R Family Update

I can't believe that it has been just about a month since my last post--sorry Mom & Dad!

The summer is going by in such a blur!! Here is a somewhat quick update from June.

This picture doesn't really have to do with anything. I just like it because the afternoon before, we had gone to the library and Kevin checked out a bunch of comic books. The very next morning, he comes down dressed in his Superman costume, (Superman just happens to be his favorite comic book Hero), while he continues to read his comics. 

The biggest highlight of June was the celebration of Kenzie's 4th birthday. I'll post pictures and more later. We ended up not really having a party, mostly because she could never be consistent on what she wanted.  She kept changing her mind about everything--except the huge chocolate cake from Costco. It's crazy, but since her birthday it seems like she has turned a corner and is more a preschooler than a toddler. It's exciting and sad at the same time.

Our other big highlight of the summer was definitely our trip to Arizona.  Justin had enough flight miles that we all flew for free--which was an experience to say the least.  Our kids are pretty good travelers and were good sports about getting up early (4:30 AM) to get to the airport. We packed so tightly that we were able to carry everything on, including two booster car seats. I was pretty proud of that!  I will definitely post pictures soon. (That's part of the reason why I haven't posted yet. It has taken me some time to upload and edit all of the pictures from our trip).  It would take too long to share everything from our trip, so here is the TOP 10:

10). I loved seeing how much the kids enjoyed flying on the airplane. Everyone, except Kenzie that is. She did not like it at all and did not want to look out the window.  The best part of the flights? The 10 minutes or so that Kevin got to sit in the cockpit with the pilot on a quick stop in OK City. They had quite a long conversation and Kevin was even allowed to sit in the Pilot's seat.  It was pretty awesome.

9). We definitely have to mention the amazing 76 degree weather on the 4th, complete with swimming in the rain.  We had to giggle a little as the Arizona natives complained about how humid it was.

8). Our kids absolutely loved, loved, loved all of the cousin time!

7). We enjoyed meeting Teresa's new husband, Earl Williams. We are so happy for both of them and loved being able to spend time with them. Thank you for driving down to the valley to see us!

6). Swimming, swimming, and more swimming--3 fun cousin swim parties, complete with swimming Olympics where everyone's prize was there own pack of gum. 

5). Reflecting on the legacy of Glen & Eloise Randall. Enjoying happy memories and grateful to be part of their family.

4). Exploring at the Tonto Natural Bridge.  All but Kenzie hiked down & through the bridge. Before it was a state park, Glen & Eloise owned it and Justin's Dad, and aunts spent all of their summers working and exploring.

3). Enjoying an amazing and memorable dinner in a private dining room at The Barking Frog Grille, one of the restaurants where my brother Mark & his girlfriend Erin work. Not to mention my parents driving from Flagstaff to see us and spend a short time together. Kate loved trying the Cactus Fries. My favorite?  It's a toss up between the Chocolate Tres Leches Cake, or the amazing Cheesecake--both of which my brother makes. YUM!

2). Getting to stay with Mark & Erin, and getting to know them, Erin's children and their pets, Phillip, Zoey, & Kitty. Additionally exploring in the orchard, the tree house and Oak Creek.  Our kids miss it so much! Kate was talking today about how she would like to move there. :) I loved playing "Apples to Apples" and "Hearts" with my Parents, Mark & Erin.

1). Finishing the trip with the baptism of Justin's sister Emily.  It was a long awaited day and very special. We are grateful we got to be a part of it.

We love all of our family and are sad that we are so far away. We had such a great time and look forward to seeing everyone again soon. (Maybe even around Christmas? ;) ).

I've just about edited all of the pictures from our trip. Those will soon follow.  Thank you to everyone who made it possible and so enjoyable. We love you!

Turning Pages

Life has a funny way of moving right along, whether you're ready for it or not.  


This year Kevin and Kelly both "graduated."  Kevin graduated from elementary school and Kelly graduated from middle school. 


