A week has passed.

My last post was July 25th? Wow, I blinked and last week was gone.

The funny thing about that is we didn't have anything going on for once! Back in the Spring when I was completely crazy and thought that I had the stamina to be gone every weekend in July, we had planned to go to Garner this weekend with a bunch of people from Welch. Thank goodness the weather and our good senses held us back. The weather meaning the dry-ness made the river ... dry.. And if we were going to go anywhere to get away right now, it might have to be somewhere in the southern hemisphere where we can get away from this heat. Anyways.

While we didn't leave Welch all last week (except for a brief non-eventful stint in Lubbock for me on Saturday), we did have a great week and weekend.

Last week, I checked out a new book called Firefly Lane. I'm about 25 pages from the end and I am an emotional wreck right now! You get so attached to the characters. Everyone's emotions become your own and several times after reading for a little while, its taken me about 30 minutes to snap out of it and remember my life is not the character's..

The story is about two best friends who meet when they are fourteen, take completely different life paths full of tragedy and happy times, but still remain best friends. I know, I know, sounds kind of corny. This type of storyline has never intrigued me but this is no mediocre story. Its amazing. I especially think anyone who's a mother would love it. Please read it. If you're into that sort of thing.

Thursday night, Jada and Nick (Kanyon's sister and her husband, but more importantly my sister and brother-in-law) and their four kids came to Welch! Nick and Jada left on Friday for their second trip to Kazakhstan (I spell checked it, Vaughn ;). Last year, on this same week, they left for their first trip to help lead a marriage retreat for several couples from that country. I think I'll wait until they get home and get more information before I attempt to tell you about it.

So that means the kids are staying at Nana and Papa's for 10 days! Or as Leif likes to say - they are "living at the farm"! Aubryn (8), Keirah (6), Leif (4), and Emry (2) will be here until next Monday, I believe.

If you look closely, you may recognize Tac's face in there, too.. Al and Kasha left for New Mexico for the weekend for her birthday present - a hunting trip. Perfect wife, huh? I babysat him for that afternoon.

Notice Leif's rodeo vest?  ; )

We've had fun playing with the kids and eating more of Vaughn's cooking than we usually get to (when family's here there's an open invitation to come eat dinner with them.. you know what that means.. 10 days of no cooking for me!... Just kidding, Vaughn ;) ) and Aubryn even wanted to come over on Sunday afternoon and help me clean my house! After a couple hours, I was the one begging her for a break.

 

I don't even know what's going on in this picture. All I know is Emry and Kanyon are giggling in the living room and yelling at me to come take a picture of them doing this.

Last night, a few of our friends in Welch were having a birthday party for a couple of our friends, Brent and Levi. So Kanyon and I headed over there and the guys had grilled steak and corn and their wives had made a bunch of yummy sides! I made my family friend Jolene's brownies and they were amazing. Everyone said they were so good (a couple of the babies charmed me into feeding them half of mine.. only chubby blonde 18 month olds would ever be able to pry a brownie from my hands) I made a couple of the guys take the rest home because I knew I loved them so much that I would eat all five of the left-overs in one sitting. Its been known to happen.

Okay, I did take home one that I'm already excited about eating for dessert tonight... Gah, how are people supposed to eat sensibly with brownies like that in their kitchen??? Thank you, Jolene.

Hope you had a great weekend, too!