Forever For Always No Matter What
- McClain family
- I am so happy to be back HOME! A piece of my heart will always belong to Texas... I learned so much while I was there! I found a greater appreciation for family, true friends, the Grace of God, and to always stop and smell the flowers along the way! Arizona is a beauty all its own and anyone that says it isnt beautiful has never been here! With all the rain we had the hills were carpeted with wildflowers the way I remember from childhood! I LOVE waking up in the morning and sitting on my porch swing and enjoying the majesty of beautiful Mt Graham! My life isnt what I planned... but So much more then I ever dreamed!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Father's Day
This isnt the first year we have spent Father's Day at the lake(well okay at this lake it is)... however the lake is where we usually are- but this year was so nice because unlike years past we didnt have to hurry out on Friday to find a spot before the campgrounds fill up and Father's Day wasnt all spent cleaning and packing up camp to get back home to get ready for work on Monday! No not this year. We have a beautiful spot that is all ours. We have a great neighbors that have love food and get togethers almost as much as me. Sunday afternoon the Dads took the kids out on the lake in the boat. Us girls stayed to finish up dinner. We had a bunch of fish the boys had caught in Mexico so we decided to have a fish fry for fathers day. The food was amazing! The fish turned out SO Yummy. We had cole slaw, pasta salad, corn on the cob, and fries. For dessert pound cake, strawberries, ice cream and chocolate! We had four families over and everyone had a great time. After dinner we played games outside and told stories and laughed a lot! As the night closed down we were able to sit back(in Dads great new Cabela's reclining chairs)and share our favorite part of the day. And the only thing that had to be packed up was the little left over salad, we even left the awning out:) Happy Father's Day to all of the men who have taken the time to love a child no matter how old they are:)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Our great life...
I have been putting off posting wanting to have pix to go with my thoughts but as that is not going to happen soon I figured that I will just let everyone know what we've been up to and if you like pix you can check back and see them when I get them on here:)
Jarelyn finally got her birthday party at Mr Gatti's! It was small we only invited 3 of her friends, Dylon, Laney, and Rachel. It was worth the wait. We went on a Thursday night so there were not too many kids running around screaming so even the adults enjoyed themselves:)
On Sat the boys all went to Warren and got the boat ready to take out on the lake. We had so much fun!! Jarelyn had out grown her life jacket so she got to pick out a new one(I was surprised that her pick was the yellow one that matches moms, not a pink one!)
With her life jacket on she was ready to "learn to fwim by herself"! Although she has been in the water since she was born this was the first time she felt brave enough to go off by herself in the water. I was so proud of her. I tend to push her maybe a little bit too much sometimes to try new things. 
Daisy and Jarelyn are true water babies:) Out on the lake JT and Joey held on for dear life on the tube Daddy pulled behind us. Jarelyn said she would try it, but first made sure her dad understood the hand signals for skiers since he didnt seem to know what they meant when her brothers used them!
Joey and Jarelyn spend many afternoons down at the docks fishing. Joey is so great he lets his little sister use his good lures and packs everything back up 15 after they get there to bring her back for a snack or because she has to go potty:) I hope Jarelyn can always remember this summer. She has LOVED having her brothers to play with and teach her things-some I would rather they hadnt;) Joey finally caught a bass!
Last week I helped at VBS and the kids went too. We all had a blast. There was an OutBack theme this year.
On Thurs we had family night and invited our neighbor(Beret visiting his dad from West Virginia)to go with us. They had jump castles out in the parking lot and we closed the party down. One of the slides had a obstacle course two people could race on, so Jarelyn bet me she could beat me. Had I not been pushed down by the kid at the top of the slide(trying to keep it "fair")and hadnt been laughing so hard I think I could have won!
The weekend we have all been waiting for!! SCHLITTERBAHN!!
If you havent watched the Travel Channel lately you will have to google it! Schlitterbahn is the biggest waster park in the US. My brother and sister-in-law live in New Braunfels and we have been wanting to visit them for 5 yrs now, but just never seemed to get things in order to make it out. They have a beautiful home on the river that they built and are in the process of selling it so I told Jared we had to go before we didnt have the chance. So after work on Friday we drove 4hrs to stay the weekend with Phil, Lisa, Lacey, and Tyler. What a great weekend! We got up early on Sat and headed out for a day at Schlitterbahn. Lacey used to work there and Tyler spent lots of time there so we had our own guides to show us the ropes. It was so fun. The kids were shocked that Daddy got wet! LOL He's a bit like a cat most of the time:) We road the tube rides and then were walking past the Skycoaster. Jarelyn says mom I want to go on that ride next. There are really not words to describe fully this ride. The basic idea is really HIGH and really FAST and really SCARY! You are folded up in a little apron that is most closely compared to the bibs you wear in an xray lab. They secure it behind you to a cable that lifts you from a scissor jack to 180ft like "Tinkerbell". Once at the top and scared out of your wits one of the riders has to pull a release cord like a parachute causing you to free fall for a few feet and then soar back up into the sky only to fall again feet first. You swing back and forth flying above the pools and sane folks that were smart enough to keep there feet on the ground and be laugh as screams soar back and forth. How my FIVE year old barely the required 42" got me on this thing I still dont know. Jarelyn and Lacey had a blast, they both had their arms out(at least the one arm I wasnt latched onto for dear life)flying like "Tinkerbell" and smiling. Me- I was the entertainment for many land dwellers... lets just say I have no desire to be a fairy:) When the ride was over Jarelyn told me that she wanted to go again- "but this time by myself!" LOL I suppose some of that pushing her to try new things was backfiring on me! They let you bring your own coolers into the park(amazingly sodas and water were aloud this time!!LOL) We stayed all day- 10 HOURS! Exhausted we headed back home. We sat out overlooking the river and had a great visit. For dinner we had yummy faijitas. The kids were so worn out no one made it to there beds before passing out.
