Corpus Christi and Port Aransas

Last Friday, Dwaine and I decided a getaway down to the coast would be fun for the weekend. So we got on the computer late Friday evening, booked a beach house for Saturday night and hopped in the car first thing Saturday morning. How's that for spontaneous? (not typically like us, but becoming so more and more these days)

We never know if a trip will go well and be fun for everyone or if it will turn into a stressful event with cranky, over-tired kids and frustrated, over-tired parents. Thankfully, the former was true for our weekend and we look forward to doing it again- and hopefully often! The kids had an absolute blast, the timing of everything was perfect, and Dwaine and I enjoyed ourselves too!

First stop- The Texas State Aquarium

Quick stop on the way in for a priceless family photo- we don't have many with all 4 of us.

Alli leading the way for TJ. They were both so excited. I don't think they had any idea where we were, but they were sure it would be fun.

TJ checking out the stingray. He would say "ooh ooh" every time something would swim by.

Quick flashback...

This was the last time we were at the aquarium- TJ was in tow, but wasn't actually able to enjoy any of it. I remember thinking I couldn't wait to come back when he could partake in the fun. So, fast forward 2 years...
Now, my hands are a little more full, but it's definitely well worth it!


Next stop- a seaside lunch at Pier 99

The perfect location to hype the kids up about our next destination- aboard the USS Lexington or the "big ship" as we called it! And, the blues music playing on the patio was great for our listening pleasure- I think TJ enjoyed it the most. He was clappin' to the beat and bobbin' his head.



"APAIY!" That would be airplane in TJ speak- he absolutely loves them.
It wasn't always fun dragging the kids out of the cockpit (they played in it and a couple others a few different times), but there was usually something else fun to distract them with...
Giant weaponry, perhaps. Daddy was nothing more than a big kid himself.
And, of course a trip down the escalator on the way out- an original fixture, I'm sure. I was very grateful when we saw it 'cause the steep ladders that we had to climb on the way up would NOT have been fun going down with two small children.

Stop 3- The Beach at Port Aransas!
Alli doing her best to strike a surfer pose on the boogie board.
Building sand castles.


TJ with his truck- no big surprise there.

It took quite a while for the kids to warm up to the beach. Neither of them would go near the water for a long time, but eventually TJ decided that running through the shallow waves kicking up water and chasing the shore birds was loads of fun. He was all over the place!

Alli, on the other hand decided it would be better to keep her Strawberry Shortcake swimsuit and her well-fixed hair dry. As much as I would have loved to see her splashing in the waves, I can't say that I blame her. I generally prefer to stay dry and semi-clean as opposed to wet and sandy as well.

Here she is just chillin' and checking out the view...

Now that's a good way to enjoy the beach!

...

Our "new home"

We stayed in an awesome little beach house that was super clean and very homey. The kids thought eating at the bar was super cool. Dwaine told Alli that this was our new home and she was totally fine with that with one little exception. She said "Are we not gonna live with Chili anymore?"

...

Day 2- fishing the bay...

Waiting to catch a fish.
It's hard to tell in the pic, but while daddy was helping Alli fish, TJ was "fishing" with his Scooby Doo pole.
Unfortunately, all he managed to do was bust the bobber into a few pieces when he slammed it down on the ground.
Success! An itsy bitsy tiny little perch! Dad used it for bait but wasn't able to catch any big fish. Every time we would reel in the bait, Alli exclaimed in a very excited and proud voice, "You caught another fish! Very good!" No, unfortunately, that was the same itsy bitsy little perch. We made our way under the bridge after catching a couple more of those and then both Alli and TJ caught countless number of bigger perch. Alli has even figured out how to reel them in with very little help. Making daddy proud (and mommy too)!

What a fun-filled family weekend. We were all completely exhausted come Sunday evening, but can't wait to do it again!

Who let the TJ out of the bag?

Just thought this was too cute not to share. He was having so much fun in that thing and big sister just couldn't stand it. Unfortunately this is how a lot of activities end- with one of them crying mad at the other.

Little Southern Gal

Check out this thick southern accent. I'm not sure where it's coming from, but I think it's awful cute...



I stopped recording right before she and Jack shouted "GO SPURS GO!"

Splish Splash!

Jack got to come over to play while his mommy attended a meeting the other day and as usual the kids had a blast together. But, while it is a daily occurrence for my kids to have dirty feet, sand in their hair and need to be dusted off before coming inside, this is not the norm for Jack.
So, after being outside for most of the morning making sidewalk chalk drawings and playing in the sandbox where Alli had to be instructed not to throw sand at Jack numerous times, I knew Miss Lissa would be all for giving the kids a bath before Jack had to leave.
No objections from the kids- just move the fun indoors and add water...

