Christmas 2011

Click for LOTS of Christmas Pics!!!

Another Christmas has come and gone....the biggest and best gift that we all got was that Craig was here and an active participant when we think of all of the "what could've happened's". Our Holiday officially kicked off with Kerry Jeremy and Molly arriving to our house for two days on their way into Texas. Kerry was thrilled to finally get the chance to come to something at the boys school and spent the morning with me watching Matt participate in Chapel and then tagteaming both boys class parties that I was in charge of :)

Christmas Eve was low key and spent in our jammies! We "finally" made our cookies for Santa, the boys opened each others gifts and Craig and I SHOCKED them with their presents...a touchpad for each of them!!! Matt was speechless, Luke kept screaming "a touchpad" and Brian actually cried while repeating "you did not do this" over and over again! It will definitely go down as one of our favorite Christmas memories :) Christmas morning we discovered...Santa had in fact stopped by!!! The boys were thrilled with all of their loot and the house was noisy for hours!!!!

Next up...Christmas round 2! We packed up the car later in the day and headed to my parents for five days to celebrate Christmas with my family! Everyone was there and were were all beyond spoiled by parents, siblings (Aunts/Uncles) and cousins!!! All three boys were thrilled with their Aaron Gray signed jerseys, and Brian's new love is his electric scooter! To say my kids got too many presents is a severe understatement...I had to make a solo trip back to Austin mid-week to bring all the presents home in order to fit all of us in the car that Saturday!!!

The rest of the week was spent with LOTS of playtime, nighttime corn hole with the Uncles & Papa, midnight bedtimes every night, a giant family outing to our favorite hangout...Incredible Pizza AND a super fun event for Brian & Matt...front row seats to Phineas & Ferb LIVE! Kerry and Jeremy got them tickets for Christmas and thanks to their awesome seats...Brian and Matt got called up onstage to dance with the cast in front of the entire arena!!!

Muddy Fun!

Click the pic for a few more!!!

Our yard is in seriously bad shape this year! We had a seven month severe drought and weren't allowed to use our sprinklers! It finally rained...for three straight days! What's a Mom with three stir crazy boys to do???? Send them out in the muddy backyard...that's what!!! Holy cow did my guys have fun! They discovered that under the trampoline was a gold mine for mud as grass has a hard time growing there in a good year ;) Enjoy some muddy day pics!!!

Jammie Fun!

Every year Gaga buys the kids (and herself) matching Christmas jammies! With all of my laundry FINALLY caught up three weeks after I started it (thanks to my elf this weekend!!!), I seized the moment for a few Christmas pics of the kids! Wait until you see how many pics I had to take in attempt to get one decent picture of my three goons! Click above...you'll get a good laugh! :)

A Dinnertime Surprise!

Click for a few more!So I discovered that Schlotzsky's was having Santa for dinner tonight and thought that would be such a FUN surprise for the boys! Like the single Mom I recently became...I packed up the kids and took them to dinner not letting in on the fact that there would be a surprise guest! We arrived about 15 minutes before Santa and were eating (actually Luke & I were eating...Brian and Matt were in the middle of a giant kicking match under the table) when we heard jingle bells and a loud HO-HO-HO! All of my kids stopped dead in their tracks...Matt actually dropped his sandwich and Brian ever so slowly made it look like he had been innocently eating ;) Luke could actually see Santa from his seat and busted out waving and screaming "Hi Santa!" OMG...what fun this turned out to be! Since there were only six people in the restaurant, my kids spent a good 10 minutes chatting with Santa. Luke was busy showing him his Mickey crocs, Brian was telling him about his sleepover party he went to and Matt was telling him how much he likes candy canes (subtly hinting for a second one!) Poor Daddy was definitely bummed to have missed this super fun surprise!!!

Luke's BIG Show! (click for more pics!)

