Nothin much

Don't really have much to blog about today. I am anxious though to see my little girl again and my parents and sister this coming Thursday! I've really missed Olivia. She keeps me on my toes!

So here's to a happy reunion this coming Thursday!

My Parents

I hope Mom & Dad don't mind me posting their photos but they are so beautiful! Joel Galbraith... my brother-in-law is their photographer.

Okay.... the first one maybe not beautiful......




I really can't decide which photo I like the best. There are more but I tried to only put some of them. I am a lucky girl to have such wonderful parents. And a wonderful family to top it off!

This evening I spent Father's Day in Richmond, TX, at James & Shelley's home. The Simiskey's got together for a Father's Day BBQ. It was fun seeing all of the cousins playing together.

I only managed to get a couple of photos for the night. Here is the head of the Simiskey clan, Pat, playing with a nerf gun!


The cousins were having some nerf wars going on. Thankfully I only got shot once! And no one was seriously injured! It was nice spending some time with family yet again! I really love living in the States!

Milk and Cookies

So who doesn't love milk and cookies? Especially homemade cookies baked with love from Mommy! Ummmm.... Chocolate Chip! My favorite!

Fun in Lake Jackson

The really nice thing about living in the States this year is knowing that my kids and I get to spend some much needed time with family. Yesterday Sami, Katy and I drove to Lake Jackson to stay the night with Grandma & Grandpa Simiskey!

We had a really good time just relaxing and visiting. Don't these looks like some happy grandparents?

Grandpa Simiskey likes to be a bit of a goofball and Samantha loved every minute of it! Who couldn't like hanging out with such a silly Grandpa?

Katy had to get in on some of the action too. She really likes going to Lake Jackson. It is the first home she lived in and she definitley recognizes it when we drive up for a visit. But we did have a bit of a problem. Sweety Katy Belle has anxiety issues. This trip she got all worked up because of the car trip and then soon after I left her alone at the house while we went out to lunch.

I put Katy in the backyard when we left. When we got back she was in the front yard sitting under the Pecan tree panting like crazy! Thankfully she didn't run away since she wasn't wearing any dog tags!

Anyway... back to the point. Katy had a pretty severe anxiety attack. Her breathing was extreme and she couldn't stop panting really hard for about an hour. I really thought I was going to have to take her to the emergency vet. Thank goodness her panting did calm down. And today she is doing much better. Even the car ride home was pretty good. Katy is currently laying next to me on the bed snoozing away!!!

Graduation Day!

Wanted to share some photos of my nephew Ian's graduation. I'm glad I got the chance to attend. It's not often I get to share in events in my family's life because of our overseas travels. Ian graduated from high school and the ceremony was held in the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.

Is the proud father of the graduate asleep?????

Caught in the act! Casey wasn't sleeping. He was messing around with his iPhone during the graduation ceremony.....

Grandma Loui, Packa, Emily, Madeliene, Casey & Pearlette all paying rapt attention! Olivia, Samantha, Tristen and Maegen were in attendance as well.

Here are a few after shots outside the Toyota Center. Those are some proud looking parents! Congratulations Ian!

After the graduation we had dinner at "Sweet Tomatoes" restaurant. Pretty yummy salad bar and a nice time visiting. Although it was really, really crowded that night. Here's a shot of Madeliene, Ian, Pearlette and Casey across from us in the salad bar line.

A Girl and Her Toothebrush

Samantha and I have a daily ritual now of brushing our teeth together. Nothing like starting a good habit early! She gets so excited when I tell her it is time to brush our teeth. She toddles into the bathroom, very carefully gets up on the bathroom stool and then she squeals with laughter. It is so cute and makes me smile and laugh every time. What a cutie!

Here are a few more pictures of Sami just for fun. Now she seems to really like the camera and she likes to show off her new teeth! Good thing she likes to brush them!

Bicycle fun!

With Olivia gone on a trip with Grandma Loui & Packa it is kind of quiet around here. I've got Samantha and Katy to keep me company though. And both require plenty of attention! I've been a bit slow in getting blogs out this week.

But I have been busy trying to get our home in order. We leave in about a year so I want to get everything unpacked and organized soon. The earlier the better. Then I will actually feel like I got to live here for a while! I know... I'm a bit mental!

So I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately but I decided to post some photos of Olivia riding her bicycle just before she left on her vacation.


She loves to rider her bicycle! It is new. We promised to buy her one when we returned to the States. I also promised her I would buy a bicycle for myselft too. She wants us to go riding together. Sounds like fun to me!

This picture of Olivia and Samantha is one of my favorites. I gave Samantha this blanket so she could have one like Olivia and sit on the couch with her. She thought it was so much fun. They are so cute together. Sami follows Olivia around all of the time and tries to do everything she does. Just how a little sister should be!

For Daddy

Olivia wanted Daddy to have this picture. So here you go Daddy! You'll have to ask her about it so she can tell you her rendition of it. We miss you!

Steak & Shake

Went to lunch today with my girls, Packa & Grandma Loui. It has been too hot outside and it was nice to be inside someplace cool! And the mint oreo cookie milkshake was yummy! I should have taken a picture of it to share!

Anyway, here's a couple of photos to share...