My Big 1st Grader!

Ethan was pumped to start first grade after a long summer. He saw his friends at Meet the Teacher and couldn't wait to go back to school! It was bitter sweet for me. I was ready for him to spend his days learning and interacting with his friends instead of sitting on the couch watching me clean. But I also feel like I'm losing him until next summer.

His new super cool Captain America backpack. Mean old mom made him use the same lunch box. Why buy a new one when the old one still works? (His backpack from last year was broken that's why he got a new one.)

Haha, I just noticed Caleb's shoe in this pic! And he's shooting lasers like Buzz Lightyear. We take what pics we can get these days.

Making the long walk in...

Good thing his buddy Will is in class with him! Makes for an easier transition to a new class.

Checking out the new locker.

Looking in his little supply pouch. He was all happy...until we turned to walk away. That's when the tears started. He said he was scared and didn't want me to leave. It made me realize that he is still my tiny baby no matter how grown up he wants to be. I probably held on to him a little too long and let him cry a little too long. I just felt so sad for him. But, alas, I knew he would be fine once we got out of there. So Mommy put on a big smile, gave him a quick hug, and bolted out the door.

After school he said he had a good day and that he didn't cry anymore. The next morning he wanted me to walk him in again...and there were more tears. This time I just gave a quick hug and then told his teacher he needed a few days to adjust to a new routine. The next day he rode with his friend Will and everything was just fine. And now, 2 weeks later, thankfully the tears have passed. He is settled into a routine and making new friends. Whew...now Caleb gets to start preschool next week....stay tuned.

The Beach!

We were planning a last minute mini vacation to Gaylord before going back to school. But then my friend Kristy invited us to go on their last minute mini vacation to Galveston. Hmmmm...indoor water park or beach? Of course we decided to go to the beach! It was the boys' first time to go to the beach and they loved it. We only stayed Tuesday-Thursday, then I had to work Thursday night! I was just a wee bit tired. There are tons of pictures so I'll let them tell the story.

This was Ethan's face when he saw the beach for the first time.

We met the Joyce's at a Mexican restaurant in the parking lot of our hotel while our room was being cleaned. The kids were a bit hyper after being stuck in the car for 5 hours. Good thing we weren't there during peak eating time.

The boys were so excited to stay in a hotel. They request to go to a hotel probably once a week. They're not spoiled or anything.

Our hotel was across the street from the beach. It was awesome to be able to walk right over and not fill the car with sand. The wind was crazy so the waves were big which was lot of fun to play in!

My three loves.

Those nets were for "crabbing" but we used them to catch shells! We scraped them across the bottom of the water and pulled up treasures. It was lots of fun!

Caleb and Maddie spent most of their time on the beach which was fine with me. The daddies helped built water trenches and sandcastles.

All cleaned up for dinner!

I don't remember the name of the place but it wasn't that great. We wanted some seafood at a local place but this wasn't the place to go. I think it was called Casey's? Of course the kids had macaroni and chicken nuggets.

The big boys spent most of their time jumping in the waves.

On the second day we drove down to a different part of the beach. These are condos right on the beach. Maybe we'll do that next time...

Beach bums.

They kept trying to dig a big hole in the sand and then the water would rush up and fill it up. But they just kept digging!

My sand art. :-)

Kristy taught me a neat trick. If you throw food at the birds they will flock to you! We threw peanut butter crackers in the air and they went nuts! It was so cool!

Tyler and Ethan were digging in the sand and found this crab! He ran out and we caught him with our net. He was running sideways and pinching at us. The kids loved it.

Chasing the poor crab. We did end up putting him back in his hole.

I thought these birds perched on the poles were cute.

More digging in the sand.

A fish swam up on the beach and Jeffrey was able to catch it with a net! The kids were super excited.

And of course we had to take a picture with it!

By day 2 my sunburn was getting a little out of control. I could feel my skin burning. The only solution was to be covered in wet sand. It felt great and kept the kids entertained for a long time!

Jeffrey and Mondo got in the spirit and posed for me.

He is showing his new shark tooth necklace...and sunburned cheeks.

The motley crew.

Last night there.

And what trip would be complete without me getting a sunburn! Spray sunscreen just doesn't work for me.

We stopped at a gas station called Buc-ees on the way home and it was awesome! We could have spent a lot of time in there but we were ready to get home, it was crowded, and the kids were in their pj's.

Meet Luke Skywalker

Ethan has been asking for a hamster for over a year now. I wanted to get him one but kept putting it off because I didn't want to have another animal to clean up after. I was also afraid of Caleb getting ahold of it and lovingly squeezing him to death. I finally gave in and told him to save his money and he could buy one. If you haven't noticed, he has lost a lot of teeth lately so it didn't take him long to save up.

Finding a hamster was a lot harder than I thought! The Petland by our house went out of business and Petsmart only sells "robo hamsters" which are little dwarf ones. They are really cute but don't really like to be held and they are really fast. I also wanted something a little meatier for his little hands to hold. Luckily Petco came to my rescue. That's where we found "Luke Skywalker". When Ethan told the sales guy the name he said, "Well you better name HER Princess Leia". Hmmm...apparently that guy doesn't have small children! I told Ethan Luke Skywalker was a great name for his hamster...even if the critter is actually a girl (that's all they sell there.)

He is really good with him. He doesn't try to hold him all the time like I was afraid he would. When he gets him out he is very careful. Caleb follows him around saying, "I want to hold hamster!" I bought a little clear ball that he can run around the house in. Even Mondo got a kick out of watching him run. So far he's been a great little addition to our menagerie!

July 4th

I look forward to July 4th every year. The flags, the freedom, the BBQ, the fireworks. Just an all around great holiday. This year was no exception. We had a big BBQ at my parent's house. It's literally the ONE time a year that the brick BBQ pit gets used. Mondo looks forward to going to their house early in the morning and helping my dad get the BBQ going. Mmmm...so good!

I get a kick out of Mom's home made center pieces.

The kids playing in the playroom while the food is being prepared.

Ethan and his favorite gal, Hilari.

Yummo!

All of that fabulous BBQ and he eats mac and cheese and bologna. Geez!

Yep, same here.

Oh, and don't forget the chippies!

Cupcake wars! Apparently cupcakes were the dessert of choice for people to bring. Pretty funny. Good thing I was too tired from working to make mine!

Looks more like fire than a sparkler.

Not really a firework but it was cool!

It's hard to see but he dumped the whole bowl of pops on the ground and it was loud.

I liked these colored ones. Reminded me of something Joker would do.

We went to see fireworks in the parking lot of our church this year. We really enjoyed it. Not too crowded. Luckily my nephew Blaine brought his truck so we tailgated!

I was happy to share July 4th with Erin Ortiz (Perkins) and her kids. And yes, that is a tin of cupcakes in the truck. We had to get rid of them!

Ethan and Abigail had fun play fighting. Wish they lived closer. :-(