{a roller skating kind of day}

It has been rainy all week.  I'm not just talking about a sprinkle here or there, it's Texas-sized rain.  So...we've been inside most of the week, and finally we were all itching to get out.  The girls have been dying to go skating again, and the boys really wanted to try it.  Ryan stayed home with Caroline, and off we went!

It took us a little while to get situated and lace up all the skates, but finally we were ready to go.  Since it was Jack and Henry's first time, they used cute little walkers to help them around the rink.  The girls hadn't been in awhile, so they were off trying to recapture what they had lost.  I skated with the boys, and it was quite the adventure.  ☺  Henry is 4, but wears a size 2 shoes/skates, and they kept hitting the walker and making him fall. I don't think kids that use them usually have that size of foot.  I showed him a few tricks, and to his credit, he kept working at it, even though he fell quite a bit the first time or two around the rink.  Pretty soon he was doing quite well all on his own, and really didn't fall the rest of the time.  I was so proud of his determination!

Jack also worked hard, but really loved when I skated behind him, holding on to his walker, and making him go fast.  It killed my back, but he loved it so much, I couldn't say no!  We had such a fun time, and too soon it was time for us to leave.  They all made me promise we'd go again before we move, and they got no argument from me--it's one of my favorite things!

I wish I had gotten better pictures, but the lighting in there was horrible.  I also couldn't manage my phone and holding up two 4 year old boys at the same time, so I didn't get any on the rink either.  So...I have some of the kids watching some of the races, but at least I can see them in their skates! I had to take a picture of Jack's skates--they were so tiny and SO cute!  

 

Yep...can't wait to go again!

{jack-isms}

 I adore Jack. He might be the funniest boy ever, and the things he say make us laugh every single day.  My favorite thing is that he makes up words to replace other words, but most of the time they're just close enough that you know what he's talking about.  And it makes me smile every single time. 

Here are a few of my favorites...

"Freezebreak" = brain freeze

"Boodgie" = wedgie

"John the Baptism" = John the Baptist

"Light Bolts" = light bulbs

"Skin of a pickle" = cucumbers

A boy is a "dude" and a girl is a "wife.

"broccamole" = guacamole

Hysterical.  I hope he says them like this forever.

{a conversation with henry}

 Henry was snuggling with me in my bed the other morning, and for a few moments, the rest of the house was quiet, and it was just the two of us.  I took the opportunity to start asking him a few questions, and I loved it so much, I wrote it down just as soon as I could. This boy looks like he's 7 or 8, so sometimes it's easy to forget that he's only four.  This conversation made me remember, and I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

favorite color:  red and orange

favorite thing to do:  eat "bisketti"

do you want to get married?  NO! I want to be in charge, but not get married.

do you want to have kids?  Yes, 96 kids.

what will you do with them?  play with them..play lots of games.

what will you give them for dinner?  "bisketti"

who will watch them? I will.

what will you do for a job?  be a firefighter

who will watch the kids while you're at work?  I will have a "bruver" watch them, like Ryan.

are you happy?  yes!

what makes you happy?  eating "bisketti"

Notice a trend about the "bisketti"?  He still loves to eat.  And eat.  I wish you could have heard his voice and inflections as he answered these questions--seriously, so hilarious.  And adorable.  LOVE him.

{yes...MORE pool pictures}

Honestly, we live at the pool. We go every single day, and many times we go twice a day.  It's just SO hot, it's the only thing we can do that's outside.  We've got it down to a routine now--suits and sunscreen on; toys, water and snacks packed; bikes loaded up...and we're off!

You'll notice there are a couple of pictures where they are sitting on the side of the pool--it's the mandatory 10 minute rest period each hour, and is often the only time they are still enough for me to get a picture!

So many memories of our life here in Texas will revolve around hot weather...and the pool.  ☺

{bluebell ice cream factory}

I feel very sorry for anyone that hasn't had Bluebell ice cream.  I've had a lot of different ice cream in my life, and it's definitely the best.  It's legendary across the South, and a few other states where it's sold, and it's made just about an hour and a half from here, in Brenham, Texas. They give tours at their factory, and it's been on our list of things to do since we moved here. A friend and I took our kids last week, and it was definitely worth the trip!  

