The Summer of 2013 Recap

I am just now realizing how incredibly behind I am on updating the blog with our "happenings". After looking back at all we did this summer...no wonder I didn't have time to blog! I thought I would try to hit the highlights.

Heading into the summer, I was determined to have fun and make it memorable for all of us! Mainly since this was our last "quality time" with Jonathan before he started Kindergarten!!!!

I am so happy with what were able to do! Zoos, Aquariums, Parks, Ponds, Lakes, Oceans, Pools, Splash Pads, Museums, Art Camp, Music & Art Camp, VBS, Movie Theater, The Circus, Family, Friends, Birthday Parties, Road Trips...and so much more!

Swimming became Jonathan's favorite thing to so this summer! {Big check mark off this Mommas to-do list!}

We ate good this summer! Corn and the cob and smores was just the beginning!

Dallas Zoo with Cousins and Best Buds!

Nature Walks with Best Friends!

The Fort Worth Zoo. Monkey's looking at Monkey's!

The boys helped with our garden...we let this one grow a little to long.

Diggin' up dino bones! At the FW Science and History Museum.

Running the Groceries at the FW Science and History Museum.

Calling Dr. Ewert...it could totally happen! At the FW Science and History Museum.

Ben says, "Look mommy! Foot steps!" I don't know why, but I just really, really love it!

We did lots of projects at our art center. J is coloring his Batman cape.  

Jonathan and Taryn, not Ben, went to Art Camp for 2 days and did AMAZING!

Jonathan's free-hand whale! This one is a framer! 

Visiting Great-Grandma and Gran.

There is always time for silliness...

He discovered that this thing has food in it!

This guy had a noticeable growth spurt!

Again with the silliness!

 

Music and Art's Camp at Church. Jonathan was picked to "jam" with these drummers that came one of the days. It was really cool!

Bird watching.

Fort Building.

Trouble Making.

Pirate-Batman cuteness!

Lego building!

The shirt says it all!



Jonathan memorized the book, "The Giving Tree." And took every opportunity to read it!

So Jonathan decided that the Magnolia tree in our front yard was "his" tree. This made my heart so happy. I child's imagination jumping off the pages into real life! Maybe I am being sappy about the tree thing (pun intended).

 

Reading time, every single night, and always will be!

 

Feeding the ducks at our local pond.

Playing with old friends from Pre-School.

 

Meeting new friends at the playground and playing a quick game of soccer!

 

This was the official last day of summer. Once again, I was being sappy and had to take a picture. The boys were playing trains in J's room and getting along so well. I wanted to remember this moment forever!

Kemah 2013

On our way home from Galveston, we decided to detour a little to stop at Kemah for a couple of hours. We had fun! We road rides! We got really hot! We left! Love that place, can't wait to go again!

The boys were playing with remote control boats.

Two Story Carousel!

Jonathan was so excited to ride the Farris Wheel!



Sweet Boy...going up!

On the Farris Wheel! Going up!

View from the top! Houston Bay (I think)!

He was so excited to be on that Farris Wheel!!!!

Next up was the train!!!

Benny and Daddy on the train!



Then we rode the carousel! We had to go straight to the 2nd floor! J wanted the Zebra!



Benny was tired and thirsty, as we found out right after this, but at least he is still smiling!



This was the last ride before we left! Both boys, all by themselves! I was very nervous! But they had fun and landed safely!

Summer Trip to Galveston 2013

We had gone back and forth on weather we should or could go anywhere on a trip this summer. And thankfully we were able to pull together a quick escape! Galveston has always been Michael's and my choice for a quick trip to the beach. This trip will have made our 7th time together (our 2nd time with kids)!

The kids had a blast! We had lots of swimming in the pool (which was J's favorite), playing on the beach (B's favorite), and eating good seafood (Michael and my favorites!)!!! We rented an apartment on the beach. It was awesome. We woke up, ate a quick bite, went down to the beach for a few hours. We splash in the waves and play in the sand. At lunch, the boys would go to the pool and I would go up and make lunch. I would join them, poolside, we would eat and jump back into the pool for a hour or so! Then we would go upstairs and NAP! It was Ben's nap time, but it was so nice, quiet and cold that we all ended up sleeping! It was nice! Then we would get up and go into the city for dinner and a drive or something! It was perfect! We did this for 3 days, wish it could have been more!

Sorry I haven't posted in while, after the trip, we only had a few weeks until school started! We were going, going, going every day to enjoy the last of our time together before KINDERGARTEN!!! I will do my best to get caught back up on all the super cute stories and pictures of the boys!

Oh and I miss-placed the camera I took on this trip, again, so I don't have all the photo's I took. These are all from my iPhone.




The Sam Houston statue is in Huntsville, TX. We always pass it on our comings and goings, but never stopped before. Well, Jonathan needed a pit stop, so we decided to make it into a touristy thing! It is a really cool statue! (That is us at the bottom, by the way)

The cool thing about this apartment, it has built in bunk beds! The boys loved having their own little space. (although, at night, Ben slept in his pack and play.)

Bunk Beds!!

I love this picture of Michael and Jonathan! They are such best buds! We are eating at our favorite, Shrimp'n'Stuff.

Me and my little buddy!

Daddy dug a hole and put water in it to start the process of building a sand castle...but Ben saw it as a perfect little spot for him!

Silly guy!

Michael's cool castle!

The new Paradise Pier, where the Flagship Hotel used to be.

Ben and me on the Ferry Boat!

We took the Ferry Boat from Galveston to Bolivar Peninsula. This is another Ferry that we passed along the way. The boys thought is was all so cool! 

We found an awesome beach with literally NO ONE on it. We went shell searching.

My favorite picture of the trip!

I loved the way the sand looked.

He loved walking in the water.

Back at the apartment ready to swim!!!

ONLY ONES AT THE POOL, only for a little bit, but it was nice while it lasted!

Jonathan pointed out these flowers and said they were beautiful. I told him that they were called Hibiscus. He looked at me strangely and said, "Hi-biscuits? That's weird." I couldn't stop laughing! So I made him go take a picture with them!

Lovin' the beach! Michael is flying a kite while the boys are running to catch the shadow of the kite!

Crashed hard at nap time!

Poor guy, he had to be tired to take a nap! He is with his favorite pal, Lamb.

 

For dinner that evening we went to the Fisherman's Wharf. This was my favorite evening. The weather was perfect, the boys were great, the food was amazing!

Hollywood stole my sunglasses!

The birds are pretty aggressive at these water front restaurants. While it is a bit annoying for you and I, the boys thought they were AWESOME!

Me and My Love on the deck at the Fisherman's Wharf!

Jonathan didn't believe that they were "real" fish.

After dinner we walked the Strand in downtown. We took a horse drawn carriage (Those pictures are on the missing camera). Then we went to a sweet shop! The boys got a cone of chocolate ice cream and Michael and I shared a chocolate milkshake.

 

Chocolates, Chocolates!!!!! But, sadly, the chocolates I bought melted on the way home and then they were too gross to eat, so I threw them away. :-(