Anyone who has talked to Luke in the past few weeks knows that he had "a really BIG show at preschool today!" He has been soooo excited for his Christmas performance and was downright giddy that Mommy, Gaga, Brian, Matt, Ms. Candice and Daddy all came to watch him! He proudly stood in front of the whole school wearing his Mickey hat, singing away! Five straight years of seeing the same show (with various children of mine in it every time!) and I still look forward to it each year ;)

The Christmas FUN begins!!!

Click for LOTS of fun pics!!!Thank goodness for my parents acting like elves and stepping in to help us function :) Even with Craig homebound...we are managing to make sure the kids get in all of their Christmas fun! Last weekend was Cookies with Santa at our neighborhood clubhouse. I played single Mom and took the boys to get our Santa pics out of the way and not have to fight the mall! We saw the Big Guy, got our pics, had our cookies and made it home all in under 45 minutes...not too shabby!!!

This past weekend was the annual sledding in our neighborhood! This is something that all of the kids in the neighborhood look forward to. They bring in a ton of snow, lay it on the hills of the golf course, bring in sleds and let the kids go at it! The boys had an absolute blast sledding and were joined by their good buddy Perry :) This year Gaga happened to be here playing elf and (helping me survive the day to day activities of being a single Mom with three kids and a handicapped hubbie) and we managed to even get her on a sled!
Such a FUN memory for the kids!!!!

Craig's BIG BANG!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family in Houston :) Everyone but Uncle Jeremy was there and I got to spend so much time loving on my two girls ;) The boys had an absolute blast with all of the attention they received and after four fun filled days, we headed home to spend Sunday decorating the outside of our house for Christmas.

What a HUGE mistake that turned out to be....Craig managed to take a 12 foot fall stuck in a ladder from our back patio to the ground! He had his kneecap stuck in between two steps of the ladder, with his leg fully hyperextended and his foot touching his chest! He ended up tearing his meniscus, breaking his fibula out of the knee joint, shattering his tibula, completely tearing his hamstring off of the bone and a few other fractures throughout his knee and shin!!! Poor guy ended up with 2 plates and about 20 screws, as well as a reattached hamstring :( After a few days in the hospital, we are home and he is on the LONG road to recovery! He is non-weight bearing for three months and will require a great deal of physical therapy to regain function of his leg. Fortunately he can work from home so he and I will be spending a whole lot of time together ;)

Matt's Big show :)

Matt has been so excited for his Thanksgiving play...he got to be a pilgrim! My parents and Emma came to join me & Luke for the show! Daddy had to be in D.C. but got to see the rehearsal on Wednesday :) The Kindergarten and first grade put on a 40 min. comedy act reenacting their version of the First Thanksgiving! It was priceless and the kids did a fantastic job! Kudos to the three teachers...this show was clearly a lot of time and energy on their part!!! The video is too long for my blog but enjoy a few pics by clicking the one above!

Ally...

Big Al went to Heaven today. Putting this old girl down was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Ally didn't get rapidly sick like Mia preparing us for a quick end. Big Al simply got tired and over the course of a few days gave us endless signs that she was ready to join her old pal Mia in a more restful, peaceful place. She made it to her 13'th Birthday which was a huge accomplishment and something we never would've dreamt would happen. She lasted 1 1/2 years longer than Mia...something we never saw coming. Anyone who knew her loved her for her curvaceous figure and enormous smile. Ally has seen us through five homes, three kids, two states and patiently a plethora of "foster dogs" that we tried to make a part of our family and ultimately found better suited homes for :) Ally has been with us longer than any of our children and will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Ally was the dog we got two weeks after marriage, sight unseen. The local Humane Society called to tell me they had an owner release golden retriever and did I want her? We were across the country at my cousin's wedding and they told me I had to make a decision over the phone as they couldn't hold her otherwise. They told me she had recently had a litter of 12 pups and that she still had some "baby fat" along with her "nips". I said yes... a little unsure as to what we were getting...and showed up a few days later to this obese, waddling, nips touching the ground golden retriever who looked so sad. She put her head on my lap, looked up at me with these giant eyes, smiled and I was sold.

