Science City

Today we went with one of my friends from high school and her two boys to Science City....wow it was super cool, but really tiring! I tell ya those places can wear a mama out- all you end up doing is running after your kids-ok running after your 2 year old:)...but man they have so much fun so it is worth it! Now since Alisha and I were plum worn out (and we had only been there an hour or so) we decided the IMAX would be perfect-it was about cowboys and horses so I figured it was a win-win, but the kids ended up wanting to leave early! No big deal though I think they really were ready for naps and so was I! And I also had so many more photos ops but my camera died-stink! I have been trying to talk my dad into getting a new camera so I can buy his old one off him- but he hasn't taken the bait yet, but I AM still "Daddy's little girl" so we'll see if he breaks-only kidding Dad! (kinda:)

Swimming like Crazy!

Ok so I know that I have a ton of blogs about the kids swimming and I really have tried to keep them to a minimum....and I have been doing pretty good since we have been swimming EVERYDAY since we got to KC and I haven't blogged about those:) Anyways I was so proud I just had to share.....notice Reese is swimming to Granny and he is being really brave all a sudden! He will jump right off the steps and walk across the pool. Abby is doing her belly float and she can hold her breath for 14 seconds underwater! I am just amazed how much they have improved since we got here....before we leave they may be swimming laps....with these two "fish" I wouldn't put it past 'em!

Dizzy the Clown

Well this one might be a hard one to explain, but here goes.....my WHOLE life my mom has done clowning at church events, birthday parties and overseas and most of my life this has embarrassed me terribly, but with kids it has really come in handy:) So the other day we talked her into dressing up as a clown and doing a show for us! The kids got to see her put all her make-up on and then she did some fun tricks and balloon animals. The kids were so thrilled and they weren't scared at all-I wasn't sure if Reese would freak out, but he did great...he kept telling me that it was just Granny! Also Dizzy went with the kids to go get lunch and oh man did we get some looks driving down the road (that was what embarrassed me the most as a kid-what teenager wants to be seen with a clown driving down the road?)! Anyways the kids had a lot of fun and I think both the kids want Dizzy to come to their birthday parties....sure hope the kids at the party (and their parents) like clowns:) ...I've seen grown men cry when a clown came near so you never know!

The Beauty Shop!

Abby got her hair-cut tonight and she just loved it! I thought she looked so cute in all these clips so I wanted to share! And for you women reading this- she got some little bangs cut and tons of layers which she really needed, but not much length taken off because she is growing it out long like Jasmine (last week it was the Little Mermaid) ...she also told me she wanted to die it black...I told her 4 year olds don't die their hair and she took my word for it....hopefully she will always take my word of it:)

Super Splash!

OK so....today I almost died! NO really I am not kidding! The kids and I went to Super Splash with my mom, sister, and her son Trevin and we went down the scariest slide EVER! Now I am not a wimp about these things normally, but my fear of falling off the side didn't help with this particular slide! Abby was so amazing she just got right on the tube and the lifeguard pushed her over the edge and she didn't scream at all....I did and I wasn't even riding! I seriously felt like I was about to witness my daughters death....but she didn't die and so I thought I should give it a try:) ...that's pretty bad I let my kid go first and since she was alive I thought I would try it...horrible now that I am typing it!
Anyways- so Abby and I go again and I was so scared I was about to go back down...but since Abby(age 4) already went TWICE I thought I should be a big girl. Well obviously I am not dead, but I can't say I enjoyed it either! And you want to know the worst part??....my sister talked me into going again in a 3 seater tube (which means you go way faster....NUTS!) I am NUTS:) Well I sure hope these pictures do this enormous half-pipe looking slide justice....and if you are wondering if I will ever go again...well the answer is NO....I will stick to roller casters from here on out-at least you are strapped in those things:) ...and what is so weird about this whole thing is I will ski down the biggest mountain and not think twice about jumping right over the edge with big pieces of wood on my feet(slippery pieces of wood)....what is wrong with me? I can't explain it, but I guess you just never know what will scare you huh? ...my name is Becky Stamps and I am scared of big half-pipe slides:)
Wow- I feel better- they always say the first step is admitting you have a problem! ..but sadly I don't think anyone of you didn't know that I have PROBLEMS:)

Royals Game!

