Rachel's First Haircut

Rachel got her first haircut (trim) today. It was time to tidy-up the ends. We went to a children's hair salon, which was great! They were very kid friendly and Rachel did great! She had a lot of fun sitting in the fire engine and then she got to go to the treasure chest. We're ready for school now!

At first, Rachel was not too sure if she was going to like this.

By the end, she was having fun driving the fire engine and ringing the bell.

We got a little keepsake picture and lock of hair to remember Rachel's first haircut!

Yea, The Beach!

Well, before heading back to work this fall, I thought it would be a good idea for the Parsons' to have a little get-a-way. I know at this point, my days are numbered! The simple life we've had for the last two years is about to get crazy. I start back, on August 18th, teaching third grade. So Wes, took some time off and we went down to the beach and stayed at his uncle's house (thanks Mike and Pat). We had a great time playing on the beach and eating on the beach. Rachel saw her fist movie in the theater and did great! She shared a bag of popcorn with Wes but, I think she ate most of it. We also went to a local zoo and walked around and fed the animals. I think we ended the summer with a bang, and now it's back to work! :)

Discovery Place

My sister, Jackie, and her two children, Ryan and Caroline, were in town this past week. We took a trip to the Discovery Place and had a nice time. They have recently updated the Discovery Place with new displays. They did a nice job, I was impressed.

Playing with the HUGE Light bright

Playing the "drums."

Water Table

Rachel and Ryan jump on the seat to make the ball go up and ring a bell.

Building, Building, Building

One of Rachel's favorite things...you touched a light and it would make a sound. The more movement in the room, the more music/noise you heard.

The Gangs all here.

What's going to work....Team Work!

The kids worked very hard putting the shapes onto the hook. When someone turned the wheel they would go up to the ceiling and then fly off to the ground.

Our Monkey

Rachel after bath time, wrapped in her monkey towel!

Aunt Kimmie tries to get Rachel dressed for bed. She finally gives up and puts Rachel's pull-up on her head! Lots of laugh that night! :)

Rachel has become a big fan of the restaurant Pei Wei Asian Diner. She loves their chicken and is getting pretty good at eating with chop sticks.

Grocery Store

While Rachel's cousins were in town, I asked Wes and Rachel to go to the grocery store to get 3 things: hot dog buns, hamburger buns, and milk. When Rachel got to the grocery store she grabbed the mini shopping cart and off her and daddy went. However, they came back with a lot more stuff. Stuff that was not on our list (bat and ball, coke, cheese puffs, and flowers). I asked Wes why they got some extra things and he said, "because she was so darn cute shopping."

Cousins Everywhere

All of Rachel's cousins were in town this weekend. Including her, there are 5 grand kids from ages 7 to 2. They had a great time playing, eating, and even bathing together.

Caroline and Rachel playing in the tent before Church on Sunday.

Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for my Cuz! (All the girls.)

(back to front) Caroline, Catherine, Ryan, Sophia, Rachel

Summer Updates

Rachel

Rachel is doing great. She's getting so big and Independent, with a capital "I." We've been to the pool a lot this summer and had several picnics. She has started her summer weekday school program at our new church, Calvary. She cried on the way home yesterday and said, "I don't want to go home, I want to go back to Cal-va-ry." I think she loves it! They have a great program and we're really pleased with it.

Happy Anniversary

Wes and I went to the mountains for our anniversary. We've been married six years. We decided while in Boone, we would try to do some things we didn't always do. We went to Grandfather mountain, played golf, and saw the outdoor drama Horn in the West. We had a great time and the weather was so nice and cool. Thanks Grammy for keeping Rachel!!

Happy Father's Day

There is no doubt that Wes is the greatest father around. He loves his little girl very much. They have so much fun together, playing and laughing. We wish him a Happy Father's Day!

FYI: Wes did Rachel's hair. He was very proud of it!

The Parsons'

Wes' family came to town to visit last weekend. We had a great time celebrating Nana's birthday and Father's Day. The girls went shopping while the boys (with Rachel and Alyssa) went to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I think they had a good time!

VBS

This was our first year helping with VBS at Calvary. What a week! Calvary had 550 kids participate in this years VBS Faith Safari. I was a small group leader and had 8 in my group. Through out the week the children rotated between Bible class, recreation, crafts, and music. The staff did a great job preparing for the week and it was well organized and planned. Can't wait for next year.

The pictures and video is from the morning worship service where we would sing, dance, and see a Bible story acted out. The Children also gave an offering every day for Samaritan's Feet, they raised over $3,000.00 in five days. This will go to help children in Kenya.