Ten years later this old girl still has the waddle, the baby fat never really went away and the biggest smile I've ever seen on a dog. Ally's chub did give her the very best splash upon entry of the pool though...she could seriously win a splash contest!!! Over the years we did countless tests to check why she looked like she had been inflated with air and the end result was always the same...she's just a big-boned girl, no thyroid issues, just happily plump :) We will forever remember our big girl who could hold a ball in her mouth until she had lock-jaw, particularly anytime we walk into our closet :)

Another FUN Halloween!

Click for a few more pics!Halloween 2011 was another HUGE success! Luke was totally into this year...choosing his own costume ("Paging Dr. Luke!") and thinking trick-or-treating was just about the coolest thing next to Disneyland!!! We started the weekend with a Halloween carnival at the boys new school. They were super excited to be a part of this annual tradition and spend the night locked in jail :), on hayrides, playing games and just running around with their friends!!! Pumpkin carving was a little more interesting this year courtesy of Matt's broken arm but he was in good spirits and made the best of the situation! Halloween day was super crazy, plain and simple!!! I provided cupcakes for both of the boys classes, ran Matt back and forth from Dr. 's appointment for cast (hooray!!!) to school, had lunch at school with the boys, got them home and changed, made cookies in between all this for a neighbor's "Halloweenie" hotdog pre-trick-or-treating party, went to the party, came home and passed out candy while Craig took the boys around, and finished off my night with laundry and packing Craig for his trip (and mine later this week!)

Can I also add that Halloween should be a mandatory Friday or Saturday night, like Thanksgiving is a mandatory Thursday!?!?!?! Getting three kids up by myself at 6:30 after trick-or-treating and getting to bed almost two hours late is NOT my idea of fun!!!

Not the way we anticipated the season ending...

Poor Moose...he had an amazing baseball season this Fall, complete with his very first 'official' homerun! Not one of those fielding error homeruns, but an honest to God, ball hit the fence homerun! Today was the end of season tournament with single elimination games all day. We won the first game, leading to a second one immediately after. My sweet guy was "on-deck" swinging the bat and lost his footing, causing him to fall and managed to break his arm :( It was clearly broken and disfigured but "Moose of Steel" shone through...the kid barely cried!

Four hours later, Matt is home resting. He actually ended up breaking both bones :( The ulna was a clean break right in half and the radius was broken and displaced. He ended up having to have a reduction (manipulation) done to put the radius back in place as it was shaped like an "S". (Painful but Matt was a serious trooper!!!) It is now correctly in place and set in a splint for the rest of the weekend. We will follow up with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday to make sure it has stayed in place or he will need to have surgery to put a pin in it. Hopefully it stays put and he can just get a cast on Monday for 6-8 weeks ;)

Animals, Pumpkins, Mazes...Oh My!!!

Of course there's more...click on the pic!

So I set off in search of a really fun pumpkin patch since all of the ones nearby are completely lame! After a few hours on the Internet, holy cow did we hit jackpot!!! Jersey Farms is a working Dairy Farm in La Grange, Texas...a short 1 :15 hour from us. It is also home of the famous Bluebell Cows (as in Bluebell Ice Cream...a Texas staple and one of our favorite factory tours!) Bellerina, Annabelle and Jinglebelle are currently used in all marketing for Bluebell...tv commercials, movies, print media, etc, and are the friendliest cows ever! They walk right up to you and want you to pet them. The boys even milked Bellerina!!!

Back to the beginning, we paid a $7 admission fee and spent five hours meeting, playing with and feeding more animals than we could ever have dreamt of interacting with! We took a 45 minute hayride, stopping along the way to milk Bellerina (I am 32 and this was a first for me!), meet Ethel...the 700 lb. pig who loves to be pet, meet 1 week old calves (so precious and friendly!) and go into the milking room to learn the process of milking cows!!!

