Summertime fun

We LOVE the bayhouse, where the boys and I spent our summer. Andy joined us every weekend, and we really got the use out of our house (since last summer was devoted to painting and repairing). We are so blessed to have such a special place!

Our sweet baby dogs.

This summer Aunt Jennifer came down for a visit from Denver. We were so glad to be able to spend some time with her. We sure do miss her!

Of course there was lots of fishing done this summer, but sadly not too much was caught on a fishing pole (lots were caught in the crab traps and cast net).

Braeden caught a baby crab.

At the beginning of the summer, I took all three boys to Sea Wolf Park to see the submarine (USS CAVALLA, a WWII submarine) and another battleship (the USS STEWART, a destroyer escort/one of only 3 in the world) . I remember going to see these same ships as a kid and they seemed so huge and so cool. To me this time, they were a bit run down, but the boys absolutely LOVED it!

I did mention that I took all three boys, however you will not see any pictures of Colton, because I had him strapped to me in the Bjorn (and was holding him tight since he was about a pound over the weight limit for this sling!). It was a bit awkward going through these doors with him attached to me, not to mention keeping him from hanging on to everything we passed since it was so narrow. The excitement from the boys was contagious, and he spent his time squealing and kicking with joy.

I love Austin's tough guy face here.

That is one huge propeller!

The best part of having the bayhouse is having our friends come stay with us. Owen, Avery, and Aunt Kelly join us for a couple of days. Here we are checking out our shrimp and fish in the bucket.

Also, Gavin, Ty, Anna, and their mom Jessica came to visit us. We went to the Aquarium with them for the day.

You could touch the starfish. Braeden's face is so typical here. Silly boy!

I love that these friends have kids the exact same age as mine. Each one of them has a buddy to play with.

A stingray looks like it is smiling underneath.

This was the best part. The penguins. Unfortunately my camera wouldn't do much in the lighting that was there. The penguins were swimming over to the kids and mimicking them. It was adorable.

Sharks!

Jessica and I thought about sitting down for a while while they were in the shark cage. Hee hee. They loved pretending like the sharks were going to get them.

More fun stuff to touch.

One day during the summer, I took the boys to the Rain forest Pyramid at Moody Gardens. It was a brand new exhibit, and we were surprised to see monkey's allowed to just roam free where we all were. We could almost touch this one's tail.

Iguanas

Macaws

Turtles
And the favorite part for all of us....a butterfly landed on both Austin and Braeden and hung out with us a while. We weren't even in the enclosed butterfly area, this one just seemed to stop by especially for us. I like to think that God put it there.

The places we visited were great, but most days were filled with splashing....

jumping....

splashing...

more splashing...

Fishing...

Fishing...

And more fishing! Austin caught this pretty sand trout all by himself on Daddy's boat!

Colton's birthday

Colton's birthday happened in the middle of the week, so we celebrated that day with the traditional birthday pancake shaped like a "1" for the birthday boy.

And we hung the decorations for the upcoming party early.

Of course everyone gets a birthday pancake around here!

After our pancakes we headed out to Moody Gardens for the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit. We saw huge life size dinosaurs, lots of roaring, and there was even digging for dinosaur bones. Everyone had a great time, and our fearless one year old didn't bat an eyelash at the roaring dinosaurs!

That weekend we had his official family party. We were a smaller group this year, and we really missed the family that couldn't make it.

Everyone joined in for throwing the cast net and catching lots of fish.

I had lots of pictures of family, but there was too much movement in them. Aunt Lisa and Grandma sat still long enough for me to snap a great shot of them.

I also got a great shot of Laura and Danny.

Of course the most entertaining part of the first birthday party is watching them eat cake for the first time. Here is the before picture of Colton's cake.

When we sang to him, he acted so shy and silly. He really knows how to make expressive faces.

The first bites, yummmmm!

And done. I can't believe he ate all of that!

I can't believe my baby is one. Where did this first year go. Precious Colton, God gave you to us at a time that your sweet smile, gentleness, and cuddles have been heaven sent. You are truly a gift from God, and we are so amazingly blessed to be your family. Happy birthday little man.

Hillcountry trip

For the weekend of Daddy's and Braeden's birthday, we went to the beautiful Texas hill country to the Cherokee Music Festival. It was super fun to the boys because we stayed in an RV, which they boys called a hotel on wheels. It was a huge bus RV, and it had plenty of room for all of us. We heard lots of music, and took the boys to eat really good BBQ. We were just a short distance from Llano, so of course we went to Cooper's for BBQ and cobbler. That same afternoon, we went to Luckenbach. The kids thought it was fun to go to the place in the song they know so well, and on the t-shirts they wear all the time.

Yep, that is a real longhorn. A cowboy rode him like a horse and parked him next to the fence for pictures. I was a little bit worried about Colton sitting up there, but he was actually squished so tight between the boys and the saddle horn that he wasn't going anywhere. They loved it.

Of course you have to get a picture in front of the armadillo playing the guitar!

In front of the old post office.

Braeden was having a blast chasing roosters!

And here are the boys in the stables at the ranch we stayed at. They are such little cowboys!

Braeden's birthday

Braeden's birthday....posted a month and a half later. Well, what do you expect with three boys around here to chase!? I took lots of pictures over the last few months, and I have lots of posts ready to add pictures to, I just have to find the time. And if there is anything around here I seem to be lacking, it is time. Anyway, back to Braeden's birthday.

We celebrated his birthday day while we were in Llano for the Cherokee Creek Music Festival (more on that in another post). So, since we were staying in an RV on the ranch, I didn't make the traditional birthday pancakes, but I did bring cupcakes, and we did eat them for breakfast. I don't think anybody missed the pancakes.

