These are just some fun picture's during our stay at Pa & G-Ma's while Daddy was gone to World Changers. This was the first of two week-long trips to Newcastle during July. I was so thankful that my Dad was feeling well & able to enjoy the girls this time. We really had a lot of fun & enjoyed the time we got to spend with him. (and G-Ma too, of course!) I think one of my favorite parts of the week was going to Bricktown with Pa, G-Ma, and Grandma Shaw. We had lunch at Earl's BBQ & then made a trip to SaraSara Cupcake...YUM-O! For the most part, we just spent a lot of time relaxing at the house and doing, well...nothing...and it was great!
The picture below cracks me up...Mackenzie put the Statue of Liberty crown on, and held up this Barbie with bright red hair & said, "Look at my torch!" Then Madison had to do it too, of course!
These pictures are a little bit blurry, but I love them anyway! Madison ALWAYS goes straight to the bedroom and finds her "babies." There is a little pink girl & a little blue boy and they fit perfectly in her little hands. She gets so excited every time she finds them. Mysteriously, they always have a way of disappearing...you just never know where she will put them!
Taylor came over & spent the night and a few days with us. It was great...she was like a free babysitter! The girls played non-stop for two days! She and Mackenzie decided they wanted to put on a play. Taylor kept asking me for black eyeliner so she could draw something on Mackenzie's face. I didn't understand what she was doing until the play began...she came carrying Mackenzie down the hall & sat her in her lap...she was a puppet & Taylor was a Ventriloquist. It was hilarious! She would ask Mackenzie a question and then whisper in her ear what she was supposed to say. Oh, the imaginations of children!
Taylor worked very hard on these invitations...I love the "Tay" and "Mac" abbreviations!
It has been SO hot this summer! We would wait until about 8:00 or so, and then play out in the front yard for a little while. Madison is looking so grown up...where did my little baby go?
Mackenzie loves the water hose...Madison doesn't want anything to do with it!
I found this bathing suit & just knew she had to have it!
G-Ma & Pa bought some new sand. I really think the girls would play in the sand for hours and hours if we would let them.
Mackenzie is very into pretending that she is a "pet" and wanting to be "bought at the petstore." She will say, "Mommy, you need to buy a kitty at the petstore." And then we have to go through that whole process! It is fun, but she wants to do it about 15 times a day!
I know this is a wierd picture, but I couldn't help myself...it always amazes me how the girls put random things in different little containers. I mean, you just never know where you're going to find things! These rocks are an all-time favorite thing to play with at Pa & G-Ma's, and of course McDonald's is too. I'm loving the tiny lego's in the sauce container
We were so excited to spend some time with our friends, Amanda, Abigail & Claire Cupp while we were in Newcastle during Brian's trip to Brazil. They were visiting OKC for the day so the boys could go to Frontier City, so it worked out perfectly for us to get together. We had lunch & spent a few hours playing at Dustin's parents' house in OKC. We miss their family so much. We had a great time of fellowship together with our four little girls. Mackenzie & Madison both LOVED baby Claire! Mackenzie asked to hold her 4 or 5 times & Madison kept going up to her and waving right in her face and saying, "HI! Hi Baby!" I think the funniest thing was when Mackenzie put a tiara, high heels & a necklace on Claire. I have to admit...I loved holding her too! It gave me a little bit of baby fever. Not sure I'm ready for that quite yet though! It is so hard to believe that the girls were that small not too long ago. My, how quickly time passes & how fast they grow. 
This was our attempt at a picture of all four girls together. Madison didn't want to sit there and have her picture taken at all. Of course Mackenzie was smiling, though! That girl loves the camera!
Sooo cute! Claire is 5 months old.
Mackenzie thought it was funny that Claire wanted to suck on her finger...I had to explain to her that she shouldn't let her do that!
It was nice to have at least a few relaxing days at home before our next trip began. The girls went straight to their rooms to play when we got home. I know they miss their toys & things when we're gone. They have been playing with baby dolls a lot recently. I heard Madison yelling for me over and over, and when I walked into her room I found her like this...sitting in her little baby bed! Then, of course Mackenzie pulled her bed in there and hopped in too! (Can't let little sister get too much attention, now can we?!) I love, love, love to listen to them play together. It is so cute now that Madison is old enough to pretty much have whole conversations with Mackenzie. Sometimes Mackenzie can completely understand her and interpret what she is trying to say, when I have no clue! I love my little babies! I remember bringing Madison home from the hospital and laying her in the little bed that Mack is sitting in here. She fit just right in there then....it's hard to remember them being that small.
These dress-up pictures really crack me up! I know I have SO many pictures of them in dress-up costumes, but I really can't help it! They are just so funny. They came up with these outfits all on their own. Mackenzie came into the living room and says, "ANNOUNCING, the Cowgirl Mackenzie & the Ballerina, Madison!" or something like that. She is all about being announced and making a grand entrance! We had a few fun days with Daddy before he left for Brazil...we went out to eat, watched lots of movies, and played. Summer has been great, but I won't lie...I'm ready for things to slow down and return to a normal routine, so we can spend a little more time at home doing fun things like this!
We went home on Saturday, the day Brian came home from World Changers. Then, on Wednesday we did a Lake Trip to Lake Eufaula with the teenagers. Then, on Thursday Brian left for Brazil. Crazy, I know! It kinda felt like we barely even got to see Brian between trips this time. It's okay though...all for glory of God! The girls had fun playing with Rhiley & Abby at the lake this year. It was so hot that we really only played in the pool for a little while, and then stayed inside the rest of the day. They had a great time playing in our room on the bunkbeds Grandma Baldwin built. They thought it was great fun to have a little picnic up there with the play dishes & real food. The only problem with that was that I didn't realize Madison didn't like Skittles...I gave them each little bowls of m&m's and Skittles mixed, and when I got them down, I found several bitten-into Skittles that had been discarded by Madison laying all over the bed. The sheets were multi-colored by the time it was all over! It was great to see Grandma & Grandpa Baldwin for the day too. We are so busy & gone so much in the summer, that we don't make it down to the lake very often. We're really looking forward to going on vacation with them in a few weeks!
YEE-HA!
And the last costume of the night...pajamas & ponytails!!! Yea, for bedtime!
Mackenzie is starting to recognize and "read" several sight words. I know a lot of it is just pure memorization, because some books she can pretty much recite without even looking at them! I have to remind her to slow down, and actually look at the words. It is exciting to watch her learn & grow! She does a great job with "Ten Apples Up On Top" and "Mr. Brown Can Moo." Poppa Jim & Grandma Shaw were here for the evening, so she read them some books. I love nights like this with my family. The only thing that would make it better is if Brian were here!