After the hayride, we continued our tour to meet and feed goats, miniature horses, bigger calves, JingleBelle and AnnaBelle, a smiling donkey, Tex...the fainting goat, chickens, pigs, sheep, bunnies, turkeys and ducks. We then got to bottle feed baby calves (so much fun!) and eat what else??? Bluebell Ice Cream of course, made with milk from the dairy!

We headed into the pumpkin barn to find this year's picks...Matt & Brian went for size while Luke decided he wanted a white pumpkin ;) Matt topped off the fun being dragged to the parking lot by Craig for an overtired tantrum (are you honestly surprised?!?!?!?!), calming down before our grand finale...the hay maze! What fun they had conquering the maze...they got lost too many times to count and giggled their way through the whole thing! Our day of fun ended in typical Rose fashion...Luke pulling down his pants and peeing in the middle of the farm!

What a SUPER FUN Sunday!!!

Happy 13'th Birthday Ally!!!

Craig and I got Ally while we were out of town two weeks after our wedding! The Humane Society called my cell phone and told me they had an 'owner release' golden retriever and did I want her? They informed me that they couldn't hold her unless I committed to her and that I had to make a decision over the phone...they also mentioned that she was "chubby" and had just had a litter of 12 puppies so she had "nips". On a whim I said yes, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made!!!

Ally has been with us in 6 different homes, moved across the country with us and happily greeted each of our boys when we brought them home from the hospital. (okay...to be fair...she kind of rolled her eyes at us when Luke came as if to say "You really thought another one was a good idea???") She managed to outlive Mia, who we got just two weeks after we brought home Ally but Mia was a puppy whereas Ally was 3. (We never saw that one coming!) She has been here for the various "mistakes" we have provided temporary homes for over the years and has been a part of our family long before our children were!

Poor Ally never managed to lose the baby weight, earning her the nickname Big Al by everyone who knows her, but she has the happiest face of any dog I have ever known. She has always been the dog we want the others to learn from as I can count on one hand the number of things she has done wrong! My whole family has thought "this might be her last Christmas" for the past few years but she proves us wrong with each passing one :) She may now waddle rather than walk, but throw a ball and she will still go after it. Throw it in the pool and step back as the splash that comes with her will soak you!

Ally tends to spend 90% of her time on her bed in my closet these days, but still comes out to join the family every night. We may be shocked that she has made it to her 13'th Birthday but are so happy that she has. We know Big Al won't be around forever but we sure are grateful she's still going, and going and going....

Little man is 4!!!!

Click on the two different pictures for Baseball and Birthday pics!

It is hard to say out loud...Luke is four! I still look at my currently 30 pound, 37 inch little man and remember those weeks in NICU where I spent day and night worrying about him. He is such a happy, fun, wonderful little guy! He lights up a room everywhere he goes, has a keen talent for making us laugh, has a smile that goes from ear to ear, has a heart the size of Texas and is this tiny little "big person wannabe" who we daily thank our lucky stars for!

Luke has been counting down the days to his Birthday. It is the first one in which he actually "gets it" and has been talking for months about turning four, and his BIG party at Chuck E. Cheese that he specifically requested :) He had a whole weekend of celebrating as Gaga & Papa and Aunt Christy & Uncle DJ came up Friday night and Aunt Kel, Uncle Chris & Emma came on Saturday. Luke had his first t-ball game of the season Saturday and LOVED having an audience :) Daddy had to leave early to take the big boys to their game and much to Luke's delight, Uncle DJ stepped in for him to help coach! After watching Luke actually play and do awesome (compared to last season where he sat in the field asking for a snack!), we all headed to the big boys game to watch and cheer them on in coach pitch! Both boys got awesome hits and did great in fielding :) It was a hot, hot day but super fun!

Saturday night Aunt Christy and Uncle DJ surprised Luke (and Brian, Matt & Emma) with his gift... a GIANT "4" pinata, field to the brim with candy and toys:) All four kids had a great time whacking at it in the family room and Uncle DJ only got hit once :) Aunt Kel & Uncle Chris need to sign up Emma for softball as soon as she's big enough as that girl can hit!

