Family Fun and Then Some

We got to visit family and friends in Bartlesville, Branson, and the Vinita-area last week. We had a great time, and (once again) I am going to use my pictures to tell you the story.

Saturday, we got to play games and stay up late with our friends Jared and Lela. It was so good to see them and their new home. I only wish we could have seen them longer!

On the Fourth, before heading out to see fireworks, Dave, the girls and I headed to the church we used to attend in Bartlesville; First Wesleyan Church. I was absolutely giddy after we arrived. It felt so great to be seeing so many friends! I miss them all so much! I got a few pictures of the girls in their festive outfits after church because I thought they looked so darn cute!!!

Then, after a quick lunch and nap, Granny Ruth, Dave, the girls and I loaded into the minivan to go to Tulsa for food, fun and fireworks. (During the girls' nap Dave and I got to go to the golfing range with our friends, Amelia and Jeremy. It was a lot of fun!) We wanted to eat traditional American food, so we ate tex-mex for dinner. :) It was delish! We had some time to spare, but we thought it would be fun to kill time while letting the girls jump in the bounce houses located near where we would be enjoying the fireworks show. Unfortunately though, the bounce houses couldn't stay up very long...evidently they are not conducive to rain. So we lounged on our blankets in the drizzle. However what started with a sprinkle, gradually grew harder, forcing us to stay-put under umbrellas. We were pretty soaked by the end of the evening. So, when it was only sprinkling during the fireworks show, we braved the precipitation, and removed our umbrellas to see the show without alteration. The girls squealed and clapped and oooooohhhed and aaahhed the whole time. It was great!

Then, the next day, we had a family get together for Lydia's 2nd birthday party. I can't believe my little Lydia is 2!

We had a great time, and I wish I would have gotten more pictures of the festivities!!! Lydia got a tricycle from her Granny and PapaDon (picture below), some great toys from her Aunt Krista and some adorable clothes from her Aunt Kim. The girls had a great time seeing everyone, but they especially enjoyed their cousins Mattisyn and Emily.Then on Wednesday a bunch of my friends from FWC planned a playdate! It was so wonderful, and so hard for me to leave. Look at all these cutie girls! The little brunette on the far right, and the little blondie by Lydia (the one without the icecream) are sisters. Their mom, Sabrina, is one of my dearest friends. She found out just the day before this fun event that she is having triplet boys!!!!! Oh, I am so excited for her!

In the picture below is Julia, and her sweet friend Adrianne. Can you believe that this sweet little girl is a month younger than Julia? My kids are shrimps!

Just look at the picture below....more proof of the shrimpiness.

Thanks to everyone who came to see us!! I wish I could have seen you longer and really caught up with each and everyone of you. I love and miss you all and your kiddos.

That evening we traveled to Branson to visit Dave's dad, Dan, and his step-mom, Christie. Dave's Dad prefers to be called "Favorite Granpda Dan" but for this post, I plan on abbreviating that! Below is a picture of Julia with the new love her life, "Little Bit". We got to spend the whole day Thursday relaxing and visiting with Dan, and then, that evening, we got to see Christie.

After exploring the outdoors, finding a turtle, eating pizza, and putting the kiddos to bed, the adults stayed up late and played cards. Good times were had by all...but, just so that it is forever written in stone, the LADIES WON both games!!! Yeehaw! I wasn't sure it would ever happen.

The below pics are of us enjoying the back deck:

And then, the next morning, we went on our way to one of the best places on earth: Silver Dollar City!!! But, before we could make it, Lydia fell and hit her nose on a chair. It was so sad. Lydia is so prone to bumps and bruises!

Her purple nose:

The greatest city ever:
Dan and Christie were kind enough to let Dave and I run around and jump on a few roller coasters while the kids played on the toddler-sized rides and had a water balloon fight. The pictures that Dan and Christie took are below:

I really missed experiencing the rides with my kiddos, but I was so glad to have some time with my honey.

Before Dave and I left though, we hung around and got to watch candy being made, a dog show, and the girls pet the animals in the petting zoo. It was great fun! Below are some snapshots surrounding those events:

Then, after going home and taking a nap, Christie, Dave, the girls and I went to White Water. (This day sounds exhausting, doesn't it? It was! But, it was also so much fun!) We floated on the lazy river, played on the splash pad, and went on some water slides. This, too, was time passed much too quickly.

(The picture above is on Silver Dollar City's facebook page. I think that's so fun! Good photography, Christie!)

