Live. Laugh. Create. Inspire.

This summer, we had the privilege of going with J’s parents on a cruise, celebrating their 40th anniversary. Or, a screws, as N and J called it. Our camera broke just after the trip and the pictures remained trapped on the camera until recently when we bought a new camera and were able to use it to get the pictures off the old one.  Even though it is long overdue, I still wanted to post pictures from our trip.

N and J were super excited about all of the adventure that came with sleeping on a boat. I, on the other hand, was super surprised when I saw how SMALL our cabin was. At first glance, I was really worried about how in the world we would get everyone to sleep. But it really wasn’t a problem at all. Everyone was always tired from the days activities and welcomed the rest! N and J’s beds folded out of the wall, on top of ours. SK’s pack and play sandwiched in a corner.

We loved our excursion days to the beach. N especially loved discovering the underwater kingdom of snorkeling for the first time.

J and I had taken a picture in this same hammock a year and a half ago when SK was in my tummy. It was fun to be back with her again, and to celebrate the gift of her life by taking a picture in the same swing. Oh, much has changed in our lives in this short amount of time!

There was also much fun to be had aboard the ship as well.

There was lots of dancing, each night at dinner. Some moves, I wish  my kids hadn’t learned…ha ha…namely the ones that go with the song “how low can you go” ahem. Lots of booty shaking goin on! As you can see in this picture, N and J dancing and a booty!

The 40th Anniversary couple!

My favorite picture from the trip:

What an all round fun time we had. Thanks Nane and Dede for being married for 40 years and for inviting us to celebrate with you!

That is exactly what we did this weekend. Saturday was a double header birthday party day and the second party was a superhero party at PUMP IT UP! Everyone was ready to GO when we arrived.

We all had tons of fun.

J and A’s nonstop action was a force to be reckoned with!

N had a blast as well but I must say that, hands down, SK had more fun than anybody! She was ‘one of the big kids’ and was proud to do everything they did. She even sat at the kids table and wore a mask with her best bud.

By the end of the party, she was absolutely loopy with sugar and the sheer fun she had experienced.

They were so ‘PUMPED UP’ after the party, that they came home and re-arranged the furniture to make their own PUMP IT UP in the living room! They jumped around chanting “The cake tastes better if you yell PUMP IT UP” which was what the girl who ran the party told them and they wholeheartedly believed her.

Actually, two parties on the day before daylight savings was a beautiful thing. The kids were so exhausted that they all slept in, accounting for the extra hour the next morning. So, of course, we were early for church again and took our usual Sunday morning picture.

If anyone wants to plan their child’s party on the day before daylight savings next year, count us in!

We had a Ninja, Rapunzel and a Turkish belly dancer for Halloween.

I know, I know, who dresses their 16 month old as a belly dancer? I was shopping in Turkey 2 weeks ago and couldn’t resist. Actually, I was gonna resist but the friend who I was shopping with talked me in to the purchase. She even contributed a little toward the cause. Peer pressure. I’m thankful for friends who push me to live a little instead of being practical all the time. SK looked so cute and seeing how proud she was of her outfit made it SO worth it!!

Of course, the Ninja’s favorite part of the night was getting to scale a wall to save a princess while alligators slowly swam in the moat below, waiting for one slip to end his act of heroism….Well, not actually.

If you asked Rapunzel what her favorite part of the night was, she’d say “playing with friends” Such relational beings, we girls! With friends like these, who could go wrong?

Where else do you get free cotton candy! N and J began counting down the minutes until Halloween from the moment they got out of school that day. And, the fun of the evening didn’t disappoint!

For months leading up to this fall, J wanted to take dance and N wanted to take karate. After much research, we found the perfect place for both of them. Neither of them have been the least bit disappointed. J loves her ballet bun, twirling in front of the mirror and dancing to “lolly pop, lolly pop, oh holy holy lolly pop” (her version). N is read to bust a karate move at a moment’s notice and is planning on being a ninja for Halloween.

My favorite part? The friendships they’re making along the way.

This summer, we had the privilege to attend Pine Cove family camp. I’ll write the story of how God orchestrated this sometime in the next few days. The week was a tremendous blessing for our family. We each grew spiritually through the amazing investment of the staff in our lives. We grew as a family and had a blast in the process!

We loved dressing up for theme nights and participating in all kinds of creative, family fun!

The kids loved the counselors and we were blessed to see the strong positive influence they had on our kids lives.

It was the  hottest week fo the summer and we spent lots of time in the water.

I was mostly known as SK’s mom for the week. She captured the hearts of many with her generous hugs and smiles.

In my 6 years of motherhood, I have never felt as free from responsibility as I did throughout the week of family camp. There was always an attentive staff member ready to jump in and help with the kids. We were poured into as a family and left filled to the top!

One day this summer, a childhood friend called to say that she and her family were planning on coming to Houston for a little vacation on the following day. We scrambled to come up with an adventure and short notice didn’t slow us down!

First, we went to see The Tortise and the Hare at the downtown outdoor theater. It was raining but this was ok, since the theater was covered. Next, we had a picnic lunch at a nearby park. Yes, it was still raining. But, a little creativity and we made a memory we won’t soon forget.

We were soaked after the picnic. I mean completely soaked. So, what would you do?

Why not play in a fountain? For some reason, we thought it was important to keep their already very wet shoes dry. Good idea.

There were many attempts to catch a fish but no success.

Next, it was a parking lot change of clothes and on to a nearby museum that had free admission for the afternoon. SK was happy to be dry and napped the entire time we were in the museum. Then, we were on to official water play, this time with swim suits, at Discovery Green. Another picnic for dinner but fortunately this one was dry.

After dinner and another change of clothes, we walked to the Astro’s game.

We packed so much into this day but the only thing we paid for all day was a Subway dinner, Astros tickets and game treats. I  love friends who are so spontaneous and willing to make fun out of any circumstance. Because of this, our whirlwind day downtown is my favorite day of summer!

We went to the circus to celebrate N’s birthday. N and J were the perfect ages to appreciate everything! We started with a pre-show where you could see the animals and interact with the performers.

This picture made me laugh. I guess the lady taking the picture didn’t realize that since we were posing in front of the elephants we wanted them in the picture too!

J dressed in a real circus costume.

N got to meet the stunt riders!

The show was right in the middle of SK’s nap but that didn’t bother her!

I happened to capture the look of wonder on J’s face when she saw an acrobat performing for the first time.

We are so thankful that we live in a city where we can experience things like the circus together!