Sunday morning was the day we've been waiting for...Luke turned four!!!! He woke up in our bed, turns to Craig and screams "I'm four now!" at 7am! All I can say is Luke will sleep well tonight!!! That little boy was on "go mode" from sun-up to sun-down! He had cupcakes for breakfast, opened his gifts from the family, played with them all, headed to his big party, ran around Chuck E. Cheese like a Birthday crazed maniac, went in the ticket machine and collected 980 tickets!!!, played with all of his friends who came... Madi & Drew, Maddie, Michael & Matthew and Jackson (his buddy from preschool), ate more cake, came home and played with his newest round of toys and had more candy all before heading to bed :)

Special Thanks to The Pazak Family and The Licht Family for helping make Luke's day so special for him!

A BIG thanks to Gaga & Papa, Uncle DJ & Aunt Christy, and Aunt Kel, Uncle Chris & Emma for coming and spending the whole weekend with us to make Luke's fourth Birthday one he'll talk about for months (literally!!!)

Uncle DJ is Married!!!

Click for TONS of pics from this weekend!!!

This past weekend was spent in Houston for a big event...the wedding of Uncle DJ and Aunt Christy! It was a crazy, busy weekend jam-packed with events!!!

Thursday morning we headed to my parents for the rehersal dinner that evening. It was nice to get to meet the rest of Christy's family and we all enjoyed a yummy dinner ;) The boys were absolutely giddy with their ringbearer gifts...Bevo Pillow Pets!

Friday was spent with all the big boys going to lunch and movies with DJ, followed by an O'Brien family BBQ...complete with tons of yummy food and drinks, lots of chaos and great company! Pretty much everyone who was an out-of-town guest was there and we had a blast spending time with everyone!

Saturday was the big day!!! The big boys were sent to the wedding site to get ready while the girls were all at my parents house for hair and makeup. All of the kiddos stayed with us making for a crazy, loud, fun afternoon. The boys loved the limo ride and did a perfect job as ringbearers, while Emma and Molly were the most precious flower girls ever:) Christy was a glowing, beautiful bride and she and DJ looked truly happy from the second the wedding started. We are so thrilled for them and know they will have a lifetime of happiness and a houseful of babies for us to enjoy! The wedding was perfect with my boys LOVING the candy bar Gaga created and dancing like maniacs the entire evening! They didn't leave the dance floor for three straight hours, even 'breakdancing" in the middle of the circle by themselves at one point! It was a perfect evening with an ending created specifically for DJ...an airhorn salute! DJ made sure for each of our (even Craig's) graduations, he was armed with airhorns to salute us when our names were called! We outdid him tenfold with a 10 horn salute! He loved it and left his special day beaming with pride!!!

Sunday we woke up and changed the "wedding theme" to "1'st Birthday" mode! Since Molly lives so far away and we won't be able to spend her actual Birthday with her, we threw her a surprise 1'st Birthday Party! Kerry and Jeremy were thrilled to have Molly spend her "Brithday" celebrating with so many family members and friends present! It was another day of yummy food and fantastic company before we had to make the trip back to Austin. We arrived home Sunday night exhausted and literally went straight to bed!!!

We are delighted to officially be able to call Christy "Aunt Christy" and so thrilled that DJ is so happy! Christy is a wonderful addition to the family and we all love that she fits right in to the chaos!!! Congratulations Uncle DJ and Aunt Christy!!!

Off he goes to the 3's!!!!

Click for a few more;)

Little man went back to preschool today! He has been super all excited all Summer about his teacher Ms. Laura and was in tears when the boys went to school without him two weeks ago, begging to go to school also. Last night he had a change of plans and announced to us "I not goin' to preschool." When we informed him that he was in fact going to preschool he replied with "I don't think so...I stay home with Mommy." We decided to drop the subject and re approach this morning :) He happily got up, got dressed and sat down for breakfast with the big boys. When they turned to tell him goodbye and to have fun Luke's reply was "I'll have fun with Mommy, I not goin' to preschool today!" (You can imagine the fit of giggles this sent Brian and Matt into!) Once Daddy returned from dropping off the boys, we headed to preschool (a bit curious how he was going to act!) He was giddy to put on his new Mickey backpack that he insisted on having (even though it is literally as big as him!) So...HOORAY...he did great! He hung up his stuff, found his buddy Jackson and barely waved goodbye as he was so engrossed in play-doh! The kid never fails to break my heart...(but at least he went!)!!!

