Camping at Inks Lake

Last weekend, we went camping with the Miller's at Inks Lake in Burnet. We had a great time relaxing, until the wind started. Saturday, it was soooo windy, we couldn't even make a fire to cook our yummy steaks. So, we headed to Llano and ate at Cooper's. Famous BBQ, in case you didn't know. It was fun, the girls had a blast. Corinne loved showing Marshal that she can ride her bike without training wheels, just like him. Claire and Megan took turns pushing each other in the big Tonka Truck. Ate some yummy S'mores every night! Claire didn't like the whole S'more thing, so Saturday night, she asked, "Can we have a marshmallow party?" "Absolutely, Claire Bear!" We took Bentley too. Of course, he loved it too! His leash that was attached to a tree, was just long enough that he could reach the water. He was pretty sure that all those ducks were there just for him!


First night, Corinne and Marshal, not sure if they were praying or make wishes to the stars.
Getting ready to take out the canoe.
With all that wind, we flew some kites! Corinne picked Ariel and Claire picked Spiderman. Not sure what her obsession with Spiderman is, but here we go.


We hiked along the trails around the lake and climbed the big granite rocks.
Tina and Megan.

Claire and Megan.

Claire ready for her Marshmallow Party!
Corinne and her Daddy, roasting their marshmallows.
Tired and beat up from the wind! It was exhausting fighting that darn wind!
Kids hanging out in the trailer, had enough of that wind! Corinne and Claire chose to watch Sleeping Beauty, poor Marshal got outvoted by the girls!

Misc.

Where have I been? Hmmm, let me think....ballet x2, no gymnastics x2, no playdates, no busy sewing, no running Corinne to Kumon twice a week, no working in the ICU, no busy being Mommy and wife! Things are always changing around here and we move at the speed of light, it seems. My girlfriend Sarah says that when she calls, that we should really charge tickets to the "Circus at the Smith house!" That makes me laugh every time I think about it!
Well, to catch everyone up...back at the end of February we had several inches of snow! It was fun, the flakes were as big as ping pong balls! The girls played in it for a bit, and like their Mom, we were done after a few minutes! Here are some pictures.




After the snow melted, it was back to gorgeous 60's and 70's...we went to the opening weekend at Sea World. It was just after that trainer in Orlando had died. Let me tell you, it was so emotional being there! None of the trainers got in the water that day. The whales did lots of jumping, so that was fun. All the trainers wore their hair in buns. Anyway, the weather was perfect and we had an awesome time!!



Enjoying some cotton candy!

Corinne learned to ride her bike without training wheels! We are so proud! However, she will only ride her "little" bike without the training wheels...she is afraid that she will fall off of her new big bike or not be able to stop herself. She is fast! Let me tell you, she can turn around in the driveway and get after it!!

Claire desperately wants to be "3." She asks me everyday, "Am I 3 yet? How many more days until I am 3?" I wish I could tell her "never!" That she will always be my baby!
We have a camping trip coming up, so check back soon and I promise to update asap!! (In my spare time, right?)

New bikes!

Well, the girls' bikes haven't fared too well with the move....I have managed to run over both of them. Claire's poor tricycle had to be pried out from under my bumper. Anyway, the weather has been gorgeous and we are expecting a beautiful week, so we surprised the girls with new bikes. Here are a few pictures.


So, Lee got a new riding lawnmower and cranked it up. He was racing Corinne with Claire on his lap, down the driveway!


Saturday, Corinne went to a dance clinic at Leander High School. We dropped her off at the school and then went back in the afternoon to watch their performance. It was a benefit for the Cheerleading Captain at LHS that has thyroid cancer. She is a beautiful, young lady, going through a horrible ordeal. She just recently had her thyroid and all of her lymph nodes in her chest and neck removed at MD Anderson in Houston, all the nodes are involved. Anyway, I know that is more than you ever cared to know, but she was there and they let her speak and then presented her with a check for almost $4000. I cried through the whole thing. On a happy note, our babysitter Michelle, is a Leander Blue Belle, and she made sure that Corinne was invited. Corinne was scared at first, not knowing anyone and Michelle saw us and ran in to scoop her up. Her day was made! She had a blast! Here are a few shots from that. These girls are phenomenal! I hope that Corinne will be good enough to make their squad, they are GOOD!


