Our week with Bailey Bug!

Bailey came to visit us Tuesday and has been staying with us since then! We have been very busy this week and have had a lot of fun with her here. The week has been exhausting but also reassuring because we survived having a 10 year old in our house for 6 days!!! Here is the rundown of our week and lots of pictures!

Bailey flew in Tuesday afternoon and I picked her up from the airport. Since Gregg was working we decided to have a girls afternoon and went to get Manicures and Pedicures and then go to dinner!

She refused to smile for a real picture!

Bailey really wanted to paint her nails purple or green (which I rejected!) but finally decided on a shade of pink with cute little flowers on her thumbs and big toes. They even put a little bit of silver sparkle in the flowers which she LOVED!

B's pretty nails! (We took this picture Sunday morning so they are a little grown out.)

After our spa session, we went to eat at Cheesecake Factory!!! Bailey loved having dinner there and especially loved the piece of Snickers Cheesecake that we had after dinner!

The rest of Tuesday night was quite- we went home and went to bed. Wednesday morning came quick since we had to get up early to meet Gregg. I had to work on Wednesday so B got to spend the day hanging out with Uncle Gregg! She was very excited about getting to spend the whole day with just him!!! We met Gregg for Breakfast at "Lucky's" and after eating some YUMMY food I went to work and Gregg and Bailey went to 6 Flags for a few of hours! (I have to admit that while I was sad to be away from them I was not the least bit sad not being at 6 Flags since Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far and temperatures hit 103 degrees!)

Bailey finally getting to see Uncle Gregg

Gregg said it was HOT but that they had lots of fun and that B was a Super Trooper! They rode all the big rides that Bailey was tall enough to ride including Superman!!! (Bailey panicked mid way through the ride but survived it and even got a pink Superman cape to show off for it!

Bailey waiting in line to ride Titan

Wednesday night we went to dinner at "On The Border" and then took Bailey to the movies and to see "Imagine That" with Eddie Murphy. The movie was really, really cute!

On Thursday we slept in and then got ready and took the Dart Train to the Dallas World Aquarium! None of us have ever been to the Aquarium here so I think that Gregg and I might have been more excited about going than Bailey!

Bailey and I waiting for the train

B enjoying the train ride

We loved the aquarium and had a great time!!! There was so much to see and all the different areas there were so neat! (Plus, it was indoors and air conditioned which was a MAJOR bonus!!!)

Gregg and Bailey

Bailey loved the JellyfishAttempting to take a picture with the jellyfish

We got to watch the diver feed the fish in one of the tanks!

After watching the diver feed the fish and clean the glass we headed over to the shark tank to wait for them to be fed. The shark tank was a 40 foot long tunnel filled with 400,000 gallons of water and lots of different types of sharks plus other fish and a few sting rays. Those sharks were hungry and knew that it was almost feeding time and were swarming!

My favorite picture of Gregg and Bailey- at the shark tank!
Miss Priss

Uncle Gregg and Aunt Chelsey

After the aquarium we stopped for ice cream and then walked back to the train station. By the time we made it back to our car Bailey was worn out and almost asleep! We stopped to get groceries and pizza and then went home and watched "Bride Wars" while eating dinner!

Friday morning we woke up early and Gregg made breakfast for us before we headed to Fort Worth and to the Zoo! We met Gary, Macy, Lilly, Rhyann and Gavin at the Zoo for a day of fun! The kids all enjoyed running around and looking at all of the animals while the adults followed behind talking about how hot it was! The animals were a little boring that day and were really just laying around trying to stay cool!

Gregg helping Lilly feed the birds

Bailey holding a bird

Bailey and Lilly

Gregg with Gavin and Lilly (he was SOOO good with the kids!!!)

Gavin developed quite the crush on Lilly!

And even stole a real kiss from her when Gary wasn't looking (of course!)

We had a great time at the Zoo and really enjoyed spending time with all of our friends! It was so great to see Rhyann and Gavin and I can't wait till we can hang out with them again!!!

