A new aunt!

Rebekah and Annabelle have a new aunt and we have a new sister-in-law! We went to Derek and Melissa's wedding last weekend at Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth. It was quite a trip. We had a wonderful time, and everything was beautiful. We are excited to welcome Melissa into the rapidly expanding Peters family. Rebekah handed out programs with her cousin Drake and acted very grown up while she did her important job. Annabelle was a different story. She is at a fun but difficult age. She loves to run and climb and talk and yell all the time, and I spend the whole weekend chasing, catching, and restraining her. But I achieved my goal: keeping her from ruining the wedding! The poor thing had to miss her nap, which made my job even harder, but she soon caught up on her sleep at the reception.

These are literally the only two pictures I have from the wedding. I didn't even get a shot of the bride and groom! As much as I love to take pictures, my hands were full! I guess I'll have to buy some pictures from this wedding. And if anyone has pictures they'd like to share, send them my way.

Wilderness vacation

We just got back from our big wilderness vacation at Toledo Bend Lake--I don't think we can call it a real camping trip, since we stayed in an air-conditioned cabin followed by a golf resort. But we were in the woods and there was some outdoor fun.

We started on Tuesday with a group of 22--12 adults and 10 children. No, that wasn't the family reunion. That's just Shannon's brothers and sisters and their spouses and kids. The kids were ages 8, two almost 5, one almost 4, two 3, three 1, and one 8 weeks. We stayed in a large cabin that was just made for us. It had five bedrooms with eleven beds, so we could all be together but not on top of each other. The kids played all over the place and made as much noise as they wanted and the adults enjoyed talking and watching the kids play and napping. The perfect vacation, I say. Rebekah was thrilled to be with her cousins. Annabelle was less thrilled, I think, mostly because she seemed to suspect that every time another toddler approached her it was with the intent to take her toy/book/food/sippy cup. But the toddlers got along fine, as did the big kids. And we got to meet baby Kalyn for the first time.



Rebekah went fishing and caught her first fish. Make that her first FIVE fishes! She wasn't afraid to touch it and she threw several back in the water herself. All the big kids caught fish, and of course, the grown-up kids did, too. Kyra, Grace, and Annabelle kept trying to jump in the lake while their older siblings fished.


On Friday, we all moved to the Cypress Bend Golf Resort for the family reunion. That was quite a change from the cabin, so we got two vacations in one. Shannon and his brothers went golfing Friday afternoon and then we went to see a less-than-spectacular fireworks show. But it was Rebekah's first time to see fireworks, so she was happy with it.

On Saturday Rebekah and I walked on their nature trail so that she could collect things in her pouch. She came home with a few sticks, some rocks, some hickory nuts, a tiny pine cone, and two snail shells, with the help of her new favorite person, Aunt Betty. (Rebekah says, "That Miss Betty sure is a sweet lady" And that little Rebekah sure has mastered the Southern vernacular in her short life.)



Saturday evening we met met at the lake for a picnic, and then all converged on the hotel swimming pool. Rebekah discovered "Safety Floats," which we always called Water Wings, and she was happy to be able to swim all over the pool without feeling scared. Annabelle is afraid of nothing, and she jumped into the pool at least a dozen times before eating her weight in watermelon, seeds included. After swimming, we put the kids to bed and those adults who weren't watching sleeping children when to the hotel lounge for Karaoke. By the end of the night, even Shannon got up to sing the theme song to "Smokey and the Bandit."

Overdue Christmas wrap-up

Wow! It feels like Christmas was a year ago! We started our travels at night a few days before Christmas and stopped in a hotel to break-up the long drive. Unfortunately, the hotel's crib was already begin used and we discovered that Annabelle MUST sleep in a baby bed. Every time we put her in the floor or in bed with us, she thought it was party time. After a long night, we went to Hooks to visit Mamaw and Papaw Evans (or G.G. and Great-Papaw, depending on who you ask), where Rebekah tried to "speak" to the dogs in their own language, barking through the window, while Annabelle took a dip in their water bowl. This is why we don't have a dog! From there it was on to Arkansas where the girls got to play with TEN cousins!


We had an early Christmas celebration (which Annabelle slept through!), and drove home on Christmas Eve, so as not to miss Santa Claus. He came through for Rebekah, bringing exactly what she asked for--a violin and a piano (electric keyboard). We're hoping the toy versions encourage her interest in music so that maybe next year she can start taking instrument lessons. She has definitely inherited a love of music from both sides of the family. Annabelle got a very simple toy that has been one of the favorites--a set of stacking/nesting bowls that also fit together to make four balls to roll. They both play with that toy every day.

