Samantha's Graduation

Our youngest daughter Samantha graduated from Dulles High School June 5.
Most of our family was able to come join us in celebrating this milestone in Sam's life. We were missing Jenny Anne and Jason Wells. We had a great time. We love you Samantha and will miss you while you are away to Texas A&M University Corpus Christie (TAMUCC).

Senior Roast: Ask Sam about Dollie Da and ceiling fans.




Seminary Graduation: Samantha attended all four years. It was a great experience for her. She has a beautiful testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.



Kemah. Michaela's favorite place in all of Houston. It's tradition that we go each time she visits. Some rides didn't come back after Hurricane Ike, but Michaela was brave enough to try Pharoah's Fury this year. She and Sam were on it for the last hour and a half.


The rest of us had a great time too. Great weather, rides, food and family.







We went to the Houston Museum of Natural History (HMNS) to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors exhibit, an Astros baseball game, boating where Michaela water-skied several times and Christine tried wakeboarding only to find she is good at it, played games, laughed, watched movies, enjoyed the grandkids and became a close-knit family with 14 in our four bedroom house. Mom and Mike Long joined us too. We love you all.

Gavin's Great Getaway

To celebrate turning 9 months old, Gavin and Jen took a little trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Houston. It was a wonderful visit. Jen called our house a DEATH TRAP. I did clean out all the glass objects from the lower cabinets in the kitchen, but I have no socket covers, drawer locks or gates for the two staircases in our house. We had to keep an eagle eye on Gavin. Gavin loves to stand. He is getting stronger and is able to stand alone for seconds at a time. Because he loves to be on the move, he tries to walk and wobbles forward to the ground. Gavin plays and plays. Much like my own son Matt. He loves to play. We gave Gavin a little bee that vibrates. Each time it vibrated Gavin began to cry. Then papa (Grandpa Jerry) started to laugh for Gavin: the Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha type laugh. Gavin would throw his head back and pull his cheesy smile. I took a video at the restaurant. It's noisy, but you can make out Jerry's ah-ha-ha-ha laugh and when I try to get Jerry to do it for the camera, Gavin cries.

That cute grandson of ours: Gavin Wells

I spent a wonderful week with Jason, Jen and Gavin Wells recently. Gavin is eight months old now. He just got his first four teeth, eats baby food that Jen makes, crawls all over, but loves to walk with help from anyone who will hold his hands. He claps his hands, coos, smiles, laughs at Sugar, pulls off his shoes and socks, holds his bottle if you make him, and is a total joy.

Texas Blue Bonnets

We spent Spring Break hanging out at home. Did we do spring cleaning? No. Did we do yard work? No. Clean our bedrooms, scrapbook, organize pictures, prepare for graduation? No. We relaxed. Tuesday we drove to Austin with the Loose family. We visited the Capitol building, met with our State Representative Charlie Howard. We ate lunch on Mount Bonnell, went over to Zilker Park (which was way too crowded) and took pictures in the blue bonnets on the drive home. It was a fun day.

Worst Vacation EVER!!!

We spent the last week of 2008 in Ft. Lauderdale. We had so much fun we decided it was the Worst Vacation EVER. Here are some of my favorite moments...

The newlyweds Dan and Michelle Morgan. They slept on a blow up mattress in the living room with Samantha on the pull out couch bed and Matt in a sleeping bag on the floor.
Jen loves her ice cream almost as much as she loves her boys.
Heart palputations.
The Wells, Jen, Gavin and Jason.
Two year old Audrey and her daddy in the pool. Audrey is a FISH.
Twelve of us crammed into two small cars. That's a close family.
The fangs come out.


In parting let me say I LOVED the TOWELS. tee-hee Veniece