We left the Zoo middle of the afternoon and headed out to Gary and Macy's lake house to spend the rest of the day! We got to go swimming and even rode the jet ski's!!! Bailey loved being out at the lake and LOVED Gary! She took to him and followed him around all afternoon and evening! The water was awesome and so relaxing! After swimming the guys cooked out on the grill and we had hamburgers and hot dogs and then we went back out by the lake and popped some firecrackers! Bailey enjoyed chasing after the guys with snappers and playing with the sparklers!!!

Bailey wearing one of Lilly's toys as a skirt and acting like a ballerina!

Saturday morning the guys got up and went to a sale at Cabella's while the girls slept in. Macy and I got to hang out and catch up before we had to pack up and head back to Wylie. When we got home Bailey and I made cards for her to take to camp this week so she can write home while Gregg took a nap. Then we went to have our final dinner with B at Dicky's!

This morning we took Bailey to Temple to meet up with her Aunt Serena and go to Camp Dreamcatcher for the week! I was worse than some of the parents there and cried like a baby when we said goodbye to Bailey! I have had such a fun time with the girl this week and have enjoyed all of our time together! We love you very much kiddo and can't wait to see you again!!!

On our way to Temple

Bautizo and Bailey

Yesterday, I went to Alejandro Carmona's Bautizo (Baptism). Alejandro's parents and I became very close when their first son, Ricardo, was in the NNICU in 2007. I was in the delivery room when Alejandro entered this world on August 26, 2008 sharing with his family as they celebrated his Baptism yesterday was very special for me.

After the Baptism I went back to the Carmona's house to continue the celebration! We ate homemade Carnitas, rice, beans and salsa- all very YUMMY!!! They even had a DJ playing music and everyone was dancing! I got to meet a lot of Martin and Martha's family and felt so honored to be included in their celebration. I look forward to watching Alejandro grow up and to sharing more special celebrations with this family!

And tomorrow, our niece Bailey is coming to stay with us for the rest of the week!!! Gregg and I are very excited about getting to see Bailey again and sharing this special time with her! We have been looking forward to this week for a while now and have lots of fun things planned for her time here in Dallas! I plan on taking lots of pictures and hope to have a few things to post about over the next few days so stay tuned!!!

Perfect Miracle!!!

My friend Susan had her baby girl this morning! Carlee Marie Cheyne entered this world at 10:19am. She is a perfectly healthy 35 week miracle weighing in at 5 pounds and is 18 in long!

Little Miss Carlee has been quite the drama queen for the last 7 weeks of Susan's pregnancy causing her to be on bedrest and in the hospital! Susan was amazing while in the hospital and has been in such great spirits throughout everything. I have been blessed because Sue has been in a hospital that was easy for me to get to and so I have gotten to spend a lot of time with her! We have had lots of laughs and fun passing the time!

Carlee is a true miracle and it is amazing that she is the healthy baby that she is right now! Susan has been through a lot during this pregnancy and most of us really thought that she was going to deliver at 28 weeks when she was first admitted to the hospital. God is amazing and his work is beautiful!

We are so excited for Craig, Susan and the entire Cheyne/ Miller clan!!!

The Proud Papa

Susan and her little Angel

Sweet Baby Girl

Cheyne Family

Mom and baby (with a little bow I made for Carlee)

me and Miss Carlee

Special Olympics

This weekend was the 2009 Summer Games for Special Olympics in Arlington, Texas. Gregg and I started volunteering as part of the Medical Team last year and have really been looking forward to this weekend! The games started Thursday afternoon and lasted through Sunday afternoon. We "worked" Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year marked the 40th Anniversary for Special Olympics and so the weekend was really special!

Friday morning was the "Entering of the Torch" and Policemen from all over the state came into the stadium with their lights and sirens on and then all gathered onto the track to run the Texas Flame of Hope around the stadium. It was really inspiring to see all the different Police and Sheriff's Departments that were represented. Friday evening was "The Opening Ceremonies" and all the Police were there again in their uniforms to welcome each of the different teams.

Saturday was the main day of competition and the athletes completed in all kinds of events (Basketball, Cycling, Gymnastics, Soccer, Tennis, Softball Throw, Standing Long Jump, Running Long Jump, Shot Put, TurboJav, and all sorts of Track relays). We worked out on the main track and thankfully because we had such great weather this weekend we only treated minor problems.

