TEXAS VACATION (two)

We were in Texas just a couple weeks shy of the year anniversary of Nathan's Grandpa's passing.  We took the kids to see his headstone at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery.  Such a beautiful place.  The kids were great in waiting patiently while their daddy took it all in and shared a few moments with his own dad.  It's breathtaking looking at the love and care that goes into the upkeep of the grounds.

My brothers and I have all managed to make some really cute kids.

And I must say...Pretty impressive! :)

Emiley, Caleb, Dayley

Brooke, Breanna, Carley & Cole

How on earth are my nieces

almost taller than me?

And I'm 5'10" for crying out loud!
Unbelievable. 

A visit to a humongous room full of bounce houses and such with Grandma and Grandpa.
Germs, sweaty pits, static attack and vinyl road rash...Now that's a rockin' good time!

 

  Dave & Busters

Brooke was annoyed with my picture obsession because she was too busy playing this horse game over and over again that she couldn't even read or understand what to do.  In the meantime, Cole won 1,000 tickets on a spinning wheel game and then got so unbelievably lucky on this throw-your-money-away grab machine.  The claw miraculously got hooked on the tag of the ball.

 

Fun times with the cousins and grandparents...

We love and miss them all so very much!

TEXAS VACATION (one)

Way past the point of anyone caring especially when I'm only 2 weeks away from putting up my Christmas tree but, I still just have to put up these pictures to look back on.  Our trip back home to Texas at the end of June included lots of things.  Here's the first couple of days...

We got in around 3 am and walked into our friends' Brett and Natalie's quiet house.  They left the door unlocked for us, as well as, a sweet little welcome note and mints on the bed.  Too cute!  That absolutely made me smile after such a long and uncomfortable drive.

 

We spent the whole next day relaxing

in the pool and burning in the sun.  A trip to

Texas wouldn't be complete without a 

sunburn...So I just "had" to do it.

 

 

Brett and Natalie introduced us to the Melting Pot.
A rarity for us to indulge in something that fancy but, hey, we were on vacation.

 This place is like a meal of magical merriment.

A Love Martini...Definitely LOVE...So yummy!

 

You cook your own food at your table.  You drop your vegetables and stick your skewer of meat in the the flavored broth of choice for a certain amount of time and tah-dah! Way too much food and entertainment while eating for one's own good.

Thank you so much Brett and Natalie for letting us take over your upstairs and come and go as we pleased!  You two are simply uhhh-mazing!

SWEET BROOKE

Brooke has officially gotten used to being drug around to her brother's practices and games.  She's following in her momma's footsteps.  I don't remember not liking going to my brothers' (2 of them) sporting events but, I'm sure I did my fair share of complaining here and there.

I do remember being very proud of them and wanting to watch everything they did.  I hope Brooke eventually feels that way about her brother, too.

For now...She loves getting candy at the concession stand and running around with other kids at the fields.  I don't let her go too far and she knows what to do when she hears "heads up" shouted from any direction. 

This child can be all girlied up and yet still loves to play in the dirt/sand.  She doesn't especially like to sit in it and get all dirty, she just like to make piles, move it all around and pour it into things.  And she's mesmerized by seeing it fall through her hands.  She absolutely loved the beach for that very reason.

 

As if these eyes weren't beautiful enough...

They also change colors depending on what she's wearing.

She looks so sweet and innocent, huh? 

COLE THE CATCHER

Even though many of Cole's pictures are very similar, they're very different to me. I sit right behind home plate and try to capture as much as I can on video and snap a few pictures in between. Each picture reminds me of how hard he works out there.  The catcher seriously is the hardest position to play because it's so physically demanding and draining on your body.

Watching Cole out there is so special to me. I don't like to miss anything he does out there or be distracted by someone talking to me...But of course, it happens because some people are mostly there to socialize.

And there's the interruptions by my sweet daughter that wants candy from the concession stand.  That's ok though because she has become so comfortable with running around and playing with other kids without being shy...And that makes it much easier for me to enjoy the game.

I put together some clips of Cole catching. There were so many more moments that weren't captured but, this is still pretty impressive...Especially since it's only his FIRST year of being a catcher and yet only his SECOND year of playing baseball...And at ONLY 8 years old! It really blows my mind. Check out my boy...

BLUE JAYS BASEBALL (1)

Cole was a whole different baseball player from last Spring to this Spring.  He made us so proud.  It's really unbelievable that it was only his 2nd year playing. 

Check out Cole batting, catching, and pitching.  Love Cole's throw out of the the runner at home plate.

I still have tons more videos to compile together but this was one of his more outstanding weeks...And his 1st time as pitcher in a game.  I about lost it when I saw him out there.  I was shocked that Nathan even let him pitch.  I was so nervous the whole time but it was a great feeling seeing him out there, too.  He did great and looked soooo big.  Evidently Nathan told Cole that if he hit well that game he could take a break from catcher and try pitching.  Cole earned it and was beyond stoked!