After Christmas, Mom and Dad came down, and we had our third Christmas celebration. They gave us a PlayStation 3, which I resisted until I learned that it plays Blu-Ray DVDs. I got a dancing game that lets you play your own CDs, so I've been dancing to a lot of 80s pop in my living room--that is officially my new work-out plan. And rest assured, you won't be seeing pictures of that here!

Surprise visit

Between our two trips last month, we got a surprise visit from even more cousins! Mikka and Chris (yet another Uncle Chris) stopped by on their way home from a trip to Houston, and the kids were excited to play together. Here's a picture of Kade, Kyra, Rebekah, and Annabelle. You can definitely tell which ones are siblings--Kade and Kyra look as much alike as Rebekah and Annabelle do.

More cousins!

Sarah and the girls went up to visit the Evans side of the family last week, and in addition to lots of attention from Granmommy and Papaw and Uncle Chris (one of them), the girls got to play with even more cousins. Rebekah and James played on the slides while Annabelle and Lily...well, pretty much just stared at each other. Rebekah got an early birthday cake and a new bicycle with training wheels. We have big birthday plans for next week, too, so she's going to think her birthday is supposed to last for weeks!

Camping trip

We had such a great time on our camping trip. It was a huge family reunion, and tons of people were there. We spent time with aunts, uncles, and cousins we hadn't seen in years, and some I had never met before. All of Shannon's immediate family stayed in a 3-bedroom mobile home at Lake Ouachita for the weekend, which turned out to be a tight fit. Everyone managed to clear their schedules to be there at the last minute, so we had 21 people in the mobile home, which included ten children and eleven adults! It's not very often that everyone is together like that. The first night we met up with the rest of the family for a cook-out and then everyone stayed up late goofing off and singing--everyone except for Annabelle and me--we went to bed! Rachel (aka Roo-Roo) is in cosmetology school, and she practiced giving pedicures to Mikka, Randi, and Vicki.

The next day we all went to the beach. I forgot to put sunblock on my legs and I sat on the beach with my arms draped across them. The result was a crazy sunburn that will leave stripes on my legs for the rest of the summer! (You'll just have to take my word for that! I won't be posting pictures of my legs for the whole world)
Here are Rebekah and Kade playing at the beach:

And here are Juran, Chris, Shannon, and Derek acting like little boys:

That night we had a fish fry, and Rebekah and Shannon went fishing. Her line had a small plastic fish on the end instead of a hook, so she got to practice casting and we didn't have to worry about losing an eye! At the campsite she was playing with her pole around a little Yorkie, and it ran and caught her fish. She was traumatized! We got the fish away from the dog and calmed her back down. So Rebekah didn't catch any fish, but she did manage to catch a puppy--not everyone can say that. By the way, Mom, I know what you're thinking--Rebekah is not wearing a life jacket because the boat is tied to the bank and not actually out on the water.

The next morning we got up for a big pancake breakfast with the whole family. Kyle and Chris played their guitars, we sang hymns, and Derek gave a message that had everyone in tears. As you can imagine, wrangling all ten kids is not easy, so we didn't manage a picture of all of them, but we did get one of all of them who could stand up (we're missing the three baby girls: Kyra, Grace, and Annabelle). Of course, they weren't the only kids there, but I felt accomplished just getting the first cousins together. In this picture, left to right, are: Rebekah, Gracie, Drake, Wyatt, Tyler, and Siera; Kade is in the front. The picture is cloudy because it was so hot that the lens kept fogging up.

So where is Annabelle during all of this? Well, after the first night when she smiled and cooed and just charmed everyone there, she was worn out and slept for the next two days!

Great-grandparents

Annabelle met her great-grandparents for the first time this weekend. We stopped on the way up to visit Grandma Cox and on the way home to see G. G. and Papaw Evans.

big weekend

This weekend we found a place to live! Shannon's new job starts at the end of June, and we'll be moving very close to Houston. We're buying a brand new house--so new it's not even a house yet, just a slab. There are a lot of plans and preparations still to make, so we'll keep everybody updated.

Mom and Dad came out to visit this weekend and we had a great visit. We showed them where our new house will be and where Shannon will work, and the girls loved having all the attention. Bekah was so happy to play with Granmommy and Papaw, and of course to get the presents they brought her. She got a great art kit and has played with it every day. The first thing she wants in the morning is her new art box. She is also learning how to use scissors and is obsessed with it. Even Annabelle was full of smiles when her grandparents held her. Annabelle smiles a lot now, and she lights up when she sees her big sister. These girls already have a strong connection, and I am so proud when I see how much they love each other. Rebekah says that she is the best big sister of all. Dad also bought me a cake decorating kit, so I can make cakes for Rebekah's and Shannon's birthdays this summer.

