School's Out Forever...Or For Summer

In honor of the half day, early out, or a day where I wondered why I even sent the kids to school for three hours, we decided to hit one of the splash pads in a local Leander park.  I was told it was awesome, primarily because it's gated and little ones can't escape.  I was particularly impressed with the shaded area over the picnic tables.

The kids loved the water features, although they did complain that the water was cold.  Ah well.  I guess that just ensures we don't spend hours there and get sick from playing in the sun too long.

You probably can't see it very well, but the anticipation on Bekah's face is wonderful.  You can just barely start to see the water from the overhanging bucket beginning its descent on her.  It was hard to keep the kids still long enough to get a good picture.  And there were (it doesn't show from this picture) quite a few other kids playing the park too.  So you never knew who was going to run into the shot.

There were two water cannons that were John's favorite at the beginning.  He wanted someone to use the other one to fire back at him but no one was really interested.  Once the younger boys caught sight of empty buckets, that's what they wanted to play with.

A still moment.  Well, it didn't last long.  He was off like a shot to get back into the water.  We'll have lots more splash pad pictures this summer as I don't plan on staying indoors all through the hot months.  And the kids have a great time too!

First Garden Pickin's

Our garden has been a lovely treat!  Watching the greenery grow and then watching beans and tomatoes develop on the vines has been great!  If only I could keep out some of the pests (and not all of them are creepy crawlies).

The kids wanted to help with the first big batch of green bean picking.  They were so excited.  I have had to remind Joe several times that the center of our bean patch is not for his stick swords.  Several of the plants have been flattened as he's tossed branches into the middle.  The fence has at least kept him out of stomping on the rest as he's tried to retrieve the swords.

The corn is very short and already trying to tassle.  Hmm...it was an experiment to put it so close to the house.  I thought it'd be fun to try it and had no other place to plant corn.  The zucchini in the middle is a bit of a puzzle to me.  I think the animals/insects are eating the blooms off of the plants.  Could be a possibility as there are ants everywhere.  We're still battling fire ants after the bug company said they sprayed for them.

I'm hoping those beautiful tomato plants will produce a TON of fat, red tomatoes for our canning jars.  I can't stand canned tomatoes from the store and "fresh" tomatoes at the grocery store is almost just as bad.  So here's to praying that lil doggie of our can keep the squirrels, raccoons, and other pests away from the fruit.

Anyway, thought we'd share our little bit of success.  Here's to hoping we can show some quart jars of canning later too!

Memorial Day at the Beach

Those birds are actually hovering in the wind.

We have been slowly exploring the HUGE state of Texas and all it has to offer.  We've found that some of the really exciting places to visit take a few hours of driving.  But that's just fine with our family!  We don't mind a road trip to see this great state we live in!

Port Aransas was a highly recommended island on the Gulf of Mexico.  Highly recommended because it's great for families and has some pretty good options:  fishing, surfing, shelling, and sandy beaches.  We got up early and drove down for a fun excursion in the waves.

Joe couldn't get enough of those white caps.  We did have to keep an eye on him, and teach him how to sputter out the sea water that would inevitably get in his mouth.  But it didn't faze him one bit.

The girls were more interested in building a sand castle with their new sand toys.  I couldn't quite figure out how to get the sand out of the molds once it was inside, but that didn't bother Shawn any.  He just went to work building with his hands.  The kids got a kick out of running to the water to bring him back small bucketfuls of seawater so we could make the castle really stick together.

Luckily we didn't get sunburned too badly.  The wind was blowing too hard for any sort of umbrella or shade (unless you had a tent or something that could stake into the ground).  But the wind kept away some of the other tourists who probably would have lined this beautiful beach.  The kids were immediately asking when we could go back as we drove away.

Not bad for a first beach experience in Texas!

Crazy Hair Day

So, I've gotten a little behind.  Actually, it's about a month behind from the pictures I've had stored on the camera.  So sorry.  Well, here's to updating the blog with several posts over several days!  Enjoy!

The kids had a "Crazy Hair" day at school and Bekah and Kelsey decided curly hair was the way to go.  This was perfect since we had planned that evening to spend it as a "Girls' Night" while the boys went on a Father's and Son's campout.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Kelsey before she left for school, but Bekah was all smiles for her picture.  The boys, not to be outdone by their sister, wanted their pictures taken as well.  I didn't do any curls in their hair but Joe wanted rollers in his hair too.  Ah well.  Maybe when you're older, Joe.

John's First Pinewood Derby

John has been having such a great time in Cub Scouts.  Should his first experience at Pinewood Derby be any different?  He loved the anticipation and the racing.  The kids loved sitting on the sidelines, eating popcorn and watching the cars go down the track.  It was great fun for everyone!

  

  

Jack recently got a slap bracelet from a birthday party and decided they made a good pair of spectacles.  It definitely did a great job of keeping him focused on the cars as they swept down the track.

John got a prize for "bursting" through the finish line.  Starburst make everyone happy after a day of racing!

Baby Number Six

We've been slowly telling people about the most recent addition to our family.  Well, technically, he's not here yet, but we've had pictures since week twelve.  Anyway, we're toying with Jason Daniel to finish off the boy "J" names but we won't put that into stone until he arrives.  That date should be the end of July or first part of August.

The kids are truly excited (especially the girls).  Joe still doesn't fully understand--typical of a two year-old.  Jack thinks he's having a baby too (helps him get sips of Mommy's soda).  Actually,  I think all of the kids have tried that last one with every pregnancy.  It's just there are a lot more kids to try to "share" the soda now.

But we're looking forward to another baby boy and hopefully we'll keep posting more until his arrival.  Can't guarantee how many updates we'll have right after the birth, but I'll try to keep you posted.

Easter 2013

Easter this year was a lazy one for us.    We didn't have church until 1300 so we didn't have to do the egg hunt as soon as the kids got up...or right after the three hour block of meetings.  So, if in the video Mommy doesn't look her best...well, I eventually got dressed up.

The kids loved looking for eggs.  We split it up so that Joe got to search for the eggs first.  Then Jack went; then Bekah; and finally the older two.  It really worked well that way.  The older kids went to the backyard after scouring out under the tree, leaving Joe the garden area all to himself.  With some help, he found some that the other kids had missed.

But we had a great day!  Hope you had one full of memories too!