Artist In-Training

I couldn't resist this photo opportunity...Q painting in the nude.

The Proof is in the Fruit

Q & I took a pic of our first red tomato. We've been doing such a great job of watering, we thought we better have some proof that our green thumb actually exists.

Good Times

This morning we attended two birthday parties. The first party, for Nixon (above in orange), was at JW Tumbles...a children's gym. The party had a giraffe theme, with a cool giraffe cake and matching masks. Both Q & R had a great time sliding down slides, walking on balance beams, crawling in tunnels, and swinging in swings. Q even went on a zip-line....three times!!! Tons of fun!

The second party, for Taylor, was at Pump it Up...a giant indoor inflatable play zone. R had already passed out by the time we got to the second party, so no pics to share. I sure wish I had a picture of Q going down this MASSIVE SLIDE! We went up and down a dozen times and also enjoyed another jumpy toy, but the slide was his favorite.

Happy Birthday to Nixon & Taylor!!

Poolside Relaxing

Here are the kids enjoying a cold beverage after a fun Friday morning.

Perfect Date

Q & I had a quiet morning together at our local Children's Museum, while R hung out with Miss Courtney. We dug for dinosaur bones in the excavation pit, designed a few masterpieces in the art center, and rooted for our favorite turtle in the "box turtle race". We even arrived early enough to watch the bearded dragon eat his morning meal -- earthworms. Pretty cool!

Zoo Tuesday

We headed down to the Houston Zoo again this morning. It was a lovely day to be there. A storm was brewing overhead, which kept the sun hidden and the humidity down.

Q said his favorite part of the day was seeing the monkey exhibit -- I personally liked the baboon. R loved the last-minute stop by the aquarium. Our friend, Courtney, adored the giraffes!

Butterfly Kisses

This morning we traveled down to the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was a sight -- 100's of butterflies flying around, hovering over flowers, and sipping fruit juice. Inside the glass structure, we were taken aback by the humidity; it was a tropical rain forest setting.

A few pics on the different species we examined. There was a particular type of butterfly that utterly enjoyed R. I wondered whether they were attracted to the brightness of her dress. The kids weren't still long enough to have one land on them, but they enjoyed watching them flutter by.

BCS Spoiling

Time with Grandma & Paw Paw is always fun!

On a side note: With one child, getting a great smiling picture is super easy. When the second child enters the scene, simultaneous smiles are easier said than done.

Catching Up

En route to CS yesterday, we stopped by CJ's new home to visit for a bit. She has two cats and one dog, all of which Q & R adored...perhaps a little too much. Thanks for being such good sports Buzz, Junior, & Bud!

A Blur

We woke up Friday morning and decided to make the walk over to Mimi & Papa's house again. It seemed a bit shorter this time around, probably due to not stopping in the park. A swarm of day-campers were taking over so we decided against it.

Q & R hung out with Mimi for a few hours, so I could get in a bit of "me-time"....I needed to shop for a wedding that I was attending that evening, which by the way, was absolutely beautiful!

We're heading to CS tomorrow to visit Grandma & Paw Paw while J prepares for his trip to Dallas. We'll be back for more summer details on Monday...I think we'll go to the Butterfly Museum.

Fun in the Sun

The kids swam hard this morning after running a slew of errands with Mom. What is it about fun in the sun that tires you out so easily?

While jumping off the side, Q accidentally went under water. He came up bubbling a bit and took a time-out on the step before recovering. Before we left, he was back to the jumps we like to call "cannonballs".

Another day awaits us this week. What will we do? I love having the freedom to explore the world around us.

Good night for now. I'm pooped.

$1 Fiasco

This morning we went on a short walk to the park to do our daily dose of swinging and sliding. Afterwards, we headed to our local movie theater for the $1 "Summer Clubhouse" special. Today's showing of "Happy Feet" packed a full house. We arrived early to get our tickets and a good seat....good thing to do b/c every kid in town was at this show. We lasted about an hour before Q had to go to the potty -- Have I mentioned that we're potty-training? He's been doing so well with both #1 and #2, so I thought we better head out at the slight mention. They were both restless with the penguins at that point anyway.

We stopped by the pet store on our way home to visit our hermit crab friends. I noticed the temperature and humidity gauge while there....100 degrees in the aquarium with 40% humidity. If you recall my previous hermit crab post, you'll know that we definitely killed the first group of critters.

Stay tuned for more summer news...

New Job

Yesterday was my first taste of being a "stay-at-home-mom". With summer vacation here, I get to experience this awesome opportunity. It's not a cakewalk people, but it sure is fun!

We began our morning with an adventurous walk to our neighborhood park, then proceeded on to Mimi & Papa's house....I'm not sure how far this is...3 or 4 miles perhaps. We stayed there for an hour or so, swimming in the pool and soaking up the rays, then trekked back to the house for a picnic lunch and nap. The afternoon was spent with a few crafts.....gluing macaroni noodles onto letters of the alphabet and eating homemade popsicles.

Today, we drove to our Houston Zoo to take advantage of our membership that R was given for her birthday. (Thank you Mimi!) We saw tons of animals -- the lion & lioness were sleeping under a tree, the zebras were removing flies with the swoosh of their tail, the monkeys were "ooh ooh aah aahing", and the snakes were slithering in the AC. Q loved it all! R has happiest when she saw a bird walk by!

The kids are now down for a nap, while the laundry awaits nearby. Maybe today we'll make "Fruit Loop" bracelets...

We're Back

The kids and I had a grand time in Kentucky, visiting with Great-Grandma and the cousins. We captured a few memories to share.

We had to visit a nearby park to get in our swingin'....

And our slidin'.....

We even did some relaxin'....

Man's Best Friend

While browsing through Mimi's camera, I found this picture of Q & Scooby and couldn't resist posting.

Finally Here

Tons to catch you up on...I'll simply bullet a few of the important matters....

-- J got a new job!! YIPPEE for Daddy!! He'll be starting a new medical sales position in a week or so. We are so thankful for his friend Matt for introducing him to the company, and for Papa & UB for helping him prepare for his interview.

-- My last day of school was Friday!! "School's out for summer!" (sing along in your best Alice Cooper voice)

-- Q & R's last day of school was also Friday!! They will be starting a new school on September 1. We are so excited for this move; anxious and nervous, but excited.

-- Leaving for KY in a few days to visit with Great-Grandma and the cousins. Can't wait to see everyone!!

Farewell

Gigi's last day at school was Wednesday....Q's last day was Friday.

Hugs & kisses to you dear friend! You will be missed!