Outing

The kids and I went on our annual summer outing to the Children's Museum.

Since Blake is older (insert sad face) and didn't want to go, I added a couple of extra stops to our outing to entice him into going with us.

We stopped by El Fenix for a delicious lunch.

 From there, we headed to the Children's Museum.

The kids had a blast playing!

 Next, we went over to Texas A&M University-Commerce.  I took the kids on a little tour and we talked about college life. 

We went over to Education South where I spent a lot of time in classes and studying with friends.

We stopped at Collin Street Bakery on our way home for a special treat. 

 We all enjoyed our little outing!

Homemade Crayons

After Cousin Zoey came over with some cool homemade crayons, the kids wanted to make some too.

 The kids peeled and broke an assortment of their old crayons.  I used a knife to cut some of the pieces up very small.

We put them in the oven at 230 degrees for about 15 minutes.

 We let them cool completely before we took the muffin wrappers off.

They tested them out and approved!

This and That

Making forts on hot days has become a weekly thing.

 We've had some beautiful sunsets lately! 

Brynn has been busy sewing.  She's starting a new fall dress.

 She's made a lot of travel pillows!

 And of course, swimming! 

Rest In Peace

Rest in Peach Senior Corporal Earl James Givens III.

Thank you for your honorable service!

Inks Lake- Last Day

 Today we decided to pack up after we ate breakfast and drank coffee.  We wanted to beat the heat.  We got everything packed up and then headed to Devil's Waterhole one last time to cool off.

 The boys wanted to jump off of the highest point on the cliff. Other people were jumping off of the large boulder that sits on the cliff!

Blake got up there and didn't hesitate long before his jumped.

Barrett got up there and then took about an hour to build up the courage to jump.  I blurred the picture leaving him as the focus since he blended in with the rocks so much.

We made him wear a life jacket, just for our own peace of mind.  He is a very strong and capable swimmer, but since our nerves were already shot from this experience, we just needed a little peace of mind when he jumped in.

 Brynn and Kaleb also jumped off the middle level.  I was in the water so I didn't get a picture of them.  After we conquered our fears and cooled off, we went back to the camper. It was already packed up, but we slipped inside to change clothes and eat sandwiches.

We checked-out and hit the road, just in time for the temp to rise to 105!

 The thing we will remember most about this trip is Devil's Waterhole. It was fun and nerve-wracking to watch people get up to the top and then build up the courage to jump.  Everyone was cheering for each other and giving tips.  Some people backed out and climbed back down, while others jumped to a waterhole of cheers.  All of our kids conquered their fear and jumped from the level they had set a goal for. 

We beat the heat and made the most of our trip in the great outdoors and heatwave of 2018!

Inks Lake State Park was a beautiful and fun place to visit!

Until next time...

Inks Lake- Day 2

Today we woke up with a plan to beat the heat.

We started off with breakfast and the kids played around camp for a little bit while the temps were still bearable.

 We planned on an early swim before it got miserably hot. 

The trail to the swimming hole always held a lot of anticipation and excitement!

The kids couldn't wait to jump off the rocks again!

He blends in with the rocks!

 A little photoshopping to help Barrett stand out in the busy picture.

 Part of our plan after a morning swim was to go into town for lunch and reprieve from the heat.  Mama's Home Cooking was absolutely delicious!

 After lunch, we went back to camp.  Since it was still so hot, we spent some quiet time inside our air-conditioned campers.  It was so hot, the A/C was having trouble keeping up.

We headed back to Devil's Waterhole to cool off for the evening. 

After our refreshing swim, complete with lots of cliff jumping, we headed back to the camper. 

We ate dinner, the kids rode bikes and played until after dark.

The sunset was stunning tonight!

I'm so thankful that #campmcintire allows us to get out there and see the beauty of God's creation!

And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good.