The Medical Team on Saturday along with Chief Molina and Delia

Chief Molina speaking to us about the work of the weekend

me, Gregg, Chris and Erin

Saturday evening was the big dance! This is by far the best part of the weekend because a lot of the athletes get dressed up and everyone really has a lot of fun! It is a chance for everyone to let loose and relax (including all of us!)

Dressed up and ready to dance!

Letting loose with the athletes

The Chicken Dance

Hollywood showing us how to dance "Thriller"

Gregg attempting the "Thriller" moves that we were taught

Marlene arm wrestling (Marlene was completely red faced when this was finally over! This kid was so strong and beat everyone he challenged)

Dancing to Soldier Boy

Chris trying to follow the moves

Elvis dancing to "Jail House Rock"

Volunteering for Special Olympics has become a very special part of Gregg and I's life and something that we truly love doing. Spending time with all of these athletes, their coaches and parents has touched both of us.

"I promise to give of the time in my life so that Special Olympics athletes can have the time of their lives. I promise to support Special Olympics not just as an expression of charity, but as a form of respect for my fellow human beings. I promise to spread the word of volunteerism because, in giving, I receive so much more in return."

Dragon Boat Races

Last Sunday was the 2009 DFW Dragon Boat, Kite, and Lantern Festival on Lake Carolyn in Irving. Irving Fire Department has put together a Dragon Boat Racing Team for the festival 2 years now. Last year they were the Grand Champions of the festival (meaning they were the fastest of the 17 teams entered) and so the team went in this year even more serious and focused on keeping their title!

A dragon boat is a very long and narrow human-powered boat now used in the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing which originated in China over 2000 years ago. Each boat is 40 feet long and requires 22 people in a team—20 paddlers, one drummer, and one person to steer (essentially, the skipper). The goal is to paddle to the same beat of the drum and move in unison to achieve maximum speed. As you can imagine our Firefighters were slightly larger than what is typical for Dragon Boat Racers and all the other teams that were competing! The boys named their team "Hope We Float" last year joking that they hoped the boat would float and not sink once the boat was in the water! Because of their size Bob, the team Captain, decided to have all the guys weigh in at the beginning of the day so that he could best match the guys up and spread the weight out on the boat the best. (I told you they were serious about winning again!!!)

Gregg being weighed in

After being weighed in and a brief "strategy" meeting the guys were ready race! Their were 30 teams in the competition this year and each team got to race in 3 different heats with the best 4 teams getting to race against each other in a 4th heat. The course length for these races was 250 meters. All the teams were broken up into different categories and our team was one of 5 teams competing in the all male division. The teams raced 4 at a time and in the 1st 3 heats you raced against yourself trying to put up your best time so that you qualified for the final race.

The guys putting on their life jackets

Headed out to race

The son of one of the Firefighters was the Drummer Boy. (He didn't actually beat the drum during the races but more held on for dear life!!!)

IFD Fire Boat 8 entertaining the crowd between races

Look at the lead they have!

IFD had a GREAT day putting up times of 1:10, 1:12, and 1:07:25 in the first 3 races (beating their best time of 1:13:41 from last year!) They had the fastest time of the day and qualified for the Grand Champion Race!

In the Grand Champion Race "Hope We Float" finished the course in 1:08:21 a full 2 seconds ahead of the 2nd place team!!!

Celebrating VICTORY!!!

Chief Molina congratulating the guys!

IFD Dragon Boat team and their families

2009 Festival Grand Champions

We had so much fun being at the festival this year and watching all of the teams compete in the Dragon Boat Races! I especially enjoyed the time that was spent with so many other Firefighters and their families! The camaraderie among these guys is amazing and I am honored to be part of this family! I LOVE my Firefighter!!!

Hico Steak Cook Off

Saturday was the 6th Annual Texas Steak Cook Off in Hico, Texas. My parents LOVE to cook and watch the Food Network Channel all the time and when they learned about this cook off they decided to enter. My Dad even built (yes, Built) a new charcoal grill just for the occasion! My parents along with Seth, Bailey, Brandon, Brice and Lance all headed to Hico on Friday to set up and get ready. Gregg and I went on Saturday after he got off work. The weather was a little crummy but we had fun hanging out and cooking steak. Mom and I even got a start on our Christmas shopping from some of the craft booths that were set up!