Monday night I thought it would be fun to go see the Royals and Yankees play--honestly it was my idea this time...I thought Greg would like it and since he was leaving Tuesday morning we really wanted to spend some quality time with Daddy! (and a ball game is as quality as we get these days:)...only kidding! The poor Royals lost pretty bad, but it was all worth it to see Roger Clemens pitch...the Bullet....Reese loves that name-he says he throws like a bullet:) I also wanted to show you all some of the pictures I took of the kids eating... because the kids ate the whole time it was insane! They had snow cones, cotton candy, nachos and as much D.P. they could mooch off Greg. Now, I was not happy about this sugar consumption so Mommy had to monitor how much of each thing they actually ate... and for the past 2 days we have been eating fruits and veggies...so I guess it's not so bad!
Reese also got a Royals hat and he looks adorable in it...today he sported a Rangers shirt and Royals hat--I guess you CAN support two teams!

Powell Gardens

Today my Mom thought it would be fun to go out to Powell Gardens and walk around and see the dinosaur exhibit. It was a beautiful day-not too hot not too cold-so it was a great day to just go for a walk! The dinosaurs were great and the kids thought it was really fun to walk through the woods and try to find them- our kids have always been into the outdoors so this was the prefect trip! In two of the pictures I told the kids to act like dinosaurs-good try huh? Reese in the second picture is acting like the baby dinos behind him--he's crying like a "baby dinosaur" as he called it:) ....I wish you all could hear how he talks--imagine lots of volume:) and extremely nasal-it's great!

Brother's Wedding!

Me with my sister and mom

Me, Kim, and Christi

New family picture!

Kim, me, and my brother Tim

We just got home from my brother's wedding and it was so beautiful! Kim did a great job planning it and it was so great to see how happy both of them are together. We got some great pictures of everyone and I was excited to get some pictures of the kids when they were clean and all dressed-up! Abby and Reese had a lot of fun playing with all their cousins and they went a little crazy on the dance floor at the reception....I will have to post again to show you all those pictures -they are pretty funny!

More Wedding Pictures!

Abby thought Kim was a real princess...she told me
that Kim was her "Jasmine"...meaning Kim is her favorite
princess....Abby came up to me and told me she wanted
to get her picture taken with the bride and groom and she
was so excited she was shaking!

Trevin (sister's son) Abby and Reese

My Daddy and I...isn't he cute in his hot pink tie?


Kids dancing like crazy....typical wedding reception-only the
kids get on the dance floor!

Reese break dancing....or at least trying to break dance...too cute!

Kansas City!

We got to Kansas City safely and Greg got in last night for my brothers wedding. The kids and I had a great trip...we split the trip up in two halves and on Wednesday we drove to OKC and stayed with Ashley, my good friend from college. We took the kids down to the River Walk and ate mexican food then let the kids see the ballpark (the Rangers' AAA affiliate)....Reese was super happy about that! We then headed out the next morning to drive to KC....it took us 6 hours (ugh...what in the world?- it isn't supposed to take that long).....Greg told me it must be because I wasn't going 90 the whole time like I did back in college--I figure he is right) ...I am getting more cautious in my old age:) I am sorry it has taken me so long to blog-I am waiting for some good pictures tonight at the wedding! We are here for 2 weeks and I hope to blog as often as possible (it's hard on vacation when you are out of your normal routine:) ...so be patient with me and hopefully I will get to blogging asap!

Chuck E. Cheese!

Tomorrow we are leaving for Kansas City for two weeks! We are really excited and can't wait to see Granny and PaPa, but also the kids wanted to spend some time with Maw Maw and Poppa before they leave! Today they went to Chuck E. Cheese and got to play a ton of games and eat pizza! The kids are getting really good at the games and it is so crazy how familiar they are with everything.....and Maw Maw and Poppa are getting pretty good themselves!! Also as we were walking in Abby told me that she was certain she wanted to have her birthday party here...she has changed her mind a million times, but I think she may be serious this time! (we'll see-you know how kids can be:)

"Let's Dig in the Bible!"