We know our kids are growing and changing every day.  But there's something about these two graduations that really made me feel just how much all of my children have grown. We truly have turned a page and are beginning a new chapter in our lives. It's exciting and a little sad all at the same time.  


We are so proud of these two graduates! We are looking forward to the upcoming chapters and what they will add to the story.

Congratulations Kelly & Kevin!  We love you!

An Afternoon at the Fort Worth Zoo

The company that Justin works for had a family activity at the Fort Worth Zoo a month or so ago.  Sadly we weren't there for very long so I don't have any animal pictures! However, we had a great time just being together. And as you can see below, the kids loved getting their faces painted.

Kevin decided to do half incredible hulk and half Dr. David Banner. :)  Thank you Netflix for introducing our children to cheesy '70's and '80's TV shows.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me that Kenzie is still a very girlie-girl! 

Kate, who used to be completely girlie-girl decided this year she didn't want to have anything to do with pink, or ruffles, or sparkles of any kind. *Sniff, Sniff.*  So, keeping up with her brother she went with the full Incredible Hulk face. She was so proud!

It also makes me really happy to see Kelly not too grown up to get her face painted. Tigers have always been her favorite, so it's no surprise that's what she chose.

Nothing says "Hello to Summer!" like a Rainbow Sherbet ice cream cone.  Especially one that's as big as your head!! :)

In case you were wondering about the little train ride at the zoo--so not worth it. We waited in line longer than the ride itself and didn't see any animals. Thankfully, we had been given tickets as part of the company picnic so we didn't pay for it. Next year we will definitely get to the zoo earlier. All in all, it was a great afternoon just being together!

Dallas World Aquarium/Kate's Birthday

I know this is way behind. (It took me a while to edit all of the pictures). For Kate's 7th birthday she decided on a family trip to the Dallas World Aquarium, instead of a birthday party. It is a wonderful place with a full indoor aquarium with some animals literally right at your fingertips.  We had a great time!

You may not be able to see it very well in this collage, but the picture in the top left is Kelly looking at a huge crab. Seeing Kelly's arm & head gives you an idea of how big it was!

Behind us is a 3 story tall exhibit with a center island and all kinds of trees, birds, and these tiny little black monkeys that Kenzie called "kitten monkey's" because they were so small and sort of looked like little kittens playing in the trees.

The aquarium was close to Dallas' Founder's Park.  If we're nearby we like to stop and walk among the cattle statues.

Kate's birthday dinner request?  Chick-Fil-A of course!  It has been her favorite since she was very little.

I love seeing her expression as she opened this gift. She had been asking for a lava lamp for a long time and was so excited to get it.  The ironic thing about it all is that once it was plugged in and turned on, it creeped her out to see it glowing in the dark that she doesn't even use it.  I'm sure as she gets older she will be more comfortable with it. (If not, Kevin has dib's on it, so either way we're covered). :)

Happy Birthday Kate!! We love you so much and are so grateful to have you in our family!

Capturing Kelly

Since this was Kelly's last year in Middle School her choir teacher asked for two pictures to use in a slide show presentation for their last concert. One picture was to be a baby picture and the other was to be a current picture.  Well, when Kelly knows she's getting her picture taken, she, like her dad, has a hard time giving a natural looking smile.  In an effort to make this easier for her I asked her to just talk to me; to tell me about whatever she wanted to. Then I would take as many pictures as I wanted and hopefully at some point I would be able to capture the real Kelly.  This was such a fun project and those of you who really know Kelly know that she can talk.....a lot!  Below are most of the pictures that I took.  Because I put them into collages some were cropped a little. I promise that I didn't take a bunch of pictures with the top of her head cut off. :)

After seeing most of these, she decided it was worth changing her clothes. Below are the two pictures that we submitted for the slide show.

This was when Kelly was 7 months old and life was much simpler.  I totally miss those days!

Here is our beautiful Kelly. She is getting so grown up! She is most definitely looking forward to High School next year. We are so proud of her and know that she will accomplish great things.

We love you Kelly!