Dad, Me, and Gregg

Bailey and Brice

Dad and Seth

My Dad's Vet Clinic sponsored the team and so our team name was the FVC (Frenship Vet Clinic) Sizzlers. This year there were 80 different teams entered in the competition (up from just 30 teams last year)! The steaks for the competition were provided so that everyone started out with the same cut of meat. We were given 2 steaks to cook and then could choose which of those 2 to submit for judging. We turned our first steak in and all sampled the other one we had and Dad was SUPER pleased with the steak! We all thought that the steak was cooked just perfectly and the seasoning was right on!!!

After all the steaks had been turned in the Top 25 teams were announced and they got to cook another steak for the judges. We were all VERY excited to hear our team called out as one of the finalist!!!

FVC Sizzlers sign with our "Top 25 Plaque"

The Chef's getting ready to turn in their final steak

We got our 2nd steak turned in and even had time to grill some vegetables to eat with our steaks for supper! The Top 25 steaks were judged and the Top 10 were placed and received $. My Dad was so excited to have made it into the Top 25 since this was his first Steak Cook Off to enter! When 10th Place was announced and out team # was called out we were all VERY surprised and so excited!!!

Dad after receiving the 10th Place Plaque

FVC Sizzlers (BT, Seth, Dad and Lance) receiving plaque from Steak Cook Off Rep

Both of our new awards!!!

We have already entered in another Steak Cook Off to be held in Mineral Wells in September and my parents have even booked their RV spot for the cook-off in Hico next year!!!

Weekend in Mena, Arkansas

Last weekend Gregg and I along with Gregg's best friend, Gary, and his wife, Macy, all went to Mena, Arkansas to go ride 4 wheelers! We left Dallas Friday morning and headed to Mena. The drive was very scenic and Gregg and I enjoyed spending time together just talking as we drove along. While in Mena we stayed at the Willow Brook Cottage which was absolutely beautiful!!! Gregg found this place for us and we were all very impressed! The cottage was very quaint and pretty but the gardens surrounding the place were amazing!!! It rained a lot over the weekend so we didn't get to spend much time outside but when we were in the cabin all of our time was spent in the garden room enjoying the views around us!


(My camera ran out of battery and so Macy took a lot more pictures of the gardens and flowers that I will upload later!)

Saturday morning we got up and made breakfast and then headed out to the Ouachita Mountains and the Wolf Pen Gap ATV Trails to ride 4 Wheelers! This was my first time to go trail riding and I have to say that I am hooked and cannot wait to go back!!! We had so much fun and the scenery was truly breathtaking! While we were out riding it started raining and so we stopped to eat lunch under a big rock by an old mine.

Gregg and I getting ready to hit the trails

Aren't we cute in our fantastic rain ponchos?!?!

Macy and Gary by the big mud puddle (the boys really wanted to go ride thru it but we wouldn't let them!)

Gary and Macy

Gregg and I poising in our matching rain gear!

After lunch the boys took Macy and I back to the trucks and they went out to play some more. Macy and I went back to the cabin, cleaned up and then headed to town to do some shopping! We were a little late getting there and so most of the shops were getting close to closing but we did manage to find a couple of things. After that we drove around town to look at the damage caused by a tornado that struck Mena on April 9. We heard from some of the locals that the tornado path was 1/2 mile wide and 14 miles long and that around 1,000 houses/ buildings in the small town were completely destroyed. It was devastating to see all the damage and reminded me again not to take anything for granted.


Saturday night we made hamburgers back at the cabin and then played "Phase 10"! (I think I have found my new favorite card game and I am really good!!!) It was so great to be able to sit around and relax while enjoying the company of good friends!


We had breakfast Sunday morning and celebrated Macy on Mother's Day and then packed our bags and headed home. It rained most of our drive (which made me very nervous) but we made it home in one piece!


Our weekend in Mena was fantastic and both Gregg and I enjoyed (and needed) the time away!!! We had an amazing time with our good friends Gary and Macy and enjoyed spending time with them! I am looking forward to all the many more trips that we will take!!!