Chandra & Sydney Came

My Bestie Chandra and her little girl made a special trip to Arizona! They drove the 6 hours from California so we wouldn't have to be alone for the 3 or 4 days that Murray would be gone driving across the country to meet us. What a nice friend to come and stay in a house surrounded by boxes and drive around a city where we are both lost. We had some really fun times though. We had a great day at the pool, played and shopped at the mall, ate in n out, had a great rainstorm, unpacked lots and lots of boxes, laughed really, really hard several times, enjoyed seeing our girls play together and had a breakdown or two from stress. All of it was enjoyable because we were together :) Thanks Chandra, I love you!

Goodbye Girls Lunch

Before we left Southaven my good friend and neighbor Carolyn had a luncheon for me. We ate at the Italian restaurant Papa Pias and it was delicious! Then we went back to Ben and Carolyn's for dessert. Ben came to lunch and said he would be the rooster in the hen house. When we were there they gave me the most beautiful present, a framed picture of our home in Southaven. I couldn't help but cry! It was a very special gift that we will always enjoy! It was really great to have a nice time with good friends! Thanks Savannah for the great pictures you took!

Kyle & Sarah's Wedding

In August we went to Kyle and Sarah's wedding in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun to see everyone in Murray's family together! We all stayed in the same hotel on the same floor and were able to talk to eachother in the hallway after the children went to sleep. Mary is still talking about going back to the same hotel to see everyone. The girls love when family is all together and so do we!

Cassidy took so many good pictures of the girls! She managed to get them excited about getting their picture taken and taught them the now popular "model pose" where the girls put their hands on their hips. It is totally funny!

Brain Regan

Devin and Allie were so nice to invite us to go and see Brian Regan with them! We drove down to Tucson and Allie had a babysitter for the kids. Mary and Rachel LOVED being with their cousins! Mary was devastated when we left. She thought she was saying goodbye to them the way she had just said goodbye to her friends in Mississippi. She is a pretty sensitive girl. Anyway, we drove to downtown Tucson and saw Brian Regan. We have seen him before and I was worried I wouldn't think he was as funny but it was the BEST of the times we have seen him. We laughed so hard and it was great! We went by and got some ice cream after and drove home the next day. It was great to spend some time with Devin, Allie and the boys! We are happy to be so close to them now!

Packing Up the Truck

You find out who your friends are when you ask them to come and pack up a truck during the month of August in Memphis. The humidity was pretty intense but a lot of really nice guys came out to help and we sure appreciated it! I was amazed at how long it took me to get the house in boxes and how fast they could get it all in a truck! Thanks to the Fishers for dropping of the pizzas and picking up the kids! You are the best!

A great big thank you to Luna for meeting me at the goodwill where I was picking up blankets to cover furniture going in the truck and helping me get back into my car that I locked myself out of, with the keys in the ignition running. Guess you could say I was a little frazzled. The sad thing is I have done this once before and it was Luna who was with me to help at that time too. I can laugh now but will always be embarrassed!

Sea Horse

While I have been packing, packing, packing some really nice friends have stepped in and offered to watch the girls for me. Aleisha Jenkins and Savannah have both been great. I am sure they played with other friends that I am not remembering. We had so many nice people offer to play with them while I worked. Mary made this cute Seahorse at Savannah's house. There is no way this craft could have happened here! The only crafts we would be making would have to be created with a tape gun, sharpie marker and packing boxes. I am just not that creative!

Swimming in the Sun

When it is August in Phoenix and you want to go outside to play, we have learned that you go swimming! Fortunately, we have access to some beautiful pools in the Mountain Park area because it is where we live. I didn't think it would be anything really great because they were community pools but I was blown away by just how nice they are! There is a great big lap pool that is so pretty, a huge baby pool that is totally covered by a canopy, a playground totally covered by a canopy and lots of chairs and tables that are covered as well. We have loved packing a lunch and going over to play in the pool!

Boxes and Braids

Lots of packing went on around the house! How could we possible have so much stuff? The girls found every possible way to enjoy playing with boxes! Thank goodness for good friends like Sharolyn and Luna who came and helped me pack! I braided Mary's hair when it was wet and she slept in it. We let it out in the morning and she had some cute little waves.

Photo Shoot

Before we left Mississippi in August my good friend Savannah took these pictures of the girls. It was so nice of her! The pictures are beautiful and will remind us of just what the girls were like when we were there. Savannah also had us for a super fun playdate & lunch and took me out to get our nails done. I loved it all and appreciated it a lot!

Rachel is in Nursery

Rachel started nursery on June and she loves it! When children would cry because they wanted to get out, Rachel would be crying to get in! Rachel had wonderful nursery leaders like Krisit Landon, Sarah Westensco, Sister Holliday and Sister Crouch. Rachel's favorite part of nursery, although she loves the entire experience is singing time. Rachel loves to participate in singing time. Her favorite songs are "I am a Child of God" and "Popcorn Popping."