porsche....

Labor Day Weekend

Friday night, we went to Brad and Brandi's and hung out with them and Chad and Leslie while the kids ran around making as much noise and as big a mess as they possibly could. We actually got them all still for one picture at then end of the night. Leslie's having a baby in October, so there will be one more to add to the mix soon. Another girl - sorry J.D.!
















Scott's parents and sister, Shannon, came up for the weekend, so we all went to the park in Tontitown on Saturday and had a picnic and let the kids play. What a beautiful day it was!!















There actually was a little bit of labor going on - Scott and Randall did quite a bit of work on the treehouse and it looks great! It should be finished right in time for cool weather. The girls are so lucky to have such a neat hangout that's all their own!
















And here's what happens to a fella when he's got all girl cousins.... This is our nephew, Oliver, and I should probably add that his daddy wasn't around when this picture was taken. Although, it does appear that he's about to do some kind of manly activity, like water the yard or wash the car....