Brian the Soldier:)

Click to see a few more...Today at school, Brian's class was responsible for leading Chapel. The theme was "Stand Guard for the Lord" and his whole class marched (literally) into the church dressed as soldiers! It was too cute and Brian was beaming with pride. He had a one line speaking part that he said perfectly and then they all sang two songs about being soldiers. Craig and I loved seeing him so utterly excited about something and watched our soldier sing his little heart out wearing a milk jug on his head!!!

Another year has begun!

Click for a few more first day pics...some are foggy...it was sooo humid out that my camera kept fogging up!

Yet another school year has officially begun in our house! Brian started second grade today and Matt started first grade. Luke will not start preschool for another two weeks so he's my sidekick for the time being! In the past I have been a sobbing mess at the prospect of sending my kids off for seven hours each day but this year was different. I will admit I still had a few years (but only in the shower since Brian forbid me from crying!), but I feel so happy about the new school we are sending them to that I am truly not all that sad as I know my boys will be loved on all day by everyone at the school as much I as love on them! Craig & I found a place that pushes them academically (their textbooks are one grade level ahead in each grade) but still allows them to be 6 & 7. They recognize the fact that they can't sit all day and gives them P.E. five days/week, as well as two recesses/day. They both have show & tell each week (which I as a teacher admit that I hated doing but completely understand how important it is to little ones!) They have "messy" art twice/week, spanish, computers and music twice/week, are actually allowed to celebrate Christmas and be excited for Santa (no more of this "Holiday or Winter Fest" nonsense!) They will have no less than four field trips each year and they encourage and beg for parent help in the classrooms:) They have IPads to use for centers and Smartboards in their classrooms for virtual learning. They have "whole school" chapel each week where they are picked up by and sit with an older buddy (Matt's is an eighth grade cheerleader and he is deliriously happy!!!) and they recognize two students of the week in front of the whole school at the beginning of chapel. No worries though...we have found the one negative of this "too good to be true"place...the cost! But we know this is a place where our children will spend a good chunk of their lives and be happy, which is most important to us, and is worth every penny:)

In typical fashion, Brian was not overly excited to start school! Brian declared at the ripe age of preschool that he would rather be homeschooled:) He was of course excited once he got there but school does not hold the fun aspect for Brian like it does for Matt. Brian has his group of friends that he's had for awhile now and has no desire to be a social butterfly like Matt. He likes to sleep in and would rather lounge around and learn in his jammies than be worried about the social aspects of school, whose friends with who, whose wearing what, etc. :) He lives and breathes sports and would much rather watch SportsCenter all day than anything else! Brian thinks of school as his job whereas Matt can hardly contain himself thinking of all of the fun he will have! Brian did manage to crack a few smiles once the big day actually arrived and I know he will come with tons of stories about his day! His teacher gave him a giant hug when we walked in and has made him feel so welcome as the new student in their class. She went out of her way over the summer to send Brian a questionnaire asking him all about himself so she could talk about him to the other students at "meet the teacher" and have everyone already know a little about him! He is the only new student in a classroom of 16 (love the small class size!!!) and will be able to walk in feeling like he's been with these kids since preschool:)

My Moose was 100% the opposite...he has been giddy about the prospect of starting school! He has two teachers and will switch back and forth which he thinks is beyond cool!! He already knows one little boy that he went to preschool with so having a familiar face will be a great thing! Matt has 12 kids in his homeroom class and there are 14 in the other. Matt's class has 9 boys and 3 girls...god bless that poor teacher!!! Every year, on the night before starting school, Matt has a 20 minute sobfest when I tuck him into bed in regards to how much he's gonna miss me. I can honestly say that I secretly enjoy this tradition we share but know it is short lived. He always wakes up having forgotten about this "treasured moment" and can't wait to get to school, meet his friends, see his desk, etc. Today was no different...when he got up there was no more "I'm gonna miss you Mommy" and no more tears, just one 6 year old too excited to even finish his breakfast!

