The Adventure Continues....

To say that there has been quite a bit going on since August 16th (date of my last blog post) would be an understatement! I hope to have a few (ok, several!) minutes in the next week or so to sit down and write out all that has been going on because I hope, someday, Anna Claire can look back on this and see how the Lord has been working overtime in our family! :)
The moving truck pulls out Monday, heading west to Texas! Pasadena, to be exact! We are overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions right now! Baton Rouge has been our home for 4+ years. It was with this move to Baton Rouge that I began this blog. This place holds very special memories for our family, especially as we have watched Anna Claire grow from a little baby to a smart and joyful 4 (almost 5, as she would tell you!) yr old!
I'll stop here b/c the time is short, but we'll be back on the blog more regularly once we get situated over in Texas! Just wanted to let our 3 or 4 blog readers know that we are here, just in transition! :)

Paper or Plastic?

Blogger and I have a love hate relationship right now. I had a post all ready to publish, and poof! the pictures went away. Nice. So, it appears they are ready to load now....we'll see.
Let's go back to July 4th weekend.
Saturday, we saw Cars 2. AC checked out of the movie about 20 minutes into it (as did I), but if you ask her what she thought of the movie, she'll give it a great review!

My dad finished up his time as camp director and headed to Houston to see my mom. They decided to 'swing by' Baton Rouge since Dad hadn't seen Anna Claire in a while, so they came over on Saturday night and stayed through Monday afternoon.

After they headed back to Houston, we went over to the outlet malls for a little holiday shopping :) It was H-O-T, so Brad treated us to frappuccinos at Starbucks and this was the scene from the backseat.....this is the good life!

 July 4th night, we went with some friends down to the capitol steps to watch the fireworks! AC and her little friends are at such a fun age right now! They see each other and it's as if they haven't seen each other in ages! Big hugs, squeals, the works!

 On Tuesday, Elizabeth drove in from Dallas to spend a week with us! We had so much fun having her here! One night, I went in AC's room to turn off her DVD player and this is what I saw. Apparently, Elizabeth had a little visitor sneak in her bed to watch the movie!

 Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A, and we thought we would push family bonding to the max and all dress up in order to recieve a free combo! We went for breakfast and it wasn't very crowded. They said lunch would be insane, so I'm glad we opted for the earlier time!

 We ran home after breakfast and quickly changed so that we could head to New Orleans for the day. We at lunch at Joey K's (this is one of the places Guy from Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives visited) - delicious! Then, we hit the Louisiana Children's Museum. Fun times for all!
AC could pedal a stationary bike and the skeleton would pedal his bike. She thought that was pretty funny!

The mini Winn Dixie was a highlight of the museum for Anna Claire. There were several kids playing in the store, and AC jumped right in with the rest of them. First, she shopped.

Then she played cashier...

Then, she organized the produce....

After playing in Winn Dixie, we headed across the way to a restaurant. AC really got into this part -

A fun day, for sure! AC keeps asking to go back, so I see a trip back to the children's museum in our near future!

The Louisiana Tour

At the end of July, Jim and Robyn (Brad's dad and sister) came to visit! We were able to take in many sights and do the 'tourist thing' with them! Fun times for all! We laughed b/c we all felt like we ate our way through the weekend. Funny - I don't have any pictures of us eating!
So, here's a recap of the sights:

 Breakfast at The Camellia Grill in New Orleans

 Riding the trolley in New Orleans

A little shopping in the French Quarter

 AC "reading" about Louisiana after visiting the state capitol.

 We toured Oak Alley Plantaion -so fabulous!

 Jackson Square - New Orleans

Up, Up, and Away....

I wrote this post on Wednesday, June 29th, but the pictures wouldn't load so I figured I would finish it the next day. That night, however, Brad fell from the attic ladder at church resulting in a trip to the ER and 11 staples in his head. Lovely. Clearly, the blog was the furthest thing from my mind!
All that to say, pretend it's June 29th when you read this post.
****
Last weekend, I needed to be in Dallas for a wedding and a wedding shower. My parents were generous enough to buy plane tickets for AC and I to fly there on Saturday morning (VBS didn't end until Friday night). This was AC's first time on an airplane, and because I am her mother and this is our blog - I can brag.....she was the BEST little traveler! I'm not gonna lie - I was a tad bit nervous about the flight. This child of ours does not sit still. You would think there were ants in her chair at dinner the way she hops around all over the place. The thought of keeping her buckled into a seat for an hour and 20 minutes caused me to sweat a little. Alas, she pulled through for me! Sat in that window-seat, buckled in for the entire flight, never asking to get up/stretch her legs/go to the bathroom. Fabulous. Mary Poppins loaned me her bag before the flight, so I was stocked with plenty of activities.

 AC took the next picture w/ an app on my phone from her window on the airplane! Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!

It didn't take long for Anna Claire to get to her Aunt Sissy's house and start playing dress up with all her shoes and accessories!

