Where did June go? Part One

Week One--We were still in school!!! The first week of June had us participating in many end of the year parties AND waiting for summer to officially begin. We ended the week with a trip to Crossett~
Can you tell Jones was ready for a break and school to be out? One of the Moms said say Summer & this is the response Jones gave as he shouted, "Summer!" :)
Laynie with a couple of her buddies, Eli & Julia, at the 1st grade Birthday Bash!Ready for church at FBC Crossett!

Week Two--The kiddos headed on vacation with Grandma & Popa...the first stop was camping at the Buffalo River, which the kids were totally excited about, & then on up to Branson for the water park hotel (a favorite of my kids) & Silver Dollar City! :) I think they successfully wore Grandma out over that week! We ended this week by getting a Puppy!Grandma was in charge of the photos so......I only have a few :) Looks like they had a relaxing campsite & peaceful view at the Buffalo!The kids have enjoyed having Jessie Belle as their pet (so far)! :)

Jessie Belle

Are you ever really prepared to get a puppy? I think the answer to that question is probably NO, NOT EVER...but we got one anyway! :) Our kids are really not all that fond of dogs, but they have been wanting to get a puppy for sometime now. (I'm not sure if they totally understand that she won't be a cute little puppy forever, she will eventually grow up & be a dog)! :)

Well 2 weeks ago, Trey started searching for lab puppies, and wouldn't you know we have a breeder in our own town! According to the book Waterdog, you must get the puppy at 7 weeks of age. Why you ask? I have NO idea, because I haven't read 'the book.' But our sweet little girl was already 10 weeks old so we got her at a bargain & after 2 weeks, she's gonna be just fine...she is already so smart :) 7 weeks or 10 weeks...what's the difference?She can sit, fetch, and heel (we're still working on stay)...not to shabby for a pup! Laynie wants her to learn to shake hands & Jones wants her to jump through hoops...my next question is will she ever have a chance in the world to be a hunting dog? Maybe, maybe not...that remains to be seen I guess!!

Laynie got the final say on which puppy to choose, hence the girl, and Jones had the final decision on a name. We all gave suggestions, and he chose. Jessie was picked in honor of Toy Story 3, & I'm not sure how we got Belle other than she's one of our favorite princesses! So we now have Jessie Belle White...if you say it real fast, especially if she's into something she's not supposed to be into, it sounds like Jezebel...Oh well, we'll try to NOT call her that! When she's working (hunting) her name is Jess. I'm partial to Jess, I think.

Jessie is definitely a lot of work, but the kids have a little more responsiblity because of her, and that's a good thing! We've only had to have one game of rock, paper, scissors to determine whose turn it was to scoop poop! I'm sure as school rolls around that will be Mommy's job, but she'll keep me company when everyone else is busy! :)

The 3 M's

M #1--The Mulberry RiverYou could never tell if from these photos, but the Mulberry River (if you are floating in a canoe with your child) is no fun and games...at least not for this canoe girl! Yes I grew up camping and canoeing and for some reason I have fond memories of those trips...maybe because back then canoeing was paddling just to help out every now and then, you know push us off a rock or something, oh and don't forget the most important part...to work on my tan! Yes my Daddy and brother spoiled me, and Trey took up right where they left off! Well Saturday was a DIFFERENT story...I ended up in the back of the canoe taking Laynie and another girl on a 3 hour float down the Mulberry...yes we tumped over, but only once! :) Every time we began to hear the rushing water, Laynie would get in the bottom of the canoe and say, "Mom please don't tump us again!" We made it in one piece thankfully, but I think an easy float down the Buffalo is more my style especially if I am the main paddler!

M #2--Momo's & Grandad'sSince we were already so close to Mansfield after our company picnic on the Mulberry, we decided to head to Momo's for a little R & R. We love being at Momo's especially in the summer because our agenda consists of running, reading, and relaxing in the pool! We are so lucky that our children have 2 sets of awesome grandparents who want nothing more than to love on their grandkids as much as possible! Thanks for a wonderful time! :)

M #3--Memorial Day FunLike I said we enjoy swimming in the summer alot. Laynie just jumped right in and took off like a little fish again...Jones was a little more timid, but by Day #2 he was jumping off the diving board and swimming to the ladder all by himself! They were able to spend time with their cousin that they always want to see when at Momo's, and Memaw got to watch them swim too! :) Laynie does NOT wear floaties, but she wanted to pose silly for a picture...Jones is always silly so there's nothing new with his pictures. After a long day of swimming, popsicles hit the spot...bannana for Laynie and cherry (better known as red) for Jones. We are looking forward to many more swimming trips to Momo's this summer...and we want some of our VB friends to join us too!Sorry for ALL the photos, but Momo got a new camera I was trying out for her...and yes, I'm a little jealous, but at least she's at most of our important events, so we can use hers until I (by I, I mean Trey) breaks down and buys me a good one! :)