On our way.....

So here we go..... bright and early.....oops- forgot our pillows........ok, now here we go .......stop for gas........go thru McDonalds......wash the vehicle......OK-NOW WE ARE ON OUR WAY

A night out

Thanks to each of our families, us and our friends- Bradley and Kerri and Daniel and Holly were able to go out on an adult only date-night. We have great patents that babysit for us!!!

After a nice steak dinner at The Riverfront Steakhouse, we did what all grown adults do- go eat ice-cream!!

This is Eric being a jerk and not letting me get a nice picture of him and Kerri. The above picture is of Bradley and Holly. Holly needs lots of ice-cream. She's too cute and skinny and outshines the rest of us. So it's my secret plot to fatten her up. Just kidding. Kind of.

Somehow Daniel and I avoided the pictures. (:

I love ice-cream. And I LOVE Yogurt Mountain. I just can't choose.

Nuts? Fruit? Cereal? Chocolate? SO MANY CHOICES!!! and so good. I shall go exercise now.

Birthday weekend

After stitches on Thursday night, Friday was spent getting ready for our birthday weekend. My precious Elizabeth turned 9 Sunday. NINE!! My husbands step-mom really made me feel terrible when she said "I wonder if the next 9 years will go by this fast?!?". Urg!

Friday, Leah and I spent all day shopping for Elizabeth's present and party supplies. We also had to make a few trips to my Little Rock office for computer repairs. I thought Leah might would get bored, but she was a real trooper. She even indulged me, and let us eat at the sushi buffet. She earned a few brownie points.

On Saturday morning, we began the birthday celebration. My nephew, Samuel's birthday is the 16th, Elizabeth's is the 17th and my niece, Lauren's is the 18th. We decided this would be the year to combine a party in Fordyce for the Petty clan. Eric's brother in Fordyce preaches at a church there, and so a lot of kids come for the celebration. This year, Lauren is really into to horses, so we even got to go ride horses at an arena close by. But boy was it HOT!

Then we had a party at our house for friends of Elizabeth. It was all kids from church. I told the parents that if they wanted to spend the night, they were welcome to do so. We had about 9 kids show up and 4 kids spent the night. They had so much fun and had lots of cake and ice cream AND candy. They didn't go to sleep till after 1am and it was hard to get up for church the next morning.

After church on Sunday, We ate a wonderful lunch at mom's. Elizabeth opened all her presents from us and the Barnes side of the family. Harley got to stay with us after church and go swimming with the girls. It was a great day.

Now we just have to get the house back in order. ):

Bumps, lumps and stitches

What a week!! But the topper came on Thursday afternoon at 2 when the babysitter, Sammie, called and said in a sweet calm voice "I think you need to come home."

Me "oh- ok. What's wrong?".

Sammie " Well- Leah and Elizabeth were playing in your bedroom and Leah flipped off your bed and her head hit the recliner.". It's an old recliner with wood trim. "she has a big knot and it's bleeding a lot."

So I left little rock and headed home. Now, I've known Sammie a long time- all her life! I know she will never be a nurse because she is super squeamish. My mind conjured up ideas that she had passed out and the girls were freaking out trying to get her up. So I called my dad to go check out the situation. So he was there to help out before I came home. Also, when Leah gets hurt, which has been more often than not, Elizabeth is the one to flip out- and this time was no different she doesn't like blood either.

I knew as soon as I saw it it would be a trip to the ER. So off to Arkansas Children's Hospital we went.

I had to pay her a dollar to let me take pics for the blog. She was quite embarrassed. Scared to death too.

But the staff at Children's were wonderful. See the smile on her face??

This is the stuffed animal the hospital gave her after it was all over with. She is spoilt wherever she goes.

A "tree" in the hospital.

6 stitches later and all is better.

Cats

Granny and Pawpaws home has new family members.

^This is Precious.

^ and this is Tigger.

Granny thought some cats would be a nice early birthday present for Elizabeth and both girls agree. Cats- not so agreeable.

Our calling....

A year and a half ago, Eric and I began discussing foster care. I met a 2 year old in one of my home health patient's home that began a work in our home and hearts. Now that we have been through the paperwork, training and home studies, we are just waiting for our first foster child.

Even though they didn't enter the foster care program to become foster parents, our friends Wayne and Lindsey have been a wealth of information to us getting involved. They got involved in the system to become adoptive parents, and the Lord has blessed them with two beautiful children. in the last 3 weeks, God has net them 2 more children, both under the age of 2. They have their hands FULL.

They had the opportunity last night to go to a Travelers Baseball game with one of the kids t-ball teams. So I volunteered to come to their house and keep the two new ones. I thought it would be easier on the kids AND the parents and that way I could get the kids down for bed after bath-time. It was also a pay- back to Wayne for giving Eric and I first aide and CPR training that DHS require. I took the girls with me and pizza and cookies. We had lots of fun.

Aren't they adorable with their little blue faces?? Since they are foster kids, they have to have privacy maintained.

We played, we giggled, we had baths and got in our sweet pj's. We then cuddled one at a time until they fell fast asleep in my arms. I love putting babies to sleep. They are so sweet when they are quiet (

Happy Independence Day!

A good weekend we have had. And thanks go to our Veterans and those currently fighting and serving our country so that we may be free!

Saturday night, after I got done working, I made an 4th of July ice cream cake for us to enjoy this weekend. I also smoked some duck on dad's smoker while the girls swam, AGAIN. (that would be 3 times on Saturday).

Yesterday was church day. We brought Harley home with us after church. We ate a wonderful lunch that mom made- Boston butt, potato salad, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, fried zucchini, squash, okra and potatoes, and eggplant. They invited our neighbor, Mr Ronnie, to join us for lunch. He provided much entertainment lots of stories from the past. The girls went swimming after lunch and we relaxed in the air conditioner

Even spot relaxed inside.

Harley went home and the girls spent the night with granny and pawpaw. Eric and I pretended we were old folks and put our pj's on and watched crime shows on TV.

So today, we slept in late and then Eric mowed and I went to moms to help with our lunch of hamburgers and watermelon. While starting the grill mom found this little feller-

This black snake was tangled up in netting and Robin Ann thought we should save him. I stick to my theory that the only good snake is a dead snake. But, Nnnnoooo- not Granny.

...and so the snake went free after granny cut the net away.

We ate our hamburgers and watermelon. I can hear thunder over across the field, but no rain yet. We still could use some. Here is our lovely temp in the shade. The temp on the bottom is how hot it is in mom and dads attic.

......well we got a nice shower!! After a day at mom and dad's, we went to Harrington Holler for fireworks. I also made homemade peaches and cream ice cream to take with us. Blake and Penny put on a very, Very impressive fireworks show. The girls sat on the doc of the pond and the boys shot the fireworks. Life is good!

I've worked too hard this week!

Not enough pictures this week to post to the blog because there has been too much work going on for my so called real job. I volunteered to work on my day off yesterday because I'm trying to save money so I can take a summer vacation. When I volunteered I didn't remember that it was my Saturday to work. URG! So much for a long weekend. But more money for a trip

I'd like to go somewhere like this.

.........Or some like this.

Either way, or even if it's a "stay-cation", I need a vacation. I NEED one cause it's on our bucket-list. (: