4th of July

We had a really wonderful Fourth of July! We started the day off with daddy's famous Saturday morning waffles and sausage, then we packed a lunch and took Papa and Grandma to the pool. Kevin joined us for a bit. We enjoyed some fun in the sun and a picnic lunch. When we were all pooled out, we went home to get ready for an evening out. We drove down to the Kemah Boardwalk (with every other person in the universe, it was soooo crowded) and had some seafood. The girls enjoyed a carousel ride and then we hit up a candy store for lots of yummy candy. 9:30 was a bit late to wait for the fireworks to start, so we left around 8:30ish and were downtown just in time for the downtown show. It was HUGE! Very beautiful. Anyway, it was a fantastic day from beginning to end and made lots of sweet memories.

I am going to see if grandma will let me have some of the pics she took to share with you too!

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day weekend was a ton of fun this year! My family came in from Austin on Friday night. On Saturday, Alan served his famous Saturday morning waffles and bacon. We then headed to the pool with lunch in tow. We spent most of the day at the pool having a ton of fun. Again, we had the pool to ourselves. The girls were in rare form. They were so cute. Every time we go to the pool they get a little bit bolder. This time was no different. Maci taught herself to do front flips in the water just by watching me do it a few times. Hugely impressive. Payton and Maci put on a grand show with all sorts of interesting show tunes. I have seen them perform before, but this was amazing, I was wildly entertained by their performance. talk about hams...they get it from their daddy! After we were too tired to continue swimming, we went home for naps (for the kiddos AND the grandparents.) Any idea who played the hardest? For dinner, Alan showed off his grill master skills. If you haven't had the pleasure, I recommend you do soon. On Sunday, the girls grilled burgers. Alan was off the hook. After the family was on their way back to Austin, my girls and I treated Alan to a little Chuy's. It was a fantastic Father's Day weekend. We're gonna need the week to recoup!

I was so busy playing this weekend that I didn't get around to taking any pictures at all. My mom thankfully got a couple of Maci doing her self-taught front flips. She's awesome!

Swimming with Grandma

Grandma joined us for a little pool time last week. We had a picnic there and the entire pool to ourselves. It was a great afternoon! We're looking forward to doing it again soon.

Her Pink Room

We decided that it was high time to get our girls rooms completed. We have been here a year now, and haven't painted yet. A few weeks ago we painted the downstairs rooms, and last week we started Maci's room. She INSISTED on pink paint, so her daddy said yes. Of coarse I did get final say on what shade of pink, but it is indeed pink, her favorite color. Alan also put up a really beautiful chair rail on her walls. Her room looks like a little doll house, beautiful. Alan let Maci paint a little of her own walls. Cute!

Daddy, will you dance with me??

We had ourselves a princess ball, complete with fancy dresses, ballroom music, and lots of wild (I mean sophisticated) dancing. They were adorable! When daddy got home, they made him dance the night away with them. Maci even asked him to "walk her down the isle." Not so fast big girl, although I'm sure that's only a few blinks away.Maci's dancing is so sophisticatedPayton, not so fancy, looks more like a scary rocker than a princess at a ballMaci had a blast playing in mommy's makeup...forbidden territory normally!Daddy (without checking with mommy first) let Payton go to the grocery store all dolled up in her dress up clothes. Yes, we were "those" parents who just let their kids tell us what they will and will not wear out of the house...Payton, don't get used to it :)

A Day at the Pool

Today my mom and sister drove to Houston to spend the day at the pool with me and the girls. We had a great time. The girls get a little more brave every time they get in the water. Maci spends probably 90% of her pool time under water. She calls it "under-diving." How cute is that? Payton keeps her head above the water, but she is also getting very daring out there. My little water bugs will be swimming before I know it. We also enjoyed a little picnic complete with pb&j's, chips, juice, and lots of sweet treats. It was a very wonderful afternoon! We girls had a blast, sorry you boys had to be at work, but then again if someone has to do the playing, may as well be us!!!

Giving Mommy a Little Love

Payton's trying to decide what to do next...She's telling us something very importantMimi and PaytonMimi and the girlsMaci is "under-diving"Coming up for very rare breaths of air!

When Wild Swans Attack!!!

We went to Austin to celebrate my sister's b-day this weekend. Eventful does not quite cover the experience. Saturday, we began the day by baking a birthday cake. The girls LOVED getting to help Mimi bake the cake. Their favorite part was clean-up! As if Payton's face was not proof of that. After the cake was ready to go, we all started getting ready for our kayaking adventure. The girls were playing while I was upstairs getting ready, when I heard the loudest shrillest cry ever from Payton (and that's saying something.) I ran down to find her in her daddy's arms with some blood on her poor little head. She had fallen off a ride on toy backwards and split her head open a little on the corner of a cabinet. We took her to the emergency room where they numbed her skin, then gave her a little goofy gas up her nose to calm her, then they proceeded to put 3 skin staples in my poor baby's head. 3 shiny silver staples that look like they could also be used in Alan's staple gun in the garage! Yuck! She cried pretty hard for that, but the second it was over, she was back to her silly self again. It was as if nothing ever happened. (For her, not me! I wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap for the remainder of the weekend.) We left the emergency room and went for some pizza where she clowned around like a little goofball the entire time. When we were all full, we went on down to go for a kayak ride. Let's just say drama was our friend this weekend. Two beautiful swans were swimming in the Colorado River with their babies. We loved looking at them. Until, that is, they came closer and closer and closer and finally they had our kayak surrounded. Alan had mentioned earlier how he'd like to see one of those things attack...be careful what you wish for. After quite the stare down and lots of screaming and panicking from me and the girls (and NO reaction from our "protector" Alan) one of the swans finally gave him what he wanted. It tried to attack his back, but only got the back of the kayak. That pretty much did it for me and the girls, we were done with kayaking. Payton was done before we even really got started :) We quit early and let the girls put their feet in the water. D-R-A-M-A!!! The rest of the weekend was lovely and calm, but then again, what else could possibly have happened. We had a nice BBQ dinner at the house Sat. night and Sunday went to church and then PF Chang's for lunch! Hope it was a happy b-day Tonya!

Mimi and the girls baking

Payton got to lick the spoonsMommy and Payton in the ERDaddy holding Payton while her goofy gas takes effectDr. putting STAPLES in my baby's headthe 3 staplesthe happy girl after her procedureback to her old self again just minutes after leaving the ER...now time for lunch!finally back with big sister and she is chowing down on some yummy pizzakayaking before the dramaThe swans are circling our kayak...about to attack, we are NOT happy!don't know why Payton is smiling, she didn't like kayaking at all before or after the swansback to safety!!!we survived the attack of the wild swans!!!I am pretty sure my mom has some pretty funny pictures of our kayak under attack, so I will try to get those from her.