That is Michelle on the left, holding the check. And that is Meagan, in the middle. Click on the picture and you can see them better.

New playscape!

Oh boy!! We have a new playscape! The girls are loving it, the neighbors are loving it, and I am loving it because everyone is outside! It took us FOREVER to get the thing together, the girls were all about helping hand us boards and screws. We put down a weed mat and edged it in. Then we are in the process of filling it with pea gravel. We need to get another truck load. We had heard that it is better to fill it with pea gravel than mulch because the pea gravel can absorb some of the impact if the kids were to fall. The playscape has a place where the monkey bars would go, but we are going to get another slide to put there. Sure don't need the neighbor kids falling! We are so fortunate and blessed that the girls are each other's very best friend. They do absolutely everything together and it just warms my heart. I have said it before...not having a sister, I didn't know what this whole sisterhood bond was about and how very early it begins.

Here are the girls sitting on the picnic bench that is underneath the fort.

This is Lee up in the sky fort putting things together.

The girls and me putting the glider together. The glider is Claire's favorite and she can make it go way to high for my comfort!
This is the girls with their friend Bali that came over to check things out.


Here are Claire and the neighbor Rachel trying to help Lee with the pea gravel.


The girls having fun with the neighbors having a contest to see who can go the highest. Great...

Someone reading this, help me PLEASE!!
Bentley has been destructively chewing things! He chews up my patio furniture, he chewed on the girls' picnic table. Anything plastic that is left in the yard is chewed up into tiny splinters of plastic. Here, he chewed through our extension cord one morning, unplugged of course.

So, upon further investigation, I figured out why the the rain sensor to the sprinkler system doesn't work....Bentley chewed through that too!
I do not know what to do! I have gotten advice on spraying the Bitter Apple spray, doesn't work for us...someone told me to rub Tabasco sauce on things.....okay...extension cords too? Right! I think he chews out of boredom during the day when he is outside. I have tried getting him the interactive toys that you hide treats in, well, he rips them to shreds trying to get to the middle to get the treat out, instead of being a good boy and rolling it around and seeing what happens. I am truly at wits end with his chewing. He turned a year old in December, so I know we are looking at 6-12 more months of this. UGH!

Of course, I love that dog to death! Just wanted you to see that he is still in one, happy, piece! I haven't dismantled him yet! ha, ha!


Lee finished his bookcases. We got them moved inside. They are looking good. He had the cabinet doors specially made to fit his dimensions. They just lack a coat of varnish and then I will post pictures!

Oh! And if you haven't heard....the Leander/Cedar Park area is getting a new Schlitterbahn!!! We are soooo excited! The city passed it on Thursday. It will be a $360 million resort! Some of the hotel/cabin rooms will look like treehouses, up off the ground. Looks pretty cool. Most of it can be covered with a retractable roof, so that it can be enjoyed while it is cool outside! It will take a couple of years to finish, but I expect all of our friends and family to come check it out with us!! Free place to stay! our house!

Road Trip

We just got back from a great "trip" to Lee's parent's house. We had a really good time. I am not sure who had more fun, the girls? or Bentley? Brenda and the girls made a gingerbread house together. The girls thought that was pretty neat.



This is Corinne at Olive Garden, being silly.

And Claire.
Brenda is going to be teaching a basket weaving class at San Angelo University during the Spring semester. We were cutting and counting reeds for the students to use. Everyone was in on helping!
Corinne thought she looked like a Longhorn.

Even Lee.
And Claire helped.
Lee has been busy trying to get the bookcases finished for his study. Last night he was in the garage sanding everything down and made quite a mess. So, I took a picture of him. By the way, there is sawdust EVERYWHERE!!! We are going to need hurricane force winds to come through there to get all the dust out!