What a perfect opportunity to make silly hair and bust out the camera!

Is that not the cutest pic ever?

Not sure what this was about, but thought it was a funny pic.

The "afterbath"...

Nice, clean adorable kids wrapped in their cozy hooded animal towels. I think they were saying "ribbit!"

Don't forget me! He jumped right in there as if to remind me to take his pic too, but then he refused to smile. I don't get this kid sometimes!

Little Ballerina and Her Bro

Some pics of my beautiful ballerina missing only her ballet shoes (they stay in the car so mommy will not forget them).

She was watching the last few minutes of her show before we had to go so there was no getting her to look at the camera.

"Show me releve" (I don't know how to put little accent marks above the letters nor do I know if that is the correct spelling) ...

Well, that would be plie, but hey, they kind of go together and I was just impressed she regognized the word!
Apparently TJ was paying better attention to me than Alli was...
Daddy is going to be less than thrilled that I posted this picture, but I just couldn't help it.

????????

Just some fun pics of the kids being..... well, kids!

Butterfly-cathcing nets also make great hats and/or hair nets.
Notice the dog is the only one sitting properly on the couch...
Alli woke up from her nap one day to find TJ playing in the dog food bin. She said with a laugh, "TJ, you're so funny. You're a very silly boy!" Then, she quickly joined in on the fun...
While that may look like a choke hold, it's actually an over-zealous hug.
There, that's better.
Whoa- where'd she go?
The rubbermaid storage bin- proving to be a tough rival for the cardboard box!

Stylin' eyewear....
This one needs some explanation...
TJ loves to press his ear up against the dishwasher when it is running. Not sure if it is the sound, the vibration, the warmth or what, but this was not just a one time event.
TJ was more than happy to "help" me clean out the fridge the other day which basically consisted of moving the contents from shelf to shelf and unloading everything that I had just put back in. Anyway, when he found the potato drawer, he excitedly exclaimed "rocks!" Then he carried some away and when I looked into the living room, this is what I saw...
Now that's a boy for you! He is making his daddy very proud.

More Easter Pics

Well, unfortunately there are not a lot to share because the disc with all of our Easter pictures and videos seems to be malfunctioning. Something may have happened to it when the camera fell on the floor during church, but I'm just guessing. Thankfully, my friend Melissa was able to snap these few pics on her camera at church....

So the kids were not very cooperative (that became an ongoing theme throughout the day) and as you can tell by TJ's hair, it was a little windy outside. It's a good thing Dwaine and I looked so nice :-) Too bad we didn't think to get a pic of just the 2 of us.

Alli and friend Jack looking so cute together in their green and pink outfits.

Alli never passes up the opportunity to give a big hug and it seems Jack was in a hugging mood that morning too!

Easter Pics 2008

Well, they didn't make it into the mail before Easter, but they turned out great (live bunnies or not), so here they are...

She knows just what to do when it comes time for a photo shoot!

Those Easter eggs were nothing more than balls for TJ. They started flying shortly after he got his hands on them (thankfully, he wasn't using full force).

He was supposed to hold the carrot, but he wasn't going for that.

Hopefully, I'll have more Easter pics up soon- no promises :-)

Dement Look-alike Meter

Okay, so I'm thinking this is totally bogus for obvious reasons, but it was fun anyway! I even tried 2 different pics of TJ to see if I could get a different result, but no luck. Steph, maybe you should try it since each of your girls definitely favor one of you (and not the same one).

Alli's first ballet class!!

Alli went to her first ballet class last week!! I think mommy may have been more excited than she was. Don't get me wrong, she was excited also and had a great time. She is looking forward to her next class and to getting her new leotard and ballet shoes (ok, mommy is probably more excited about that one too).

Alli and her dance teacher, Miss Josie.

The class is held at the gym that I recently joined, so it is not your typical dance studio with bars and mirrors, but somehow I don't think that matters for a 3 yr old. I was however very impressed with the fact that the insructor was teaching technical ballet moves and positions, not just hopping, skipping, etc. which I thought might be the case with such young little dance students.

That doesn't mean that Alli and her fellow student did not spend a lot of time just hopping and skipping and randomly rolling around on the floor. It's a good thing Miss Josie has a lot of patience!

All and all, I think Alli did great for her first ever dance class and I'm thinking that after she has a few lessons under her belt, she will get the hang of it even more!

Here's a little video evidence of what I am talking about...

How cute is that!!!! It will be even cuter when she is fully dressed in her ballet attire.