Sea World 2008

Every year for our anniversary we take a trip somewhere. Some have been bigger (Tennessee) and some have been littler ( Galveston), but they have all been fun and a great time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life.

This year we went to San Antonio... one of our favorite places to visit! We thought that Sea World would be a great place for the boys and we were right!

Our Tuesday began with the Believe show starring Shamu. The boys were almost in a trance! They clapped vigorously when the whale would come out of the water. They sat in amazement at God's beautiful creation. Here is our family before the show started...
Who wouldn't cry when they saw this?!?!? I totally welled up. There is something magical about seeing these creatures. They are so big, yet so gentle. They were so tender with the trainers and put on a wonderful show.
When Rylan saw Shamu do this flip, we said "Look at the whale" to him. He responded, "Jonah." It actually took my breath away to hear him make the connection of the big fish and Jonah. All of the times we have read the books about Jonah really sunk in to his mind. It also reminded me that we too should make connections to God's Word in every day things. Here we were at a tourist place made for material gain, and my 22 month old brings it back to God. Thank you for that lesson Rylan! :)

Speaking of Rylan... look at that sweet boy! And don't miss Jacob peeking over his shoulder! We cheated and made our own picnic lunch. They do not have any picnic areas, so we made the sandwiches at the car and sat on a bench by the entrance. Even though we felt a little silly, we saved a bunch of money and points!

The boys love to ride in the stroller! We kept them in it most of the day, but did let them run around some. They also do a good job of holding hands with each other or us. Sweet Jacob is all grins!
After lunch we went to Dolphin Cove to feed the dolphins. I think Jacob would have jumped in the pool if we had let him! He was in awe of the dolphins. We bought 2 trays of 4 fish for the boys to feed to the dolphins. Jason and Jacob got splashed by a dolphin and Jacob squealed every time Jason tossed a fish into the dolphins mouth.

Jason got to touch a few dolphins they were so close to us! Now Rylan must have said "dolphin" a hundred times while watching Jacob feed them. When it got his turn to lay his tummy on the wall, we wanted no part of it! Jason handed him a fish and he tossed it without moving his elbow... I guess it was really more of a fling! So Jason held Rylan the whole time. After we fed them he said "dolphin" a hundred more times, so all in all, I Think he liked them.

There was a mommy dolphin and an 18 day old baby in the tank. The announcer kept talking about them and when he said there was a mommy and a baby, Rylan said, "Where's Daddy?"


Brotherly love in the hotel! Have you ever tried to sleep in a hotel room with 2 pack-n-plays? Let's just say it is crowded! And have you ever tried to have a dark room and be quiet at 8pm? Jason and I caught up on some reading and once we were sure they were asleep, we watched a few movies on his laptop.

This is our FAVORITE San Antonio restaurant... La Fonda on Main. It is in the historic Monte Vista District and is not a tourist-y stop... but it is AWESOME! On Monday we both got Pollo Milanese after sharing queso. And let's just get this out of the way... I ate chips, salsa and queso and did not count points! I figured all the walking and sweating at Sea World equalled it all out. Back to the fabulous food... Then we went back on Wednesday. I got Pollo Parri and Jason got Carne Asada. Once again - worth every point and more! We got dessert too - you only have one 8th anniversary! Our favorite dessert there is a chocolate cake covered with pecans that is served warm over a mango sauce.

When we were there on Monday night, a lady who was about 70 years old came over to our table. She said that she was a nun and was there with 3 other nuns and they had been admiring our boys throughout dinner. They were so impressed with how well they behaved and how Jason and I were patient with them and included them in our conversations at the table. She aid to keep up the hard work and that it would all pay off in the long run. It totally made me cry! Being a parent is such a huge responsibility and you pray every day that you are doing the right things for your kids. And it was nice to be encouraged by a total stranger.
So that's it... our wonderful trip to San Antonio. We cannot wait to go back... for more Shamu, for more La Fonda and to see the Alamo... we missed that on this trip!

