ShannonAlbert.com - June 2009

On Tuesday evening, we attended an event at Payton's school where awards were given to 6th graders for various achievements.

This is Payton sitting w/all of the 6th graders desperately trying to avoid me taking her pic...


Payton receiving the principal's honor award for her academic achievements...


As a winner in the alphabetic lottery, she was first to stand in the line of recipients and waited on everyone else to receive their awards...


Receiving her second award for obtaining perfect grades in citizenship from all teachers...


Andy and Blake playing rock, paper, scissors to keep Blake occupied...


We are so proud of Payton for her achievements inside and outside of the classroom!

We had a fun weekend. Saturday started off with Payton attending a friend's birthday pool party and then afterward, it was Mommy and Daddy's time to go to a party. For the first time, Payton babysat Blake while we went out. They did fine and Andy and I had fun at the party we attended. So nice to be able to spend some time together! On Sunday, we all went with Aubry's fam to see Shrek the Third. I had heard it wasn't as great as the others but I have to disagree. I thought it was fantastic! The addition of Justin Timberlake to the cast didn't hurt either. ;-)

This coming week is the last week of school for Payton. At that point, we will officially have a kindergartner and 7th grader. I'm not sure which is harder to deal with as both seem so implausible. When did our babies get so big?

When I was initially laid off and chose to stay home, I have to admit that I was pretty apprehensive. Blake's never been an easy kid to care for and I wasn't sure how it would go. It couldn't have gone any better. We sleep in daily and have very laid back times together. We grocery shop together, go at the park, play games, do workbooks, etc. As of Friday, Payton will be home with us and I'm sure that the 3 of us will enjoy our time together but I'm also glad to have had the last 9 months with just Blake and me.

The last of our trilogy of nephews/nieces was born on May 12. Andy's one and only sister, Maria, and her husband, Tom, had their second child - a son named Alan Thomas and he weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 oz. and was 21 inches long. A pic of baby Alan with big sister Bree who turns 2 in a couple of weeks...

Payton's school had a parents vs. kids volleyball game and I got to play against Payton. I'm happy to report that the parents won but we all had a lot of fun. Our last game was playing on the same team as our daughters. It reminded me how much I love playing volleyball and would love for Andy and me to play on another co-ed team together. A couple of pics...



And a couple of videos that Blake took...

I recently wrote about our visit to the Cowgirl Museum. While we were there, I got on a fake bucking horse and it was made into a video which just became available. Here's the video of that (keep in mind that I didn't even know it was recording a video of me at first!)...

We just returned from spending Friday - Sunday with my parents at a lake cabin 2 1/2 hours northeast of where we live. The cabins are called Deer Lake Cabins and although I had read about the location ahead of time, I wasn't expecting much from a "cabin." The "cabin" was really a very nice, fully furnished home that is very updated and comfortable. Our kids fell in love with it.

An outside view of the cabin...


View of the lake from the cabin...


A drum in a house with a 5 year old boy, fantastic! (sarcasm!)


Shortly after arriving, all of us (except my mom who has occasional back trouble) headed off to ride horses. This was Blake's first time and he was a bit scared at first but quickly adapted.

Some pics of the horses...












When we got back, my mom had prepared a bunch of great food for us to eat...


Andy and I took the paddleboat out briefly in the dark. Pics taken from the paddleboat.



Saturday morning, Andy and my dad went and played golf for a few hours. My mom, me and the kids went on some walks and explored a bit.
Payton took this pic...


The property dog that roamed around and Blake called him "leader dog" because he seemed to know where he was going.


My mom and Blake on our walk...


The "leader dog" taking a quick dip in the water...


Playing in the sand with grandma...


Leader Dog joins in...




Once Andy and my dad got back, my dad helped get the kids started on fishing...




Andy headed out in the kayak while the kids were fishing...



My parents went out in a boat as well...



When they got back, my dad took their dog, Harley, for a swim. It was his first time swimming and he loved it!




More fishing...


Andy and the kids out in the boat (yes, they knew it was backwards)...



Then dinner off the grill, Mexican style! We had fajitas and quesadillas and chips w/pico de gallo (Andy made the pico)...


That evening, after the kids were in bed, the four of us played Pitch like we always do. Girls won! I took a pic of one of my hands as proof to show them later how odd my cards were. I wasn't sure how to play it but we ended up getting a lot of points this round...


Sunday morning, we got up and I made all of us breakfast. Andy took Blake out in the kayak...



Payton fished some more. She snagged a big fish but it broke her line...


Andy took Blake to play in the sand again...



Then I'm told a "giant" came and destroyed what they had built!


We had a great, great time at the lake house and the kids didn't want to leave. They especially liked the layout of the house and want to buy one like it. Blake said we should put all of our money together so we can buy that house. It really was nice and had lots of supplies and was well furnished. We loved it and loved having the time with my parents. And even better - we loved that it was only 2 1/2 hours away!