Philmont pfun...

Matthew & Chris are out in New Mexico right now, hiking for 10 days, having the time of their lives. They were packing everything up last Thursday, getting all ready to be gone for 2 weeks. I took them to meet with all the other boys at the church at 6am Saturday morning, July 26. They will be back on Sunday, August 10 with (hopefully) lots of pics that I can share!

Christopher's mop...

Here are before and after pictures of Christopher's hair. His hair was so long that I bet I could put it in ponytails. Well, he was a real sport and let me do it! And don't worry, this didn't scar him for life. We told somebody about it, and he said that this picture would come back to haunt him some day, probably when he is dating. Chris was quick with a response... he said, "I'll just tell her, 'here's proof that I'm in touch with my feminine side' " !!!

A few photos from our Ecuador trip...

I'm finally keeping true to my word... here are some pictures from our trip! (sorry it took me so long)

Rachel & me at the Seminary
Can you believe the gas prices?!?

At the top of Teleferico Mountain (about 14,000 ft elevation)

Rachel & me with some of the kids from the Genesis 7 Feeding Center

(our first place to do work)

Pastor Buck and Pastor Matt taught the kids how to play "American" football.

Can you tell Rachel's team won?!?

July 4th... all wrapped up in blankets and jackets...

An American tradition lights up the sky in Ecuador

Trekking down a trail in the Mondo Rainforest, Andes Mountains

Rachel with a group of kids at Pan de Vida

(our second place to do work)

"The Babysitters' Club"

Rachel & me standing on the equator at Mitad del Mundo

Back home safe & sound...

Well, we made it back home in one piece! We arrived at DFW at 10:05 Saturday morning, July 12. It took us about an hour to get through baggage claim, then we were headed home! We got back to the church around noon, Mom & Dad, Von & Thomas & Paige & Noah were waiting for us... and Von was waiting with my beloved Vanilla Dr Pepper from Sonic!!! (aww, she's so sweet!)

We only had one snafu during our trip. Rachel kept up with her camera the entire time, until we landed at DFW, we got off the plane, she had to go to the bathroom. Then we went through the revolving doors to baggage claim, and that's when she realized her camera was missing! Of course, we couldn't get back to those restrooms without getting a ticket and going through security. After I talked to 3 different people, someone finally volunteered to go to those restrooms and check for us. She looked in every stall and couldn't find it. :( It's really sad because we don't even know what all pictures Rachel had on her camera, and now I guess we'll never know.

Anyway, after the homecoming at the church, they took us to Wal-Mart so we could see Matthew. He was very excited to see us, kept hugging on us!! Then we grabbed some lunch from Whataburger and went back to our house. When we walked in the door, we were surprised with a huge welcome home from Matthew! He had worked hard on getting it all ready before we got there, and we were totally surprised. He gave us each a vase of flowers and a card, and he made a pan of brownies for us too! We're so glad to be home! I will post more pictures of our trip as time permits (and as I get caught up on my sleep!!!)

We're on our way!

All packed and ready to go!

Gooooooone, gooooone, goooone! We're leaving for Ecuador this morning. Our flight leaves out of DFW at noon, we change planes in Atlanta, then we're off to Quito, Ecuador. Our flight lands at 10:05pm. Then from there, I'm not sure what'll happen. This is a new and very different adventure for both of us! Pray for us on our venture...

Matthew getting in his last hug before we leave!

Rachel munchin on some waffles!

Rachel's first "real" date...

Rachel & Travis have been "going out" for about three months now, and they finally had a real date! First, Travis called to ask if he could take her out to eat. Then after we said okay, his planning went into action. He picked her up on Thursday at 6:45 pm. They went to eat at Chili's (his stepmom dropped them off, and picked them up later). After dinner, they walked over to Starbuck's and just hung out and talked. Then he brought Rachel home at 10 pm. I could tell by the look on her face when she got home that she had a great time!

Oooh, my baby girl is growing up so fast!!!

A "Rich" time...

Matthew & Chris went to Arkansas for the Boy Scout Rich Mountain Hike. It's an 18-mile all-day hike up a mountain. They left Thursday morning (June 19). When they got to camp, they had to qualify for the hike, make sure they were physically fit to complete it. Then on Friday (June 20), they started out at 6:30am, had to cross a river that was chest-high and they had to hold their gear up over their heads. Then they started hiking "up." Chris had no problems, but it helped that he did this hike last year. Matthew, on the other hand... it was hard on his "old" body, but he did just as good as everybody else! They finished their hike (made it to the lodge at the top) at 2:30pm and ate lunch. They rode back down to camp and tried to relax but there was no wind, it was humid, and they figured they would have a hard time sleeping and relaxing after the long hike. So they packed up and made it home at about 1am. It was a long/hard couple of days for both of them, but they needed it to get ready for Philmont, which is only 5 weeks away!