 On Sunday morning, we were able to meet up with my aunt and uncle, cousin and his girlfriend for breakfast!

 And AC snapped another good picture with my phone! Sweet Baby Kyle....Anna Claire gets quite a laugh calling him Baby Kyle! :)

For the wedding shower on Sunday - AC thought she was a big shot b/c she was able to be there! Silly girl!

 Anna Claire and Ma-Maw all ready for the guests to arrive!

 At some point in the weekend - this happened:

We ordered a little snack at Sonic and they brought it out on the tray that can sit on your window. AC was beyond impressed, so Aunt Sissy let her sit in her lap while they ate. Well, at one point, AC got a wild hair to roll down the window....and the tray fell off. No major casualties - except a fried cheese stick :)

No trip to Dallas is complete without a trip to Costco - love that place! Wish we had one here. I'd take it any day over Sam's. Anyway, AC found some treasures there, including these pj's. That night, she insisted on wearing all 3 pieces, which meant shorts over the pants. Classy is her middle name.

 We also found this gem at Costco for my dad, Papa Bear. It was a steal of price, and it just jumped in our cart! Amazing.

We also managed to try the new In-N-Out Burger in Dallas. Crazy crowds, but so worth it! Delicious.

 Based on the picture below, it is safe to say we had a whilwind trip with all kinds of fun! AC slept most of the plane ride home - no complaints here! :) 

June, Really?

I'm not sure how it got to be June 21st (Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad), but here we are!

Over the past month, AC has become VERY interested in all things fashion! It's funny to watch her when we are around any number of people because she notices dresses and shoes - specifically high heels. She compliments people on their outfits, asks to have certain shoes when she's older, etc. She prances around the house in her dress up clothes all the time, and when we're at home, you can bet she has on a pair of her dress up high heels.

Because it's been so hot outside, we've started letting Mesa (big dog) stay inside more. The other day, AC was eating a snack while watching TV. She was oblivious to the dogs waiting patiently for her to drop a crumb.

 And then there's this pose....Hello, Elizabeth, Jr.!!

 There was a little basketball game series going on recently that involved the Maverick's, Brad's favorite team. We ate dinner at a restaurant during one of the games. Fortunately, this particular restaurant had several TV's, all with the game on......Can you sense the intensity?? Two peas in a pod.

 While scrolling through the pictures on my memory card, I came across several pictures like the ones below. Apparently the child borrowed my camera to take a few (read: 27) pictures!

 On Wednesday nights in the summer, AC and the other kids at church are participating in I-BOC - a series all about being a part of the Body Of Christ. They all have a shirts to wear, and AC is very proud of hers!

 After work last week, I took AC to a new little spray park. She was hesitant at first.....

 And then, she put fears aside and had a blast!

 For the child who hates to get water in her eyes when I wash her hair, she sure had a fun time standing under these buckets, waiting for water to pour out on her!

 

 This past weekend, we went up to our district's camp meeting/family camp. AC is at such a fun age because she loved going to the kids services while Brad and I were able to enjoy the regular services. She has friends on the district that are about her age, so she enjoyed getting to play with them. Somewhere I have a picture of Anna Claire standing in front of this same little table the first time we ever went up to the district campgrounds. She could barely pull herself up, and now look at her.

 One of my friends and fellow pastor's wife on the district and I took the girls to a spray park in Alexandria. The girls had fun getting wet and staying cool.

 The husbands/dads weren't finished yet with their service when we were finished at the water park, so we had a little time before meeting them for lunch. So, we headed to the mall for air conditioning! The girls had fun playing together on the play land.

 One of the worship leaders also makes jewelry and had tables set up in the dining hall for jewelry making. She was kind enough to let Anna Claire and her friend (in the pictures above) make necklackes. AC was beyond proud of her creation.

 As part of the kids' services, they were given a verse to memorize, based on their age. AC's was "Children obey your parents" - Ephesians 6:1. They had to say the verse to 10 people and get their signatures. Anna Claire had fun with this - Miss Social Butterfly had no problem walking up to people, saying her verse, and having them sign her sheet. The next night at service, she traded in her paper for a treat in the 'candy store'. When I picked her up, I asked her what she chose. She looked at me as if I was crazy to ask, and said, "Peanuts, of course"....well, right. My child who h-a-t-e-s peanut butter and can sniff it out a mile away loves herself a good bag of peanuts.

 Anna Claire and our DS, Bro. Greg. She pretty much thinks of him as a third grandpa!

 On Saturday, they brought out water slides for the kids! We took the little ones out there before the big kids arrived, so they could have some play time before chaos broke out!

 And finally- VBS kicked off last night! This is one of AC's summer highlights!

Pictures from my phone - I can't get them to move to their correct spot on this post. The first one is of AC napping in the van on our way up to camp. Silly girl.

 Miss Social Butterfly found her way to the dining hall and didn't think twice when asking some teens if she could play in their Wii bowling game!