We will be leaving later this morning for a fun trip to Atlanta and be back on Sunday evening. One of our highlights is a concert with Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts Friday night. Everyone is excited! Hope the weather will be nice...definitely more pictures later!
The Santiagos, Downings and Howells didn't make it to the beach this year so everyone "vacationed" at the Howells resort in Meridian, MS! :~) Rob, May, Harrison, Hayden and Hallie came up from Mobile on Friday and left Wednesday morning. Lolo and Lola also stayed here too. It was nice having everyone together. The guys were able to do some fishing, they took the kids to Geyser Falls waterpark, and everyone had fun swimming in the pool. Our next big family trip will be Disney World in January!
Sidney Anthony (center) from Madison County is congratulated by Haleigh Huddleston (left, 1st alternate) and Sarah Margaret Huff (right, 3rd alternate) as she is announced 2009 Mississippi Jr Miss. She will compete in Mobile, AL for America's Jr Miss. There were 43 young ladies in the program. All 3 nights of competition were tough. Our area was well represented as Lauren Rogers and Meridian's Jr Miss, Sarah Margaret Huff, were top 10 contestants.
We are supporting Lauren as she participates in this year's Mississippi Jr Miss program. She is the current Lauderdale County Jr. Miss. Mackenzie and Mallory were excited to see their picture with Lauren in an ad in the program book. Thursday and Friday were preliminary nights where contestants showed off their talents, physical fitness and self expression. Scholastics and judges interview also count for a large portion of final score. Lauren did great in all 3 categories. She has been playing piano for 9 years under Mrs. Debbie Hermetz. (Mackenzie will be studying piano under Mrs. Hermetz starting next month. This will be Mackenzie's 3 yr of piano) Last night Lauren received awards for talent and self expression.
Mackenzie, Madeleine, Mary Love and Jordan were in Oxford, MS for the Ole Miss soccer camp. Yes, I said Ole Miss... :~) The girls had morning, afternoon and evening sessions. They learned a lot, made new friends, and had a great time! Stacey Emmonds (#11, senior from England) coached their team this week.
Here are a few pictures from Mallory's birthday party. She had a great time with her friends.
We had a Luau/swimming birthday party for Mallory yesterday. The forecast...sunny and hot! A typical summer day in the South. Everyone had a nice time in the pool and enjoyed lots of delicious food. Lolo and Lola prepared Filipino favorites (lumpia, pancit, BBQ pork on a stick, brazo for dessert). Papa's video was great too! Thanks to both sets of grandparents for helping with the party.
Billy and Mackenzie had a great time kayaking down the Okatoma in Seminary, MS (near Hattiesburg). They did the 8 mile route twice...enjoyed a picnic lunch and swimming too. It was Mackenzie's first true kayaking experience (other than a test ride at Okatibee Lake). Maybe next time mommy and Mallory can join too! www.okatoma.com
Our baby is growing up so fast! Mallory turned 7 years old on July 5th. Lolo and Lola came over for a birthday dinner and cupcakes (Mackenzie baked and decorated).
The Howells gathered in Carthage for our annual 4th of July family reunion. Everyone enjoyed visiting and eating lots of good food. We also honored Papa and Mimi as they will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on July 12th. We hope to continue this tradition for many years!
Last week Billy and Mackenzie found 2 kittens and brought them home. Their names are Twix and Snickers. Mackenzie and Mallory's favorite candy bars. The vet said they are about 7 wks old. The kittens have adjusted to their new home in the backyard...yep, they're outdoor pets. They have lots of room to roam. The girls are doing well taking care of them. Hopefully the newness doesn't wear off!
Last Fri. we had Mackenzie's soccer team at our house for a big party to celebrate their soccer season. The girls swam a while until the rain came down...it was actually a thunderstorm! Everyone came indoors...the girls had fun playing Rock Band...had the medal presentation to the girls (thanks to Jen and Greg for getting them engraved)...and enjoyed the video recapping the Boomers' season. As usual, Papa did a fantastic job on the video. All the girls sang along to their favorite songs. Afterwards they all got back in the pool for more fun. Way to go Boomers!
