Double Date!

Chris & I were blessed to have a double date with our friends, Aaron & Cindy, last week. With Mom & Dad here, it worked out well since we didn't have to find a babysitter! Double dating isn't something we've done much of...maybe any of...in any recent years, so we really enjoyed this time.


We met them at Backstreet Cafe and enjoyed a nice dinner. We always laugh a lot with Aaron & Cindy, which is great! Cindy is one of the deepest spiritual friends I have. She is inspiring with her love for God, her depth of Bible Study, & her commitment to raising her boys to be men of God. She is someone who makes me want to be a better Christian and study more. She knows more about the Bible than most people I know. At this point in my life, she is the type of friend I need and want. Deeply committed to her Christianity and hilarious! Very encouraging too! I can always count on her for a compliment from time to time...and who doesn't need that? :)



After dinner, we went to The Chocolate Bar. Yum, yum!

Chris & I got a good piece of cake, but Aaron & Cindy got a fabulous piece of chocolate cheesecake! Like I said (look at the picture...) Cindy is hilarious!

After dessert, we walked around Rice Village, laughing & laughing. We then went to Barnes & Noble and browsed a bit...making plans for a future trip. We then headed home. It was such a fun night. We are blessed with having them as friends!

Grammer & Pappy's Summer Visit 2010

My parents, Grammer & Pappy, came for a visit this past week. The girls had lots of fun with grandparents here to play with.

They arrived Wed., the 21st. We picked them up at the airport and ate lunch at Whataburger on the way home. We had some time to rest that afternoon then met Chris for dinner at Lupe Tortilla before church.

Thursday is the 1 day I go into the office, so they watched the girls for me that day. We have a fabulous babysitter normally, but it was nice to have FREE babysitting that day! :) Mom had volunteered to cook dinner that night, so I requested her roast. It's really good! She also made a strawberry ooey gooey butter cake. It has been raining so much lately, so that afternoon was great for napping with the smell of Mom's roast in the background.

After dinner, we walked to the park and Gracie & Katie rode their bike & scooter.

Friday was Chris' day off, and we all headed to Brenham, TX to the Blue Bell Factory. It was lots of fun with yummy ice cream!

Between the 7 of us, we had Dutch Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Southern Blackberry Cobbler, Homemade Vanilla 'n Peach, Cookies 'n Cream, and Butter Pecan.

After the factory, we headed into Brenham to see what there was to see. It was a cute, little town. We ate lunch at a place called "Must Be Heaven." Based on the line, it is a very popular restaurant in the town. It was cute & yummy.

Friday night, Gracie went to RoadMaP, a prayer & mission activity with church. She was gone Friday night and all day Saturday. The rest of us, on Saturday, went to Galveston to walk on the beach a bit (It was hot!) and eat some seafood. Katie enjoyed flying a kite she's been wanting to fly.

We had a bit of fun laughing at Pappy's choice of beach clothing. :)

Saturday night, Chris & I went on a double date with some friends (separate post). Sunday, we went to church and Gracie, Katie, Grammer, & I did some shopping then went back to church and spent time after church with some church friends.

Monday, we went to the zoo then met Chris at work to head to the Astros vs. Cubs game. Pappy is a huge Cubs fan, so he was rooting for the Cubs, along with Katie who decided to side with Pappy!

The zoo was humid, so Katie enjoyed the misters throughout!

Katie really enjoyed being at the game early enough to get close to the field and watch the players practicing!

Grammer & Ellie aren't huge baseball fans, so they played a little peek a boo!

Tuesday, I took Katie to a service project activity at church and did a little work while Grammer, Pappy, Gracie, & Ellie stuck close to home. We had Gracie's birthday celebration that night (see previous post).

Wednesday, I took them back to the airport. We had a great time!

Gracie Madelyn Shanks, July 28, 2010-10 years old!

Sorry the captions aren't quite matching up with the pictures.

Our sweet Gracie turned 10 yesterday, July 28. That is so hard to believe! These 10 years have gone so quickly, yet so slowly at the same time. She was born in Uvalde, TX, then moved to Aiken, SC then back to TX, this time to Houston. We are very blessed to have Gracie as our daughter. What a special girl she is! Here are some things about Gracie at 10 years old from her Mommy's eyes.