Hugh Emmertt, Nick Fullington, Chris & Matthew
Central camp pavilion

Meager accommodations

Hometown's last game...

Rachel & Paige's softball season came to an end. They played their last game and lost horribly, 14-0. BUT, they did knock out the 2nd place team a game before (Hometown was ranked 4th going into the tournament). There were 5 teams total, and Hometown ended up placing 4th. But hey, let's look on the bright side -- at least they weren't last place!!

Happy Father's Day!

I know this is a few days late, but Happy Father's Day! Our family celebrated Father's Day at home first with presents for Matthew from me & the kids. We gave him a new shirt (picked out by Rachel), and a 48-star flag (that he has been wanting for a long time). Then we went to church with Granddaddy/Mom/Daddy. After church, we all went to Spring Creek for lunch, and visited awhile. Then we went to see Bill & Monna (Matthew's parents) and visited with them for a couple of hours.

I didn't get any pictures on the actual day :( but here's a picture taken a few nights ago of Daddy & me.

EHS cheer camp...

Rachel went to cheer camp from June 3-6. They went to Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. I think she had a great time, even though she didn't give me ANY pics she took while she was there! (but here are some I took when I picked her up on the last day)

EHS Freshman Squad
Brooke, Travis & Rachel

Paige & Rachel

Rachel's "favorite team" friends she made!

Rachel tries to fix what they broke in their dorm...

...and then she gives up...

...and Travis fixes it for her!

Lots of hits with (and without) bats...

HomeTown had another game last night. It started out slow, was a really good game in the middle, then it started going downhill. Yes, they did win this game (6-4), but that's not why it went downhill. All of the girls were getting plenty of hits with the bat, then they started getting hit themselves! Rachel was the first to take one for the team, got hit in the left thigh. Then some time passed, and it started up again. Paige got hit in the leg, another girl got a hit, and then Rachel was up again... and got hit AGAIN, this time in the right ankle! We gotta work on her reflexes...

Close call...

It was really tough watching the latest Hometown game... they met up with Edward Jones again (the team we beat last time) and they were out for blood. Originally this post was going to have no mention whatsoever of the game, only the goofy photos, but then there was an amazing comeback and our girls were playing AWESOME and we led the game! But alas, it was not meant to be, they kicked our butts in the end (no pun intended). Oh well, maybe next time.

BUT-- we did get some goofy shots during the game that I have to share.

I think this is proof that they can actually get along, what do you think?!? hmm...

Yeah Rach, I'd be scared if I were you...

Rachel, what WERE you DOING???

Just another goofy shot of the "sisters"... or maybe this is their real look?

Rachel & Travis...

For those of you who haven't seen/met Travis yet, here he is with Rachel... Aww, aren't they cute?!?

Flood of Posts

I am SOOO behind on my updating, and tons has happened in a short amount of time. Here's the latest happenings of our family in the past week...

May 20: He's smarter than we thought...

Chris is smarter than we thought! He received an academic award for 95 average or above in 4 or more classes. (wonder if those 4 classes included Band, Plant Horticulture, Band, and lunch...?) lol

May 16: EHS Band Spring Concert

The High School band had their final concert of the year. It was a good concert, even though it started an hour late! Couldn't get any "action" shots of Chris during the concert... da boy plays da tuba and sits in da back. :)

May 15: Another beating for Hometown :(

Well, game 2 came and went. It was another beating (not as bad as the first, we lost 9-6), but good practice for the team. They are getting better with every game!

May 21: Hometown's 1st win!

After 2 games, they were able to break the losing streak and end up winners! This one was a really good game; unfortunately, I forgot my camera and only got a last-minute shot of the scoreboard (before they cleared it for the next game). I know this win will help them to be more confident and hopefully keep on this same track. This Friday's game will tell... they play Edward Jones again, and those girls will be out for blood. Watch out, Hometown!

May 17-18: Boy Scouts cuttin' up a good time!

Matthew & Chris went on a campout this past weekend (it was local, someone's land here in Ennis). They split wood for a winter fundraiser, and practiced their shooting. To hear Matthew & Chris tell it, they had a blast! I, on the other hand, don't find the wood-splitting all that interesting. Guess it's from all those years of "having" to do it that makes it seem like another chore... thanks Daddy. lol :)

No Homeruns for HomeTown :(

Ok, so Rachel's (& Paige's) softball team, HomeTown Chiropractic, was finally able to play their first game of this season last night. However, there were no homeruns for us, and not that many hits either. Rachel did get a hit (the only time she was up to bat!) but they got her out on 1st. Paige also got a hit and got on base but wasn't able to score either. We ended up losing 18-3 (ouch!) but at least we got a few good pics from the night!!