jumbo jenga (and a little yatzee too)

these hot summer days are much better when you can spend them with a cool drink, next to the pool, and in the shade.  today we played jumbo jenga and yatzee.  we tried to capture the exact moment the tower fell... but missed it, as it crashed into b's face! great morning.  love.

mck heads to soccer camp

dropped sweet mck off at a&m for soccer camp today.  she is so excited!  hoping these five days go by quickly so we can pick her up. and hear all about it.  love this kid and love these girls she is spending the week with. love.

austin graffiti park

this place was awesome.  so many cool, beautiful, inspiring pieces of art in the middle of an austin neighborhood.  kids had fun exploring all the interesting goodies and walking to the top to get a view of austin.  can't believe it's taken us this long to visit.  awesome summer outing.  love. 

austin zoo visit

it's been years since we visited the austin zoo.  it was hot, but we got to see so many animals right up close.  it was a great morning.  the peacocks were in mating seasons, so the males we on full display.  kam loved the HUGE pig. b loved the alligator.  ken loved the cougar "cubs" that came up close and purred for us.  and mck loved too many things to list. love. 

kam's milkshakes

kam's been wanting to make milkshakes after reading some recipes in her magazine.  we tried the cookies and cream one today.  who knew it takes an entire carton of ice cream to make milkshakes for four kids?????  we topped them with whipped cream and an oreo thin cookie.  they were VERY happy kids. love.

night swimming

nothing cooler than watching the kids swim in the dark!  love these summer nights. 

4th of july

had a great 4th.  pool time, yummy food, grammy and grampy, relaxing, despicable me 3, catching the fireworks from the dairy queen parking lot, and then fireworks and glow sticks at home until 11! love.

aunt sarah camp

kids had a great time at another aunt sarah camp - camping themed this year.  the guest house was decorated perfectly... a giant tent, a campfire, yummy snacks, and tackle boxes filled with goodies.  they went on a nature hunt, watched a movie, played games, and enjoyed a cousin sleepover.  love.  

Big day today!

Kennedy learned to swallow Tylenol today!!!!  Poor kid had a bad ear infection.  We couldn't stop for medicine or we would miss tumbling... So after many tears and lots of instructions, she did it!!!!

My sweet kid

At soccer for kenzie and just found kamy sitting doing nothing while a stranger kid played on her kindle.  She didn't want to ask for it back.  She can be really sweet.

minion movie with the minions.

A great ending to a Sunday evening.  Kids couldn't wait to see the minion movie.  Kennedy had everyone wear their minion shirts (it is rare for her to want to match everyone these days...especially on a day when she isn't feeling good because of an ear infection!) 

Crossed another item off the summer list with a stop for dinner at Cherry Berry for frozen yogurt dinner!  Went through THREE tubs of popcorn and sodas during the movie... Along with minion colored candies!  

Was fun to hear the kids laughing out loud through the movie.  

Crazy boy

Bentley has started walking around without a shirt on...a lot.  Today he added a bow.  :)

Fun with friends and first four wheeler rides

All the kids get along.  All the moms get along.  Perfect summer afternoon.

b's birthday celebration at grammy's

g&g had special cupcakes and a gift for b as an early birthday celebration since we were visiting just the week before his big day!  he loved the batman cupcakes and couldn't wait to get home to set up his new wall tracks hot wheel set!  thanks g&g for making it a speical evening!

garner state park 2012

best camping trip.  ever.  okay, it helps that we were in our camper, and that our campsite backed up to the river, and that the kids loved every minute in the water, and that it was just plain good old fashioned fun!  we spent 5 days in garner state park.  the area was beautiful.  the water was refreshing and oh so clean!  we tubed the river twice, danced at night, cooked yummy food over the campfire, fished, swam - A LOT, and did some hiking too.  ken spent time building rick towers at the water's edge.  mck tried to be the first at EVERYTHING!  kam was the dancing queen of the trip.  and little b took everything in stride and was such a trooper . . . keeping up with the big kids everyday, all day long.  we played mini golf, hiked up to the crystal cave, and tried campfire eclairs!  i think garner is a new family tradition!

baseball game with daddy

what a treat . . . for all of us!  daddy took all four kiddos to the express game!  i was home ALONE for 3 hours!  i am not sure who was happier - me or the kids!  the kids had an all you can eat schmorgasboard of goodies, watched a little of the game and played around.  they came home tired and happy!  i got to watch trashy t.v. and take a bubble bath!  i was tired and happy when they got home. 

our monkeys . . . at the zoo!

we spent the day at the houston zoo with grammy before daddy's dr. appt.  it was a really hot day, but the kids were troopers!  they had so much fun and we really ran out of time!  they loved the animals, but ken and mck wanted to read almost every sign . . . i had to hurry them along!  b was content to chill in his hat and stroller.  and kam was a mess . . . just having a rough day.  you'll notice all of our pics from the zoo are the kids posing with statues.  i don't think they missed one!  they loved the play area (although we have a playscape at home) and the petting zoo (which only had goats - which we also have at home!).  we saw an amazing chimp exhibit (even cooler because we saw chimpanzee the movie only a few days prior!) and ate lunch right next to the elephants! 

