Blessed Beyond Measure

Hank the cow. Poor guy! For the last three years I have taken part in the Sam Houston State University Quality Teacher Grant for math teachers. I have learned a ton and scored some great goodies including an awesome iPad 2! But, it makes for a very tough summer spending so much time away from my family- almost three weeks total. So, I was thrilled that Nixon could attend our CAMT trip with me. She even "helped" while Brandi and I presented! And we didn't run Brandi off as a friend either. So, all in the all . . . the trip was a success! And a blast too. Here are a few of my favorite things . . . Top Ten Things I Loved About the Gaylord Texan Trip: 1. The view from our balcony was AMAZING! 2. 72 degrees climate controlled environment . . . even though you feel like you are wandering about outdoors! I could get used to living in a dome. 3. Country music playing all day every day starting at 8am exact. 4. Yummy food. Too bad we had to hock all we own to afford it! 5. The...

Nixon is a GREAT swimmer! She has spent a LOT of time in swim lessons/practice this summer and has become quite the swimmer. I am so proud when I watch her and amazed at her natural talent. A talent that I never could quite master. Today her teacher gave the kids in her class a chance to race. Nixon and a little boy were the only ones who took the challenge. At the end of the first race, Nixon came out the winner. You could tell the boy, older by a year, was very unhappy about the outcome and demanded a re-match. So, the teacher agreed. Nixon beat him again. And pretty bad! On the way home I was talking to her about how proud I was of her sportsmanship and her swimming abilities . I asked if she would be willing to race him again and she said, "Sure! I will beat him as many times as he wants!" Love that confidence!

It is almost a daily event that people ask us how old Nixon is and then they respond with a comment about how she is tall. I almost always joke that she gets it from her mom. Today, I realized just how much she trusts me and takes me at my word. Her swim teacher was discussing how she thought that Nixon was much older because she is so tall and here is how she responded: "I know. I get it from my mom." The teacher tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn't help but chuckle at the suggestion. She replied, "I don't know. Your dad is pretty tall." "Yes, he is tall. But trust me, I get it from my mom. She even said so."

Enjoyed the day with family at the Tyler zoo. We were especially glad that the Wildbird Walkabout was open!

Getting a decent picture with this little monkey takes lots of patience! We started our 4th celebration off with the tradition of the Bradley Street Parade. I really love seeing all of the people I grew up with and spending time with their families. I especially love catching up with my life-long best friend Robyn! We finished the day off with the firework celebration at the Fish Hatchery. Happy 4th of July!

Finally got a picture with my awesome brother! What good is a trip to Athens without a trip to the Fish Hatchery?! Or as Nixon lovingly calls it . . . the Fish Factory. We had a blast feeding the fish and watching the dive show and showing cousins Holly and Michael one of our favorite places.

Sometimes I am amazed at just how much alike these two are! They definitely have the same sense of humor!