On the way home we took a detour through San Marcos to shop at the outlet malls there. For our anniversary gift to each other, we decided to re-do our bedroom. We've had the same decor for 8 years and we are both ready for a change. So we got part of the new stuff here. After shopping for the boys some new clothes, we ate lunch at Johnny Rockets. It is a 50's inspired burger joint that was so much fun! They play 50's songs, wear cute paper hats, have straws in those pull-up dispensers on each table, and they have a soda bar! The boys LOVED the hats and their cheeseburger too!

Silly Jacob!
Rylan loved to dip his french fries in ketchup. Jacob, not so much. Rylan is following in the footsteps of Jason and Uncle Justin... who once consumed an ENTIRE bottle of ketchup between the two of them at a catfish restaurant. Truly, it was an amazing ketchup feat!


We are glad to be home and hope that you all have fun adventures planned too for this summer!

Busy June!

I blinked and June is almost over! I wanted to give a few highlights of our last few weeks...

Last night was our monthly Bunko party! There are 12 girls from church who gathered the 3rd Thursday of the month to roll the dice, look for 6's, eat yummy snacks and do a little yelling, too! Below is a Bunko ... all 6's. When you roll a bunko you get to wear the Bunko Boa that has a trinket from each month's theme tied on to it... an Oscar for movie night, wooden spoon for kitchen night, etc.

Last night was Tea Party! So we all wore hats and got "frillied" up. Some hats were pretty, some silly and some had a fun story!


Had to get an SPT... even though it was not Tuesday! Above is Katirna, Heather, Holly and myself. We had a great time laughing and rolling with the girls!

A few weeks ago, Charisa and I had a joint garage sale! It was my first and we fared very well... enough for a decent trip to San Antonio next week. We sold LOTS of treasures and were able to clean out a lot of piles from both of our houses. But the best part was getting to know Charisa better. We chatted lots preparing and after the sale we spent about an hour sitting in lawn chairs visiting. It seems like in the hustle and bustle of life, we do not stop to enjoy the chats. So my chat with Charisa reminded me to stop, smell the roses and don't let an opportunity to make a personal connection slip through my fingers.

Bye bye treasures!!!!
On June 17th, my maternal grandparents celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary! They met in Pine Bluff, AR during the war and had a typical war courtship...3 months long! They were married on the Lubbock Air Base and then Popa was shipped overseas. Through the years, they have lived in Dallas, CA, IN, Houston and now our little town. They have been a constant support and source of love the rest of our family. We are so blessed that they have lived this long and can share in the boys lives too!
To celebrate we were going to go down to Galveston and eat at Gaido's, but the storm scared us off, so we ate at Saltgrass instead. It was very good! Mom and I have been working on a scrapbook of their early years - the 1940's. It is still a work in progress, but we gave them what was finished. They cried!!! It was a perfect tribute to a happy life together!

Father's Day was June 16th. We went down to Babin's for lunch. It was fabulous! We sat at a table with a lake view. Here is the whole family! I have been thinking a lot about the influence of Dad, Popa and Grandad on our family and it makes me even more convicted to keep God first in our family... to follow Deuteronomy 6 and have Him on our lips, door posts, hearts and to teach God to our family. My Dad and grandpas did a wonderful job of living Deut. 6 and I already see Jason doing it too. It is so incredibly heartwarming to watch my husband grow in to Daddy... and he is a great one!!!

Our church has a new program this summer that I am so pumped about I can hardly stand myself!!! It's called Bible Power Hour. We meet every Monday morning for one hour for singing, a Bible story, puppet show, craft project and a snack. Last week was the first one and it was a great success! We had 30 kids and several visitors. Stacey and I have put a lot of brainwork into this project and with God's guidance it is already turning into a wonderful way to teach others about Him.

