Birthday Reunion

Payne got invited to a birthday party for one of his school buddies today. They held it at the Elks Club swimming pool which was perfect since we've had 100 degree temperatures for the past million days in a row. However, Mother Nature had a different idea as we had a late evening pop-up shower complete with lightning. It didn't rain hard but the lightning was enough for them to clear the pool out.

However, that never stops a bunch of boys from having fun. Payne and his buddies/teammates Riley and Braeden proceeded to entertain the crowd by dancing to the music playing over the pool sound system. After the dancing died down, a impromtu baseball game broke out amongst the boys as they can always find a way to entertain themselves. Payne has great classmates and I am so glad he has so many friends from school. I think it may actually get him excited to go back to school.

Found Some Older Pics

Was digging through some older pics the other day and found these from earlier in the summer. They were so cute that I had to post.

Payne and Abby decided to have a lemonade stand so we grabbed some lemonade at the store along with some poster board for them to make a sign. I helped make the lemonade while Payne went to work outside on the sign. I set up a table and gave him some duct tape to hang up the sign. That's when I noticed the wording on the sign. Hilarious! They did it all on their own!

Their friend William from down the street rode by and decided to help them. He was a master salesman, pulling in people from a Parade of Homes house two doors down and we quickly ran out of three huge pitchers of lemonade. I'm sure the "cuteness" helped the kids in their enterprising business. It was big success.

San Francisco and Time At The Beach

Laura got a chance to go to San Francisco for the first time when she went to visit her stepmom who was working there temporarily for the last few months. She and our niece Taylor and her Aunt Suzanne flew out there and had a great time. They also got to meet up with Laura's cousin Rachel who recently moved to San Fran. I was extremely jealous as the temperatures there were in the 70's while we've been battling 100 degree temps here back home. I'm glad she had a great time and got to see some interesting places while there.

We also got to go to Florida briefly recently as part of a business conference with my work. Laura, Payne, Abby and I all made the 10-hour trek each way to Panama City Beach. Unfortunately, it rained the first two days we were there so it made it tough being stuck in the room with two active children. Plus, the first night, our room was EXTREMELY small making it a tight fit but luckily we were able to upgrade to a much bigger room the rest of the trip.






We finally made it to the beach on the third day but it wasn't exactly as we had hoped. My conference was at a hotel but it was on the bay and had no direct beach access. We had to catch a boat ferry for a 20 minute ride to get to the beach. It was very deserted with no restrooms and no concession stands, etc. The kids didn't notice though and had a great time splashing in the gulf. Not the ideal beach trip but I'm glad we were able to go and spend some family time together. I love any time that I can spend with my wonderful wife and kids:)

Easy As Riding A Bike

I must admit that I'm a bit arrogant when it comes to my prowess of teaching a child how to ride a bike. The first day that we decided to take the training wheels off of Payne's bike, I had him off and riding within 10 minutes(Okay, he did all the work but I took the glory). I thought it was the easiest thing in the world.

But I have been humbled by a five-year-old girl. The beautiful thing about my children is that they are so much alike but they are also so different. Abigail requires a total different tactic than Payne and I am slowly learning that. She has been brave as we have taken the training wheels off and started working with her on mastering her biking skills. However, I thought I would have her off and running in the same amount of time as the Paynester. Not so fast.

Abby constantly turns to make sure I am not letting go and has mastered the art of applying the brakes quickly and often. I will have to slowly build up her confidence but I know she can do it. We'll try to keep you up to date on her progress and I know soon she'll be off and running. These are some pictures of our first day.

We're getting ready to head to the beach so hopefully we'll have some pictures of us in Florida. We are all looking forward to the trip and I know we'll have a great time. Laura's already "brown as a turkey" having gone earlier this summer on a girl's trip. Maybe we'll catch up with her on this trip.

P.S. Laura and I went with some friends to see the movie Horrible Bosses and laughed so hard. Definitely an adult movie but there are so many funny lines. We had a great time.

Fourth of July Trip

We had a great time down at False River at the annual 4th of July get together with Laura's family. Got some good relaxation, ate some great food and, along with Rusty, won the World Cornhole Championship. Life was good.



We were able to do some tubing and had a good time. Abby tried it for a while but decided after a bit that she didn't enjoy it anymore. I was proud of her for trying. Her expression lets you know that she was not having fun anymore. Mine was very similar.



Payne got to ski for the first time and after several attempts, finally got up on the skis. He had an absolute blast once he got up. We were so proud of him. His facial expressions are the best!



Thanks to the Spain's for hosting and letting us enjoy a little bit of the river life. Good times!

Time To Catch Up

I can't possibly catch up on all that I've missed but I can hit a couple of highlights. I'm sure I'll miss some things but I'll try to catch up with those on the slower days. Abby had her first official dental appointment with her Uncle Rusty. She was the perfect patient and had no fear at all because after all....it's Uncle Rusty. Thank you Rusty for all you do for us!

Payne and I also got a chance to see the Globetrotters when they came to town. He didn't know much about them but after playing basketball this past season and loving it, I had a feeling he would really enjoy the show. He had a blast and loved all the tricks they did.

One of the Globetrotters had local ties as he went to college at Centenary here in Shreveport. Turns out he and one of his teammates also appeared on two seasons of the show, The Amazing Race. His nickname was Flight Time and he was one of the featured players in the game we went to see.


We stayed afterward and Payne got autographs from all the players and really wanted to get Flight Time's autograph. He was very friendly and was great with Payne and all the other kids. Payne really got excited when we watched this parts of the season's Amazing Race and got to see someone he "knew". Flight Time came in second place on the show but I think he came in first place in Payne's eyes.

Payne had his big field day and his class racked up win after win. They had a blast and he was so happy that they dominated! A friend of ours is the new P.E. teacher and the school and she really did a good job with all the new activities they had this year.



After the relays, the kids got paired up and went through about 25 different activities with their partner. It was fun watching Payne and his friend battle it out through all the different stations.

Abby has been taking ballet all year long and the time finally came for her big recital. When her dress for the event came in, they got to try on their new outfits and Abby cracked everyone up by looking at herself in the mirror and saying, "I knew this day would happen!" We all got a big laugh at that.


She got to perform on the big stage at the Strand Theater and she did a wonderful job. At the end, she was waiving to the crowd and blowing kisses. What a performer!

Past Weekend

Payne's baskeball season came to an end this past weekend. I think it is his favorite sport. I'll have to work with him on his form though:)

Payne had to miss this past weekend's game though as we had previously made plans to visit Buddy and Toya(Laura's dad and stepmom). Payne and Abby got to play with their cousins Little Buddy and Anna. They had a blast as Pepaw and Mimi's house is always fun.

Best line of the weekend...goes to Little Buddy(seven years old). His older sister Taylor came to pick up him and Anna to go home. The conversation went something like this...

Buddy: I don't want to ride home with mean ol' Taylor.
Chris: The Taylor I know is sweet, nice and awesome.
Buddy: You must be talking about Taylor Swift then.

Brotherly love is a funny thing!

Shreveport Mardi Gras

We went to the Krewe of Highland parade this past weekend and the kids had a blast. We went with some friends and their kids and our kids had so much fun grabbing beads and watching the floats. We have loads of beads if anyone needs them! We knew several people in the parade and they managed to toss us some of their best items so the kids racked up.





Payne and Abby are growing bigger everyday and get a long quite well. Despite the occassional argument, they really care about each other. I managed to catch Payne reading a story to Abby the other night before bed. It was quite cute(and Payne is reading so well these days).