On Sunday we went to Gruene home of Gruene Hall. Jared was in heaven! Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas.
There have been many great artists walk those floors. When we got there a local band was setting up to play. JT Jared and I could have spent all our time there just listening to them play. As the dance hall just recently was blessed with swamp coolers the other kids were ready to head out for the shops that lined the road. In one we found a great old time soda shop with Dr Pepper made with real pure cane sugar. We had to leave way too soon as Jared had to work on Monday and we still had a 4hr drive home. We came home through Austin(Phil and Lisa had told Daddy there was a Cabela's there!) It was a nice drive and we enjoyed seeing some more of Texas. JT and Joey are excited that Tyler will still be in AZ visiting Grandma and Grandpa D when they get back.
Thursday night we all went to the skating rink. I had wanted to try roller blading for years, but as there are not too many places to ride in Eden, hadnt ever tried. I put my skates on checked to make sure I had my insurance card with me and then worked my way to the rink. To my great enjoyment I didnt fall, and was actually able to make it around pretty well.
This weekend the park is full of campers. Its no wonder I feel we are on a permanent vacation, everyone comes to vacay where we live! Cooking dinner has been replaced with roasting hotdogs and making s'mores.. what a great life!
Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Jarelyn finally got her birthday party at Mr Gatti's! It was small we only invited 3 of her friends, Dylon, Laney, and Rachel. It was worth the wait. We went on a Thursday night so there were not too many kids running around screaming so even the adults enjoyed themselves:)
On Sat the boys all went to Warren and got the boat ready to take out on the lake. We had so much fun!! Jarelyn had out grown her life jacket so she got to pick out a new one(I was surprised that her pick was the yellow one that matches moms, not a pink one!)
With her life jacket on she was ready to "learn to fwim by herself"! Although she has been in the water since she was born this was the first time she felt brave enough to go off by herself in the water. I was so proud of her. I tend to push her maybe a little bit too much sometimes to try new things. 
Daisy and Jarelyn are true water babies:) Out on the lake JT and Joey held on for dear life on the tube Daddy pulled behind us. Jarelyn said she would try it, but first made sure her dad understood the hand signals for skiers since he didnt seem to know what they meant when her brothers used them! Joey and Jarelyn spend many afternoons down at the docks fishing. Joey is so great he lets his little sister use his good lures and packs everything back up 15 after they get there to bring her back for a snack or because she has to go potty:) I hope Jarelyn can always remember this summer. She has LOVED having her brothers to play with and teach her things-some I would rather they hadnt;) Joey finally caught a bass!
Last week I helped at VBS and the kids went too. We all had a blast. There was an OutBack theme this year.
On Thurs we had family night and invited our neighbor(Beret visiting his dad from West Virginia)to go with us. They had jump castles out in the parking lot and we closed the party down. One of the slides had a obstacle course two people could race on, so Jarelyn bet me she could beat me. Had I not been pushed down by the kid at the top of the slide(trying to keep it "fair")and hadnt been laughing so hard I think I could have won!The weekend we have all been waiting for!! SCHLITTERBAHN!!
If you havent watched the Travel Channel lately you will have to google it! Schlitterbahn is the biggest waster park in the US. My brother and sister-in-law live in New Braunfels and we have been wanting to visit them for 5 yrs now, but just never seemed to get things in order to make it out. They have a beautiful home on the river that they built and are in the process of selling it so I told Jared we had to go before we didnt have the chance. So after work on Friday we drove 4hrs to stay the weekend with Phil, Lisa, Lacey, and Tyler. What a great weekend! We got up early on Sat and headed out for a day at Schlitterbahn. Lacey used to work there and Tyler spent lots of time there so we had our own guides to show us the ropes. It was so fun. The kids were shocked that Daddy got wet! LOL He's a bit like a cat most of the time:) We road the tube rides and then were walking past the Skycoaster. Jarelyn says mom I want to go on that ride next. There are really not words to describe fully this ride. The basic idea is really HIGH and really FAST and really SCARY! You are folded up in a little apron that is most closely compared to the bibs you wear in an xray lab. They secure it behind you to a cable that lifts you from a scissor jack to 180ft like "Tinkerbell". Once at the top and scared out of your wits one of the riders has to pull a release cord like a parachute causing you to free fall for a few feet and then soar back up into the sky only to fall again feet first. You swing back and forth flying above the pools and sane folks that were smart enough to keep there feet on the ground and be laugh as screams soar back and forth. How my FIVE year old barely the required 42" got me on this thing I still dont know. Jarelyn and Lacey had a blast, they both had their arms out(at least the one arm I wasnt latched onto for dear life)flying like "Tinkerbell" and smiling. Me- I was the entertainment for many land dwellers... lets just say I have no desire to be a fairy:) When the ride was over Jarelyn told me that she wanted to go again- "but this time by myself!" LOL I suppose some of that pushing her to try new things was backfiring on me! They let you bring your own coolers into the park(amazingly sodas and water were aloud this time!!LOL) We stayed all day- 10 HOURS! Exhausted we headed back home. We sat out overlooking the river and had a great visit. For dinner we had yummy faijitas. The kids were so worn out no one made it to there beds before passing out.
