RAIN!!!

Swimming Lessons

Carter had his first swimming lesson today! The first half of the lesson was successful, and the instructor even got him to go under water! The second half was a little more traumatic (for me and him!). She wanted him to float on his back, and he wanted nothing (and I mean NOTHING) to do with that!!! I'm glad that there wasn't anyone else in the pool at the time because he was letting everyone know that he was not a happy camper! I'm hoping that tomorrow goes a little better!

I got the kids some life vests after going over to a friend's house a couple of weeks ago (she had them for her kiddos), and they have been the best $15 investment I have made all summer! Carter has so much more confidence in the water, and just last week I even got him to swim in the big pool! Ally, on the other hand, is a little fish! She loves the water, loves to float, loves to blow bubbles and loves her Cinderella pool toy I got her at Wal-Mart! I don't know how we would pass the afternoons this summer without the pool!

Carter is ready for his first lesson - shark goggles and all!

Carter going under the water - I think this is the first time he has put his entire head in the water!

Ally and Mommy had fun at swimming lessons, too!

"Mr. Workman" Goes To Work

Carter really enjoyed helping Daddy and Grampa Chris put our "playground" back together this weekend!

Random Pictures

I finally charged my camera battery and was able to upload the pictures from it onto my computer! Enjoy!

Carter and Ally sleeping on the couch the day the movers were packing us up! I cannot believe they fell asleep with someone packing things 3 feet away from them!

Carter and Ally enjoying cooling off on the slip & slide!

Cousin Kaylie splashing on the slip & slide!

Pudding anyone???

Sam built the kids this awesome sandbox two weeks ago. Even though it has been really hot outside it has been a huge hit, especially with a certain little boy! He has even added some shelves for all the tractors and digging tools!

Independence Day 2009

Every year Sam's family has a reunion on the 4th of July at his grandmother's lake house near Conroe. Although it is hot, it is fun to get to see everyone (this is really the only time we see some of them) and let the kids run around. There is always a theme to each reunion, and this year it was "Scottish."
Once Carter got the hang of fishing, and was actually catching some, that is all he wanted to do! I love to go fishing, too, so I am happy that he has learned to enjoy it!
He liked catching them, but then he wanted nothing to do with them!!! Good thing Daddy and Grampa Chris were there to take them off the hook for us!

We finally convinced Ally to touch one of Carter's fish! However, she only did it once!

Carter participating in the "log throwing" contest.

After we went to the reunion, we put on our suits and headed over to a friend's house for some swimming (and eating!). Ally LOVES to swim, especially with her floatie!

Carter is a little more timid in the water than Ally, so he liked swimming in the hot tub.

We had a great day, and we are so blessed to have such great families and friends!

Mr. Workman

After Carter woke up from his nap he was very persistent about "working" on the stairs, even though his baby sister was still asleep right down the hall! I kept asking him to get his swimming suit on so that we could get ready to go to the pool, but he kept telling me that his name was not Carter (he was known as "Mr. Workman") and he had a lot of work to do! This boy is definitely not lacking in the imagination department!

I Wanna Go Back!

The week after we moved my mom, the kids and I drove 13.5 hours (yes, you read that correctly!) to Ruidoso, New Mexico. After a long week of moving and unpacking, it was nice to get away from the house and escape the mess. The kids did great in the car, especially on the way there. I ordered them some travel trays to strap onto their car seats, which they used to eat snacks, color and play with toys! The trip back was not as smooth, but they still did incredibly well...and I've even said that we can go back sometime soon (last time we drove out there I swore I would NEVER do it again!).

I love the mountains for many reasons, but I think one of the biggest is that they remind me of living in Ft. Collins, CO when I was younger. Of course, you can't beat the cooler temps, but there is just something so peaceful about them. It was so nice to get away, and I hope we can do it again with the rest of the family soon!

We met my college roommate (we lived together the entire time we were in college and didn't kill each other!) and her husband (who was Sam's roommate for a bit) for the weekend. It was so nice to see them, but it just made me miss them even more than I already do! We also got to see my favorite aunt and uncle and my mom's friend, Kathi. I can't wait to do it all over again, especially if the Texas summer stays as miserable as it is right now!

Ally and Carter posing in front of my parents' house. They loved playing in the yard, climbing on the rocks and collecting millions of pine cones!

Ally and "Aunt" Sarita. I love how they are just hanging out and have the same expression on their faces!

Carter loved playing baseball with "Uncle" Tucker. He has actually gotten really good at hitting the ball so I'm hoping a baseball scholarship is in his future!

The kids and I with our life jackets on waiting to ride the paddle boats. We thought it would be something fun to do with them, but don't let those cute little boats fool you! They are hard work, especially when the wind is blowing about 30 mph!!!

Our view from the boat - I love it!

We took the kids to ride the ponys in town. I actually thought that Ally would ride them and Carter wouldn't but it was the other way around. Ally was fine petting them, but wanted nothing to do with riding them! Carter, however, was a true cowboy!

Sarita and I at the park across from the pony rides. If I remember correctly, we are waiting on a reservation to eat dinner at my favorite restaurant. It has the best mexican food, which we ate several times!!!

Carter and Ally skipping rocks in "Rio Ruidoso." They thought it was really neat to be able to go all the way down to the river and play in the cold water!

In other news, we are still here trying to get unpacked and decide how we are going to remodel the house. I have had a hard time because this house is much smaller than our house in Fort Worth, and even our first house in College Station, but I know that we are truly blessed. Not only does Sam have this incredibly opportunity to go back to school, I still get to stay home with the kiddos. Who knows what the future holds for our family, but right now I think life is pretty good!