holla mode - thai ice cream

we crossed off another summer list item of ken's with a visit to holla mode... a thai ice cream trailer.  it was SO cool.  the ice cream mixture is poured onto a freezing slab and then rolled up into these beautiful curls of ice cream.  it was a pricey treat... but worth every penny.  love. 

visit to the capitol building

kam missed out on a visit to the capitol building during the school year, so she added it to her summer list.  such a beautiful place with lots of history and a million storied to tell.  we had lots of fun exploring and ran into a nice guy who gave us some fun facts.  love. 

outdoor movie and night swimming

beauty and the beast and some pool time tonight!  so much fun to watch the movies on the big screen.

  

mck gets braces

mck got her top braces today.  we loaded up on lots of sticky foods yesterday to get ready for 9 months- a year of doing without all the things my mini-me loves... air heads, laffy taffy, caramel popcorn, and gum!  she picked a light blue color elastic (to match her outfit!) and looks so grown up i keep tearing up!  love.   

mck spends five days at a&m soccer camp

mck had such a great time at a&m soccer camp.  five days of no parents, three soccer seesions a day, hanging out in a dorm, eating college food, staying up late, and being with girls who love the sport she loves.  does it get any better?  she is such a rock star and continues to grow in her skill and love of soccer!  she came home, chilled out for a bit, and then went to her Force soccer training.  love.

first sight of our girl after five days!

camp check out.  mck scored THREE awards!

saying goodbye.

the girls.  such a sweet bunch of tough soccer players.

macaron making - most time consuming cookie in the world.

we learned the macaron making process tonight at make it sweet.  omgosh.  who knew that making the tiny little morsels of heaven literally takes a week from the start of the process until the point at which you can truly enjoy them????  we may be devouring all of our goodies (60 of them!!!!) and choosing to purchase them from this point on!  we had so much fun with our besties... catching up and learning something new.  love.

half way to summer goal - running to the lake

my summer goal is to run to the lake and back - six miles.  when making the goal I kind of forgot how hot texas summers are!  I may need to adjust the goal and plan to make it there and back by November.  today, ken and I ran half way there and got a ride home.  so much fun to be enjoying runs with this kid who hated running.  we just run.  don't even talk too much... point out wildlife... and sweat together.  love.

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.