On Sunday we went to Gruene home of Gruene Hall. Jared was in heaven! Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas.
There have been many great artists walk those floors. When we got there a local band was setting up to play. JT Jared and I could have spent all our time there just listening to them play. As the dance hall just recently was blessed with swamp coolers the other kids were ready to head out for the shops that lined the road. In one we found a great old time soda shop with Dr Pepper made with real pure cane sugar. We had to leave way too soon as Jared had to work on Monday and we still had a 4hr drive home. We came home through Austin(Phil and Lisa had told Daddy there was a Cabela's there!) It was a nice drive and we enjoyed seeing some more of Texas. JT and Joey are excited that Tyler will still be in AZ visiting Grandma and Grandpa D when they get back. Thursday night we all went to the skating rink. I had wanted to try roller blading for years, but as there are not too many places to ride in Eden, hadnt ever tried. I put my skates on checked to make sure I had my insurance card with me and then worked my way to the rink. To my great enjoyment I didnt fall, and was actually able to make it around pretty well.
This weekend the park is full of campers. Its no wonder I feel we are on a permanent vacation, everyone comes to vacay where we live! Cooking dinner has been replaced with roasting hotdogs and making s'mores.. what a great life!
Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Happy Birthday(WEEK)!
Happy Birthday to my little princess! 5 years ago at 11:39pm miss Jarelyn McClain made a VERY GRAND entrance into the world 6 wks early! She was 5lbs 9oz and 18 1/4" long. Today she is 37lbs and 40" tall... but she still makes a grand entrance everywhere she goes:)
I am a big birthday person(as anyone that knows me will agree!) I have always had a birthday WEEK and dont see any reason my little princess shouldnt get the same:)This year it has been a good thing. We had a family bday party at the Thatcher Park before we left Arizona and had a great time.
On Thurs Jarelyn had a fever that wouldnt go away. On Monday she finally seemed to shake it but I didnt think a kid party was safe just yet.
Jana and Dallas came out to visit for a few days. Jana helped me decorate the camper after Jarelyn went to bed to surprise her when she woke up.
She was so happy that it was FINALLY her birthday:) She got to pick what we had for breakfast(rice w/sugar her favorite food- she would eat that for every meal if I let her). Then we spent the afternoon at the lake swimming and building sand castles.
Since I thought we should wait for the kid party, Jarelyn chose to have pizza at the park. The boys had fun at the skate park next to the playground. It was a beautiful evening.
There were people fencing at the park in complete armor costume. A real knight in shining armor:) You dont see that every day! All of a sudden(like true Texas weather)our beautiful evening turned into a run for the truck with pizza, presents, and pet in tow:) We made it back home and enjoyed a nice summer rain! I have learned that every cloud doesnt mean a tornado is going to relocate us to Kansas and can just enjoy the rain.
This morning one of our neighbors brought Jarelyn cupcakes and a bday gift and she was so excited because "its still her birthday!"
I am a big birthday person(as anyone that knows me will agree!) I have always had a birthday WEEK and dont see any reason my little princess shouldnt get the same:)This year it has been a good thing. We had a family bday party at the Thatcher Park before we left Arizona and had a great time.
On Thurs Jarelyn had a fever that wouldnt go away. On Monday she finally seemed to shake it but I didnt think a kid party was safe just yet.
Jana and Dallas came out to visit for a few days. Jana helped me decorate the camper after Jarelyn went to bed to surprise her when she woke up.
She was so happy that it was FINALLY her birthday:) She got to pick what we had for breakfast(rice w/sugar her favorite food- she would eat that for every meal if I let her). Then we spent the afternoon at the lake swimming and building sand castles.
Since I thought we should wait for the kid party, Jarelyn chose to have pizza at the park. The boys had fun at the skate park next to the playground. It was a beautiful evening.
There were people fencing at the park in complete armor costume. A real knight in shining armor:) You dont see that every day! All of a sudden(like true Texas weather)our beautiful evening turned into a run for the truck with pizza, presents, and pet in tow:) We made it back home and enjoyed a nice summer rain! I have learned that every cloud doesnt mean a tornado is going to relocate us to Kansas and can just enjoy the rain.
This morning one of our neighbors brought Jarelyn cupcakes and a bday gift and she was so excited because "its still her birthday!"
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