Tatum's day

Monday was Tatum's 8th birthday. She had a Hanna Montana filled birthday. She got a microphone, guitar and entire Hanna Montana outfit. She had a great time giving an outdoor concert with her new toys.

Sherry's new dog Tallie is soooo cute! Ethan gathered his dog stuffed animals to put in Tallie's bed. Can you guess which one she is?

After Tatum's party, we headed over to Main Event to celebrate. The kids did rock climbing, glow in the dark miniature golf, played games and rode in a virtual roller coaster.

After Main Event, the girls headed to The Melting Pot for dinner. My sweet husband took the boys home to put them to bed, and I got to feast on yummy fondue. Tatum loved the fondue and it was a great ending to a fun day!

Happy Birthday Tatum!

campin' in San Marcos

Camping trips are always fun. We have officially become addicted to camping. There is just something about hanging out with friends, spending quality time with the kids and relaxing that we love. I will admit it is a lot of work to pack up the camper, set it up and then break it down a couple days later. It's so worth all the work though when you see your kids having so much fun. They are just so happy when we are camping and it makes it all worth it.

Here is some of what they did...

Caught grasshoppers, frogs and hunted raccoons.













Their Daddy let them climb on top of a rock that was entirely too big for Momma's comfort. The picture on the left shows just how high they were!

They had fun eating at our favorite restaurant the Gristmill. We can't be within an hour of that place and not stop by to eat. The boys are probably sick of hearing how we met there!

They raced in the park

They took turns pushing each other around in the dump trucks.

Acted goofy of course.

Squashed 7 kids in our bunk beds to play.

Played at the campground park.

Ate junk all weekend because they had too much fun to stop and actually eat a balanced meal.

Went fishing and actually caught a little fish.

Stayed up till 10 (WAY past their bedtime), but were having sooo much fun playing in the dark, we couldn't ruin the fun to make them go to bed. Truth is, they haven't seen the dark that many times in their lives!

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The adults had fun too! Everyone went tubing Saturday and Sunday while I stayed at the camper with the boys. I can't complain though, because I got to take a big fat nap.

I loved drinking my non-alcoholic beer. You just can't camp in the summer without beer, even if it is Odouls.

Our old friends Richard and Erin stopped by to see us. We had a great time catching up!

I had several soak it all in moments this weekend that makes all the laundry and unpacking I have to do now worth it.

his own style

That's one way to watch TV.

Thanks Eric

Thanks for getting up early with the boys every morning and letting my lazy butt sleep in.

Thanks for encouraging me to go out with friends, so I don't lose my mind watching 4 toddlers all day.

Thanks for putting the kids to bed most nights.

Thanks for getting me water when I ask for it, letting me have the recliner and sharing the remote.

Thanks for taking the kids outside to swim in the hot tub so I can have an hour to myself when I need it.

Thanks for never complaining the last three months that the laundry wasn't done and the house wasn't clean because I was just too exhausted to do anything.

Thanks for everything you do for our family. I appreciate how supportive you have been during this pregnancy. It doesn't go unnoticed and I love you more every day for it!

mr. compassion

My little Austin is the sweetest thing. If someone is hurt, he runs over to them to kiss the ouchie and make sure they are ok. He always has a genuine look of concern on his cute little face.

I love when I come home and he runs to me with open arms. When I tell him I love him, he says "I really love you too momma" in his cute toddler voice. He just makes my heart melt.

Austin starts school for the first time next week with Ethan. Last year he would cry every day when he left because he wanted to go too. Now he will feel so big going to school like his big brother. I can't wait to see how he likes it.

My baby boy is really growing up and I'm so proud of him. He still is addicted to his pacifier and asks for a popsicle at least 50 times a day, but hopefully he will grow out of that soon. Good thing I have another baby on the way, because my little Austin is not a baby anymore.

cats and dogs

Yesterday we took advantage of the rain and let the boys play in it. We enjoyed all the rain this week since we hadn't seen it in so long. The look on the boys' faces when we told them to go play in it was priceless. They had a great time splashing around and Eric and I had fun watching them!

1/3 down, 2/3 to go!

I am now officially in my second trimester! Thankfully, I am starting to get a tiny bit more energy. Unfortunately, I am beginning to get the same shooting pain down my leg when standing I had when I was pregnant with Austin. I'm praying the heartburn doesn't begin soon too. I am very grateful that I haven't been too nauseous this time around. As much as it sounds like I am complaining, I'm trying to really enjoy this pregnancy as much as I can since it will be my last. I can't wait to feel the baby moving soon! Feeling the baby will remind me that it's all worth it!

the ark

Yesterday I saw Ethan and Austin moving all their stuffed animals into Austin's bed and I heard them discussing how the animals were getting wet and had to be put in the ark. Ethan was messing with the animals while Austin used his screwdriver to put the finishing touches to the ark. It was so cute!

Jacob's visit

Sammy and Jacob came over to see us today. The boys were so excited to see baby Jacob. It was so cute to watch them make him laugh! They both wanted to hold him and actually wanted to get their pictures taken with him too! I don't think they left his side for more than a minute the entire time he was here.

Ethan got a book to read a story to Jacob. He was pointing at the pictures and telling him what things were. It made me so happy to see how sweet the boys were with him. I think they are going to be such good big brothers to their new baby brother or sister!

jungle java

The boys and I met some friends at Jungle Java to play this morning. It's a really cool place with slides and all kinds of fun things to climb on. It's perfect because the moms can relax and chat while the kids play. The boys loved it and so did I!

it's raining, it's pouring

My parents came over today to see us after visiting my sister in Louisiana for 10 days. We picked up some lunch and headed over to the neighborhood park to play. We had a great time until it started raining and we had to run for shelter. We didn't complain though, because we need the rain and we thought it was a fun adventure.

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring.

My dad loves our recliner so much, he always takes a nap when he comes over. I couldn't help but include a picture of him in his favorite spot, doing his favorite thing after the boys wore him out.