I hate it when people move!!!!! I don't deal well with change. Two weeks ago, we found out that some of our sweet friends are moving to Kentucky! He is a cardio-thorasic resident and a perfect opportunity was presented to him to further his medical career. So they are leaving July 1st! We have been friends for about 6 years and had babies together. The oldest daughter was in my Bible class this year and was a joy to teach. They are the type of people that you just can't help but love! They discipline their kids with love, teach them about God and are so kind to everyone. We (the church girls) took Kelly (the momma) out for a good-bye supper at Olive Garden last week. We will miss you SOOOOOO much!
So to end on a happy note, here are my two favorite kids doing one of their favorite things... reading!
Hope you are having a great June! We're off to Sea World in San Antonio next week. Any tips?

Potty Break Diaster

Yesterday I needed to take a potty break, so I left the boys in the den for all of 2 minutes. What can happen with twin 21 month olds in the short time it takes Mommy to potty, you may ask? This is one thing that can happen...

Guilty Jacob

Just as guilty Rylan
What was all this white powder you may ask? Corn starch in a screw-on Rubbermaid container for Rylan's rash that was ON TOP of the piano! Needless to say, the carpet got vaccuumed (which needed to happen anyway), the boys got new clothes, and Mommy got a big laugh (once they were disciplined for climbing, opening and dumping containers, of course!).
What diasters have happened at your house while you had a quick potty break?!?!?!?

DFW... part2

Last March our dear friends - Trey, Lacie, Kannon and Braden moved way up north. We were so sad, but have kept our friendship strong even though the miles are long. On our way home, we took a detour through their small town for a day and night of non-stop country fun!!!

We met them for church and were overwhelmed by love and friendliness by their new congregation. Then we went back to their house for a delicious, home-cooked meal. Now if you know Lacie, you know that the kitchen is one of her favorite places and that she is quite talented in the cooking department. She outdid herself with a fantastic meal of roast beef, veggies, squash patties (from their garden), green beans (from their garden) , homemade bread, sweet tea and peach cobbler (peaches from their neighbors garden). She even made brownies for Jason since he does not like cobbler! What a sweet friend!!

Even though the food was OUTSTANDING, the best part of the meal was looking around the table and watching our friends. Our husbands laughed. Our 4 little boys ate, giggled and chatted as only children can. Her oldest said the prayer. And Lacie and I wore much loved aprons. It made me so happy to see that with Christian friends, you never lose a beat. The 3 little ones were like 3 peas in a pod. And Kannon was an "idol" to them. He set a very good example with his manners and kindness to the little ones. After lunch the girls cleaned up the kitchen and the 6 boys went outside to play. They live on a big plot of land, so the boys were in heaven! Kannon drove them around on his gator and I think Jacob wants one now!

Two crazy bird friends working in the kitchen!
After playing until 4pm we thought it may be time to leave for home, but we really did not want to leave. And our friends did not want us to leave either! So we stayed!!! The 3 little ones were so excited they had more time to watch the big black lab through the glass. Braden, Rylan and Jacob were due 4 days apart. My boys were early, but we still say that our 3 little ones are the same age.
Braden is Mr. Muscles!!!! And, notice the horses? Yeah, their neighbors have horses. In the front yard. Now that is something you would never see in the city!
What a smile!!!
After supper, we threw the 3 little ones in the tub and they had SOOOOO much fun splashing! Kannon still had his cast on his leg, so he had a sponge bath in the other room. Once the boys were asleep by 7:30, Lacie and I headed out to her garden to pick some of her green beans. It was my first time to pick beans and it was loads of fun! We chatted and giggled as we got our hands dirty and picked 2 big boxes of beans! Later we watched "The Next Food Network Star" and snapped the beans.
We got up Monday morning and drove home. It was bittersweet. We could have stayed forever and the country life is very appealing. It was so heart-warming to see our 4 boys together. As we were pregnant, we talked about raising our boys together and dreamed of what wonderful friends they would be. When they moved we were sad that the boys would not have each other, but this weekend showed me that they still do have each other. We will still see our dear friends... they are practically blood relatives. So I'm thinking that even though there are many miles between us, our bond will continue to grow... the giggles will continue... so will the wrestling... and so will the prayers. What a blessing to have dear Christian friends! Thank you again for being so hospitable and sharing your love with us!!! We miss you already!