The rest of his birthday day was great with rides on the ranger, playing on a playground, jumping in a bounce house, live bands, and more cupcakes.

So fast forward a week, and we had his birthday party at Kids In Action.

He loves it when they pull out the parachute. It is such a fun party, and I am going to miss when they outgrow this fun place. Enough of that, back to the parachute. I think back to the year before and how he wouldn't do much without me, and was so shy. This boy is growing and changing so fast. We are so blessed.

Everyone LOVES the parachute.

Big brother monkeying around on the rope.

Little brother rowing in the boat.

Your best buddy and partner in crime, Will. The boy you collect acorns, Junebugs, and pennies with on the playground. The boy you play trucks with, and dig holes to China with in the sandbox. What will we do when you go seperate ways in Kindergarten....I can't think about that yet!

Ask Braeden his favorite parts of the party, and he answers parachute and bubbles. I'd have to agree, bubbles are awesome.


This was what he did when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I love this boy. Such a typical Braeden pose. A dinosaur cake was a hit with this 4 year old!


Blowing out the candle.

Happy Birthday to our precious middle boy. Your silliness, smile, eyelashes, snuggles, and endless questions make you our JOY! I love how you love all bugs, how you pick up jellyfish (don't worry they aren't the kind that sting) and fish, the way that you hold my hand, how you snuggle with Mommy every morning, your sweet kisses, your gentleness, the way you say "I love you, No, but I love you" to Mommy, and the way you show me every butterfly you see. We love you so much!

End of school

This year was the end of Austin's preschool years. He's going to kindergarten. Oh my, I can't believe it, but there it is. He is going to kindergarten. It's both exciting and scary at the same time. I can't believe we are already here at this point! Here is his precious preschool class. They had a graduation ceremony and received a certificate in the front of the church. They were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Austin said that he wanted to be Spiderman. Ha!

Daddy was able to be there. Here is Colton cheering for his brother as he walked in front.

Everyone got a precious gift of a book of photos from the school year, and they gave us a trivet with their handprint. Loved it so much!

Mrs. Nancy and Mrs. Patty. Austin loved being in their class so much, and he learned a lot!

A few of his best buddies. He and Jake bumped heads.

And here she is. Look at Austin's face....it says it all. Austin LOVES Issy. He asked Isabel to marry him. I wouldn't mind that at all, she is a sweetheart, and I love her mother too!

Braeden's class also had an end of the year gathering, but it isn't a graduation. It was a tea, and we got to share yummy treats. The kids got up and sang a song for us, and gave us our Mother's Day gifts. It was wonderful. I don't know how I missed out on pictures with Mrs. Deb and Mrs. Mary Lee. We loved them so much, and they really put up with a lot of silliness from Mr. Braeden.

Me and my little monkey. I can't believe he only has one more year of preschool until he goes to Kindergarten too!

Mother's Day

Mother's day was a day to remember my many blessings. The week leading up to Mother's day was rough for me, because it really made me miss my Mom even more, if that is possible. I spent the morning before church reflecting on how I can do my best to be more like she was; Loving unconditionally, passing on knowledge of the bible, and giving to others selflessly. In the bible it says in Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Sometimes as a mom, I get overwhelmed by the daily tasks; the endless laundry and dishes, (dishes from meals that I have argued with children to get them to eat so they can grow healthy), sticky messes where I wonder..."what is that?," diapers changed, sleepless nights, stubbed toes from toys left all over the floor, the screaming and running, and the gray hairs that I just don't have energy or time to cover anymore. None of that matters, because the reward of hugs, drooly kisses, snuggles in our pajamas, and jumps for joy are far more than any of the complaints.

What I have focused on more than anything in the last year, is to treasure every moment, because you never know when that last moment will be. I have learned that no matter how hard I try to please others, I seem to have someone upset with me all the time, and I have to be ok with that. I have learned that anything you say, and the way you act will be reflected in your childrens' actions and behaviors. So, to get love, you have to give love. Don't stress about when people are upset with you, especially when you have acted out of love. Just forgive, and keep doing what you know is right. Do it for your Lord, because that is who you are serving. And when you lose your temper, when you break down and cry, when you feel overwhelmed, turn to Him and ask for help. He is the only one big enough to handle all your concerns. I am so blessed to be surrounded by friends who help me when I need to "talk to my mom," and they help me in the most amazing ways. You know who you are...

I am most blessed to be a Mom, and to have my three precious sons. Austin's energy and ability to take care of others, Braeden's sweet gentleness and humor beyond compare, and Colton's smile that brings so much joy and his easy going nature make me the most blessed Mother there ever was! My precious husband who shares this parenting journey with me, who is my rock and my level head, who listens to complaints, who gives hugs when I need them, and who leads our family with love is such a blessing to me. Thank you God for giving me this wonderful family, thank you for this precious life.

After church, we went to a wonderful lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Lisa. Happy Mother's Day Nancy!

The absolute best thing about Mother's Day when they are this little is the precious gifts they make at school. Here's my loot.
Two plants in hand painted and decorated pots. One with a Braeden flower, and one with a pretty pink flower, along with a couple of handmade cards.

Inside the card from Braeden.

I smile at the fact that my favorite food is vegetables and that he thinks I am pretty, and laugh at the fact that he thinks I am 100 years old.

Braeden's picture and handmade frame. There are no words for the picture except.....priceless. What a way to take the flowery picture and "boy" it up.

Inside Austin's card. A portrait of me.

What makes me smile is that I smell like sweet apples and go on dates with him. What makes me laugh is that I am 130 years old. Wow! Both of my children think I am really old. Sad thing is that they are not in the same class filling this out, and both of them guessed so high!