In November the boys and I decided to tag-a-long on a short business trip with Weston. He goes to court in Corpus Christi often and since I had never seen the "best beaches" this side of Texas, we decided to check it out. We had a fun little weekend. We hung out in the hotel and had so much fun relaxing on the beach. The boys ran races, found seashells, jelly-fish, a dead eel, a bunch of dead fish that looked like pirana (we google searched and found they are some time of snapper referred to as "pirana of the gulf") and lots of abandoned logs from beach fires. We also went on a long walk down the beach. The beaches and water were prettier than Galveston and the weather was perfect! We even saw several dolphins on the ferry ride on the way back home. We had such a fun time. We are excited to plan a longer trip there this year. Here are some pics for your enjoyment!
Weston's mom and sister came to visit us the second week of October for about 4.5 days. It's always nice to have visitors and we were happy that Lacey finally decided to come visit us for the first time since we moved from Utah almost 9 years ago! We know she really came for Misty but its ok, we still love her anyway. ;)
She brought along her little girl Astoria. It was our first time meeting her and she sure is a sweetheart. It was fun for me to see little girl things spread about the house while they were here. We were so happy to get to spend time with them all. As you can see we took them to our favorite place - The Beach!
"spear fishing"
Sand Castles
The weather was perfect.
I was still recovering from surgery so I just relaxed with Oliver all day.
It was a really nice break for us all.
This was Oliver's first time at the beach. He loved it.
Getting to know Ya Ya.
Can you tell Astoria know's exactly what a camera is? She's a diva alright!
She was so cute in her little ruffle suit and sun hat. :)
The last day they were here I talked Lacey into going on a walk with me. Jan & Weston went on a gas station run for drinks. Weston was dying from thirst and claimed he could not walk without a Diet Dr Pepper. They came and found us and offered us treats and beverages. Jan got out and walked with us from there and Weston joined us by driving along side us at 2 mph.
Yes, Jan was mooning the camera but lacked the courage to drop her drawers in day light. The next day we took them to see the Houston Temple but we had to bribe Jan with candy bars to keep her lady like manners in check. ;) Thanks for coming out Jan & Lacey! We sure enjoyed your visit!
Last month we took a little labor day weekend getaway to visit our good friends the Anderson's in Austin and Weston's sister (and fam) in College Station. After a lame summer filled with the end stages of pregnancy, having the new little one c-section and complications wazoo...
we thoroughly enjoyed our time away.
Swimming at Barton Springs with the Anderson's.
Oliver had his first little dip.
It was so hot...I felt bad for the little man.
If anyone knows Weston....they know that when he gets hot, he gets grumpy. After the springs we went to eat at the Hula Hut...a restaurant right on Lake Austin. Still a little grumpy we ordered and when the waitress brought Weston his beverage in this larger than life glass.....
all grumpiness dispelled and he was oh SO happy. It's the simple things. :)
The Hula Hut
Picking out our future boat parking space at the dock on Lake Austin.
In Austin, under the congress street bridge lives the largest bat colony in the US. At peak season, which is the end of August, there are anywhere from 750,000 - 1 million bats which live underneath. We have been waiting to take the boys since last summer and smokes was it worth the wait! It was one of the coolest things we have seen in a very long time. It was amazingly magical. Check out the video below. :)
Watching the bats fly underneath.
Here is the video- If you are receiving this via email you need to go to our blog to watch it. This video is a little small so if you watch it on YouTube you will be able to see the clouds of bats better. :)
NEXT STOP was the BIG TOP candy shop. Yes, it too was magical. Any candy you could ever think of plus 100 times more. In addition to a full service ice cream and soda parlor, fine chocolates and old fashioned shaved ice. We spent a ridiculous $28 on candy but it was worth it.
I was so bummed. I had been looking forward to getting my delicately shaved ice but when we got there they were out. We thought of you Ronna and then we came back the next morning to get our fix! :)
Next stop was onto Larry & Misty's house in College Station. Weston had been there helping them unpack their truck but it was me and the boys first time. We had a fun Whataburger picnic under a shady tree at the George Bush Museum and had fun walking around seeing the sights.
Cute cousins.
Mayson loves little Oliver and snuggled him every chance she could.
It was so great spending time with friends and family.
Just read this Winnie the Pooh book the other day with my boys:
"Some days can be kind of bland,
For reasons we don’t understand.
And so we droop and slump along,
Not knowing how to fix what’s wrong.
No activity’s appealing, While we have that ho-hum feeling.
Then friends arrive and ring the bell,
And just like magic—all is well!
Oh, how wonderful life can be
When instead of 'I', there is a 'we'.”
I love it and it is so very true. Life is much better when shared. (:
On September 11th we had the opportunity to bless Oliver! I finished his blessing outfit just in time and thought it turned out precious. I have made all my boys blessing outfits from the same basic pattern but each one is a little different. I make them each out of white linen. For O's I added a collar and pockets. I also had it monogrammed on the front. Weston gave a really thoughtful blessing and we were happy to be able to share that special day with close friends and family. Weston's dad was here from Utah and his sister Misty and family drove down from college station as well.
Priesthood in the circle:
Weston Hall, Lynn Hall, Larry Kalke, Kevin Fronk, Jereck Boss,
Scott Challburg, Rico Maranto, Elder Hunt & Elder Axtel.
Oliver was a perfect gentleman during the blessing.
He is such a sweet boy and we are so grateful to have him in our family. :)
Afterward, the cousins ran around crazy, eating like hungry monkeys and
gave our play structure a serious run for its money. :)
Warren greeted Ben first thing that morning with several homemade gifts which included....
A warm and fuzzy, one dollar, a dinosaur ring, a bakugan and
his very own (and very prized) soccer medal. Benjamin was tickled.
Oliver tried very hard to stay awake for festivities but sleepiness prevailed.
Warren also helped me make soccer cupcakes for him. He also decorated the house with streamers and even made a homemade pinata out of crate paper and his lunch box.
He was so sweet to try to make Ben's day fun-filled!
(Click here to view the video)
For his birthday he wanted was a football (pictured in his hand), soccer cleats and to go to CiCi's pizza.
It was a really fun day. We are grateful for Ben and all the happy energy he brings to our home.
(Warning: This is the first of several various "end of season"posts....Kindergarten & Piano recital to come!)
Warren had another fun soccer season this Spring. He really enjoys playing and worked very hard this season. He was often found in the backyard "practicing" with Ben. He's more of a recreational player but it has been fun to see him grow over the last two seasons.
Throwing the ball in...
He was more confident and even tried to steal the ball a few times...
Aunt Misty was here from Cleveland on a house hunting trip and she got to come to his last game!
He was so happy to have her there. :) She also came with us to our stake picnic later that day. I was grateful for her willingness to do the gunnysack races with Warren. ;)
End of season party equipt with the EVER exciting soccer cupcakes!
Benjamin our "ball boy" was also very impressed.
Proudly displaying his "official" soccer medal with his teammates and Coach, AK Suggs.
