4th of July

Amelia's friends Kaitlyn and Ashley invited us to spend the 4th of July with them at their Grandparent's ranch in San Marcus. There was a huge pond for the kids to swim in, a zip line for the adults, potatoe sack races and other games and plenty of good food. Amelia and Elliott had a blast. She even jumped off the deck in the middle of the pond that was about 6 feet high. Man that girl is brave!

Another thing the ranch had was animals. They had baby deer, chickens, cows, horses and pigs. Elliott really enjoyed seeing all the animals. Everyone there was so nice. They converted an old schoolhouse into a guest house and invited us to spend the night there. Amelia and I stayed and Frank and Elliott went home to their own bed. It was fun for Amelia because that was the first time she got to spend the night with friends. At the end of the night we could see the fireworks from both New Braunfels and San Marcus and the girls ended the night by making a 4th of July cake. It was a very fun and special 4th of July. Thank you to the Soyars for welcoming us into their home and making great memories with us.

Elliott Swimming

Elliott went back to Infant Swimming Resource for his yearly refresher class and it started off bad just like last year. Same as before he wanted to do what he thought he should do and gave the instructor a hard time. He cried a lot the 1st week and refused to go from swimming under the water to floating. All he wanted to do was swim under the water. The Instructor was very good but saw how extremely stubborn Elliott can be. I kept telling her that she just had to break him and show him who was boss. He tested her for the 1st 5 days and finally on the 6th day decided he would enjoy himself and do what he was suppose to do. By day 9 he was done and swimming and floating like a expert and jumping in the water and smiling and having a good time.

Elliott is a fish and swims non-stop when he gets in the water. I have to limit his time in the water to 40 minutes because he goes non-stop. By the time I get him out of the pool his eyes are blood shot and he is tired but still refuses to stop. I am glad he is such a good swimmer and enjoys it but it does make me nervous.

Weekend at South Padre Island

The weekend of June 12th we went to South Padre Island with Frank's Parents and our friends Scott and Luinda and their twin boys Jake and Holden. Luinda's Parents (Fred and Yoli) were nice enough to lend us their condo for the weekend. The kids had a blast! They loved playing in the ocean and sand, fishing (at least they thought they were fishing) and flying kites on the beach.

On Saturday our friends Larry and Marissa joined us at the beach with their girls Isabella and Ava. Elliott fell in love with Isabella. Even tonight when I showed him pictures he just wanted to look at the pictures of "Bella". Amelia's favorite things were helping to take care of Jake and Holden and crab hunting on the beach at night. On the way home we stopped at a souvenir shop and Amelia bought a Hermit Crab that she name Hot Pink. So far so good, the crab is still alive. Elliott loved all the sharks at the shops and wanted them to eat him. Hopefully a real shark never gets a taste of him.

We had a blast at the beach. It was great to make special memories with our friends and family. Thanks again to Fred and Yoli for letting us stay at their beautiful condo!

Amelia's 1st Swim Meet and she WON!!!

Amelia loves to swim and she has gotten pretty good at it so we decided to sign her up for the neighborhood swim team. She is a Dolphin on the Colonies North Swim Team. At first we thought since she was only 5 it would be more like swim lessons but after the first day of practice we learned it was full fledge swim team and she would be competing in meets! Within one day they had her swimming the full length of the pool doing the freestyle stroke and back stroke. We had no idea she could swim that distance (I don't think I could without having a heart attack).

This Saturday, May 30, 2009 was her first swim meet. We told Amelia all she needed to do was try to finish and have fun. To our surprise she did that and more... She won both her races in the freestyle and the back stroke. It was so exciting and so much fun. I got really excited and think I was the loudest and most obnoxious yeller there. We are so proud of her and most importantly she is having a great time. She had a lot of support from her family and friends. Thanks to Grandma Rosie and Grandpa, Aunt Kristina, Cousin Daniel and Noah, Scott, Luinda and Jake and Holden for coming to cheer her on.

CHUMS End of Year Party

May 27th was the last day of school for Amelia. Amelia and most of the kids in her class have been together for the last 2 years and now they are going their separate ways to Kindergarten. The happy little bubble we have lived in for the past few years is about to burst!! Frank and I wanted to do something special for the kids so we volunteered to have the end of year party at our house. It turned out really well and the kids had a blast! We started in the backyard and the kids painted on the fence (Tom Sawyer style), played with bubble wands, in the sand box, on the swings and broke a pinata. After lunch we headed for the pool to cool off and really wear out the kids.

The CHUMS class is full of 10 wonderful kids and Mrs. Ginn has been the best teacher we could ask for. It is going to be hard for any teacher to fill her shoes. Here's to Kendall, Ashley, Fairen, Amelia, Brian, David, Ethan, Isaiah, Jad and Mrs. Ginn, we love you all and will miss you so much!!!

Mother's Day 2009

Frank is a really great husband. He did everything he could to give me a nice Mother's Day weekend. Saturday evening he watched the kids so I could go get a pedicure with my friend Jyl. While I was out he and the kids went and bought me a really nice juicer. I had mentioned wanting to get one so I could make fresh juice for us and it was waiting for me when I got home.

Sunday morning we went to Fiesta Texas for a couple of hours and when we got home I got to take a 2 hour nap (what's that??). We ended the day by having a juicing party with the kids. Amelia was very excited about making fresh juice so we went and bought a ton of fruit and juiced away. Elliott laughed hysterically every time we turned it on. I guess it makes a funny noise. I had a really nice day with the kids and Frank. I am so blessed to have a GREAT husband and kids. By the end of most days I am exhausted but it is all worth it and I hope to have a lifetime of exhausting days.

The Power Team Swim Party

This is what you look like after working very hard to score your first soccer goal!

We started off May 9, 2009 with The Power Teams soccer game. When I parked the van Amelia said to me in a very serious voice "Mama, I am going to score a goal today". True to her word she did! I have never seen that girl run so fast, she was all over the ball until she finally scored. I have to say that she reminded me of myself. Call it stubbornness, determination or anything you want to but when we set our minds to something we try our hardest to do it. I was really proud of her.

After the game we had an end of season pool party. It is the first time we have had a pool party and it went really well. Amelia had a ball and said it was the best pool party ever. Elliott had a good time to and even remembered how to float himself when he had to. Frank and Elliott were sitting on the pool steps and Elliott dove in the water head first and held his breath and remembered to turn and float himself. Frank was right next to him and he was totally safe but it was good to know he still remembered his ISR skills.