We saw the whole ice cream making process--where they mix it, add flavors and ingredients (we saw huge buckets of marshmallows and nuts going into a Rocky Road batch), and then fill ice cream cartons. They're now the only company that still have the 1/2 gallon container! We also saw all the molds for their ice cream bars and specialty items, and walked through the -44 degree freezer where they flash freeze the ice cream. 

And the best part?

The ice cream tasting!!!  We were able to taste every single flavor, and then they gave us a huge scoop of whatever we wanted.  Ummmmm...thank you.  They were all amazing, and I  the kids were in ice cream heaven.  It was a GREAT day!!!

Definitely one of the best things about Texas.  ☺

{goodbye school, hello summer}

Wasn't it just Christmas? I blinked my eyes, and it was the end of the year, and school was over. Ryan was elated, the girls were sad, and I was ready to have them home.

There wasn't any pomp and circumstance for Ryan the last week of school, but he did have half days all week, and that was good enough for him. He likes school, and he does very well, but he was so glad to be done with papers and tests!!  There was an awards assembly the last day of school for the girls, and they were SO excited about.  Special awards are given, and all students are given a certificate and recognized in some way.  

Kate was on the honor roll, Emma received the highest academic honors as well as the Citizenship Award.  They were both beaming! So was I.  ☺  After the assembly, I took them back to their classrooms to gather their things and say goodbye to friends and teachers.  They were especially sad  this year, because they knew they wouldn't be back.  They LOVED their teachers, as did I--you couldn't get any better.  In second grade, they have two teachers--one for science/math, and the other for language arts. The girls had the same teachers, but were in opposite classrooms. It really was the perfect setup for them--same teachers, same friends, across the hall from each other, and ate lunch and went to all the special classes together. 

It was a great year--they both did so well, and I can't believe they will be in THIRD grade!!!  

Welcome, summer!

{big girl}

My baby is not a baby!!! This girl...we love her guts.  She is growing up way too fast for my liking, and she thinks she's pretty cute stuff.  And she is.  ☺

Her hair was getting that lovely mullet look, as baby hair tends to get, and it was driving me crazy.  So, I gave her a cute little bob in the back while the front and sides catch up, and I love it.  She looks adorable, but so much older.  

I took a few pictures of her at the park a few weeks ago, so I could capture her new cut, but that proved to be difficult at best.  This girl is always on the move, and thinks she can run with the big kids. I was crawling through tubes not meant for adults so I could chase her down, and she gave me a near heart attack at least three times.  My days of sitting quietly on the bench and watching the boys play are O.V.E.R.

Love these three!!

{hello, san antonio}

With our impending move, and Rick starting his new job in New York, we knew we needed to do one last "Texas Hurrah" before we left.  San Antonio had been on our list since we moved here, and we finally made the trip a couple of weeks before school got out.  

The plan was to leave after the kids got out of school, but things didn't quite happen that way.  Rick got home and packed the truck, and when he went to close the back hatch, it wouldn't latch closed.  We tried it over and over and over again, with no luck. Here we were, hotel paid for, tickets paid for, all plans made, vehicle packed...and we couldn't go. UGH. Of all the moments for this to happen!  Rick and I looked at each other, and decided we still need to go--we would just have to rent a vehicle.  The nearest place to rent one was the airport, so we tied the door down, and off we went!  

Renting a vehicle for eight people is not an easy task at any time, but especially spur of the moment.  The lady at the reservation desk gave us three vehicles in a row that only had seven seats (which we didn't discover until we got all the way out to each vehicle on separate trips). Finally, we did our own investigation, and peered into several large SUV's (we still can't use a mini van) until we found one with eight seats.  The ONLY one.  We went back inside, and fortunately it was available.  Do you know how much an SUV costs to rent?  A LOT.  But, it was worth it.

We dropped off the truck at the Toyota dealership to be repaired, and we were finally off!  Three hours later we pulled up to our hotel, and even though it was really late, the kids were thrilled.  It was the perfect room for our family--a suite that had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.  We tucked the kids into bed, all of us excited for the next day!

