"Ahoy Matey!!"

Summer is in full swing at our house...so Bryan and I are both home for like 8 full weeks!!!  Woohoo!!!   I will not lie.  It is so hard for me to go to work everyday and leave these two really cute boys.  But, I do love my job and I know that they are in very precious hands with Gram every day.  However, it does make summertime even sweeter!  When you have to be away from your kids for work during the school year, the time off with them is just priceless.  Thanks to the dollar section at T.arget, we have outfitted the boys with their own pirate costume for like $8 total.  Awesome.  I sure do love that store.  Of course...do you recognize the big kid in the middle?  Yeah, he enjoyed the pirate treasure hunt this afternoon just as much as the three year olds did!  That's what makes this Daddy so awesome.  N and J are so lucky to have a Dad that is never too cool or too busy or too boring to play toys.

The pirates are studying their treasure map! 

They finally found the treasure after treacherous alligators and much more that their little imaginations could create!!  The treasure was a bag of Scrabb.le letters.  Who knew a bag of Sc.rabble letters could be so cool?!

"SHIVER ME TIMBERS!!"

What a fun rainy and stormy summer afternoon!

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day at my parents' house.  I knew I would drive up to Old Glory proudly posted on the house.  I love that. 

We spent the day swimming in my parents very cold pool...well I say "we," but I mean my dad and Bryan played in the pool with the boys.  I got in the pool up to my ankles and quickly decided it was a little too chilly for me! 

Nathan was laughing so hard while hanging onto Grandad's back as he swam across the pool!  He thought he was big stuff!

You better watch out....Nathan and Jordan are armed with buckets of water!!

What an awesome Grandad!  Only grandads would let a 3 year old poor water on his head!

And, then there is Tiger lilly....the cat that my sweet sister couldn't take to CA so she kindly gave her to my parents.  My parents are not too fond of the cat but you'll do anything for your daughter right?  However, Nathan and Jordan think this cat is the coolest!  It totally cracks me up.

Jordan just decided to lay down on the porch with the cat to take a rest!  Oh goodness!

 
Last week, Jordan said, "Hey Mom, it's almost summertime and you know what that means?  It means we go swimming and eat watermelon. That's what it means."  I think he got it right!! 

HAPPY SUMMER FRIENDS!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYCE AND BRAYDEN!!

SPLASH PAD, SPIDERMAN, CUPCAKES, and a PLAYGROUND makes for a really fun birthday party!!!

These little boys LOVE their big cousins! 

A Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, I traveled with my sister, her girls, and my parents to my cousin's wedding in Georgia.  Mom, Jenn, and the little girls flew to Georgia last Tuesday.  Dad and I flew to GA on Thursday...it was some special Daddy/Daughter time.  I don't often get a full day just to chat with my Dad these days. 

My sweet cousin, Elizabeth, got married outside in front of a beautifully renovated farmhouse.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. 

My mom and I went down to the house to get a sneak peek on Saturday morning and we ended up staying to set tables, put out centerpieces, and much more that day.  It was such an honor to help set up for Elizabeth's special day.  What great memories!

I took this picture during all the setup...check out those two huge magnolia trees on each side of the farmhouse! 

This is a picture at the beginning of the ceremony.  The flower wreaths on the windows and the fresh spring garland on the porch rails were just beautiful.

Bridesmaids, Vivi the flower girl, and the cute ring bearers.  I sure did love those seersucker suits! 

Here comes the bride!

Darling Vivi and her cousin, Jake...how cute!

Cake! - I promise that background is real...I know my Texas city friends might not have any idea that farmland like this still exists....it's not just in Southern Living Magazine.

Bryan stayed home with the boys in Texas.  Jordan woke up on Saturday morning and said, "Dad, today is Boy Day!!"  So, Bryan had to exceed Jordan's expectations.  I started to get these text pictures at about 7:00 in the morning and they kept popping up right up until lunchtime.  These boys are going to wish I was out of town more often.

BOY DAY:

-Watching Star Wars before breakfast

- Riding to the hardware store to get some grass

"Thumbs Up!"

- Feeding fish at the park

- A snack stop!

- Feeding ducks at the pond

- And the final stop at the library for some new books!

Yep, I'm pretty sure "Boy Day" was a big hit!!

Fun at Gram's House

Oftentimes I get really adorable text pictures from Gram to give me a little sneak peek into the boys' day while I am at work.  Here are a few pictures that have dinged on my phone recently...

Dress-up time with cousins at Aunt Emily's house:



Rolling around in Chris' hammock outside in the backyard:

(Nathan likes to hide in the hammock.  Jordan does not.)

Water Table Fun:

Makes me just a little excited about summer.  It just can't get here fast enough!

Drive-In Movie Day

Last week was "Drive-In  Movie Day" at school.  All of the parents made cardboard cars for the kids to take to school.  They were all lined up in front of the big screen with popcorn and a Sonic drink for a fun Mickey Mouse Clubhouse movie!  So fun! 

Bryan created Batmobiles for the boys.  They thought they were the bomb! 

 Check out that control panel!

"We won the race!"...because everything is a race at our house right now.  At supper, you win the carrot race if you eat your carrots first.  At night time, you might win the pick-up-your-cars race if you pick up toys really fast.