Yay Daddy!

Chad got Brooke to sleep tonight all by himself while I was working!

YAY Daddy!!! Should we move her?

First Texas Outdoor Nature Challenge - Complete!

Texas Outdoor Nature Challenge is a program to get families out to parks to complete "missions" for two months or so starting late May. Today we did our first ever challenge/mission at Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area, http://www.ias.unt.edu/llela/main.htm.

I thought it was going to be way hot, but it was actually bearable and a lot of fun and I'm so glad we went!

Starting off on the Cottonwood trail to see the 1870s log cabin, smoke house, and dugout. Perfect because Lane has listened to four of the first books in the Little House on the Prairie series!

Part of our challenge was to find animal tracks, animal scat, a bird's nest, an animal's burrow, a hollow tree, birds singing, insects chirping....

Brooke on the back porch of the log cabin.

All of us on the front porch. It was actually breezy and pretty cool there!

Brooke completing her birding checklist :)! I've never seen her lay down on her stomach to draw before :)!

The water coming through Lewisville Dam was quite a site!

When we returned the challenge backpack (which was pretty cool because it had binoculars, magnifying boxes to inspect insects, a bird identification book, clipboards, pencils, maps and copies of the challenge) and our completed challenge paper, the woman working at the gatehouse put stickers on Lane's papers. She let me lift Lane in through the window to get a picture of him with her and Kimberly, the rescue dog she got last Thursday. The woman has a nice setup in there. Cold, cold AC, a puzzle under the register, tv and Kimberly.

Great day. Great family outing. Lots we did not see. I'd like to go back to see the marsh and boardwalk, to camp (who knew - just off of business 121) and to see the dam when water is coming out the BIG hole - maybe after a big, big rain!

Fort in the rain

Park day was awesome today! It rained so the moms moved our blanket under the trees. Rain was light enough we didn't get wet. Such a nice setting. Boys and Brooke had fun in the fort! Much mud. Life is good!

Happy Girl!

Lunch with Uncle Zach

Time with Uncle Zach

Lane Quilt

Thank you Grandpa Rufus and Uncle Zach, for the new, personalized quilt made by people we knew in Arkansas! It has Lane's name on it and Grandpa picked out dogs, fishing boys and the color blue just for Lane!