Summer 2011

Well, we are back from vacation.  And I have never been more happy to see my bathtub in all my life.  And my air conditioner.  And my washing machine for that matter.  We've spent the past few days in a post vacation haze, lots of staring and milling around and sleeping late and doing nothing.  I love summer.  Really, I do.  I love the heat and the swimming and the traveling and the lazy days, but I always know I'm about ready to wrap it up when the temperature reaches a point where you swear you see satan putting on sunscreen or I catch my children standing in front of the open fridge not to get food, but to cool off.  When I'm okay with my husband's arctic 68 degrees thermostat setting, I'm done.    We had a great vacation to our family's ranch and to the (dry) Frio River, but I could have done without the 120degree heat.  you laugh?  that was the heat index in the parking lot.  The fact that there was no hot water did not bother me in the slightest. 

Anyhooo, now that I am but I did want to share some of the fun things that we have done this summer.  While we have not crossed everything off of our summer bucket list, we have had a great summer!
Here's what we've done so far..... 

We've seen the dolphins at the aquarium!

We got to hold a baby goat!

And asked 597 times if we could have one!

We spent 4th of July with our best friends!

We suprised our Nana on her 80th birthday!

And got to spend time with family!

We love our cousins!

Watching the fireworks with Daddy!

I think these faces are priceless!

We got to dip our feet into some pretty cool fountains!

We melted mommies heart just a little more!

We got to swim in all kinds of places!

We played football with Jay Novacek from the Dallas Cowboys!!

We had a picnic on the Medina River.

We swung from a rope swing into the Frio!!

We rode in the back of the truck and spotted some great wildlife on the ranch!!

Best of all...  we did it all together! 

Trip to the Beach with Best Friends!

They say in the south that there are really only two seasons... hot and hotter. This weekend officially marks the beginning of summer and belive you me... it was HAWT. for us with our first trip to the beach. Well, ok, not the first cause we kinda go all the time, but the first of the SUMMER meaning, since school is out! So we packed up the burban as Whitley calls it and all kinds of beachy stuff for a day of fun in the sun!

We are very fortunate to have good family friends that live very near us.  Not only are they good friends, but all of our husbands grew up with each other!

We now all have kids who are all the same age!  It has been such a fun blessing watching them grow up together, just like how their daddy's did...  forming life long friendships!

Two of my very best friends in the whole wide world!

I had seen a picture somewhere online of a bunch of kids lined up facing the water holding hands.  I wanted so badly for our kids to take this picture. I was a mom on a mission.

Almost!  But we're missing a few...

Ok, now just stand right here.  Yeah, right here. 

Um...  wait.  No, don't move.  Stand here. 

What was that?  You said move?  No problemo.

Perfection.  Except for my shadow.  And you're not holding hands.  I know that he's a boy.  Act like you like him.  Ugh.

special memories!

Summer Bucket List

As a mother of three, I have now entered panic mode ya'll.  Pan.  Ick.  Why you ask?  Two words.  Summer.  Vacation.  I've now got three kids at home all day from sun up to past sun down every single day for nearly three months.  Oh please, don't get me wrong I love my children.  Love.  LOVE.  LURVem.  Then why the panic.  Well....  one pre teen boy, one six year old and one three year old + one husband who will shortly be working nights = one mamma who needs to find a whole hoopla of stuff for my kids to do out of the house.  So I've come up with a bucket list of sorts that we can go back to when we run out of ideas of things to do...

1.  San Antonio Zoo
2.  Beach
3.  Aquarium
4.  Have a picnic at the park
5.  Go for a nature walk
6.  Have a backyard bar- b-que
7.  Have a movie night with popcorn & slumber parties
8.  Get through our book lists
9.  Go to a baseball game
10.  Go to the Lexington
11.  Children's Museums
12.  water parks
13.  go to the public library
14.  craft time
15.  learn to ride our bike with no training wheels
16.  sports camps
17.  vacation bible school
18.  Dallas Wedding
19.  date nights
20.  Outdoor movies
21.  camping
22.  Cole Park
23.  Horse Back Riding
24.  bake
25.  garden
26.  swim lessons
27.  make homemade ice cream
28.  build a fort and have breakfast for dinner in it
29.  ride the city bus
30.  botanical gardens
31.  national seashore