Summer in Amarillo

Summer here in Amarillo has been a hot one. Not as hot as Abilene was but still hot. We didn't go on any trips this year but the kids had fun doing things around here. And some not so fun as well. Like...

Going to the dentist, Keely had to have one crown done in June and then 2 more in August. 

We have acquired a 4 seater 4 wheeler that the kids call T-Rex. It is really called a Tyrex. The kids love riding on this on the trials out in River Falls. 

There was plenty of swimming to be done at River Falls, no one knows how deep this is but the kids have fun swimming in it and jumping off the dock. Even Abbie got to go along and swim. 

The kids got to try out the paddle boats before someone broke them. And visited the water fall, as well as come back muddy after walking through the trails to get to the waterfall. 

Tarek took the kids along with him when some guys from work went out the a river somewhere, to me it looks like a big orange mud pit. The kids swam in this and Keely looks like she drank some. Had to wash their hair a few time to get all that dirt out. Keely had a try on a child size four wheeler and she really enjoyed it. 

There was plenty of planting of seeds with Dallin around here, this was one of the sunflowers that he grew. 

And with those flowers came plenty of showers, even tornado's.

A little dress up - don't know what she was going for on this one, maybe gangster.

Can't have a summer without someone getting hurt. Keely was riding her scooter down hill and face planted on the street. Luckily she only bit her lip and scraped the outside. No stitches needed. 

Some science fun. Dallin got to attend a science club for a week and he had the best time. 

The kids favorite food of course is pizza. Can't have movie night without pizza. This time I put them to work and let them make dinner.

Amarillo House

On March 1st 2013, Tarek came home and said that we had to move to Amarillo by the 25th of that month. We were still in Fort Worth at the time.  A few days later I was to fly out to visit my parents in Florida, so Tarek had to use the weekend alone to go house hunting in Amarillo, along with Abbie our dog. He saw tons of houses and found this one. It is located inside a little neighborhood called City View which has the school close by. 

We were finally able to get the keys to the house in April so we had to stay in a hotel for a little bit. Keely and I were the first ones in the house and so while I was taking some pictures she had to jump in most of them. 

This is our entry way, the sun is awful at night coming through those windows. 

This would be the living area.

Kitchen and dining area to the left, with a door to the laundry room. 

Back yard. Abbie really wasn't sure what to do with a fenced in yard anymore, it had been a while since she had to stay in one. 

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom - Tarek's favorite part of this bathroom, the chandelier.

Keely's room before paint, we let them pick out their colors. 

After painting was finished, really surprised she picked girly colors.

Dallin's room before painting

Dallin stayed with the same colors he had in the Abilene house. Which is good because it matched his bedding. 

We have a couch, this was the only piece of furniture in our house for awhile before the moving company came a week later. 

Master Bedroom after painting was complete, we decided to paint the trim brown instead of leaving it white. 

Our garage was packed full of boxes with one little isle to walk through. It took awhile to get through them all. 

The kitchen became the unpacking zone for most boxes since we packed all kinds of stuff in the boxes. It was a crazy mess to say the least.

One Crazy Year

After Tarek's birthday he started his drive out to Amarillo for a 2 week orientation. And was then sent to Fort Worth to live in an apartment while he worked there. We first thought he would be able to come visit after 2-3 weeks but it was more like 6 weeks. The kids couldn't wait to see him, but we tried to keep busy while he was away. 

Dallin joined Cub Scouts within the local school he was attending. Usually LDS members wait until they are 8 years old and join as a Wolf, but Dallin came home from school with a flyer and really wanted to join. So we decided it would be good for him to have something outside of school to do. He was very excited and loved going. 

October

We always go to a pumpkin patch in October and I wasn't going to stop since we moved. So I found one that a little church was doing. It wasn't like Abilene's but the kids still liked it. 

Baker also had a corn maze, petting zoo, pony rides and hay rides. So Grandad came with us to see what it was all about. We tried the corn maze but it was a hot day and we couldn't make it through it. We decided we would come back when Tarek came back to visit.

The kids loved the rabbits, they wanted one after that. But I think we have enough pets with a dog, bird and a turtle. 

Since I was so close to my mom's now I was able to go down and visit a few times. The Orlando Science Center was having a Star Wars exhibit and Dallin was really into Star Wars so I surprised them with it.

