Rodeo 2026

Thursday night, we took the three youngest to the rodeo.

It was SO hot.

Like, ridiculously HOT.

Like, don't stand up because moisture from your body will exit through pores on your bottom!

Anywho, it was still fun.

Ryker brought Trypp again.

Cooper's girlfriend was still in Costa Rica, so his bestie Nathan came.

Porter brought his girlfriend, Brooklyn.

Of course, Burke brought me and I brought him.

Before we left for the rodeo, I noticed the newest beautiful roses Burke got for me.

He tries to make sure there are fresh flowers in the home for me.

They make me happy.

And then on Friday, we went and got our pedicures and got my finger nails fixed up.

It's football season and the boys always expect that my nails will be supportive of them!

"Nailed" it!

 

RiRi is 29!

Miss Rian is 29!

Rian loves being a mother, and she is such an involved, happy, joyful mama.

She is creative and loves to bake cakes and cake pops - and the family loves eating them!

Rian is beautiful inside and out.

Being the only girl with eight brothers cannot be easy.

We love her endlessly!

 

Coopy!

I spy with my little eye Coopy's name under "Defensive Line!!"

I am hoping that he has the best football season ever... since it's his senior year.

 

Latest Backyard Update

The backyard is still coming together.

The latest add is the pergola.

Burke, Porter, and Cooper put it together.

Then, they put it together.

It's so much putting together.

Like, put it together... move it to its final resting spot and put it together???

They almost had it done when Braxton and Jackson showed up for family dinner.

Height is helpful with this stuff!

They finished it up after five hours in the heat.

Mind you, I was "taking care of the pool."
By, "taking care of the pool," I mean FLOATING in the pool...

You know, in preparation of the grandbabies arriving.

It's fabulous.

I love it!

Now the umbrella can shade the sandbox and/or wading pool for the babies!!

We just need to finish moving dirt from the two left-over dirt piles, move the rest of the gravel, hang the string lights, and settle in!

 

July Family Dinner

We missed Kaydon & Lenny, Rian & Tyler, and Bubba & Suzanne.

Gigi swam in the pool with the four grandbabies.

They are getting so good in the pool.

We got Kehlani some goggles and she just goes on her way, "swimming like a mermaid!"

Hudson is getting way more comfortable.

Delilah just does what she wants!

Melanie is a fish.

The parents, and parents-to-be, played a game and we FaceTimed Kaydon & Lenny.

The babies found Papa... wherever he was.

Hudson did some cleaning.

Kehlani made Papa a bracelet.

Gigi went to bed and Papa came to lay with me.

So did the babies and it was the best!

 

Kaydon’s Wedding

Kaydon and Lenny were married on Friday.

He FaceTimed me just before the ceremony and I added Jackson & Isis.

I watched my son be married on FaceTime.

This is what Kaydon has wanted, and so we are happy for him.

He loves Lenny and her son, Gael.

They'll need to get married again if they ever do come back to the States.

Obviously, this marriage is only recognized in the Dominican Republic.

We hope that they are able to start their lives as a family and that he will be happy!

 

Boys Trip

Cooper & Ryker went to San Diego for a few days with their mom and family!
I was excited for them to go and spend some time with her.

I hoped it would bring more closeness and bonding...

I always miss them, though!

They got to go to a San Diego Padres game and loved it!

They sent me random pictures, which I loved!

Coop is currently obsessed with corvettes.

He saw lots and took pictures of all of them!

They got to walk by the USS Midway.

I was super sad that they didn't get to tour it.

The big boys and I got to tour it years ago and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done!

I loved that Coop sent me a picture of an ice cream dessert he had.

On one of their last days there, they got to go to Sea World.

I've never been to Sea World.

It looked like the best time!

I asked them what their favorite parts of the trip were:

Coop: The Food 

Ryker: Sea World or the Ocean

 

Nailed? Screwed? BAD!

Yesterday.

I was on the freeway, almost to work.

My car's alert system notified me that my back, driver's side tire was losing air.

Sometimes it does that, right?

It's fiiiiiiiine, right?

In fantastic Heidi style, I kept right on driving.

To work.

When I got out of the car, I saw this.

Nailed?

Screwed?

There is something clearly in my tire that should not be there and it's looking about as flat as the alert system told me it was.

BAD!

I took this picture (obviously I took this picture), sent it to Burke then immediately called Burke.

Nailed?

Screwed?

It's bad, Babe.

He got Porter on his way to my work.

Porter showed up.

Switched out the tire to the donut.

... why do they call it a donut???

Anywho, he took the tire that was nailed or screwed and bad to Ed Kenley to Burke.

I drove home on side roads, terrified about what a donut can and can't do.

Got home with the donut still in tact.

Went to bed.

Literally, my brain is unwell.

I woke up this morning to the former nailed/screwed/bad tire back on and all fixed up.

Thanks Babe & Porter.

And now it's less bad.

 

Suzanne is 25!

 

We are endlessly grateful for this magical girl.

Suzanne is bright, beautiful, cheerful, so smart, and just absolute joy.

She illuminates every room she walks into.

She is 25 today!!!

We love her endlessly!

108

Saturday morning, my mom and I met Rian and Suzanne to celebrate their birthday month.

This was the first time my mom has met the girls.

They loved her.

Saturday night, I tearfully told Burke how sweet it was to watch her with the girls.

She was so warm and kind and genuinely glad to meet them.

She brought a whole bag of crocheted hot pads and rags.

They each piled up enough for their households.

It was a delightful early breakfast!

Sunday, Papa & Gigi watched grandbabies.

Literally SO thankful for the pool.

It was 108 degrees.

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT.

So unnecessary.

We got the babes in their suits and their floaties and loaded into the pool.

Kehlani is doing really well.

Her floaties are plenty and she is learning to put her head under water without plugging her nose.

Melanie is FEARLESS.

That baby girl JUMPS from the top of the ladder into the pool and just swims away in her floaties.

It's crazy to watch her.

NO fear.

Delilah goes between wanting to also be inside of a floaty with her floaties on and not wanting to be in a floaty.

She goes between wanting to be in the pool and not wanting to be in the pool.

She is still unsure, and that's okay!
Hudson is vocal about being unsure.

Papa worked with him a lot yesterday and it helped.

By the time we'd been in the pool for a half hour, he was jumping into the pool and into Papa's arms.

Progress.

Gigi was feeling like we were becoming a little outnumbered and it was best to get out and play in the little wading pool.

They played in that for about another hour and got in and out to eat food.

Melanie was particularly fond of the Ranch.

Delilah is a week into potty training and was going back and forth into the house to pee.

I finally just put the pool diaper on her and left her suit off.

Kehlani is such a good big sister, but she is also an amazing big cousin.

She is so sweet with Hudson and Hendrix.

Such a big girl!

Hudson just likes eating!

After swimming, we went inside to the air conditioning and colored.

Ate.

Ate some more.

Watched Spidey.

Ate some more.

Then the parents came and picked up the children and Gigi went to bed!