We went to the beach

We went to the beach yesterday with some friends and had a fun time. We went on Memorial Day at the beginning of summer and I promised myself we would go all summer long...and then we never went! And I don't know why because it really isn't a big deal getting there and it is a relaxing way to spend the day. That is, until you get home and you have a car full of sand and tired, sandy children. But it was all worth it!
I only took my camera out of my bag once and I didn't get very many pictures. The brown murky water of Galveston doesn't photograph well at noon. (And it definitely has NOTHING to do with my photography skills, right?....right?)

We might be counting down the days until we are no longer living this close to a beach so I'm glad we took advantage of it!

my little models

I haven't been great at taking pictures of my kids recently so I decided that after church on Sunday I wanted to run and get my camera to take some in our Sunday best before we went upstairs. I took some of Kate in about 2 seconds.

And then it was Sawyer's turn. He would have nothing to do with it.

Come on Sawyer, give me a big smile!

Sawyer, what is on my head?

There is a lizard on the top of my head!
(that didn't get quite the reaction I wanted)

There is a smile! Now just look up at me!

No way mom.

I finally got one! But only because I was standing behind him trying to reach my camera in front of his face and focus at the same time.

Maybe right after church isn't the best time to take pictures?

The first game

Kate did really well at her first soccer game. It was a cloudy, overcast day but we were lucky it didn't rain. (Thursday's practice was rained out and she kept saying in her prayers to bless that it wouldn't rain for her game!) She had a lot of fun running after the herd of kids but I don't think she ever kicked the ball. At the end she had fun and enjoyed the treats. They are, after all, the best part!

Soccer

Kate started soccer practice last night and had a lot of fun. We haven't spent a lot of time practicing at home so everything was mostly new to her and I was afraid she would be intimidated. She did spend quite a bit of time with her fingers in her mouth (her nervous habit) but when she was asked to dribble or kick she did it and did it well. When they did a little scrimmaging we found out one of the boys on our team had David Beckham like skills and dominated most of the ball time...and Kate just stood there staring. When the coach told her to go kick the ball, she looked at the girl next to her and motioned for her to come with her. She wasn't going in alone! But when practice was over, she was still really excited about soccer and wanted to come home and kick the ball with Daddy. I think that is a good sign!

I had to drag Sawyer away from the beginning of practice kicking and screaming. Luckily his friend Brooke is in the same situation, not being old enough to play and having to watch her older sibling play. So they played together a little bit!

Let's dance!

Dance has officially started and Kate was a little nervous. We signed her up for Creative Dance for 3 and 4 year olds again at the Houston Met and she kept asking me if I had the same teacher as last year. I kept reassuring her that all the teachers there are nice and she will have a fun teacher no matter what. We got there a little early and took some pictures and then checked in and found out our teacher was Ms Marlena instead of Ms Kendra. Ms Marlena is the manager of the Houston Met and we are told she was an awesome teacher. When Kate heard the news she didn't react but I could tell she was still nervous. As the crowd of little girls started to form I smiled when I saw all the little 3 year old girls...they looked so much smaller than Kate! When it was time to go into the classroom there were a few crying girls. Kate started to timidly walk towards the door and she kept turning back at me and waving or giving me a thumbs up. I caught glimpses of her throughout the class and she was having a lot of fun. We are all excited to be dancing again!

Dear Uncle...

Dear Devin,
Grammie came to Houston. For 5 days. I'm turning 5. Grammie left already. I like to go swimming with Papa.
Love, Kate

Dear Jesse,
I'm writing a letter to you. What are you doing today on Sunday? Did you get our letters? We came back from Tucson and now we're at Houston. Today was a fun Sunday. My brother is sleeping. What are you wearing today?
Love, Kate

Tucson!

This summer has been long and hot and lonely. I have had a lot of fun things to keep us busy but it got really repetitive and at the end of most days I was alone and lonely. So I told Ryan I needed a vacation and I started planning the 16.5 hour road trip with just me, Kate and Sawyer. The drive there went really well. I had a box of toys and a box of snacks that were in the passenger seat and I just handed stuff back to them every now and then. We made it all the way to Las Cruces, NM the first day which left only 4.5 hours the second day. We got to Tucson and met Grammie and Nana at a gas station and they picked us up and headed to the airport to pick up Dani. She heard we were going to be in town and she decided she needed a vacation too! Dani found out the sex of her baby the day before coming down and told us she would be wearing either a blue or pink shirt when we picked her up....exciting! We pulled up to the curb and there she was wearing a BLUE shirt! Congrats Dani and Jared, we are so excited for you! (And, in case you are wondering, that makes it 1 girl and 4 boys of grandkids for my parents...Kate is still the favorite granddaughter for now!)
The entire trip was spent doing a few fun things but mainly just hanging out. I needed it SO much! My kids loved Grammie and Papa's house and they were really on their best behavior the entire time, running around the house and playing. That let me have time to just relax. Then, after bedtime, I wasn't alone! It was perfect. I even had time to read Mockingjay (in one long stint that kept me up till 3 am) and and Wicked (which I HATED. Hated. Has anyone read the book and seen the play that wants to discuss it with me? I've only talked to people who have done one or the other.)
Most days after Papa got home from work the kids were waiting for him with their swimming suits on. Kate showed off her swimming skills, darting back and forth between the walls all by herself. Sawyer showed off his no-fear jumping in skills...a couple of times with no floaties and he had to be rescued.
I enjoyed being with my mom, running errands and going out to lunch at all my favorite Tucson places. It really was the perfect vacation.
I did take a few pictures of a few of the highlights when I wasn't being lazy...

Kate got a hair "trim" while we were in Tucson. She LOVES her long hair and her favorite thing is when her hair is long and wet and straight and she can feel it on her back. When I told her she needed a haircut she kept telling me she wanted it long so I started calling it a hair "trim". She was happy when it was all over and her hair was still long.

Picking Peaches in Wilcox at Apple Annie's

Does he make this peach look good or what?

Learning to play checkers with Papa

"Mom! I'm trying to concentrate here!"

eegees

Peter Piper Pizza with extended family for Uncle Jed's birthday!
Sawyer's Skee-ball skills....where did the ball go?

Oh there it is! Halfway across the place! ooops...
Playing Deal or No Deal with Papa

Yea!!

Yummy Kona Berri frozen yogurt...we did this one twice! It was self serve and no matter what I did, I always ended up with the heaviest cup! hehe

Seeing Shrek with Grammie

Costco!

Walking down to feed the ducks with Papa

After my 2 weeks of bliss were up we headed back to Houston. The drive was even better because Grammie can with us to keep us company. As soon as we got home we were running errands and getting ready for Ryan's presentation. He said hi to us when we got in and then headed back to school to keep working. You have to bring food to the presentation and we decided on pulled pork sandwiches, pasta salad, coleslaw and cookies. We cooked the pork all night long and it ended up really yummy. And its a good thing because we made 3 times too much! After it was over my zombie husband left and my happy husband returned! He was so relieved to have it over with and he feels like he did a good job. After he was done we all went to Costco to celebrate with their new gelato.
Good job Daddy! And thanks to Grammie for being here to help me get everything ready. Now mom leaves tomorrow and we're back to real life again. Only I'm hoping I won't be quite as lonely now that Ryan is done with his presentation...now all he has to do is study for his final and boards, work, and find a job! 119 days left!!