I'm back!

We've been to Arkansas and TX, had storytimes, play dates and sleepovers and now getting ready for school to start again. I am now soooooo far behind, I don't know quite where to start! Here's a summer over view, and a few pics. We'll start w/ that, I guess. At the end of my last post, I mentioned that we were going camping. Well, our 4 day camping trip turned into a 10 day stay w/ relatives in Arkansas. It was a great visit. My aunt and uncle have an amazing view. We stayed through the 4th of July and did fireworks there. My sis and her kids were there, too - so all the cousins had fun getting to hang out. The first 4 days we camped at Devil's Den State Park. It's beautiful there. They have a lot of natural caves and crevices to explore and we also did some fishing, swimming, softball, hiking....lots of fun.

One day we went to Turpentine Creek. Unfortunately, we got there too late to see all the animals, but we were there during feeding time. All of the animals there are rescued from unhealthy situations.And then we (my sis) rescued THIS poor li'l guy from a dangerous situation. He was in the middle of the street, and for some reason could not hop in a straight line to get out of the way. He hopped in circles, and the more nervous he got, the tighter the circles got. Finally, he just laid down and ROLLED across the street to the other side!!!! There were 4 of us in the car, and we were laughing so hard, we couldn't breathe. My sis (the animal savior) got a towel, got out of the car, and caught the poor little bunny. We took him to my aunt's house, where one of my cousins has a lot of experience w/ animals, and hopes to be a veterinarian someday. We told her to work her magic and see what she could do for the bunny. We left the next day, so I don't know if she kept him or not.
When we got home, D had his first job. He went to work for a game trading store where they also sell Pokemon and other cards. D organized all their Pokemon cards for them. It took him several hours, but he made some $$ and got to bring home some cards. He's supposed to go back and organize their other cards, too, this month.Angel has done a little modeling (for me). I've been playing w/ my camera, and she's one of my favorite subjects. The fact that she enjoys BEING my subject is probably a big part of it. :)Both kids did a little acting, too. Our friends at the Skinny Improv were filming a new intro to their Mystery Hour show, and they needed a couple kids. Luckily, they knew where to find some.
At the end of July, we went to TX for a family reunion. There were also many family get-togethers for BBQ and catching up. Of course there was also the standard silly string and throwing people in the pool, too. :)This year, we managed to fit in several touristy things, too. I was most excited about Sea World and The Rainforest Cafe on the Riverwalk.
We also went to the Alamo
and the zoo.So - now we're back, and it's AUGUST! I can't believe summer's almost over and school's getting ready to start again. We're working hard on getting our house move-in ready, and I'm very excited about that. Hopefully in my next post, I'll have some updates on the house. :)

Locks of Love and heading out...

Flashback: to May 17-19/09. :) This cute little guy wanted to come say hi to me! His mama wasn't too sure about that idea, but we got along just fine. He was only a couple days old.

May 18: The bathroom is finally 100% done! Yay!
May 19. This is all I've got. I have no explanation.
So, apparently my camera date and/or time is a little off. And the days have kind of run together for me - so I don't know exactly what days these are taken, but here's a guess....
Monday, 6/15 - Angel and Latte at my dad's

Later that night, D went fishing, and decided to bring his catch home to eat it!Tues., 6/16 - finally cooked the fish. Apparently it was rather tasty! I'll take their word for it!

6/18 We attended a fun arts activity at the library. This guy is painting a picture based on what the kids ask him to paint. D sat there the whole time! Maybe I have a budding artist (or two) on my hands here.
6/19 The best toy ever! A giant box. Is there anything more fun? Where should we ship these guys off to? Fri. 6/19 Angel, cleaning the grout. She's been such a great helper at the new house!
Sat., 6/20, Angel and I both got our hair cut to donate to Locks of Love. :)

Then we attended a joint birthday party for my niece,
and my youngest sis.
Mon, 6/22 Damian learned how to drive Grandpa's new tractor!
Tues., 6/23 - finally got to give Dad his Father's Day present! The only pics I have from the 23rd are of our old kitchen cabinets that we're trying to sell. I didn't post them here. So....moving right along - Angel got out her paint set she got for Christmas, and started working on a painting, while I painted the room around her. (6/24)

6/25 - this has become the kids' fave spot at the new house. This is their "climbing tree". All kids should have one, I think. :) I love how they like to climb up there to think or read.
They really love it!
6/26 - Angel's room is one of my faves at the new house. It's every little girl's dream come true w/ flowers, butterflies, ladybugs and even a unicorn!6/27 - I made this LO about the new house and the progress we've made over the past 4 years.

I used my wonderfully talented friend, Julie's new kit. We're going camping tomorrow - so I should have plenty to catch up on when we get back. :)

It's Summer!

How does summer always end up so different than what I expect? Last summer - we wasted our days away. No schedule, few activities, not too much sports, just a lazy summer. This year, I thought a little structure would be nice. I set up a schedule, invited friends to join us, expected to stay busy...BUT - things change. This past week has been fun, but completely off schedule! My bro. has been slow at work, and has been home w/ his kids most of the time, so I haven't needed to watch them - which greatly reduces my need to get up early, much less off to story time. Secondly, my Grandad is in town - visiting from San Diego. Since we rarely see him, he has become our priority this week. We've spent more time at Dad's this past week than we have this whole year so far! It's been nice, especially since I've gotten to spend time w/ 2 of my sisters, who have also made spending time w/ Grandad a priority. :) So....my previously planned schedule was ruthlessly shoved aside - but we may bring it back this week. So, here's how last week went:
Sunday, June 7 was Angel's dance recital. It went very well. :) Here she is back stage. Isn't that a beautiful costume?Monday, June 8 the kids had tennis. Here's D (in orange) playing a game before lessons started.

Tues., June 9, Grandad came to visit. He and Angel have quite the bond. They both think the other is just wonderful. Of course they're both right!
Wed., Frank chaperoned (helped out w/) D's cub scout day camp. Here they are w/ their backpacks ready to head out.
Thurs., my sis came to visit from KC, and brought 3 of her boys w/ her. They were enthralled w/ all the motorcycles we have around here. She allowed Frank to give them a ride on Sean's street bike.
Friday, Angel recieved her first piano lesson from Grandad. He taught her to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Here, he's playing it w/ both hands an octave above and below where she's playing it. Saturday, D rode in the Race for Life to benefit the Leukemia, Lymphoma Society.
And today, Sunday, June 14, D went "cat fishing"!
Here's a few photos from May (to get me caught up). May 13 was a field trip w/ the kindergarteners to Fantastic Caverns. This is one of the best photos I got from inside the cave. This formation is called "Angel Wings".
May 14: Here the kids are at a friend's house watching "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 3-D. I love taking pics of people wearing 3-D glasses. And I like to laugh at how silly they look. :) Of course, I fully expect to be laughed at too, if I wear them!
May 15, I took the little ones to story time at Barnes & Noble.
May 16 was my sister, Alyssa's graduation. We're proud of you, Wuz!