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What a big boy!! Riley started Kindergarten today. Mom survived, Grandma.....well......she'll make it.
Wow. How did that happen?? He was a baby just yesterday! They grow up so incredibly fast.
THE coolest backpack in the world. He didn't want Mom to take his picture because then someone might know it was his first day. How funny!!
And the excitement of having an "old" friend in your class!!!
Happy First Day of School Riley!!
We're proud of you!
The first day of school is exciting. New shoes, new school clothes, new backpacks. The floors are polished so you can see the happy smiles in them! The teachers are excited for you to be there, and generally the kids are happy to go! (Moms, of course, are ecstatic.) I remember how it felt, to both be the kid and the mom. 
And time moves on......
And gradually they start to blossom......
And get "attitude".......
But then....you start getting real glimpses of the person, the adult, that they are becoming. And they do things that surprise you. Really great things.
And the little girl, who cried every single year when school started, grows up to be a teacher!
A really wonderful teacher.
Now, seriously, who WOULDN'T want to be a part of this class??? 
I am constantly amazed at the wonderful young woman she is becoming. And I think she is such a wonderful teacher. She is so organized (where on earth did THAT come from??) and everything is well thought out. She can control an entire classroom of 6 year olds with the promise of being able to take their shoes off to do math. Amazing. I've never seen anything like it. If their moms ever find out.....the jig is up!!
But we'll never tell!!
Nothing it seems stays the same. Can be a good thing.....can be a not so good thing. This weekend Chad and Ray put Chads' shed up. And they (meaning: Chad) didn't kill each other (meaning: Ray)!! Sometimes Ray can be a teeny bit bossy. Or a liiiiitle bit of a perfectionist. And just a touch difficult to work with. (Okay, so I stretched the truth a little. Okay, a lot.) 
But they braved the horrible heat, and got it done! Or mostly done. Wow, does that give Chad and Shell more room!! 
And BOY, was it HOT*T*T*T!!
But they stayed with it.
Of course, they couldn't have done it without the help of the General Contractor....... 
She watched everything they did to make sure it was right. When her Mama made her come in out of the heat, she still kept her watch.....
No falling down on the job for her! But they finally knocked off after about 9 - 10 straight hours and pronounced it good. The General Contractor did also.
And the not so great part of progress??? Today is the last day of summer vacation. Back to the grindstone and the halls teeming with hormonal teens!!
Skip is the "official" bar-b-q person in our family. Now he's passing the baton, or....spatula. Riley was so excited to get to help.
I love this picture of Shell and Chad. They look relaxed and happy. Of course, Red River in the background doesn't hurt.....
And on the day we went to Taos, we also went to the Rio Grande Bridge that's 10 miles west. (I think it's west anyway.) 
We decided against rafting in part because the water looked so yucky. 
The white spot on the right is what's left of a jeep. 
This was taken at Texas Reds. THE steak place in R.R. I actually kind of like this picture!
Good picture of Hoyt and Shell. He's skinny but feeling better and better every day!! He went to the cardiologist here in Wichita when we got back and they said he's doing GREAT!!
Looking down the street (toward the east maybe??) I'm lousy with directions.
And on the way home, I enjoy the drive between Red River and Eagle's Nest the most. It is absolutely breathtaking. And I always think of the bible verse: "For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills". Psalm 50:10. LOVE that. Double click on the picture and see it bigger, but it still isn't as wonderful as being there. God is so amazing....
And, yes, those are clouds sitting ON the mountain.
I am so fortunate that I can go to this amazing place most every year with my family. And I am so grateful that they all make it a priority to be together also. God has given us a unique family, and a unique opportunity. And I am profoundly thankful.
Ohhhh my son in law is so much fun. He had a birthday while we were gone (the big 2-7 ). We ate at Texas Reds and then everybody came to our condo and had Marble Squares and a homemade ice cream. We have to be the only people on the planet that haul ice cream freezers on vacation. HOWEVER...Andy made this custard type ice cream. MMmmmm. You can FEEL your hips expanding while you eat it. But worth every bite. Anyway....if you know Chad, you know how he feels about marble squares!! But he was very nice about sharing. I learned a little lesson about high altitude directions too. They were a bit dry, but graciously Chad snarfed them right down. 
We had noise makers and lots of candles and had fun. I'm happy we got to celebrate his birthday with him! (Good thing he's a fireman. Many more birthdays and he'll need a hose to put out the candles!!) 
His gift from Shell and Zoey was a Raven's Jersey for Zoey to wear. You should have heard the gasps when he pulled out the little shirt. Nope. It's for the dog.
Now, for the Bull. The Caribel has a nice inground heated pool. Riley and Kendell would live there if Tera would let them. But this year they discovered a neat ride.......Da Bull. Chad puts them on his shoulders and does an impressive imitation of a mechanical bull. Riley likes it, but Kendell LOOOOOVES it. She could ride forever. There is more splashing and squeals of delight than you can imagine. They love "Da Bull". 
I think Chad might have met his match in Kendell. She could ride til he wears out!! 
They did have fun. 
Ahhhh. Red River. Love that place. We always have such a great time there. This year we had...an uneventful eventful stay. New Mexico is so different than the land in Kansas. Trees, grasses, flowers, everything. Here is how our vacation typically starts: We leave as early as humanly possible. The "group" meets in Guymon, OK. (For those that don't know, our "group" consists of between 14 and 20 family members, depending on who can go.) Guymon is about 4 hours from Goddard. After lunch, we drive and drive. Probably another 4 1/2 hours. The mountain scenery is beautiful. Here is the first hour of driving in the mountains: Beautiful. Simply beautiful. 
However, it gets more winding, and twisty and curvy, and just when your butt is asleep and you think you're going to throw up as soon as you can turn loose of whatever you're digging your nails into......
We're there. (double click on the picture to see full size.) Those last few turns and curves are a doozy. Fortunately Chad was driving, and I had complete confidence in his ability. (no, really I did.) It is always so good to be there. This year, Red River experienced a massive mud slide right before we got there. Completely closed down the road and had to bring in heavy equipment to open things back up. Anyhoo.......... then we spend the days relaxing and enjoying being together.
Riley and Kendell were so excited to start fishing. Here they are deep in conversation about the best bait........
Just kidding. They actually had just put in their order for lunch. PB&J for one, hot dog for the other. This is some serious fishing when you don't break for lunch! Oh, and of course there is the most serious fisherman of all....... 
He fished in the rain, he fished in the sun. We came back one night from dinner with just 10 minutes left to fish and he ran out and snagged two in 10 minutes. (But, don't ask him who caught the biggest fish of all......okay, go ahead and ask him. Please!) 
It's all pretty relaxing. Even Hoyt got a little fishing in! 
And, yes, he's wearing a coat in August. It is COLD at times. We always take jackets. It gets into the 40's at night and usually 70's during the day. Coming back to Kansas is a real eye-opener.
Here is Chad taking the hook out of Michelle's mouth. 
Did I mention that "we" named the fish we caught??? Kendell named this one Michelle. The three before "her" were all Dora's. Shell felt honored. 
This year was pretty uneventful. Well, for most of us. Half the group got sick. And I don't mean the sniffles or a cold. I mean SICK. But, if you have to be sick, at least when you get well......you're in Red River!~!
Then the kids started feeling better: 
Thank Goodness. It's late and bedtime calls. So tomorrow...........Da Bull and a Birthday Party!!
