Family and friends

Over the past month we have been blessed with the opportunity to get to hang out with friends family.  And it isn't stopping now.  Kirby and I are headed to Montgomery for 11 days this Wednesday.  It feels so great to be surrounded by so many happy, loving, beautiful people.

To start it off Shannon (CR's sister) and Ken came down on a short notice to stay just for one night. It was the best "seat of our pants" company!  We enjoyed a great afternoon, dinner, and morning with them.  Catching up in such a laid back and comfortable setting such as the farm is always refreshing.  

Ryan and Rachel, and of course their child Boudreux), (Ryan is my cousin and Rachel is his wife) have been guests of Patrickville off and on for the last month.  Ryan was down first to take care of some job interviews and then Rachel joined him.  They had to go back to the Panhandle area to move their stuff south.  Everything stayed in a Uhaul truck in our front yard for a week while they looked for homes in the Valley.  Ryan was offered a great job down there working for one of our favorite companies as farmers, Wilbur Ellis.  We are so excited that now they are only 2 hours away instead of 10!  They found a home and then CR went South to help them all settle in.  The following week they came back and met us here, then we all loaded up and headed to Rockport for a fun afternoon with his mom and her new husband.  They bought a fishing boat and Kirby sure had fun.  We even got to see dolphins.  I felt like a kid again I was so giddy inside that we got to see them out in their natural habitat.  I have always loved dolphins, so this was the icing on the cake for my month of July!

 Kirby was not so sure about the life jacket deal at first.

 And she had a death grip on her gold fish.

A friend of mine (which this never happens) called and said she had a meeting in Corpus and wondered if she could bunk at our place.  Again, I was so excited because this never happens!  We live so far away from anything that we are not on the way to anywhere.  The only time I get to see friends is when I go visit them because we are on the way to my parents or to some other destination.  It was a super quick visit, but again, so wonderfully nice to just kick back in the recliners and visit.  Kirby had already gone to bed when Sara got there, and CR had to work late that night in the field, so for 2 1/2 hours we got to visit uninterrupted!  The next morning Kirby was so surprised and excited to have a visitor; she took Sara into her room and had to show her everything.  Come again soon Sara!

Jody, Katherine, Caleb, Porter, and Anna Kate moved back from India this month, too!  They had a long and interesting journey back home, but we are so glad they are now here.  You never realize how much you miss someone until they come back from half way around the world and are there in person to talk to now instead of via Skype.  The boys and Anna Kate have all grown so much!  Right now while they are settling in they are sharing their time between the grandparents, so they are here one week and with the Simmons one week.  Kirby sure loves having playmates around!  And just right up the street!

This past weekend, Rob (CRs brother),Megan and Eva all came down.  Friday we went to the beach and enjoyed our toes in the water.  Kirby was pretty much indifferent about the beach.  She didn't like all the sand (when we got there she looked around at it all and just shook her head and said "mess ... it's a mess") and the salt water in her eyes and mouth got dirty, dirty reactions.  Then on Saturday the whole bunch of cousins were all together again for the very first time since 2 years ago.  Jody and Katherine moved to their first journey of the mission adventure about 1 month after I had Kirby, so September of 2010.  We had a big sibling going away prayer dinner for them at our house a few days before they left and that was the last time we were all together at once.  This weekend all the cousins were back together again and loving it.  We missed Shannon (CR's sister) and Ken, but now that everyone is in the same state it will be much easier to get something together again soon.  

Before the Simmons Folk got back into town, Grandaddy Ray and Granny bought a pool - well, a redneck pool.  It is a huge water trough and is the PERFECT idea for the kids.  You can fill it up with as little or as much water as you want, and drain it when it gets dirty instead of having to do the whole pool cleaning thing.  The kids are having a ball with it!  

Here is the first go 'round with the pool adventure:

 This is Ms. Anna Kate Simmons

 Porter Simmons

 Kirby and Daddy trying to show the boys how to play water ball.

When Kirby had enough water time, she climbed up in the fort!  

This past weekend the pool was full of all of the grand kids have the best time in the world!  Grandaddy Ray even decided to do "1-2-3 splash" in the water!

I wish I could have freeze framed Saturday night at our house.  We had a full house - even the other Simmons family (Preacher and Nanaw) and the Harringtons came over after a wedding at the church to join in on the fun.  The kids loved playing with the dogs outside, throwing rocks into the cow pasture, playing with every last one of Kirby Rose's toys, and then of course splashing in the dogs water bucket.   CR fixed his famous pulled pork and Ryan fixed his famous ribs.  I think deep down inside they were having a competition of who liked what best - for the record, both meats were completely gone - no leftovers, so I called it a tie.  Ha, men.