Aunt Kerilynn

We were happy to have Kerilynn visit for a week. Carly always gets excited when company comes, and this was no exception. She talked for weeks about Kerilynn sharing her bike with her, and sleeping in her bunk bed. Neither of which actually happened. I think she's having some withdrawals, not having Kerilynn around. She keeps telling me that Kerilynn is coming to visit again in 5 days. We had a great time with Kerilynn while she was here. We went to Zilker Park to check out the Nature Center and dig for dinosaur bones when we were done looking at the animals.

We also went to Kiddie Acres so the kids could enjoy the rides. They have little kid carnival rides, and pony rides. It was a lot of fun, but also SUPER hot! Jack didn't really enjoy the rides, unless mommy was with him. Funny kid.

Jack was a one handed riding cowboy.

Carly looked like she'd been riding horses for years.

Josh loved, loved, loved, the airplanes.

It was funny to see Jack reacting to all the rides. He would be okay until it started up, and then he would progressively get more upset. Finally on the car ride, he'd had it and they let me on the ride.

Carly was comforting Jack during the boat ride. Josh was just loving the ride!

On the cage ride Carly had to ride alone, and I had to ride with the boys. Josh kept saying "we're going up, now we're going down, now we're going up, now we're going down"...over and over and over. I thought it was hilarious.

I think the boys like the water mister the best. They loved soaking their heads.

Of course, we also took several trips to the pool. This summer is shaping up to be the hottest summer in Austin's history. In the mix we took some girl bonding shopping trips and got pedicures. It was a great trip, and as always, saying goodbye is hard to do. Thanks for the great visit Kerilynn!!

Carly and Josh just love Kerilynn, and Josh was very upset that he wasn't going on the airplane.

Sisters

For Jarod

A few weeks ago we bid farewell to Jarod's fifth motorcycle in 4 years. We might actually make it a few months without buying another one this time. What a stud!

Beauty Parlor

Yesterday I got my haircut, and decided to take Carly along with me for some girl bonding time. I also wanted to see if my stylist would cut Carly's hair, too. It's getting really long, and because it's so thick and curly, it's hard to get perfectly straight with my $10 'hair' scissors. She had a great time, and her hair turned out really cute. I'm anxious to straighten it to see how her layers turned out.

Wet and Wild

So, since we really haven't been up to much, besides the occasional trip to the pool, I only have swimming photos to share with you out of town folk. The kids have really taken to the water this summer. Jarod and I were remarking how we've gone to the pool so much more this summer than the last two. I think it's probably since our kids are older. Not only are they more independent in the water, but they know to ask to go! I've been really hesitant to take them swimming by myself, but I finally broke down today. They really do very well in the water. Josh is such a natural swimmer, and when Carly isn't feigning inability, she does really well, too. I was able to focus most of my attention on Jack while the other two swam. It was great. I took a 'before' picture of the kids today, because I thought they looked so cute in their water wings and sunglasses. Swim time was great. Josh was swimming without his noodle float, and Jack was of the mind to do the same. We went in the early afternoon, so there were only about 5 other people there. Really perfect. The rest of the pictures are from a few days ago when the whole family went.

I Did That!

I've been working on some different sewing projects lately, and when I saw this bag pattern, I knew I had to have it. It was a fun project to make, and I was proud of myself, because I did it ALL BY MYSELF! Usually I enlist my mom's help for my sewing projects, but I really wanted to do this alone. I was really pleased with how it turned out. I'm excited to make the next one. I've also been working on a quilt for Carly. The pattern is 'yellow brick road.' When I switch her to her own room, I hope to have this done for her bed. I don't think the picture shows off the different material patterns very well. It's a very pink quilt, and I've only got like forty more squares to make before I can start arranging and piecing it together. Woo hoo!!

Summer Fun

This summer is going by so quickly. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, considering the scorching heat we're enduring; or a bad thing, since the fun will have to come to an end sooner than we'd like. We've been having a great summer so far. We had a fun visit with some of Jarod's family, and we're looking forward to Kerilynn's visit in a couple weeks. We've also taken opportunities to visit the movie theater and swimming pools. Last week we spent the early afternoon at the pool with the kids, and evening at the movie theater/mall with my folks. My parents treated us all to the movie UP, a real tear-jerker, and dinner in the food court. The kids loved it. They even convinced Mama and Papa to let them ride the little mechanical rides in the food court. It was such a fun day. My yard has looked cheerful with all the flowers blooming, and the fence lined with Canna lilies taller than the fence. The pool we were at has a beach entry, so the kids would run up to these lounge chairs at the top of the beach entry, lie down and then race to get back in the water. Josh loves his goggles. As soon as he knows we're going to the pool, he wants to put them on. He has no fear when it comes to swimming. He just jumps right in, which scares us a lot. He likes to kick in the water, and get tossed. Carly is more hesitant about going under water, but was really brave the last time we went, putting her face in the water on her own.

We had such a fun time at the movie. The kids are so good in the theater. They love to get their booster seats and eat popcorn and candy during the movie. It was great to see UP in the late afternoon. I think there were only 8 other people in the theater. The kids had such fun expressions and exclamations during the movie.

I laughed out loud at this smile.
It was such a fun day for us all. Carly is such a sweetie. She always expresses her thanks for the activities we do. She was sure to tell me thank you for taking them to the pool and movie. Sometimes I have a hard time not laughing when she's thanking me for something. The other day she thanked me for coloring and told me that "it makes my heart happy." She comes up with the cutest sayings.

Last Day with Papa Steve

For our last day with Papa Steve we went to Zilker Park to ride the Zilker Zephyr (our new favorite activity).

It was such a hot day I think we would've been better served to swim in the Barton Springs pool.

Here's Jack's blue face after snarfing down a blue raspberry snow cone on the train.

After riding the train and playing at the park, we ate lunch at Rudy's BBQ.

Then we went home to enjoy some Wii playtime before taking Papa Steve to the airport.

Thanks Papa Steve for coming to play with us, and thanks Navarre and Catherine for coming to share in the fun! We had a great time!