We started out with new shirts, Keely picked out Darth Vader which came with a cape. She was in love with it. Dallin kept asking why we were getting Star Wars shirts and couldn't pick out a different one. 

Dallin was super excited to see the Star Wars costumes and models, he was in heaven. 

I think his favorite was R2D2.

I caught Keely staring at this hooded creature and thought it was quite funny how she was looking at it. 

Shaving Cream fun

I decided to let them have a little fun and have Dallin practice some spelling words with shaving cream.  But it ended up turning into a fight. 

I think they had fun. At least they smelled good afterwards. 

Daddy's Coming Home

We were going to pick up Daddy today at the airport for a visit. We were all excited. 

That same night the church was having a Halloween party so Tarek got to see our Anakin and Batman all dressed for Halloween.

Of course we took him to the Baker corn maze. We actually were able to complete all the maze. The weather was a lot nicer by then. 

Pumpkins

We had to carve pumpkins while we were all together. 

Can you tell which one Tarek carved.

Tarek had to leave before Halloween night, we went Trick or Treating at Grandads in Defuniak then out for some pizza. 

We had Thanksgiving at the hanger in Baker this year, my parents and Aunt and Uncle from Jacksonville came up, Tarek was able to fly back and Grandad was there too. For some reason I don't have any pictures of that day, they could be on my phone. Oh well.

Our next adventure was just about 2 weeks later when we flew to St. George, Utah for Grandads wedding. We got to stay with Grammy for the weekend. And since it was close to Keely's birthday we decided to have a birthday party with all the family so Tarek could be there too. 

Of course Keely had a Batman birthday party.This was her party girl outfit that I made. 

So that we could have a family picture for her birthday I got everyone else Batman shirts to wear. Keely loved it. 

We also got to do a little hiking, these kids love to climb rocks. 

Being together for Keely's Birthday we were able to get all the grandkids together to take some pictures with their grandparents and great-grandparents. Dallin really looks out of place with all the blondes in the picture.

Grammy had lots of leaves in her yard so the boys went out and made a huge pile and then they took turns jumping in the leaves, I think this was the first time my kids ever got to do something like that. I think they liked it. 

Wedding Time at St. George Temple

Christmas at Last

After seeing Tarek in Utah a few weeks later he came back to Baker for Christmas. My parents were able to come and spend Christmas with us as well. The kids had a good day and were excited with their loot. Right around New Years we packed up the trailer with what we needed to stay in an apartment and started the drive back to Texas. We were going to stay with Tarek in Fort Worth until they told him to move to Amarillo. 

Fort Worth, TEXAS

The first thing we did was find the local pack so Dallin could finish up his year in Scouts. And we were able to participate in the Pine Wood Derby. Even Keely could participate, and she won 1st place in the sibling race. Dallin came in 2nd place for his age. And his car got most likely to fly. 

It was time to take some pictures of the kids, there was a local garden in the area so thats where we went. 

A little Science

Dallin got a science kit for his birthday, which all his birthday pictures are on my phone. Well he wanted to do a science experiment, so I let them try some color mixing. 

Amarillo by March 25

Tarek was told on March 1st that he had to be in Amarillo by the end of the month, me and the kids were leaving a few days later to surprise my mom in Florida for Spring Break. So that same weekend Tarek and the dog drove to Amarillo to find us a house to live in. We got to Amarillo on the 24th, Dallin was enrolled in school the next day. The only down side was that we had to live in a hotel for about 2 weeks until we closed on our house. So we spent Easter in the hotel. We had an egg scavenger hunt for the kids and they thought that was pretty cool. Dallin made new friends at his new school which is only a few blocks from our new house. He also moved up to the rank of WOLF in Scouts. Tarek and the kids favorite place to go is out to River Falls where we have a piece of property, and we are able to use the area for swimming, four wheeling and exploring. 

We're Expecting

 

Also in March I found out that I was expecting our 3rd child. In June we found out that we were having a BOY. In August we finally decided on a name, William James Thomas. But he will be know by Liam. The kids are excited and can't wait to meet their new baby brother on November 1st. 

Like I said before it has been one crazy year. We are just glad that we are in one spot for now and can finish out a school year in one school. Dallin spent 1st grade in 3 different schools. Thankfully he was able to keep up and move onto the 2nd grade this year. Keely will be doing Pre-K this year but at home with me and Liam. She is really excited to do Keely school as she calls it. Dallin is not so excited to go back to school. As for me I am ready for school to start and back into a routine.