Morning came with the kids antsy for breakfast in the hotel (Yep--Texas-shaped waffles once again!). Rick went down by himself with the kids while I got ready, and before they went down, he had them stand and hold their hands up in the air, pledging their good behavior.  It worked! At least for breakfast, lol.  We headed to Sea World, and got to the gates when it opened for the day. It was already HOT, and I was already wishing we had gone to a waterpark.  ☺

We had a great time. We rode the rides, saw all the shows, ate yummy frozen lemonade, and rode more rides. It was even hotter than we thought it was going to be, but all the ride lines had big awnings with gigantic fans, so it wasn't too terrible.  We purposely sat in the splash zones in the shows so we would get wet!  The kids were so excited to see "Shampoo" (i.e. Shamu, lol), and I was DYING that they named the other one "Conditioner".  It was seriously SO funny, and Rick and I still laugh about it every time we think about it.

Late that afternoon, we had finally had our fill, and we stopped at a restaurant to get dinner. That night everyone slept well!  The next morning we woke up and headed to some large caverns that were on the way home. They had recommended to us by several friends, and we thought the kids would enjoy them.  Unfortunately, Caroline and I had to turn back, because she was extremely fussy (naptime), but Rick and the kids loved it.  When they came out from the tour, OF COURSE we had to stop by the fudge and ice cream shop.  We left with more fudge than we should have, and tummies full of yummy ice cream--the perfect thing on such a warm day!

Our ride home was quiet--all the kids fell asleep--and I actually read a book! We got home in the early evening, which is perfect--still time to feed kids and get them to bed, plus unpack. With school the next day, it was an extra bonus that night.  

It was SUCH a fun trip, and I'm so grateful that we were able to make it work. It was the best "last hurrah" we could have asked for!

 

 

{may randomness}

I take a lot of pictures.  Right now I'm collecting a photo every day, and when a year is up (in October), I'm going to get them printed and put them in a book.  I'm really excited about it, and plan to do it every year. No scrapbooking or fancy embellishments--just cute pictures with fun memories attached.

-----

Camping in the backyard! There is no summer camping in Texas, so this is one of the last nights we could get away with it.  Popcorn, a movie, and sleep under the stars? What could be better?

 Yes, I took a picture of the milk.  But hello??!!  99 cents? The way we go through milk, this was an extra amazing deal.  We bought a lot of it, and the kids put it to good use.

 

Oh, this girl.  Already a shoe obsession.  ☺  Try as she might, she just could not get this American Girl doll shoe on her foot.  Although I love the leopard...she has good taste! 

 

Yay! Finally another lost tooth! This girl just turned eight, and had only lost two teeth until the last couple of weeks.  Now we're up to five, she's missing both front teeth, and looks absolutely adorable.

 My Mother's Day chefs!!  Rick wore that chef's hat when he worked at a restaurant many years ago as a teenager, and Kate loved wearing it as his sous chef.

 I love this sweet picture of Emma and Caroline, caught in an unaware moment. This baby is loved!!!

 

I was able to attend a blogging conference in SLC the very end of April, and had a great time!  I have worked closely with so many bloggers over the last five years, and it was so fun to finally meet them in person!

 

This is in the lobby of the Little America hotel, where we stayed, and where the conference was.  My favorite parts of the weekend were moments like this...this was spontaneous picture of a group of us just chatting. I loved talking to other women that know exactly what I do--and what it's like to balance blogging, being a mom, and juggling the rest of your life.

(Eighteen25, LandeeLu, Lil' Luna, Lolly Jane, 30 Handmade Days, Kiki & Co., Or So She Says, Diary of Dave's Wife)

Yes, that is Hobby Lobby, and yes, I took my boys there. It was a moment of desperation.  Lol.  I also ran into a reader that recognized me from my blog, and it was so fun to talk to her! Although I'm not sure how she recognized me, because I was in yoga pants with hair pulled back and no makeup--nothing like my blog picture. She definitely got the "real" me!!!

 My cutey cute girls at their 2nd grade program!