First Annual Sabinal River trip

Back in September, we started what we hope to be a yearly tradition at a beautiful cabin on the Sabinal River in Utopia. We joined two other couples with all their kids and had a great time...

Our own little piece of the river.

Alli enjoying the river in her "energy tube" (i.e. inner-tube)...

Give some grown adults a rope tied to a tree next to a river and it's amazing how child-like they become!

That was truly a blast and we even mastered some flipping techniques after a few head and back busters.

Gotta have a bonfire and some s'mores!

That fire is hot!

Alli decides she doesn't need the chocolate and graham crackers- the marshmallow is yummy enough!

The purpose for this next pose with all the kids was just to get them all in one place for the silly string attack, but it turned out to be a great pic too... And now for the attack...Alli's first silly string experience. I think she liked it.

The kid's bedtime activity (a movie)...

The adult's bedtime activity...
Just a really cute pic of some of the girls...
And the 3 happy couples...
Some pretty nice photography by some of the older girls!

A Wheely Fun Day!

In case you weren't sure, that cheesy title is about our recent bike play day with friends, Ms Laura, Grant and Jake. We blocked off the end of the driveway with Laura's Tahoe, gathered all our bikes and ride-on toys and let the kids go...

Grant showing us his famous "Popeye" face...
Alli thought it was so hilarious that she kept asking him over and over to do it and then she would laugh and laugh. Poor guy- she would not leave him alone.
On your marks...get set...
GO!!!!
There's that face again.
Alli's attempt at the Popeye face. Really good try, but not quite the same.
And little Jakers refueling with some Goldfish crackers.

A Visit from the Westinghouse Family

The Westinghouse clan came to visit over Labor Day weekend and we had a great time...

Autumn, Shelby, TJ and Alli

A picture of all 4 kids! Okay so they're in their pajamas and their hair isn't fixed, but they are all in one pic looking at the camera- sort of.

Lot's of fun water play for the kids.

TJ enjoyed chasing the girls off with the water hose...

Looks like it's time for a little rest...

As always we had a great time and decided that we need to get together more often. As Stephanie said- darn those jobs, high gas prices and road trips with small kids (I added that one). If it weren't for all that, we would do this all the time.

For more pics of the weekend visit Steph's blog post.

Not gonna happen

Yesterday was my attempt at TJ's 2 yr pics- take 2.

The boy is not gonna do it. I tried a portrait studio with a more open environment and very helpful, kid-friendly photographers, but he still stayed glued to me the whole time. We tried for at least a full 10 minutes and not one picture was snapped.

I give. He wins. There will be no professional 2 yr pics.

Plan C is to dress him in some nice clothes and follow him around with the camera at home one day and hope to get something worth framing and sending to some loved ones. We'll see how that goes.

Standby.

First Day of School!!!

The kids started Mother's Day Out (aka "school") this week. Alli was so excited about it and couldn't wait for her first day. She told daddy the night before when she was going to bed "I'm going to church school tomorrow! And when I get a little bigger, I can ride the school bus!"

Whoa- slow down a little Alli. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to put her on a school bus. It only took me 3 1/2 yrs to even let her go to MDO. Baby steps.

Then, the first thing she said in the morning in a very excited voice: "Is it time for school today, mama?" Maybe I should have let her do this a long time ago.

A breakfast of champions.

TJ had a little more trouble waking up than Alli.

Couldn't seem to get a decent pic heading out the door. TJ still not too sure about starting the day so early.

TJ now a little more awake but jumping up and down instead of saying cheese.

My big girl with her bags ready to go find her class and meet her teachers and new friends.

They both got good reports from their teachers at the end of the day with one exception. Neither one of them would sleep. And Alli's teacher called her a wiggle worm, which Alli thought was funny. Go figure. Two kids who rarely sleep anywhere but in their own beds in the quiet of their own rooms weren't able to sleep on a mat in a strange room filled with other kids. Let's just say I wasn't surprised. And, it actually worked to my advantage because they went to bed very shortly after we got home and slept for a good 2 hours. Maybe them not napping at school is not a bad thing!

Later that night I was asking Alli about her teachers and she said "I like Miss Amy and Miss Maree except they keep saying 'Alli, be quiet. Be quiet, Alli.' Like over and over again." So funny!! Sounds like we have two things to work on.