I love how different my two children are and how well they can adjust to any situation we hand to them. They both walked into this brand new school like they'd been going there forever, with no tears and no fear in their eyes, completely confident of themselves. I love how trusting they are...if Mommy and Daddy say they'll love it, it must be true. I can hardly wait for it to be 2:40 so Luke and I can head out to get them and hear all about their day!

The Dance Off!

You are missing out if you don't click to see the video!!!

Two of the things I love most about Craig are his ability to laugh at himself AND how much he LOVES his kids! Saturday night at Six Flags he combined the two by participating in a dance-off with Daffy Duck! As we were waiting for the show to begin, we were approached by a staff member as to if Craig would be willing to participate in the show. He was sitting there asking what he would need to do and she informed him "dance with Daffy." This was all the boys needed to hear and poor Craig looked less than enthused but willingly agreed:) We were moved to VIP seats...(front row-center!) and the boys and I couldn't wait for the show to begin!!! The closer we got to dancing time, the more nervous Craig got but when Daffy came over, he happily hopped up onstage! He danced to Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies" with a bright red feather boa, receiving cheers from he whole crowd. (To give you a visual...Craig dances like the white boy he is and there was 300-400 people in the crowd!) It will go down as one of my favorite memories of Craig being an amazing Daddy unless he can do something to top this:)

Excuse my choppiness in the middle of the video...I was simultaneously taping with my cell phone and had to adjust it:)

A Fantastic Fourth of July Vacation!

Click for so many more pics! Our tradition has become to head to the beach for the Fourth of July and this year we had company! Kelly, Chris and Emma met us there, along with two sets of our family friends...Nicole, Steve and their kids Maddie, Michael and Matthew AND Jason, Amy and their kids Ross and Reagan! All together we had 8 adults and nine kids and the kids were beyond amazing! There was not one fight, squabble or disagreement...one was more amazing than the next and we all had an absolute blast! Plans are already underway for next year!!!

We love having the beaches of North Padre Island a short three hours from home and I really don't know how much more patriotic it can get than the fireworks being shot off of the back of the U.S.S. Lexington Aircraft Carrier into the ocean!! The kids LOVED sitting on the seawall with their various glosticks waiting for the fireworks along with a late night ice cream surprise on the way back to the hotel!

After three fun filled days at the beach, we headed to Houston for another three days of fun! First stop...the Houston Children's Museum...currently ranked #1 in the nation for Children's Museums! The kids had a ball painting their own faces, racing from one cool room to the next, racing handcrafted rockets, Lego's, parachutes and boats and conquering the obstacle course over and over and over!

Our final stop on this week long trip was my parents house! The biggest success came when ALL three boys successfully managed to get up on waterskiis! Brian was the only one until this week that could get up and Matt was determined to change that! He successfully got up three times, only skiing for about 30 seconds each time but nonetheless, he DID it!!!! He is counting down until we get out there again! Not to be told he can't do something, Luke was on a mission to waterski like his brothers!!! We have had a great number of instances lately at Six Flags, Disney and SeaWorld where Luke wants to do something and his literally too little, and he was determined to be big enough to ski! Who were we to tell him he can't so we let him hop in to try...and our mouths dropped when he actually got up on his second try! He skiied for about 20 seconds and was bursting with pride when he got back on the boat!!!! "No one tells Luke he's too small!" The only bummer is both Matt and Luke never got past the huge start splash so there are no good pics of them skiing...next time!

We are finally home and back to reality...unpacking, laundry, floors, grocery store, etc. The good news is summer is only half over and we still have LOTS of fun left to be had:)