Fabulous Army Life

Trey's 12th birthday party today started with us hosting our out-of-town family and friends for lunch. Hooray for Which Wich for the simple fare and fuel for the game. Cousins fueling up for the Paintball game Watching Trey open a few family gifts before the party Trey is all decked out and ready to go. Mom with her two blonde grandsons So happy Madi and her family could join us for the party!

Sic 'Em, Bears! The boys were excited to see the new Egyptian exhibit at the Mayborn Center. Trey:  "Do you think Daddy's ever ridden a camel?" Joshua:  "Probably not an Egyptian camel." "What is the difference between an Egyptian camel and an Iraqi camel?" Putting together Egyptian pottery. Building an Egyptian Pyramid. One of our all-time favorites at the Mayborn Center ... the water table! Trey can't wait to be taller than Aunt Carole Ann!

Every summer for the past several years, all of the Cook cousins gather for a few days of summer fun together.  This year, we met in Waco and spent a few days enjoying each other's company.  It was a great time, but we were sad to miss our oldest cousin, Abby, who was at Volleyball Camp in Dallas.  The seven younger cousins plus our two foster cousins had a fun time together! Bubbles! 

 Hannah and Emma at Wazoo's My twin nieces, five years old, stayed with us for a couple of days so their parents could enjoy a wonderful anniversary trip.  I know, instinctively, that there are many differences between girls and boys, but it is still startling for me to see it in action.  Here are some things I've learned about my nieces over the past couple of days ... They are snuggly.   Anytime another human is sitting, the girls would snuggle in.  They don't mind climbing up and over each other to get closer and love to be cuddled. They like to help in the kitchen.   I was pleasantly surprised to have two very capable little helpers in the kitchen at mealtimes.  Hearing sweet voices asking, "Aunt Traci, what can I do?" was music to my ears. Their voices can reach octaves unattainable by boys.   Squeals are something new to me.  My boys can make plenty of noise, mind you, but these little girl voices can reac...

Two of my nieces are here with me tonight and have encouraged my boys to broaden their culinary horizons. They love Panda Express and talked us into having dinner there. It was a big hit with everyone. The girls especially liked lo mein noodles ("noodles with sauce and crunchy lettuce"), Joshua stuck with plain steamed rice, and all the kids loved the orange chicken and mandarin chicken. We also had a great time reading our fortunes .... Joshua's informed him that he would take journey to a faraway place and Trey's said he would get a wish granted when he least expects it ... so they concluded that we must travel to Europe over Spring Break!  Too bad the fortune cookies didn't also give us our lucky numbers so we could win the lotto and fund a trip to Europe.  =) Emma Hannah Joshua Trey

Sweet Niece and Me Every summer, our family works out an intricate plan to have as many cousins spend individual time with aunts/uncles as possible. Now that the older cousins are into sports and summer camps, it's not always possible to get each cousin to visit alone, but we try! A special treat for our twin nieces is to spend time alone with their cousins. As identical twins, they spend most of their time together and are often referred to as one: "The twins are here!" So getting to keep each one with us has been a blast! We had Twin One over the 4th of July.  See my previous blog posts, " Happy Independence Day " and " Fun Niece Visit " to see pics of this adorable niece.  Twin Two was able to visit us this week and we had a blast with her as well.  Some highlights ... Playing with Leo at the Lake Fun with Bendaroos! Fun cousins at the Killeen Water Park She loved visiting Fort Hood, seeing her uncle at work, and watching all t...

Some fun highlights of our niece's visit this week ... Movie Night! We went for girls' mani/pedis! A trip to the lake called for a new Dora lifejacket, swim shoes, and matching boogie board! Their 'deal'?  You fix my hair, I'll fix yours! Guess who's winning this Wii game? Plus, see the fun we had at Fort Hood on the 4th of July at " Happy Independence Day !"

I guess you're officially old when you start thinking things like "Kids these days ..." but really! Kids these days! I am amazed at the world they are growing up in. A few weeks ago, our family is sitting down to dinner when my first grader turns to me and says, "Mommy, have I told you about my blog?" Really!?! I just figured out blogging (sort of) myself! He does indeed have a blog (along with his entire 1st grade class) and it's wonderful. Today, my eldest son and I travelled with my brother-in-law and his family (including my fabulous sister-in-law and their three beautiful girls, a six year-old and twin four-year-olds) to Dallas for another cousin's birthday party. The party was wonderful and we had a super time rollerskating, opening gifts, and visiting with family. On the three-hour ride back, we had more fun entertaining each other in the car. At one point, one of the twins asks me, "Aunt Traci, Can I use your iPhone to text Uncle Na...