Movie Night in the Park

Helotes had it's first ever movie night in the park last week. They set up a huge inflatable movie screen and show a family movie when it gets dark. They also have a bounce house to entertain the kids before the movie. I thought it sounded like something the kids might enjoy so we packed up a blanket, some chairs and snacks and headed to the park for a movie last Friday night...

I love it when she grabs his hand to lead the way and he willingly takes it and follows. Warms my heart every time.

Having lots of fun dancing to the music before the movie starts. The new town band also made their first public appearance and played a few songs (very reminiscent of songs played by the high school marching band). The kids thought that was neat.

That's the big blow-up screen in the background.

Waiting for the movie to start.

This month's movie was Ratatouille. The whole beginning was a little dramatic with the mice being chased by a man with a gun, then running and swimming through the dark tunnels of the sewer, falling down massive waterfalls, the main mouse losing the rest of his family, etc. Alli kept saying "I'm not sure about this. Is that scary, mom?.... I'm not sure about this." By the time the funny part of the movie started, it was getting really late and TJ was desperate to sleep, but just couldn't seem to make it happen outside with all that was going on around him. So, we headed home halfway through the movie. Alli wasn't too pleased about having to go home just when she was starting to get into the movie, but she was a big girl about it.

It was a fun experience, but maybe will be even more fun next year when TJ can stay up for it or with some pillows to make it a little more comfortable for everyone.

More Bars in More Places...

How cute is that?

Unpredictable TJ

It's time for TJ's 2 yr pics, so I scheduled an appointment wanting to capture his adorable face with those little dimples and blond curly locks before they are gone. I do not expect them to last since Dwaine had them at that age and his were gone by 3 or 4 yrs of age. I'm already mourning them as I start to notice his curls getting looser and looser and his hair becoming straight at the roots. In the meantime, I spritz and crunch and look forward to humid days.

So anyway, in the past I have never had great expectations going into a photo shoot with a toddler. I figure anything could go wrong and who knows whether or not they will cooperate so I've always had the "if it works- it works, if it doesn't- no big deal" attitude. And, I've always been very pleasantly surprised with more good pictures than expected not knowing how to choose between them.

This time for whatever reason, I never thought that I wouldn't get at least a couple of really cute pictures of that little boy who enjoys life so much and is so full of personality.

WRONG!!!

TJ is always proving to be a challenge and this is no exception. He DID NOT like the little one room photo studio with dark walls, a bright light, a fan and a strange lady with a giant camera. There were never any tears, but he did not leave my lap the whole time except to run for the door or at the end when I was hanging him upside down and letting him jump like a monkey from my fingers (a failed attempt to get a candid shot of some kind).

I ended up buying one pose of him with his thumb in his mouth and head rested on my shoulder. It's actually a very sweet picture that shows what a momma's boy he can be, but not at all what I had in mind for his 2 yr big boy pics.

I Need a Hand

A conversation Alli and I had this morning when I was correcting her for having her finger up her nose:

Mom: "Alli, could you please try to keep your finger out of your nose?"

Alli: "But I have boogers mom."

Mom: "Well, what do you need if you have boogers?"

Alli: "A hand."

I know I'm not supposed to encourage this kind of silliness because she and I both know that she knows the correct answer is "a tissue" but how do you not laugh at that? I was at least able to keep it to a quiet chuckle and then correct her.

In case you are wondering- yes, we do allow her to say boogers. Quite frankly, I just don't know what else to call them. A lack of creativity or effort on my part I guess.

A Fishy Evening

We took the kids fishing in Boerne the other evening because they have really begun to master their casting and reeling skills with lots of practice at home (including "fishing in the rain" when we sat in the garage and cast out into the rain on the driveway- the kids really ate that up).
So, here is all that practice paying off...

Alli showing her catch to the duck...
He actually seemed interested.
TJ excited about his success.
They truly had a great time and so did Dwaine and I.
This fishing trip also included a first for me- I decided if we were going to keep both kids in fishing mode most of the time, I better start baiting hooks and taking fish off of hooks. So I jumped in there and got my hands dirty. Literally. That shrimpy fishy smell does not wash off right away. But it sure did make the experience more enjoyable for everyone- no waiting with kids getting antsy for daddy to do everything. Well worth the stink!