Big Bro and Little Sis

School's out and it's time to bring on summertime! 

Lila has been sporting a new hairstyle that is especially nice whenever she's swimming, working out or at the lake. It's much easier to enjoy all of these activities without hair in your eyes or a mommy constantly stopping you to put a bow back in your hair!

J went to the barber shop with his daddy yesterday and came home with this "too cool for school" haircut.  We love it.  If possible, he now looks even older.  Can this really be my baby?

3 Peat!

Before Jackson's game yesterday, he and his daddy made a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods.  One of the main items on their list was eye black. 

It's hard to see, but he has eye black on and we wrote "Go Cubs" on it.  It's awesome!  He looked like a pro ball player.

I guess the eye black brought him good luck because this kid got the game ball for the third time this season!  He played so well--he got two triples and a single all off of the coach pitch and made every single catch thrown his way at 1st base.  All of that helped keep the Cubs undefeated.  They play again on Tuesday night to defend their record.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Memorial Day Maniacs

We had a really busy Memorial Day Weekend, being at the lake, ranch and then coming back for the family wedding.  By the time the actual holiday got here, we were just pooped!  Daddo declared a "home improvement day," which included many thrilling items, such as sprinkler work, trimming hedges, cleaning out flowerbeds, and even one unexpected project that involved a leaking-almost-to-the-point-of-overflowing-into-our-closet hot water heater.  Fun!  We finished up with all of that work around 4:00 in the afternoon and were ready to go dive into a refreshing body of water.

After calling Memaw and Poppi to let them know our crew would indeed be able to join their party, we loaded up our oh-so-cute Memorial Day Maniacs and headed their way.  The little one matched Madison to a tee, but she passed out on the way to the party and proceeded to spend the first hour there asleep on the couch.  This is my child who ONLY takes a nap in my bed, not hers, and she snoozed like she hadn't slept in ages!  Although I was glad she got some rest, I wasn't able to snap a pic of all three in their festive outfits. 

By the time Lila Lou was awake, these two had made many runs through this wacky sprinkler...

and declared Memaw the VIP of the day for buying it for them!

I forsee something very similar in our own backyard for this summer. 

Happy Memorial Day, from our maniacs to yours!

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday afternoon we headed up to the lake to have all kinds of fun in the sun.  The kids immediately got changed into their swimsuits and went out back to play.

This little girl loves everything about the lakehouse.  And so does her mama!

We kicked off the festivities by setting up the slip n' slide.  Jackson barreled down it a few times...

whereas Maddie was much more cautious and actually stalled out about halfway down it.  There were a couple of minor injuries shortly thereafter...

and the kids decided they liked this part of the slip n' slide much better.

Monkey see, Monkey do.

"Big brother is so cool!  This is awesome, Jackson!"

The next morning, we took Aunt Glenda over to see the Ranch.  It was her first time there and she thought it was beautiful.  Right after we arrived, we went over to say hello to the horses.  They really appreciated the Nilla Wafers that we brought just for this meet-and-greet.  We rode all around the ranch and by lunch time we were sweaty and ready for some food.  After we got back to the lake and ate a little bit, we were ready to hit the water!



First time on the lake in 2012.  Yay!



Sweet girl was out about 5 minutes into the ride and slept the entire time:)

She even slept through these two ninnies jumping off the boat and squealing when they hit the water. 
It was cold!

Safety Captain chose to remain in the boat, "to make sure I keep it steady, Mom."

Right before it was time to head in, Lila Lou woke up.  Good thing!  She got to have her first driving lesson from Daddy.

Of course, we always pack about 6 things into a weekend, so after spending the next morning at the beach, we cleaned up and headed back home.  We were here all of about and hour before we left for Fort Worth to attend Jared's cousin's wedding.

We had a fabulous time.  The bride looked beautiful and they did a fantastic job on the wedding and reception.

After dinner we enjoyed Paciugo and then got to have fun in the photo booth.  Both were really fun extras for any party.  After that, we boogied down on the dance floor and then called it a night. 
Jared and I were exhausted! 

Last day of Pre-K

for Jackson, anyway!  Miss Madison will be back again next year.

The kids have had a very positive year at school and their sweet teachers are a major reason for that.  We made them fun relaxation baskets and filled them with a beach towel, sunscreen, magazine, book and diffuser.  They loved them.  I'm so glad because we love them.  They deserve this for sure! 

It's crazy to think that the next time Jackson walks into a school it will be his Kindergarten class.  I'm so thankful that his Pre-K teacher has prepared him so well.  I know he'll shine there, just like he did here.

Guess who...

was voted to play in the All-Star game this year?!

You got it.  This guy is going to represent the Cubs in the All-Star game on June 16th.  His teammates voted for the two players that they thought were the best.  Although he is a good ball player, there are definitely 4 other kids who play just as well, so it was really a surprise.  We are so excited!  Looks like Aunt Glenda might be his good luck charm. We may have to find a way to keep her here a few more weeks!

Welcoming Committee

We had a special visitor arrive on a plane from California yesterday...



and three little kiddos who were pumped to see her!



Welcome back to Texas Aunt Glenda!  We are so glad you came to visit us this weekend.