Jackson's school project

Here you go, Jackson!  Hope these pictures are what you need for your project today.

Dog Days of Summer

 August brought some crazy high temps for Texas this year!  

We had two weeks of 106, 108 and even 110 degrees.  Ay, caramba!  In those conditions, you gotta find ways to beat the heat.

Gavin and Brock came over one Saturday afternoon with their parents and swam in our pool.

That evening, the boys and dads went to see the Frisco Roughriders play some ball.  It was such a fun surprise that Gavin's dad had gotten them front row seats behind home plate!

We haven't been able to spend much time at the lake, but on a free Sunday, we ran up to Texoma.  A neat treat--we found Blake Shelton's lake house!  It's the white one with three guest houses. 
So cool!

Another plus about being inside more--baby snuggles!

Little Mama Lila was in her element taking care of Lilly one afternoon.  She's such a natural.

Another great thing to do inside--musical theater camp!

  Madison played the role of Cinderella...

while Lila played one of her mean step-sisters, Drizella!

They were perfect for their roles and I loved hearing Maddie sing again.

Lila really impressed us with her comedic timing, too!

   

They were perfect for their roles!

         

We enjoyed meeting the Hays family for dinner one night.  
This little guy was a fan favorite...

  

with both the girls.

Chloe's birthday party was also a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. 
She had snow cones AND a 75 foot long slip and slide!

The Chocolate Angel was a big hit with these precious girls and us mamas.  Afterwards, we invited Mallory over to swim while her mom packed for their trip.

The sun was beaming down on us, but the water was so refreshing!

They really are two peas in a pod!

And last, but not least...being inside more means more Maverick snuggles.  Awww! 
This girl loves her doggy.

We do adore summer, but the cooler temps of fall won't be all that bad!

Last Day in Paradise

Although it was our longest vacation to date, it was still hard to believe it was actually coming to an end.  The beach is just our happy place!

"Did I hear you say we have to leave here tomorrow?  Say it ain't so!"

It was another pretty day and spending it with this little goofball was just right.

Our view!

Can't forget this guy, either!  

The girls jumped the waves all day until it was time to go get cleaned up for family pictures.

We had waited until all our friends were gone, so we relied on the kindness of a stranger to take a photo with all of us.  When we were walking out to the beach, a lady offered to be our photographer--so nice!  Then we found out she was a hometown girl--G-town, to be exact. 
It was fate!

These four a pros at this and were actually happy to be doing a little photoshoot!

11 1/2 and 5'3"-- no wonder he looks so grown up to me these days!

Our sweet and sassy brown-eyed girl...

our gorgeous blue-eyed girl...

and our spunky hazel-eyed girl!

They all loved our week together.

I couldn't have asked for a better time with my fam...

and main-most man!

Three cheers for a fantabulous beach vacation!

 Stay cool, Gulf Shores.

Jellyfish are her Jam

Jellyfish were abundant in Gulf Shores this year!  Eek! All of the kids got stung, multiple times.  

I preferred to stay out of the ocean if at all possible!

Towards the end of the week, Madison changed from the crab hunter to the jellyfish catcher. 
The girl started catching them left and right with her net!

A few days post July 4th and the beach was so calm and beautiful.

That morning, we pretty much had it all to ourselves.  Perfection.

The Maddux family was still at the beach with us, though, and the kids loved getting to hang out with them one last time.

Beau and Madison are quite the pair.  She catches the jellyfish and he bravely touches them!

After Madison saw that, she had to up the ante.  She heard that jellyfish can't sting you without their tentacles, so she decided to test out that theory.  Guess it's true!

The boys played baseball while the girls played in the sand...

but when they got tired, the girls buried Jackson up to his neck.

For a few minutes, Jackson played ball with Cami. 
She's got pretty impressive hand/eye coordination!

The kids braved the ocean a few more times...

And we all enjoyed a full day at the beach immensely.