Laid Back

Our pool is officially open and these kids couldn't be more pleased.  

Who doesn't love a good Friday afternoon swim with their friends?

Bring on the summer!

Within three minutes after waking up from her nap, this girl was in her swimsuit with her feet in the water.  She wants to be a swimmer so badly!  Hopefully we will master that very soon.

Since we didn't have any games of our own last weekend, we decided to go cheer on Riley.
Bubba made sure that Cami...

and Sami both understood the rules of T-ball.

After a quick lesson, these girls were all in.  Go Astros!

Riley's fan club.

He got lots of hits and fielded the ball well, too.  A win in our book!
We got to see Riley's new house, too, and then went to dinner with his family.    We finished off the fun evening with a trip to a custard shop for a sweet after-dinner treat.  
Love us some good Weismann/Hays time!

No games this weekend also meant that I got to take these two cuties to a birthday party at Main Event.  They were some fierce bowlers, and both got a spare!

After pizza and cake, we hit up the arcade,  They played all sorts of games, but loved racing these snowmobiles the best.  Get it, girls!

These last few weeks of May are going to be super-busy.  The kids are still taking their map tests at school.  We've got soccer practice tonight, then two nights of dance rehearsal before Lila's annual recital on Friday.  It's also Field Day this Friday, and then we've got a baseball tournament and soccer tournament all this weekend.

No wonder we all love summer so much!

Field Trippin' with Kindergarten

The kids have two field trips a year, and I opted for the all-day one with Lila to the Dallas Arboretum.  By 9am we were on the bus and bound for a fun day outside!  

Madison, Lila and Lauren--the three musketeers:)

My little posse--Lauren, Lila, Cason and Rahul.  We couldn't have had a prettier day--the sun was in full effect for sure!  One lucky gal's mom even remembered to bring her sassy sunglasses.

First up, the huge treehouse!  

Climbing up to the top of the net was a big hit, too.

My girl!  

All the kids took turns shooting this water cannon.  It demonstrated the power of water for them.

And this water crank was pretty cool, too.

After a picnic lunch, we headed to the puppet show.  No breeze.  Straight sun.
Not our favorite 30 minutes, but we made it!

After that, we went to explore some more.  This cool kaleidoscope was a fan favorite.

 

The sand art station held their attention even more, though.  

We did a few more stations, then ventured into the main Dallas Arboretum.  I took them to see the waterfalls and grotto.  They thought those were neat...

but these koi fish were the main attraction.

Well, that is, until we made it over to the big lawn.  They asked to run and play and we gave them the thumbs up.  They loved it!  So many cartwheels for the girls and wrestling moves for the boys.

By 1:00 we were making our way back to the bus.  By the grace of God, we didn't lose Cason or Santosh.  Great success!

I loved spending time with my favorite Kindergartener, too. She's just one cool cat.

Mother's Day Weekend

It was a rare non-sports weekend, sort of like spotting a unicorn in our backyard, so we simply had to seize the moment.  Road trip to Lake Texoma!

By Saturday afternoon, these four rascals were ready to take a zip around the lake.

It was warm, but windy!  Thank goodness Cami had Maddie to snuggle up to.

Gigi found that Jackson made a pretty cool riding buddy...

and Lila was our captain.

 

We were living the life!

My lake crew--love this bunch.

After a half hour of riding around, these crazies said they actually wanted get in the water.  Y'all...it wasn't just chilly, it was downright freezing!

They were all smiles and squealed a lot, but they got in.

Good grief--so cold!

My littlest bear opted to just hang out with us on the boat.  She's a smart cookie.

It was a fantastic afternoon in my happy place.  With my mama.

The next morning I woke up to all sorts of homemade cards.  They were all so sweet.

This one might have been my favorite, though.
Sweet Lila took her time making it just perfect for me.

I'm so happy to call this cuddly, outspoken, hilarious little 2 year old my baby girl...

and I think her sister is pretty awesome, too.  She's made of sugar and spice and everything nice.

Even though this kid gives me plenty of gray hairs, he is still the one who made me a mom, and I love him with my whole heart.

We ended our day with a cookout at the Hayses.

The sun was out and we had such a nice evening with the whole fam.
A happy Mother's Day indeed!

Dance Portraits

It's almost recital time again!  Dance portraits were taken this past weekend, so I got to see Miss Lila in her two costumes.  The verdict is in--they are adorable!

First up, her tap photos.  She will performing a routine to Hey Mickey.  It's so darn cute.

There is no doubt that Ashley, Lila and Brooklynn are going to steal the show!

It's been such a fun addition having Brooklynn at the same dance studio this year.
She and Lila make a great team.

Bippity Boppity Boo was up next--their jazz costume.  I love it, too!

Impressive heel stretches for 6 year olds:)

Kindergarten Cuties--one of Lila's BFF's.

I simply cannot wait to watch our little girl dance her heart out in a couple of weeks!

The ABCs of Cami

All about Cameron--she's growing up way too fast right in front of our eyes.  She is funny and smart.  The perfect combo, in our humble opinion!  She will tell you that she's also cute and strong--modest has not yet been mastered.  Being able to hang out with this little spitfire is one of the greatest joys of my life.  While I was getting ready this morning, she treated me to a tap dance.  How can you not love that?  She joined me at lunch today with a friend and was SO entertaining.  She asked Jenny, "so, how was your weekend?"  And then she showed her The Cami--Cameron's signature dance move that is sure to take over once it gets discovered.  Jenny loved it!  She then proceeded to tell Jenny all about our upcoming trip to the beach.  She said she will "splash in the water, look for crabs with my flashlight, and play in the sand."  This girl always has big plans.

She is becoming more girly by the day--often spraying my perfume on herself and wearing one of my necklaces around the house.  I asked her if she would like to wear a sundress today and after we put in on, I held her up in front of the mirror.  She was so pleased with it, that she stood on the bathroom counter and swayed around, saying, "it's so pretty!"

The baby days are definitely fleeting, and though she still loves to snuggle, the times that I rock her to sleep are getting much less frequent.  It's such a bittersweet time.  I love that she's becoming more independent, but y'all, that's my baby!  

Cameron Nicole, you are one of God's most precious creations and I simply adore you.  I treasure every single one of your hugs and kisses.  You are full of love and bring out the biggest smiles from everyone in our family.  Now if only we could get you to sit in your seat during meal times, we'd be set!  Oh well, I guess it's always good to have goals. I have no doubt that one day you'll turn into a little lady that lunches at Chocolate Angel, just like the big sister you look up to.