Howdy/Hola From Texas!

We have returned! Our trip to Texas was so much fun. It's great to see family and spend time together each year. Here are a few highlights from the trip. Warning: There are a TON of pictures with this post! These were taken before we left. Leah is turning in to quite the little poser. This must be her "S'all good in the hood" pose.

Raychel and her best friend. She missed Jade so much while we were gone. She was reduced to tears a couple of times. So worried that Jade was sad and missing her too. Everyone needs a best friend like that. They cuddle like this all the time.

Ready to leave. Happy faces and 3,000 pounds of luggage.

Checking it all out. Wondering which plane was ours.

Anna and her "take off" face. Raychel was sitting by James, so I couldn't get up and take a picture of her. Apparently, they don't encourage picture taking on the plane. Oops.

Leah, very excited.

Leah, very worn out by the excitement.

Anna, Leah and cousin Skye at Traci's house.

Raychel made friends with Traci's cats. When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, she says, "Traci's house and the cats."

Driving to the campground. They were all crammed in the backseat of a Yaris, but still happy. Anna is in the middle. Funny story...James and I had no idea that El Paso was SO close to the Mexican border. When driving on the freeway, you can literally see people walking the streets IN Mexico. Like, it's not off in the distance at all. Before we left, we needed a few items from Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart was very... "culturally diverse". As we are checking out, Anna waves her arms in the air, and shouts, "HOLA AMIGOS!" James and I could not stop laughing. She can be friendly in any language. :-)

Movie night in the lodge.

White Sands National Park, New Mexico. Yes, it was as hot as it looks. The temperature was 110 on this day. Leah kept saying, "Do I look like a mermaid?" She was having a great time burying herself and "swimming" in the sand.

Anna was not feeling the heat nor the steep incline of the hill.

I think I found Diet Coke's new spokes model. As the other kids were begging for water in this heat, my kids were begging for Diet Coke. Leah had her eyes closed and savored every last drop of this bottle.

The sand was very fine and soft. Dad gently wiped every body's face off before we left.

Marshmallow guns. The girls loved attacking with these. They couldn't wait to show Grant.Anna. Anna had her gun in her mouth...then tripped. She has a bloody/sore throat to prove it.

James laughing because he pelted me in the neck with a stupid marshmallow. I was not nearly as amused as he was.

Zip line. The girls loved this activity. Leah had a little "incident" with the zip line. The rope at the top of the hill got tangled around the leg of one of the adults. As a result, she got flipped off the swing. She has a nice case of road rash on her one butt cheek. She got right back on, however. The fall didn't deter her too much. Here is a classic Anna and Leah picture. These two can be in their own little world together. They were using a marshmallow gun to sing songs to each other. Completely oblivious to everyone around them.
The poser at it again.

Cupcakes

Watch out! Anna has a bat. Pinata time.

The cherished prizes from the treasure hunt...jewels.

Water balloon volleyball. Anna was partners with Traci.

Leah trying to save the water balloon.

I just loved Anna's face in this picture.

James might get a volleyball player after all!

I really wanted to get a picture in front of a sign that said, "Welcome to El Paso!" However, James doesn't see the value in these photo opportunities the way I do. We had to settle for this poster by our gate when we were departing.

Nana AND Papa came to greet us at the airport. The girls were so excited!