The last day was spent on the lake with our Aunts, Uncles, and cousins on the Stewart's side. I must have been too tuckered out by the end of the week to capture a single candid shot because I don't have any pictures of our fun time there. We got to ride on the boat, visit, and play all day. What great memories we will always have!

Thank you family for hosting us, and showing us your sweet hospitality. We are all still recovering from our back-to-back vacationing, but we are so glad we got to see each and everyone of you. We love you all!! -the Stewarts

Back-up blog: Amelia and Lydia's Visit

I have to do a little back-up blogging. We've been very busy, with a ton of fun stuff, and I don't want to miss archiving any of the things we did in the last few weeks.
Amelia and Lydia came a week ago Thursday, and left the following Monday. It was a whirlwind of a good time.

Amelia is a craft-loving, go-getter type of a gal, and I love it. She encouraged and helped us paint our dining room one of the days she was here. (Before and After pics are coming.) In order to get the girls out of the house while Amelia and I painted, Dave took the girls for a walk.

Isn't this a sight to behold? : You'll have to excuse the foggy picture. It's so stinkin' muggy in Houston that my camera clouds up from time to time.

The following pictures are of us hanging out with little Lydia. My girls practically mauled her on a daily basis. Poor thing! They loved her so much!!

On Saturday, we visited the beach. It was a fun day. Amelia was a little freaked out by all the sea creatures, but I think she and her little Lydia had a good time overall. I must say that there was a curiously large amount of sea schools swimming along the shore that day.

Like usual, Julia was in LOVE with the whole experience, and (my) Lydia was hesitant to even touch the water. But they, too, had a great time. Dave and I enjoyed ourselves as well. Julia and I were not quite ready to go as soon as everyone else, but that is usually the case as well.

We also found out that you can catch small crabs and shrimp by shaking a small bunch of seaweed over a container. I bet this little guy grows up to be delicious.Everyone took turns resting their skin under the shade of an extra-large umbrella. Below is an adorable picture of baby Lydia and Julia doing just that.After a lot of partying and playing, baby Lydia was too tired to fall asleep, so we all took turns holding and lulling her. I made Dave take a picture of me to prove my success in getting her to "sleep like a baby".
And, the last day, Amelia had the great idea to take a picture of her and I together. Thanks, Amelia! I don't always think of those type of things on my own.
Amelia, and Baby Lydia, thank you for coming. We love you so much!!! Love, the Stewart's

Fantasic Family Photos

My friend, Sarah took pictures of our girls a few weeks ago.

I just love these pictures. I am so glad to have updated pictures of our "big" girls. There's nothing like having a baby around to make you feel like your toddlers are all grown up!!

We had a great time with Amelia and Baby Lydia, and our time flew by. I have a lot of fun pictures that I'll have to share soon. I just wanted to get these fun pictures up first! Love, Amber

Busy Little Bees

The next two weeks are going to be packed for us! We're planning to have fun though! First, my sweet friend, Amelia, and her darling baby, also named Lydia, are coming tonight! I am going to pick them up at 9:35 at the Houston Hobby airport. I hope I find them okay!!
My friend and her daughter get to stay until Monday morning, and then we are going to drop them back off at the airport and rush to our first day of VBS at our church. We will be packing up early every morning next week and attending. It'll be a dose of fun with extra craziness.
In the middle of the week, Dave is going to California on business. Hopefully VBS and packing will keep us distracted from his absense. I'll be packing, not only for VBS, but also because we are going to go to Bartlesville for a week!!! So, Dave flies in on Thursday at 11ish p.m. and we will be leaving right after VBS on Friday to make a 10 or so hour drive to our hometown. I am hoping for an extremely relaxing week away, and I am trying not to focus on all the projects we will be leaving here at home. I am trying to redirect my attention on all the wonderful people we will get to see instead!!! Like I said, these next few weeks will be packed for us--- theoretically and literally!!!
I hope this blog makes sense and is legible. My kids have been whining, fighting, screaming and shouting pretty much since they woke up from their afternoon naps. But, I love you all so much, that I decided to try and let you know what's going on anyway. :) (Hmmm... maybe that's not love. Maybe it' pure vanity! Ha!) Love, Amber
P.S. When the girls and I walked to get the mail today, Julia said, "I am going to go ahead and walk home, Mom. It is so hot out here. The sun gives me a fever." I couldn't agree more!