More summer fun

Man, we sure have been busy this summer. I love that both of the kids are now at the age where they have their own interests and I have been trying to get out and do as much with them as possible this summer. This week, we went with my sister and her kids to Leapin Lizards. A special thanks to Lisa for the AWESOME free passes! The kids had such a good time, and they asked me this morning, when we were going to go back. Leapin Lizards is another inflatable company that offers "free play" time during the week. I guess it was a good thing Daron wasn't with us this time, because this company doesn't allow adults on the inflatables and we all know that Daron would have been extremely disappointed!! I am pretty sure that NO ONE has as much fun on inflatables as Daron...I mean did you see the pictures from the party?!?

Anybody have any other ideas for summer time fun? Only a little over a month until my little man starts kindergarten!

Cousins - Katy and Sydney

Cousins - Alex and Andrew

Pump it Up

Pump...pump...pump it up! That's what we got to do on Alex's actual birthday. A nice trip to "pop in play time" at Pump It Up with our friend Glory which was right up Alex and Sydney's alley. Surprisingly, there was only 15 or so kids in there for both rooms, which was very nice. Shhhh...don't tell anyone that it isn't busy. Daron took off work to spend time with the little man and it was a good, fun family day, even though both Mom and Dad were feeling the burn from two straight days of birthday exercise.

If we lived in an inflatable house with a water slide, the kids would never want to leave home.

For dinner, Granna and Granddad stopped by and we sat down for a nice birthday meal of spaghetti and even more cake...two of Alex's favorites. All in all, this was a rather calm way to wrap up the birthday festivities for Alex's 6th birthday. That is until Daron and I battled on some Disney Dance Dance Revolution. He won two out of the three matches. It was a total fluke.

So, one more time: Happy 6th Birthday, Alex!

P~A~R~T~Y!

If there is one thing that Daron and I love to do, it is to throw birthday parties for our kids. Maybe it is because we are kids at heart ourselves. There is nothing better than seeing your kids so excited for their birthday and for them to know how special they are!

Alex had specifically asked this year for two things for his birthday: First, he wanted a water slide party at his own house and second, he wanted a REAL cake....because cupcakes are for babies (his exact words). So, Daron and I got to work on preparing things for the party. Unfortunately for him, his birthday will always fall near July 4th weekend, so in between fireworks and family barbecues, we spent 12 hours thoroughly cleaning our house in preparation for the party. I am pretty sure only a handful of people made it in the house, and those that did, probably didn't care if our baseboards were clean and closets were organized....but to those of you are curious....yes they were!

So, we figured an outside party would be no big deal in the middle of summer in Texas. Right? I mean, it has been over 100 degrees for weeks and stifling hot! And, it hasn't rained here in over a month....BUT of course, we wake up Sunday to cooler temperatures and rain! Figures! So, after much discussion, Daron and I decided that unless it was lightning outside, the party would go on because the kids would already be wet. It turns out there was no need to worry, because by the afternoon, the rain had cleared and the temperatures were near 90 (still relatively cool for Texas summers). The water was cold and it felt great. Overall, it was an awesome day with friends and family! And it makes it all worth it when Alex told me that night "Thank you so much for my party Mommy. You are the best!"

Happy 6th Birthday Alex!

It is hard for me to imagine, and it even brings tears to my eyes that my sweet little man could be turning 6 years old today. Alex has always been a little kid who brings much joy and excitement to our lives.

The first memory that we have of Alex is probably when he was being born, the doctor declared, "You got yourself a redhead." Thinking about what our little boy would look like when he was born, it never dawned us that he would have red hair. It's probably easier to count the number of days that we haven't been asked about his hair than the days we have been asked. Everyone notices it and is just one the many things that makes him so special to us and everyone.

I wanted to spend this day sharing some more of the many things that I love about that sweet boy:

-He has the sweetest heart. I love that when I am away, he always runs up to tell me how much he loves me and has missed me.

-His excitement for life. Sometimes he gets so excited that I have to remind him to slow down and think about what he is trying to tell me about.

-His love for singing. You won’t find a kid who sings louder in the car or at birthday parties.

-He is a great big brother. He sometimes picks Sydney up like we would and pats her on the back and tells her she is a sweet princess.

-He is super smart and strong-willed (must be the red hair). I think we are looking we are looking at a future president!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY ALEX!!! LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!!!

0 to 1 year old

1 to 2 years old

2 to 3 years old

3 to 4 years old

4 to 5 years old

5 to 6 years old

Happy Early Birthday, America!!

For the second year in a row, we have taken the kids to Concerts in the Garden to watch some fireworks the best way possible – sitting on the lawn and looking straight up. I guess we can declare it a tradition now.

In order to get a semi-shaded spot we got there right when they starting letting people in at 6:30. After staking our claim to our spot, the blankets were spread out and the picnic began. Nothing fancy like those around us with their bottles of wine, cheese trays and collapsible wooden tables (not kidding, some people went to that extreme). If you know us, then the simple meal of sandwiches, chips, crackers, grapes and juice should be no surprise. We like to keep it simple, which also means less stuff to lug back to the car.

Since the music portion of the evening didn’t start until 8, there was plenty of running around time for the kids and chasing after them time for Daron. I got the fun job of “guarding” our spot. I am pretty sure I drew the more relaxing straw of the evening.

The pre-fireworks highlights for Sydney were the Christmas lights that lined the plants and the gravel path to the port-a-potty. For Alex, he loved just running up and down the aisle, jumping on us and having us take his picture with his flag and light sword.

After the intermission and more a bit more music, night fell and the fireworks started, appropriately during the conclusion of the Star-Spangled Banner. The kids couldn’t take their eyes off the sky. Kinda reminded us of Christmas (no idea why) but 100 percent reminded us of Disney World because they love them some fireworks at Disney.

Overall, it was a great evening and a load of fun.

Thanks to everyone in our military for everything you do and sacrifice for our country.

Stay tuned for another birthday entry for our little boy, whose birthday is this Monday.