Bekah and Granmommy

Speaking of babies

(and aren't I always speaking of babies?)

Our new baby niece, Kyra Lynn, was born last week to Shannon's sister Mikka and her husband Chris. And, of course, big brother Kade. Yea! But we won't get to see her or Juran and Randi's little Grace for awhile, since I'm very much pregnant and an eight hour drive away. That's why we love digital cameras.

big week

We had an eventful week. My schedule for school is thrown off because of the ice storm, but things are starting to settle into a routine with the class I'm teaching. I'm teaching Advanced Composition this semester, and it is a combination of on-campus meetings and online activities. When the baby comes in April, it will be totally online, and I'll finish teaching from home. The online part was convenient this week, too, because I had to be out of town on Wednesday and Thursday for Dad's surgery. It was a long and stressful day, but he did fine and is back home now. Rebekah and Shannon had a couple of days with just the two of them, which doesn't happen very often. I think they had fun, but we were all ready to be back together. Yesterday we went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and Rebekah played there for three hours. I thought she would never get tired, but after we finally left she fell asleep on the way home and didn't wake up until almost 6:00 p.m. (which made bedtime much later, but she was still up at 6:30 this morning--sheesh!). We got a cute picture at the photo booth that I thought Shannon would like to have at work, but Rebekah wants to hang it in her room. I wonder if she'll be that possessive when Annabelle comes. They will share a room, so there may be some drama in that area.

Christmas

We're back home now recovering from all the Christmas excitement. Whew! We traveled first to Hooks for Christmas morning, then to Kingsland, then back to Texas to Paris, then finally home. We really enjoyed seeing everyone, and we were pleasantly surprised to see Aunt Jane after quite a long time. We missed Juran and Randi, but they had a good reason for staying up in Van Buren--bringing baby Grace into the world! Congratulations!

Rebekah made a big haul (of course) and our next purchase will be a large toy box! The Christmas toys are still in the living room, but that's okay--even if we had a place to put them, she would get them all out pretty soon. The big hits since we got home have been the Weeble castle from Nana and Pop-Pop and the Play-doh table from Granmommy and Pop-Pop. She has played with both of them for hours, and that's a lot for a two-year-old's attention span! She already misses her cousins and wishes they were here to play with her.

Shannon has a ton of Superman to watch. He got DVDs of Superman Returns and all the seasons of Smallville. Apparently the love of Superman is genetic--Rebekah has asked to watch Superman every day. I got a beautiful necklace from Shannon and a digital camera from Mom and Dad, so I will be able to share photos more quickly now. All in all, we made out well and had a great time visiting all the family. We're working on plans for summer when we meet our two new nieces if we haven't met them already and will also have our new addition to introduce to everyone.

Happy New Year, everyone, and we love you!

Weekend visit

Rebekah and I had a nice weekend visiting in Paris (Texas, that is). Thanks to her little pink DVD player and some kid songs CDs between movies, she was very good on the ride up there and back--five hours each way, just the two of us. Shannon doesn't tolerate the kid songs very well, but Rebekah and I had fun singing together to pass the time on the road. She loves the old song "My Grandfather's Clock" and always sings the "tick-tock, tick-tock" parts. That was one of my favorite songs, too, so I am happy to sing it to her.

In Paris Rebekah enjoyed seeing her Granmommy and Papaw, and on Friday night Rebekah and her cousin James, who is only five months older, slept together on the floor in their room. They were so cute together. They go several months between visits, but when they are together, they are best friends. We did have to hang up a second swing on the swing set to keep the peace, though. We also enjoyed spending time with Chris and Donna and baby Lily. Rebekah has a doll named Lily, so she is not very happy that her baby cousin is also Lily--that seems to be a situation that she cannot wrap her mind around. Just wait until she figures out that she has an Uncle Chris on both sides of the family!

I think that Rebekah has gotten it into her head in the last two months that cousins are really fun because tonight she asked to go play with Kade. But unfortunately Kade is in Arkansas, so she had to settle for a phone call. If anyone ever misses Rebekah, give her a call because she'll talk your ear off on the telephone.

Zoo Pictures

Here are some pictures from our weekend trip to the Ft. Worth Zoo. Rebekah and Kade (our nephew) got to feed the parrots.