Flower Power

At the rehearsal dinner, Danielle (the bride) gave Ashley a cute monogrammed bag with several gifts inside including this adorable, sparkly "Flower Girl" tank top. It was a little big, but we made it work. She was so excited about it that she slept in it last night.

We started our day at the hair salon. Danielle wanted Ashley's hair up. Thanks to our stylist/bridesmaid Lindsey and a LOT of bobby pins and hair spray, the hair went up and stayed up rather well for 10 hours! Of course, I did spend most of those 10 hours saying, "Don't mess up your hair!" (The final bobby pin count when I took her hair down tonight was 35!!)

Bride and Flower Girl

Next we moved on to the nail salon for Ashley's first mani/pedi. She loved it! We went to the place that has a kid-sized chair with DVD player. She sat still the whole time that I was getting mine done.

We skipped out on the bridesmaid lunch and came home for a little down time. Then it was time to head to the church for pictures. Unfortunately, most of the pictures were outside in the heat. Ashley was a trooper, but it was about halfway through the photo session when we started to lose Flower Girl #2. She was only 2 & 1/2, so by the time the wedding started, she was done!

We had a lot of time between the pictures and the wedding. I think this was good because we hung out in the sanctuary, and Ashley got really comfortable in there. Maybe a little too comfortable at times...

My little cutie did a great job as the solo flower girl! Appropriate pace, well-scattered flowers, and almost a smile while walking down the aisle. Even without a nap, she did not whine or complain all day! Here she is with big brother and then with the whole family after the wedding.

Rehearsing for the Big Day

Tomorrow's the day that Ashley gets to be a flower girl. While she's very excited about the whole event, you wouldn't know it tonight. She was acting shy and nervous throughout the rehearsal. I'm coaching her to walk slowly and smile and bribing her with a special surprise if she does well. I feel a little bit like one of those crazy pageant moms on "Toddlers and Tiaras".

She has an appointment tomorrow scheduled by the bride at 9:30am to get her hair done. The wedding's not until 5:00pm, so we'll see how long this up-do lasts. Trying not to cross the line in becoming a psycho mom, I promise not to apply any spray-on tan to my 4-year-old. ; )

However, I'm also thinking about taking her for a pedicure because I think she would love it, but mostly because my feet are in desperate need of some pampering.

Zzz...zzz...zzz...

It's 9:43 on Tuesday night. In our living room, Jeff's on one couch asleep. Nathan's on the other couch asleep. And Ashley's in my lap - you guessed it - also asleep. I'm enjoying a few minutes if peace. If only I could reach the remote without waking anyone to turn off the TV.

Shuttle Service

A while back, I joked about our house being Hotel Adams. Lately, we've been running the Adams Airport Shuttle. Renee flew in last week from PA, and I picked her up at the airport. This week, it was the Stacy kids who flew in from Florida - by themselves! I was worried, but they did great. I don't know if all airports have this, but the LR Airport recently updated its website (http://www.fly-lit.com)/ to include a Flight Tracker where you can watch flights in real time on your iPhone. I don't know how accurate it is, but it kept the kids entertained while we waited.

Tomorrow's shuttle service will be dropping off Jeff's parents to fly to Seattle for their cruise to Alaska. I'm totally jealous! I would love to go to Alaska - especially this time of year.

Should you need to shedule our services, call soon. We're booking up fast! ; )

Bar G Bar Ranch

The Johnson kids were in Arkansas for 10 days, and they did a LOT in those 10 days: camping, Toy Story 3, Wild River Country, family reunion, Chuck E. Cheese, and more! No surprise that my kids were also involved in much of the activity, but I've been sick and not available for documenting the events.

However, I was feeling a little better on Thursday, so we all went to my aunt and uncle's ranch in Gurdon so that the kids could get in one more activity - horseback riding.

One of Jeff's and my favorite things at Babe and Kelly's is this big, old oak tree. Dad estimated that it was about 200 years old.

I let Nathan take pictures of the kids riding with my camera. Some of them turned out pretty good. Like this one:

But most of them were more like this:

In true Adams' fashion, it was safety first! The bicycle helmets didn't look quite authentic on the ranch, but neither did the Crocs and matching Life Point Sports Camp T-shirts that Renee brought the kids back from PA. Oh, well! We have never claimed to be cowboys. The kids all rode the horse and seemed to enjoy it. All the adults enjoyed the cool weather and low humidity that we had on Thursday night. It was a welcome relief!

After lunch at Senor Tequila, Renee and the kids headed back home on Friday and should make it back to PA tonight. Travel safe! It was good to see y'all!

Cooling Off in Mountain View

Last summer's unusually cool temps were definitely a fluke. It's hot in Arkansas again! The weekend before last we were trying to think of something fun to do that would not induce a heat stroke. We decided to go to Blanchard Springs. I have not been since I was a teenager when Lisa and Ray took our "youth group". My kids have never been, and Jeff went once when he was about Nathan's age.

First, we toured the cavern which is a comfortable 58 degrees year-round. If it weren't for the bats and creepy-crawly things, I think I could live in a cave: cool, dark, and quiet. I forgot my camera, so the only pictures I have were taken with my phone.

Nathan was impressed with the size and the formations in the cavern. We were all unimpressed with our tour guide and overheard at the end of our journey that it was his first time to lead a group.

After the cave tour, we met up with the Fowlkes at Sylamore Creek for a swim in the cool, clear water. The kids had a great time. Again, no camera, so Jennifer forwarded me this pic.

We spent the night with the Fowlkes and had lunch on the MV Square before we headed home. Here's another pic Jennifer sent me of the kids:

Getting Our Money's Worth Out of a Season Pass

We decided to forgo the Season Passes to Magic Springs this year and instead got passes to Wild River Country. Since it's only 10 minutes from the house, we've used them a lot already! Jeff took Abby and the kids last week, and this week we met up with some of the Krebs family.

Nate and Ashley

Ashley, Abby, and Abby's friend who "just happened" to be going the same day

Missy and Lydia trying out their waterproof camera

Morgan, Nate, and Ash

Ashley and Lydia were inseparable! They walked around hand-in-hand most of the day.

I swear that I didn't tell them to pose like this. Lydia said, "Lets put our hands on our hips!" It's cute now, but I can only imagine what they will be like in 10 or 12 years...oh my!

24-Hour Camp Out

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jeff, Nathan, and Wayne (not previously mentioned) went to Devil's Den a couple of week's ago for a 1-night camp out.

They swam, fished, and hiked, but I think that they all enjoyed watching the snakes around the lake more than anything.

Splish! Splash!

I bought a waterproof camera to take on our trip to Disney World last fall, so this is the first swimming season that we've had it. I thought I would post some semi-random shots that we've been taking with it:

Swimming at Nathan's friend Carter's house:

Lucy and Nathan's or Ashley's index finger:

Both kids and two workers at Wild River Country:

Nate splashin' and chillin' at Devil's Den:

Table for One

Not to brag or anything, but I have been enjoying the last 24 hours completely by myself! No kids, no husband. Don't get me wrong. I will miss them eventually, but having a night and a day where I don't have to pick-up after anyone or pour them a glass of milk is blissful! I've been sick this week, so some down time is just what I needed. I'm currently enjoying a little Mongolian stir-fry at Genghis Grill. Jeff took Nate camping at Devil's Den, and Ashley spent the night at Aunt Karen's. The only downside is that I am on call and about to head back into work. Oh well! It was nice while it lasted!