monster shirt monday!

this is my favorite craft of the summer!  iron on tee shirt kits from target (1.50), wal-mart tees (3.47), a little imagination, and a hot iron!  the kids had so much fun designing their shirts!

massachusetts trip summer 2012

what an awesome week!  we used every possible second we had to fit in exploring massachusetts while we had the chance!  the kids were sooooooo good!  we really went from morning until late evening every day . . . and they did great!  it was all four kids first "real" time on a plane (that they would remember) and even that part went really, really well!  the kids had fun, we had fun . . . and we got to do and see a lot!
day 1 and 2
we left for the airport at 3 a.m. . . i am still wondering what we were thinking when we booked that flight . . . yikes!  thought the kids would sleep, but they hung in there! :)  we met up with the rest of the family in houston and arriveed in boston in the afternoon.  our rental car was GREAT . . . a mini van with two dvd players . . . great for all of the short drives we had through the week!  we ate some YUMMY uno's pizza and checked into the hotel, unpacked, and headed to see family!
we got to visit with my aunt and uncle, my cousin and his wife and new baby, and my grandfather.  the kids had a great time on the slip and slide and we all enjoyed a great meal! 
in the morning we headed to liz's house (a friend of mine from elementary and middle school).  her little guy and b are the same age!  they were instant buds! the girls had fun hanging with her big girls and the adults enjoyed catching up.  we talked, ate, swam, and just enjoyed the day!  then it was off to check out the house i grew up in and to get ice cream at pinecroft dairy . . . a place my friends and i used to go!  the kids loved it! (well, the girls did . . . b was sleeping!)  we ended the day back at my aunt and uncle's again for lobster rolls . . . ooooooh YUM!


day 3 and 4
we went to the beach first thing in the morning.  it was a perfect day . . . warm and sunny and the kids loved every minute of our time there.  most of our extended family was there too . . . so it was a great time to catch up!  mck was in the water within five minutes of arriving at the beach.  the water is freezing . . . she wasn't scared.  the kids all loved playing in the sand.  we took a long walk to collect shells and even spotted a sting ray!  super cool!  we went for lunch at woodman's - a super yummy seafood place . . . everyone was happy!  in the evening there was a bridal shower for my cousin . . . so all the girls got to come too!  it was at putnam pantry, an old fashioned ice cream shop that grammy used to go to as a kid!  the girls were in heaven.  you can pile on as many toppings as you want. . . it was a dream come true!  ken was the first to finish hers . . . and she actually wanted seconds!  b, daddy, uncle tim, and baby aubrey went for ice cream at sonic . . . not quite the same, but everyone had a treat!
the memorial/burial service for my grandfather was the next morning.  it was wonderful to be able to be there.  the mass was a wonderful reminder of what an amazing man he was.  i was happy ken and mck were able to hear it . . . and b and kam may have caught a little bit of it too!  we had a really nice lunch all together then headed to a little port town with awesome shops and seafood.  bailey and i shared a lobster . . . it was really good!


day 5 . . . the fourth of july!
we started off the fourth with a whale watch out of gloucester.  the weather was overcast, but the seas were calm.  we followed a cow and calf for the entire trip.  it was really amazing to see them swimming right next to each other.  ken and mck were really in awe.  kam was more interested in following her cousin s around, and b had his moments, but for the most part enjoyed looking at the coloring books in the ship and eating! 
we stopped at friendly's for lunch. . .  and instead shared a ginormous sundae . . . 12 scoops of ice cream with six toppings.  everyone picked their two fav flavors and fav topping - the kids were sure this sundae was made for us!  it was a fun indulgence!
then it was over to my aunt's house a fourth of july cookout and water fight!  the kids had a great time.  she had lots of fun goodies for them and sparklers to end the night with (fireworks were cancelled because of thunderstorms!)!  it was really a perfect day!

day 6 and 7 . . . two days on our own!
we woke up and headed to boston for the day.  it was so much fun!  we paid $35 to park so we had to walk to everything . . . we were NOT paying to park twice!  we went to the new england aquarium . . . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that place.  we got to see lots of animal feedings and a really cool 3-D imax movie.  the kids were so excited and so good.  then we WALKED  to quincy market and fanuiel hall and had lunch and browsed.  we saw some street dancers and just checked things out!  we WALKED to the cemetary where paul revere, boston massacre victims, and ben franklin's parents are buried.  ken and mck thought that was pretty cool!  then we WALKED to the common and rode the swan boats and saw the make way for ducklings statue.  then we waded in the frog pond, ate in quincy market again, saw an amazing street show, and WALKED by boston harbor.  after all that walking - oooooh the girls were such troopers! - we had some super yummy ice cream and headed home!
for our last day we headed back to the beach for awhile.  the kids could have spent the entire week there.  it was so fun to watch them loving every minute of the sand and water!  we met g and g in salem (the witch town), went to the oldest candy store in america, tried the first commercially made candy, and explored the shops.  we met up with family one more time for lobster rolls and ended the night with GIANT scoops of ice cream at richardson's dairy! 

what a perfect trip.  now if we can only move there! i have four kids on board . . . just need to convince the native texan!