Bye, Baby Boy

Today the boy left for some special time in Houston with Matt’s parents. They are starting a tradition that the summer before their grandchildren start kindergarten, they get to come spend a week alone with Nana and Pop. It seemed so surreal to watch my little boy walk into the airport without me.

I am really excited that he gets this time. He will have so much fun spending time in Houston, and even though I will miss him like crazy, I can’t wait to hear all about his adventures.

Not Sports People

Last night we were out with some of our college friends. One of the guys was sweet enough to let our big boy sit next to him and was making conversation.

“So, Buddy, who’s your favorite football player?” the Tech student asked.

“Um, Colonel Mustard,” the boy responded confidently.

(We’ve been playing a lot of Clue lately - maybe we should turn on ESPN every once in a while.)

Men at Work

In anticipation for the upcoming school year, we are converting our playroom into a schoolroom. We ripped up the carpet and the boys broke up the tile and scraped up the grout. We are painting, hanging new blinds, laying a hardwood floor, and putting new furniture in there.

I am so proud of my hardworking guys. I can’t wait to see the final result.

Bountiful Harvest

It’s amazing… you put seed in the ground, add water, and God makes things grow.

Look at what we ate this week:

I have always had a brown thumb, but I am so excited by how well our garden is doing this summer. We have zucchini and squash growing like crazy, the basil is overtaking the ground, tomatoes are blossoming, and the watermelon is spreading all over the place.

Does anyone want zucchini bread?

Overheard

As I was walking past her room, I saw my sassy daughter with her hands on her hips facing her closet door.

“I said open! Abre!”

Her closet door sticks and does become difficult to open sometimes, but I never considered trying to demand obedience from it. I think it’s super funny that she decided to command it in Spanish, too (in case her closet door is bilingual, I guess.)

Finishing the Week

Here’s how our week ended:

There was a show in the backyard…

some Wii play…

and another t-ball game.

The girls got made up…

we went bowling…

and we had several game nights.

It was such a great time to be with my family. We’re all in withdrawals now that they’re gone. I can’t wait to see them again.

More Fun

We’ve had several more days of fun with my mom, my sister, and her kids. Here’s what we’ve done since last I posted…

We went to see Wall-E at the movie theatre…

and we all went to the 4th of July parade.

The kids had a water balloon fight in the park…

and did fireworks after the sun set.

We took the kids swimming…

and had ice cream afterwards…

which wore some of us out.

We even had a suprise birthday cake for my sister (her birthday is this Friday).

As you can see, we’ve had a pretty good time. I’ve even been able to talk them into staying an extra day. (Whoohoo!) I cannot say just how much I love having them here. I’m going to squeeze every last bit of fun out of our remaining time.

So Far

This has been a full week so far with my mom and sister. I cannot say enough how much I love having them here. My children have their cousins to play with, my mom is AMAZING with the kids, my sister knows exactly how to help and when I need it… I love it.

Here’s a brief rundown in pictures what we’ve done so far (about half-way through their trip)…

We watched a demonstration by the K9 unit and the big cats show at the museum. The performing tigers were pretty cool.

We got creative painting pottery and making crafts. Mom gets the award for cutest craft - a plate with all the grandkids handprints that says, “Who stole the cookie from the cookie plate?”.

They joined us as we cheered on the boy at his t-ball game.

We hiked through Palo Duro Canyon, went out to dinner, and caught the play “Texas” as the sun set.

Mimi read countless stories to the kiddos. This is where 20+ years as a kindergarten teacher comes in handy.

Matt took Carly’s stitches out of her finger since three weeks has past since her surgery.

We also had game night, a fun dinner out to eat, great conversations, and just a fantastic time being together. We have much more in store for the rest of the week, but I’m concerned that the time is passing too quickly. I look forward into trying to pack as much fun in as possible for the rest of the week.

Let the Fun Begin

Yippee! My mom and my sister (along with my niece and nephews) are in town for a week. They hit the road this morning at 5 a.m. and we have already begun the fun. This afternoon we went to the Science Spectrum to see the police K9 demonstration and the big cat show. Very cool!

I cannot express how much I love having them here. They are two of the most important women in my life and I absorb the time with them like a sponge. I drink in being in their presence. They live far away, and while I love visiting them there, it is hard because we always end up dividing our time between all the family and friends we have in town. When they come here, I have them all to myself for the entire time. And, oh, do I have big plans for this week - we are going to pack as much as possible into the next seven days. Let the fun begin!

At Least She’s Honest

Last night, shower time was a trying experience. During the bathing process the baby girl curled up in a ball on the floor of the tub crying for her Cinderella doll. When I finally found the princess and brought it to my sobbing daughter, she cried out, “That’s not the right one!”

After I got her out of the shower, she continued to cry - that she had gotten soap in her eye, that she hadn’t been able to bathe Cinderella, that her nightgown was dirty - it was all just too much for her. Finally I asked her, “Why are you really sad, Sweetheart?”

“Mommy, it’s just my cranky day. Maybe I’ll be happy tomorrow.”

Let’s hope so.