Last Summer Adventure

We decided to give Port Aransas another shot! We liked it last time but those jelly fish didn't give me happy feelings! It was the perfect day! No jellyfish in sight, a slight breeze, happy kids, hardly any birds trying to steal our food, good friends. Perfect. =) Here are some quick snapshots. I want to be all caught up because I'm DETERMINED to post more often about the day to day things. I just used to Blurb to make my blog into a book and throughout the process I felt so grateful that I had kept a blog! I wouldn't have remembered most of the stuff I've posted about. Anyway, here are the pictures from our day!

Walking on the beach:

Playing in the sand:

Aaron was smart and brought a shovel! Check out their masterpiece!

Getting buried alive!Brenan loved the dog!
Keslie and Avarie flying our Spiderman kite:
Kelli and Derrick

Kathryn, Phillip, and Spencer

Kelli, Britt, Kathryn, and Heather (who I'm convinced can pull off anything - even big, floppy hats!)

Check out the dolphin! Check out the dolphins fin. Check out the water. Check it out. Maybe Sonny would let me be a "check it out" girl with her. =) Do you watch the show Sonny with a Chance? I love it. =)

We went Kayaking:

Brenan and Peyton fell more in love. Heather caught a picture of them KISSING and I can't wait to post it. These kids are hilarious!

And that was our last day of summer! It was pretty great. We got home around 11 pm and we were all fried (note to self - don't use Walmart sunscreen EVER again!). I'm glad we ended with a bang! I'm always sad to see summer end. I hope everyone's school year is off to a great start!=)

1st Day of Pre-K!

Here she is! The day of her first school experience. She loved it and I think it's going to be great for her!

1st Day of 1st Grade!

Doesn't she look so grown up?!

Our Spider

A few days ago I was out back searching for a bunch of these little guys for the girls:

I think they are so cool. =) When I was a kid Kelyn and I would collect these and play with them. I'm reliving my childhood through my girls. =) Anyway, check out the cool spider I found! It's a Black and Yellow Garden Spider and I pretty much love it. I was told that when she gets pregnant she'll be huge! Apparently, a male spider (much smaller than her) will come along and strum on her web (how romantic!) and she will either love him or try to kill him.

I found this picture online - look how big she is!!

Shoe Fetish

I'm not the only who likes shoes around here! Brenan has been caught wandering the house in just about every pair of shoes we own. High heels, tennis shoes, the girls flip flops and crocs, - you name it. =) His favorite pair of shoes to sport around are these ones though:

He loves them!

And speaking of shoes, I pretty much NEED these:
Aren't they to die for?

A Visit to Dr. Daddy the Dentist

All 3 kids can now boast that they have clean teeth and are cavity free! =) I admit it I'm a little nervous for my next trip to the dentist! Hopefully, I can have the same outcome. =)

A Little Video of Brenan

Nathan took this video last week and I thought I would post it since it shows a little bit of his cute voice! I have since cut his hair. =)

Ode to Connecticut

Awhile back I was at Walmart picking up some groceries. While I was loading them into the trunk there was a nice breeze and it felt SO like Connecticut for a minute. I closed my eyes and I could almost pretend that I was loading my groceries in the Shaw's parking lot. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't loved Connecticut so much. For me it was home as soon as we went there. I love the trees and the color and the seasons. I love that there is SO much to do and see. I miss the camping and the traveling. I miss the splash pads and the parks. I miss picking blueberries and apples. I miss Hilda and Saul. My heart aches when I think about it because I know we will never move back. How do you come to terms with settling in a place you don't love for the rest of your life? I guess people do it all the time. We've been talking about where Nathan will be applying for jobs and it's sort of freaking me out! The thought of things becoming permanent is scary! We won't be able to pick up and move after a couple years because Nathan graduates or something. I guess we'll end up where we are supposed to be and hopefully it's a place we can love as much as we loved Connecticut.! The thing about our CT and TX adventures I'm the most grateful for is the people we've met. There really are so many wonderful people in the world and I'm so happy that I've gotten to meet so many of them! I've realized that as long as you have friends any place can become home. =)

And because every post needs a picture here is one of Brenan and his little girlfriend Peyton.

MOOOOOOO!

We'll do anything for a free meal. =) Chick-Fil-A had it's annual "dress like a cow and get a free meal" day last Friday so I took the kids on a date! It was AWESOME! The kids each got their own kid's meal and I was able to choose from any meal on the menu. $19 worth of food for free! Not bad!! I was nervous that it was going to be super crowded but there was hardly anyone there and the employees didn't say a word about our cow get-ups. I sort of wanted a little bit of recognition! I was expecting to be met with clapping and a lot of mooing. =) Oh well. After dinner we went and saw HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON at the dollar theater. My kids were good little substitutes for my husband on date night. =) He was in AZ visiting the family. We are happy to have him home! Happy Monday!!

Late Night at Mickey D's.

I'm sorry girls - these are too classic not to post. =) I was laughing so hard my switch almost flipped - I don't know if Heather and Ashley are ready for that yet so I was able to keep control. =) I don't know if anyone is ever really ready for that. =) I'm so glad Ashley had a birthday and that she let us hang out with her - even though it was two weeks later!

Here's the birthday girl (she's a trooper for letting me post this!). She made this face because she was so LIVID that we didn't end up dancing after the movie. Haha - actually, I think they were both relieved when I forgot!

I wonder if any local modeling agencies are hiring because we are HOT STUFF!! Which one is your favorite? I LOVE Heather and Ashley in the 3rd on down.

I'm really grateful to have such good friends. =)

4th of July!!!

We had SUCH a great weekend!!

On Saturday morning we woke up early and headed over to the ward breakfast. We had so much fun! I even managed to talk some other girls into playing red rover. I hadn't played it since I was a kid! Right after breakfast we went to watch the Leon Valley parade. It's a great little parade - not too long and lot's of candy! Nathan was humiliated by my Xena warrior cry but I don't regret it. =) Brenan was the only one that didn't seem to enjoy himself (as evidenced by all the pictures!).

Picking up the loot:

Some of our parade watching buddies:

Ashley, Kevin, and Kimball ( Such a cute picture!!)
Anika, Keslie, Brenan, Hallie, and Peyton
I like this one of Nathan because he looks like he's singing a song or just being super jolly!
After the parade we went home and took naps and then headed over to Heather and Aaron's for some 4th of July grub! Here are the pictures from that:

Anika, Keslie, and Landon

Me and Sandy
Me and Meg
Me and Jordan
Heather, me, Ashley
Traditional pose with all the girls! Aaron got a group shot with their fancy camera so I'll have to get a copy of that one. =)
On Sunday night we went with some other families in the ward to watch the fireworks at Woodlawn park. It was awesome! We were right under them! Anika thought they were amazing and whipped out her camera to video tape them. So cute!


Me and Kes

Derrick, Kelli, and me
Anika, Avarie, and Kes
Aubrey, Bradley, Bretta, and Bro. W. =)
Happy late 4th of July everyone! I love our country and am so proud to be an American! =)