Training In New Orleans!

Matt finally made it back on the rig, and signed up for the first class he heard of. Which turns out to be in New Orleans, LA, for firefighting training! I wasn't too sure where to start when we got here, so we took it slow the first day, and today we went to Audubon Park. We left the girls with our friends Aaron and Emily Palmer, and took the boys for some special time. So far Paul seen an abandoned Six Flags park and is insisting we visit it. Then, he found out the outdoor pool at our hotel is closed for the season. LoL He is pretty bummed about all that, so a trip to a park with 100 year old live oak trees didn't excite him as much as it did me. Aside from bombing the ducks and chasing squirrels for supper, he doesn't think he's having fun yet! Here's hoping we can change that. I've taken a few pictures I think ya'll with enjoy, and I'll get back with and update on how our trip is going!

 I've been forbidden to tell you about this picture, at least by blog. So, just ask! ;)

 Paul pretending to fish, can't seem to make him happy this trip!

 This is HILARIOUS!! Matt tried to go through this door when he was paying for the pizza, as you can see he can't. He was coming to the truck to ask for some cents! haha I had a good laugh about that, then got the camera ready cause I knew he'd do it again.

 Our hotel served complimentary gumbo last night which was delish!

 Audubon Park

 Catching lizards...

 then throwing them in the water!

 Chasing squirrels

 After the squirrels climbed the trees, they looked back down as though laughing at us!

 This picture shows you just how big some of these trees were!

World War 1 Memorial the boys wanted to climb all over.

Too Much To Tell!

There's been so much going on around here lately! I haven't taken the time to post anything, but now that my parents have internet again ;) I'll start posting more often. My Dad requested some immediate pictures of the kids, so here goes. It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Jasper, TX, and the kids are having a blast playing with some water in the wheel barrow!

 Paul was sticking ramen noodles up his nose just for you, Pappaw!

Micah and Melody 

 Marrion and Paul hanging out on the fort

 Grace eating the noodles

 Playing kitchen!

My favorite pic....that's my little Lonnia!

Gettin' summer started

There's always something going on around here, and I thought I'd share some of the more recent events with ya'll! If any of you know Matt at all, you know he's a flipper. Not the kind that jumps around (not that he couldn't if he was excited enough), but the kind that buys things and can sell them for a profit. Recently he bought two diesel pickup trucks, and a house. The trucks were a great buy and he's already sold one, with the other yet to go. As for the house, it's a fixer upper. I think it has potential, and it's situated on a half acre lot. Otherwise, we've gotten a new puppy! Yes, I know it's number four this year, but Matt decided to call it Lucky. Perhaps that'll keep him from dying anytime soon. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

This is the truck Matt's sold so far, but I liked it the best!

Lucky 

 The kids scared him when we first brought him home, so he hid under the playhouse.

 Paul decided to "help" the puppy by jacking up the house.

 View from the back of the house.

 The yard was overgrown, but there was plenty of surprises growing.

 It fell off the foundation as you can see, but we have a professional fixing that right now. Anyway, believe it or not, the porch roof was put on crooked just like it looks, so the house is not as crooked as it makes it appear!

Jasper Camp!

Since we've moved here, I've been looking forward to being a part of Jasper camp. I felt so blessed to be a part of everything, and help do what I could to help others have a good time. I didn't get to help as much as I  wanted to because of taking care of my kids, but I did what I could. These Brothers and Sisters here at BFT (Believers Fellowship Tabernacle) go all out for this camp, and there's a huge buzz of excitement when it approaches time. They worked very hard, ensuring that everything possible would be done to make all our guests comfortable. It was very exciting to be behind the scenes, and I want all of them to know that I appreciate all the hard work they did! Here's a few pictures I took here and there. At the last minute I found my niche in the youngest children's church class, it seems I'm good with kids! I wonder why....

 We had all the kids hold onto a rope while we walked them down. That was a great idea!

 Some of the sisters put on a puppet show for the kids, and my friend Emily Palmer was the narrator. 

 Marrion with her new friend (left) Haddasah, and from our church, Belia.

 These were blindfolds the kids used to be like blind Bartemeas, we tied them on the way back. It was cute!

 Setting up for the banquet. It was so much fun!

 Good job Charity!

 It was good to see some family there. Trevor and Anna May, looking stylish!

 Tim and Charity

 Pull up the picture and see if you can read the quote.

 Can anyone guess who this lovely young lady is?

 Some of the ladies waiting in line. They looked beautiful!

 The most beautiful one of all, Sis Gail. Oh, and Bro Larry too! ;) She's a real solider for Christ and I just love love love her!

More pics of Galveston

I'm a little late, but I decided to post some pics of our trip before I forget any longer! So much has been going on..... this past week we had a camp meeting here in Jasper, TX, and I have pics to post of things going on around the house. I'll make this short today, so I'll just leave you with some more pics of the beach!

 Our friend, Emily Palmer, came with us to the Moody Garden Aquarium

 This is the Ocean Star rig that I took the kids to tour

 Now this is the way to keep your kids together! A shark cage...

 After the aquarium, we went on a dolphin cruise

 A fishing ship

 Daddy's girl!

 I loved seeing all the boats

 This bridge looked really neat on the way home, it was like two big M's

Galveston, Tx

One thing that I absolutely love about Matt's job, is the opportunity of travel. This week, his company sent him for training in Galveston, TX. They pay for our hotel, and expenses, leaving us to pay for our touring. Yes, I am a tourist. For the first time in my life, I've found myself walking with a camera in one hand, and a beach bag full of goodies and souvenirs in the other. We're staying at the Moody Gardens Hotel, and let me say, if ya'll ever find yourself in Galveston, this is the place to stay. It's so beautiful, not to mention the three pyramids in the back yard! We're touring the aquarium one tomorrow with my friend, Emily Palmer. Yesterday, we spent the morning at the beach, with the kids chasing the waves, and finding sea shells in the sand. We went back this morning, and the weather was perfect! After a break in the hotel room, I took the kids to see the Ocean Star drilling rig museum, to give them an idea of what Matt works on. It was pretty neat, although the kids were more interested in the fish tank on the way out. Anyway, I'll leave you with some pictures, and I'll have more by the time we go home!

 The girls were so excited to make a sand castle!

 Marrion was scared of the waves, if you want to call them that since they were tiny on shore, but she kept running away from them.

 Matt and Paul fishing

 Strolling through the Moody Gardens

This is the view from the floor in our hotel