On the way home from church yesterday Abby says, "Mom, let's dig into the Bible!" Now I am not sure where she heard this or why exactly she said it, but I do know it was music to my ears! I always pray that our kids will love God's Word and really believe what it says! So when we got out of the car Abby was carrying my Bible and when I got in the house this is how I found her....how precious....she can't even read...I can already see my prayers are being answered:)

***Guest Blog by Greg*** Last night Becky and I finally celebrated our 6th anniversary. It was on the 7th but we were at a family reunion, so we had to postpone. This picture is at The Melting Pot where we started off the evening with fondue. We got the whole nine yards- cheese, salad, main course, and chocolate. After dinner we went over to Southlake Town Center for a little shopping. Becky bought some shoes, a shirt, some pants, and a couple headband things. I got a jacket and some preppy pants. They look like something you'd see in Nantucket. They're definitely not my style, but they fit really well, so I figured I'd branch out. Don't worry though, they're not the ones with little whales printed all over them. Then we boogied down to Sundance Square in Fort Worth. I had ordered tickets to the Four Day Weekend comedy show. It was pretty entertaining. You could tell the guys weren't firing on all cylinders, but they were still pretty amazing with their improv.

Rainforest Cafe

Today the kids and I met Stacey (best friend that just got back from India) at Rainforest Cafe. It was Stacey's birthday about a week ago so the kids were really excited to give her a gift. I got her a watch and Abby put in 3 Chuck E. Cheese tokens in the bag also....I told her that Abby must really love her because she doesn't normally like to share her tokens:)....Stacey was flattered! It was so good to sit and talk with her a bit even though the Cafe is super loud.....Reese never got off my lap. I had to reassure him that all the animals are pretend but I am not sure he believed me! Abby took a picture with the Frog guy and she was so happy-she just loves those "humans in costumes" as my nephew Trevin calls them!

VBS Week!

This was Abby's first year of VBS and she had alot of fun! The theme was Galilee by-the-Sea and basically it was a "day in the life" during Jesus' time. Abby learned alot about the way Jew's used to worship and honor God. I know she really loved the music time and she loved doing all the crafts. I think she was bit tired by tonight (the 4th night) but her leaders said she was awesome and listened even when the other kids were disobeying (yes, that makes a MaMa proud:) ...I tell ya, it's always a joy to hear that all your labor is NOT in vain:)
Greg and I also lead a group and here you can see some of the kids and I during time at the synagogue. The Jews wear these cloths on their heads when they pray....the kids thought that was cool! I must say I have never been around that MANY 5 year olds at the same time-they are crazy! ....let's just say Greg and I like teaching teenagers a lot more:)

Water Games!

Today it was a pretty hot day....at least that's what Abby said-she told me while we were walking home from Doug and Anglea's that it was way too hot to be outside! So after lunch we decided to fill the little pool up and get wet! The kids were having a blast just running and jumping in the pool, but I thought it would be fun to play a few water games! First, they ran with a bucket on their head...Reese loved this one! I also told them to use a shovel from the sandbox and try to see who could fill the bucket first...Abby persevered and filled it all the way with the shovel, but Reese well he thought it was taking too long so he walked over to the pool and just filled the bucket that way...pretty smart I'd say:) Well we had a fun day and even though we didn't go to the water park (their favorite) we had a blast! -thank goodness for all those years I was a camp counselor--I've got a million games up my sleeve!

Michelle Time!

While we were in Houston this past weekend we went to stay with one of my close friends from college! She's the greatest and it was so fun to see her and her husband Jonathan in their "element"! They are youth ministers at Second Houston North Campus and are loving it! Greg and I were really impressed with all they are doing to reach the youth...being a minister is tough and they need to hear more about how grateful we are for them! So everyone reading this go and thank your ministers and help out all you can (they need help too)...they are really working way more and longer hours than we ever will and they need our encouragement!

Reese Family Reunion!

This weekend we went to Houston for the Reese Family Reunion. Every year the whole family gets together (Greg's side) and we all hang out and eat lots of food:) We spent two days playing "Cups" (a great new game where you try to stack cups the fastest...we had a mini competition and I was terrible...though don't you worry I am gonna get better....I will be buying this game soon:) also the ladies did some crafts...we made coasters and mine turned out great...I'm so proud! Then on Saturday all the guys took the kids to Minute Maid Park where the Astros play!(I wonder who suggested going to the ballpark???...maybe....GREG?) They took a tour and got to go in the dugout, inside the score board and they also got to go on the field! They all had fun and the kids came back super tired....let's just say we aren't used to the humidity in Houston! ....I felt like such a baby this weekend I seriously couldn't believe how stinking hot it was just 4 hours south of us....wow! So we got home tonight and the kids pretty much went straight to bed....they were spent and so are we! We had a good time and it was so great getting to see everyone! We can't wait for all the fun next year!