Party Down

Summer time is cool for lots of reasons.  Everything is more fun, even birthday parties!

Gavin's 12th birthday was a pool party at his new house with this good group of boys.

Calley's birthday was at the new Urban Air Adventure Park--so cool!

And Grace's party was in the pool, despite the rain.  Fun, fun, fun!

Summer is also the best, because when mom babysits, the kids are all home to help! 
These three adore their cousin Mason.

I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.  He was such a happy little camper all day!

He got plenty of snuggles from his sweet cousins...

and gave us so many smiles.  Love it!

Lila's friend came over to play that afternoon, 

so Mason and I were the lifeguards on duty after he awoke from his nap.

Chloe and Lila had a ball playing volleyball...

and doing some stunts.  Yeehaw!

And this little guy kept those smiles coming all day. 

Summer, simply put, you are the best.

Angels Team Party

The longest season in the life of softball parents has finally come to an end.  The first season of kid pitch, be it baseball or softball, has got to be the most frustrating, toughest to watch, of them all.  When you factor in them having to play in a 10U league, it made it even worse!  Some of their opponents were a foot taller than our girls.  They tried their best, but I think they were all relieved when it was over!  

Pool parties are much better for the soul!

 And too funny that Reagan showed up wearing almost the exact same suit as Lila!

We hosted the Angels and their families one pretty summer night.

Everyone had a good time, I do believe!

Jackson was hamming it up for the girls and getting some good laughs:)

I got to spend time with Julia and the other moms.  Perfect!

Way to hang tough, Angels!  I'm sure this fall will bring a few more wins your way!

Memorial Day Weekend

Long gone are our Memorial Day weekends at the lake.  We are now consumed by sports, even on all holiday weekends!  This one found us at soccer and baseball.  

Lila's team took second in the Dallas Open.

They are a strong team with a bright future!

Go Sting!

Since we had been at games on Friday night and all day Saturday, it was time for a fun drink. 
Bring on the A/C and a Papasita margarita!

We were at the baseball fields on Memorial Day, wearing our red, white and blue, and cheering for the Eagles.  So patriotic, right?

Jackson had a good game--go Bubba!

The Eagles came up a little short, but these sisters didn't mind one bit.  Let's go home!

Three baseball families came over that afternoon for some hot dogs, drinks, and lots of fun in the pool.

All of the kids play so well together, whether they are shooting hoops, 

zipping down the slide, 

or just hanging out.  Love them!

It was such a fantastic evening.

And it got even better when our favorite 11 year old niece showed up!

These guys did a great job manning the grill...

while the girls played with their babies in the water...

and the boys stayed thoroughly entertained. 

Cheers to friends and some time spent together, away from the ballfields!!

Last Day of School!

How in the world it is already the last day of school?  Wasn't it just Christmas break?  Yep!  Somehow we hit the fast forward button, though.  We zoomed past Spring Break, tried to keep up with spring sports, celebrated lots of birthdays, it was Easter, kids took the STAAR test, had Mother's Day, and then we were here!  I was one of the moms in charge of planning the party for the 3rd grade on the last day of school.  I asked my favorite 3rd grader what she'd like to do, since I have no idea what games they think are cool.  She suggested something active, so I came up with a relay race.

We bought all sorts of fun summer-themed items, like these huge sunglasses.

The kids had to take turns putting on all items, run down to the flag and then come back to tag their teammate.  Ha!

They played another game inside, followed by pizza and ice cream sandwiches.
Then it was peace out, 3rd grade!  Mrs. Bhakta was wonderful to our girl this year and we will miss her...

but we were all smiles to be finished with another school year!

We picked up Jackson and took him to Blake's house for the 6th grade pool party.  These kids are all getting really big!  Eek!  They had a blast, playing volleyball and swimming.

We ran back home to get ready for these cute girls to join us for a 3rd Grade Girls Only pool fiesta.

One cool gal!

This is such an easy group of kids, which I really appreciate.

They loved going down the slide over and over, 

and the smiles didn't fade a bit.

They were so agreeable to taking a few pics for me, too!

Jumping into summer--yippee!!

Most of the moms stayed to hang out, which makes it fun for me, too.

Cheers to a fantastic year at school and an awesome summer!

Bye, bye Pre-K!

 Last Day at North Star.  We have had kids at this amazing pre-school for 9 years!  9!

Cameron has flourished at school.  She makes friends so easily and is loved by all.

The program was so cute.  They highlighted each child.  Cami said she wants to be "a person that takes care of dogs" when she grows up.  I can really see that in her future!

They sang a few songs... 

and then it was time for the reception!  I think the love between these girls is so obvious!  Love their smiles.

The graduates--Cami and Hadlie.  Two peas in a pod!

Way to go, Cami!  You're ready for the big time now, and we are all so proud of you.

Field Day!

Beach Blast Field Day!  Great weather, for once!

When I arrived, these girls were playing group games...

and then got to enjoy snow cones.  Yum!

They got to enjoy all the games next, like bumper boats!

Somehow these three weaseled the teachers into letting them be a group of 3 instead of 2!

They played tetherball...

football...

and had a fantastic afternoon! 
Gotta love a good field day.  It's one of the highlights of elementary school, for sure.