She is really growing up. She is reading, she is writing, she is riding her bike, she is losing teeth, she is bathing herself, she is getting herself up and dressed every morning, she is making her bed. How did this all happen so fast? I remember when I thought the day would never come that she would be so independent.

Haley, you are growing up and we couldn't be any more thankful to be a part of it.

We left Friday after school then headed north to OKC to spend the weekend with my sister. We played, played and played some more in their great backyard. Then, we journeyed to the OKC Zoo, which was super fun:) The kids had a blast and once we had them completely exhausted we headed back to El Reno for one more night.

Other than Evan being entirely too excited to sleep in the afternoon or at night for that matter, we had a wonderful trip. My sister decided to bring Max and join us on the road for a trip to Guymon so we loaded up the car and headed west. We stopped in Amarillo to see my grandmother, which was one of the highlights of our trip. She is amazing and had such a fabulous time with all 3 great-grandkids. I am so thankful that the kids were able to spend time with her at her home. They played the piano (she taught piano and played at her church for years), colored all over her sidewalk and took a walk to the pond. We love our Nomy!

Then, we went north to Guymon and stayed there for the rest of the week. Nothing beats being at Bebe and Papa's (except maybe sleep:)...no this was better! The kids LOVED playing in their big backyard...especially spinning on the old fashioned merry-go-round that we've had for generations in our family. Mr. Ken took us horseback riding and Haley said she was "OVERJOYED" to ride all by herself. Time with friends, playing dress up, rides looking for wild turkey as well as trips to the park made this a wonderful visit. Bebe even pampered us moms a bit with manicures and pedicures. Whew. How did we squeeze it all into one week. (oh, and we can't forget this is where Haley lost her first tooth in a popsicle.)

We made great memories and had precious moments together (almost all the time...when I was sleeping well and the kids were sharing).

Evan insists that I should not stay for chapel. Once he mentioned that moms do not go to chapel and once I pointed out the other moms, he changed his story to say that I could stay but I should sit in the back by myself. I could not sit with him.

Finally, one day he acted like it might be ok to go with him to chapel but once I arrived and scooted into the pew next to him, he promptly moved to the other side of the child nearby. Am I so bad? Does he think I will embarrass him? Is he 13?

So, today I was lingering in his class at drop off, chatting with other moms and his teachers when I stopped by his table to congratulate him on working on a hard puzzle and he lowered his voice so his friends couldn't hear. "Please leave" he whispered. Seriously, have we already come to this in preschool? Who is this little guy? Shouldn't he still want me around?

Even though I chuckled all the way out the door, it certainly makes me wonder what our school years have in store. (Maybe he overheard me telling the teacher to watch he and Ella B since he told me this week that he wanted to marry her and kiss her so much!) Ha, ha Evan. Two can play this game. I am still your mother and will always be around paying attention to you. You can't shake me that easily....even if I am willing to give you more space:)

You are one social little guy and I love your confidence. May God help you make great friends that love you just the way you are and may He teach you how to make great choices even when no one (even your mom) isn't looking.

What a big week for little Ms. Haley.

First, when we were in Guymon, Haley begged me to buy ice cream from the ice cream truck. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Guymon when we ran over and purchased our Jolly Rancher Bomb Pops. You would have thought I was taking her to Disney World she was so excited. I guess the cold popsicle numbed her tooth, which was loose, and when she took a bit the tooth came out. She didn't even know until I was cleaning the red popsicle off her face and I noticed blood. She opened her mouth and the tooth was gone. She said, "I know where it is...I spit it out on the sidewalk because I thought there was something in my popsicle". The tooth fairy brought to gold $1 coins and she was thrilled!

Then, when we returned home from our trip she wanted to take her training wheels off her bike. Jed gave her a little push and off she went down the street. Wow. The strider bike really helped prepare her for her big girl bike. It was awesome to see her ride on her own.

The time is flying and she is growing up. I can't believe all that we've seen this year and especially this week. She is so precious and full of joy. I thank God every day for my precious girl.

I do know that it appears to take lots of training. Gigi bought the hula hoop on Tuesday and every morning since (now Friday), I can hear a faint swishing sound in the morning around 6:45 as Haley begins her "workout" for the day. She apparently jumps out of bed, gets dressed and then makes her way to the entry and starts hula hooping.

Hopefully this talent is going to pay off someday. Until then, I will happily watch my hula Haley.

(In other news, Gigi got Evan a toy too...a lightsaber. Evan sleeps with the lightsaber then gets up about the same time as Haley and I can hear it zooming in his room. It makes a noise as it goes through the air and another when it hits something. Awesome:)