DFW Weekend...Part 1

This weekend we headed north to DFW to see Jason's family. We left Thursday and had a nice drive except for our stop in a tiny town to eat lunch. We found a Jack in the Box to eat at and I was excited to try one of their salads...which was FABULOUS. Who knew Jack's Asian salad would have me talking/drooling for days?!?! So back to the story... I took Rylan to the bathroom to change his diaper and found that tiny town Jack in the Box does not have a changing station. So we decide to take the boys out to the car and change their diapers in the front seats. I get Rylan's pants undone and discover that he has pooped out of the leg. OK - I can handle this, no new news here. So I take off his overalls and see poop up to the NECK of his shirt!!! At that point Jason gets Jacob strapped in to his car seat and comes over to help me. Picture this - Rylan naked except for his sandals standing next to the car in front of the windows for the Jack in the Box. Kim holding both of Rylan's hands as he is standing so that he does not touch the poop and Jason using half a packet of wipes to get all the poop off that remember, was up to his neck. Rylan and Kim are dying laughing, but Jason... not so much. After a few minutes we get Rylan clothes again and we were on our merry way.

Now back to the fun stuff!!! Friday we went with Jason's parents down to the Fort Worth Stockyards. If you have never been, it is lots of western fun. We went in several western theme shops, got a Christmas tree ornament and new bedtime book called "Good Night Cowboy." At 11:30 everyday they do a "Herd" through town. Below are photos of the Herd. Rylan and Jacob said "cow" and "horse" for hours after it! There are also real cowboys riding horses that yell directions to the cows and give speeches to the crowd. It was a neat experience.
We love Grandma and Grandpa! They even got the boys little stuffed horses!
I love this photo because the adults are posing nicely and the boys are looking at the cows that are waiting to go down the street.That night we had supper with Justin, Karyn and Evan - Jason's brother and family. This is Aunt KK with Jacob. You should have seen him flirting with her across the table! Karyn is a wonderful sister-in-law. Every time we are together, I wish we got to see each other more often! She is also a WW girl and has lost 47 lbs. since Christmas!!!!! YIPEE for KK! Having a sweet sis-in-law is a BIG blessing!
Aunt Kim and Evan... it is so nice to cuddle a precious baby girl after wrangling boys all day!
Saturday we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. One word - WOW!!! Of course, our first stop was the flamingo exhibit. Needless to say, the birds were beautiful and Rylan kept saying "flow-go."
Silly Jacob and Daddy by the rhinos. The African Savannah exhibit had elephants, hippos, giraffes, ostriches and more. Every time I see African animals I think the The Lion King. The habitats at this Zoo were all very natural looking.
Sweet Evan... she is such a good and happy baby. It was exciting to see her and the boys playing together. And she is a very good snuggler! Look at that dimple!
Watching the bears fight! There were two black bear cubs... we say they were twins. They were chasing each other and wrestling in the water. The boys were very intrigued and laughed out loud.

We rode the train back to the front... which was very relaxing! One of my favorite parts of the Zoo was the Texas section. It was really big and had several native Texas animals divided by regions. Poor Jacob fell asleep on the train ride. When we got back to the front we changed their diapers and then headed home.
One more family pic for the road!That night we met up with one of Jason's best friends from high school, Jake. We got to meet his new girlfriend, Laci. She is a doll and super sweet. She is a teacher, so we had lots to talk about! It was wonderful to get to visit with Jake. He has always been one of my favorite of Jason's high school friends. Our Jacob reminds me a lot of Jake - tenderhearted, yet physical, loyal, protective of those he loves, and a little silly too!
Sunday morning started the next chapter of our trip, but that will have to wait until later!