*She is a great help with Ellie.
*She is calm.
*She is a rule follower.
*She excels at school.
*She loves to read.
*She has loved to play her DS, but that is waning a bit.
*She got a Nano for her birthday, so she is now into that.
*She wants a cell phone and is sad that she won't be getting one yet.
*She likes to tease me and remind me that she will be going to JUNIOR HIGH next year this time.
*Her best girlfriends are Sydney (school), Reyna (school), Krista (church), Emily (church), Becca (church) Leigh Ann (from Aiken)
*She is a bit more giggly about boys but not really too much yet.
*She still likes her doll, Thelma, and her American Girl doll, Molly.
*She likes to draw & write in journals.
*She likes flip flops, bling, & peace stuff.
*She is responsible when it comes to following the rules and doing well with school work.
*She doesn't pitch loud fits, but can mumble under her breath with the best of any "tweens." She can be a bit sassy at times.
*She gets commended on all of her TAKS tests but can be a bit 'airhead-y' with other things. :)
*Quite a few of her Bible classmates have made the decision to be baptized & become a Christian, and I think her mind is thinking on this more & more as she is getting older, getting closer to making this important decision herself, which is a heartwarming thing and a reminder of our responsibility as parents in helping lead our children to Christ.
*She is just an amazing child, and I look forward to seeing where God leads her in her life and how she follows Him!


Here is a question & answer time with Gracie at 10 years old:
*What is your favorite color? pink
*favorite tv show? Wizards of Waverly Place
*one of your favorite movies? Harry Potter
*favorite book? The Mysterious Benedict Society
*best friend? Sydney & Krista & Leigh Ann
*favorite thing about Ellie? she's cute & funny
*favorite thing about Katie? she's fun & creative
*favorite thing to do with Daddy? going on dates
*favorite thing to do with Mommy? stay up late
*favorite food? fettucine alfredo
*favorite dessert? chocolate
*favorite drink? coke & dr pepper
*favorite thing to do on a lazy day? sit down & read a book
*favorite thing about school? writing
*favorite thing about church? God & Jesus
*why is it important to have faith in God & Jesus? cause they care for you & love you
*favorite scripture or part of the Bible? 23rd Psalm
*favorite church song? You Are My All in All
*favorite song? Love Story by Taylor Swift
*if you could meet any celebrity, who would it be? Taylor Swift
*favorite restaurant? Cheesecake Factory
*what do you look forward to the most as you're growing older? getting a phone!!!!!


My parents, Grammer & Pappy, were here from the 21st to the 28th, so we had a family celebration on the 27th. Chris made Chicken Fried Steak with fried potatoes. We also had broccoli (Gracie's favorite vegetable) and Texas Toast! Yummy! I like to get Hemali to make the girls' cakes, but she wasn't available this time, so Mom made a chocolate sheet cake (which was very yummy) and I 'decorated' it with all things peace & bling!

She got some nice gifts of course. Grammer & Pappy got her a mini Kit doll & Bennett, Molly's dog.

Here she is with her 10th birthday doll.

Money from Gramps & Gramme!

Katie was so sweet to put together a package for her with a doll and a horseshoe crazy band. Katie said she chose that one because she knows Gracie likes horses! So sweet!

She was soooo excited to get an iPod Nano!!!!!!!! Yea Mom & Dad! She also got an iTunes gift card so she can purchase some music, movies, etc.

Here she is with her daddy, choosing music.

Here she is ON her birthday, July 28! Officially 10 years old!

She was born at 10:56 a.m. in Uvalde, TX. 5 lbs. 11 oz.

We took Grammer & Pappy back to the airport earlier in the day so they could go back to Atlanta after spending a fun week with us. That night, before church, we met Chris at The Dessert Gallery for dinner &, of course, DESSERT! :) Look at all of the choices! I had taken all 3 of the girls for their well child visits earlier in the day. The dr. said her BMI (body mass index) is a bit lower than she'd like. With all the food choices we have in Houston, I wish my dr. would tell ME that! :)

She chose FUDGE PIE. Yum! Katie got a cupcake.