Estes Park, Colorado

Jackson and his great grandfather fishing at Lake Estes
The McAdams and Cassidy about to go on a boat ride

My favorite part about CO, the Christmas trees are everywhere you look! I had to take my picture by one:)

Gavin and Kate have the best seat in the house when it comes to hiking!

One of many picnics

Is this heaven?

Kate feeding the birds on our picnic with peanuts

1st hike. so cold and SUPER windy!

Love some pigtails!

It was so cold and windy, Jackson wouldn't look at the camera.

A little trailmix at the cabin.

Jackson's favorite part about the airport, the shuttle train that takes you from terminal to terminal. I think he would have loved the airport for his vacation!

Kate's first airplane ride! She did great!

Yes, that's Santa in the summer at a Christmas store. He fished with the kids and they ate cookies from Mrs. Claus.

Jackson's horse. Out of 144 horses, they gave Justin and Jackson the biggest horse. He was huge and sleepy;)

My little horseback rider.

Jackson loves to fish!

So finally I got my pics from vacation posted! Our computer has not allowed me to post for some reason, but better late than never as I usually say in most of my posts;)

Anyway, one of my most favorite vacations by far! I've grown up going on family vacations to Estes, but now that I have kids, it was even better! We had 23 people with us and loved every minute being with all of them!

June

Ready for a day of VBS!

This is a pic of all the 2nd cousins, and about 6 of them are not there. Yes, I'm the oldest, and I'm holding the youngest.This is most of the Dunkins. Some of them had already left, so we didn't get everybody.

Burgers Lake Reunion

Kate doing what she does best. Snacking and making sure Gavin gets some too!

So this was our attempt at making red, white and blue rice "christmas trees" (as Jackson calls them), but when you mix those colors together...............you get purple rice "christmas trees":)

Jackson ready to cook. Kate is more interested in a snack;)

Hanging out at Watters Creek. We love to get ice cream and listen to the bands play while we sit on the green.

Justin running through the sprinklers with Kate and Jackson

Wow! It's summertime and things are busy! I have a lot to post, so get ready!

Besides, swimming, swimming lessons, and more swimming, the McAdams have hit the ground running in June. Aside from 1st trimester "yuckies", we haven't stopped. We started the month off with a Dunkin (my mom's side of the family) family reunion at Burgers Lake in Ft. Worth. I believe we had around 46 people there, all family. It was such a fun place to do something like this and the kids LOVED it! They had diving boards scattered throughout this little lake, with slides and a trapeze with sandy beaches! Which is as close to a beach as we're going to get this year;)

This week has been super busy with Vacation bible school and swimming lessons! VBS is going really well. Jackson and Kate are loving it and can't wait to go back everyday! I am helping out with Kindergarteners and it has turned out to be a great class with some awesome help! We come home and crash, and then off to swim lessons for Jackson. In just 2 days, Jackson is swimming underwater to us in the pool! He is so proud of himself and I can't wait to post some pics! It's unbelieveable to me for some reason that he can do this. It was definitley beneficial for us to have someone else teach him this. His "show off" day is Friday, so we will have video and camera in hand.

Finally, Saturday, @ 2:00am:/ we will head down to Houston to fly out to Estes Park Colorado, and could not be more excited!!! I know, 2:00 am, but we just couldn't pass up an awesome deal on plane tickets and we're meeting my parents there as well. 40 degrees in the morning and 70's in the day time, here we come! I can't stop thinking about it, as we suffer in this 100+ heat index! Estes Park is a traditional vacation spot for our family, at least every 5 years or so! There will be 23 of us going! Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents!! We've never been with our kiddos, so we're super excited about taking them to see the Rocky Mountains, and if I say so myself, one of God's most incredible creations! Yes, shopping malls, wall to wall houses, and busy interstates are great too, but there's something about 14,000 ft peaks with snow in the summertime, and the most incredible sights ever! Pics to post very soon!

From 4 to 5

Yep! Our family is now expanding from 4 to 5 and we are so excited! Jackson and Kate, if you haven't talked to them yet, will be the first to let you know;) They are very excited about the baby "growing in mommy's tummy"! Jackson knows that the baby will be here around Christmas time and keeps reminding us of when he/she will be born! I hope to have all my Christmas shopping done early, because who knows how up to shopping I'll be in Nov and Dec;) Although J & K keep me on my toes and I'm sure they'll continue to do so until I reach that hospital bed;)

People often ask what we prefer, boy or girl? Since we have 1 of each (and because we don't really have a say), we think either will be great! We have reasons for having either; a girl because it would be fun for Kate to have a sister so close, but then a boy sounds great too, because it might help with "middle child syndrome", as they call it, having Kate as the only girl! Whatever we're supposed to have is what we'll be excited about!

Are we having more?????...................This will be 3rd and final, unless the Lord has other plans!

Mother's Day Teas

Kate's clc BFF, Mary Kate

Kate's precious teachers and very dear friends!

Making our craft together

Jackson and his buddy Cooper

Getting ready to serve the mommies some fruit salad he helped make!

A little late, as usual, but better late than never;)

Both Jackson and Kate had Mother's day teas in their classes at clc! They were both so sweet and it was so much fun to spend time with them in their classes. They both love clc and their precious teachers!

In Jackson's class, they recited Psalm 139 with hand motions and sang a couple of songs. They wore aprons and served all the mommies "tea food" and gave us sweet homemade gifts that we will keep forever!

Kate's class had a craft for us to make together along with the sweetest little scrapbook of pictures of them throughout the year that will be treasured forever as well! We ate some snacks together and I loved watching her with her little friends she talks about daily. "Mar Kate" (Mary Kate), "Emme", "Hailey", "Audee" (Audrey).........to name a few!

In other news, we're enjoying some time in the freezing pool and windy days at the park! It's almost summertime and we couldn't be more excited to get outside after a very wintry winter!

I'm 2!

Aunt B and Kate

Kate checking out her new chair with cousin "Gadi" (aka Gavin)
Jackson brought his chair down to sit with Kate;)

Kate opening her card from Nanna and Poppa while we are skyping with them!

New clips from Aunt B

Totally mesmorized by her candles!

I love how Kate is eyeing her cake and not the camera! Gotta love it!

Having a little chick fil a and cupcakes at the mall

Jackson and Kate checking out the money in the fountain

Kate Elizabeth turned 2 on April 20th! We celebrated by having a few friends meet us at the mall for lunch and play, we had a family party at home and then she and Jackson went to Lufkin with the Grandparents for a long weekend and celebrated once again with them! We like to drag out our celebrations as long as possible;) We love birthdays!!

And as I say every year, I can't believe she's growing so fast! Has it really been 2 years since she was born!? She is so much fun and we absolutely are in love with this sweet girl!

Kate is talking so much and having conversations with us! Sometimes we don't understand everything she's saying, but we go right along with it;) Kate loves to play and be silly with her big brother Jackson, but occassionally (well maybe "often") is very vocal about getting her way when he's involved. But she loves to learn from him and they truly are best buds at this stage in life! I pray that only deepens as they get older.

She loves to sing and requests specific songs when in the car. I love that I have a child who loves to sing. I love to sing too, although she often asks me not to sing with her;) Justin and Jackson do not have this same love, so at least she does!

We can't wait to see the things she learns and discovers this year! We pray that she will learn to love the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, strength and mind and that she will only seek the desires of Him and obedience to Him throughout her life. We love you Kay Kay!