TCU Lake Weekend 2011

We had a blast. Everyone came this year (except Jackson who was finishing up his camp term at Kanakuk). Here are the cast of characters:

Red and Brian with Baker from Shreveport, LA

Anna and Sam with Catherine and Samuel from Denton, TX

Mandy and Shane with Birdie and Elle from Austin

Alison and Jason with Mollie Jane and Smith from Springfield, MO

Everyone arrived on Friday and we all had yummy Papa Murphy's pizza. It was so great to see everyone. The girls had seen one another in April in Vegas but we had not seen the kids and hubbies in awhile. The kids had a blast with one another and swam and swam. On Saturday all the grandparents and Alison's sister and brother in law and Anna's sister and brother in law all came out to see everyone and celebrate baby Elle's 1st birthday with a circus-themed party. We threw bratwurst and hot dogs on the grill and all the grandparents brought the sides. It was so fun! There were so many people there but the lakehouse holds them all with ease.

With most of the kids gone Saturday night (except Baker and Elle), the adults had some good margaritas and lemon drops courtesy of our bartender, Matt Risinger.

On Sunday we all slept in and Matt and I celebrated our 12th anniversary! He surprised me with some beautiful yellow roses. We all hung out with one another and I stayed in my PJ's until about noon and then went down to sunbathe in the water with my best girlfriends. It was heaven. For dinner that night we had the famous Shreveport steaks from Fairfield Grocery in Shreveport that I am still dreaming about as well as Brian's wonderful twice baked potatoes. We all sat around the table together and laughed and enjoyed each other's company.

I love each one of you girls and am thankful you are in my life.

Everyone got an early start home on Monday. It is always so hard to pack up and head home after such a fun weekend. We are already planning our next get together this October!

And Baby Makes. . . Half a Dozen!!!

Yep, we are pregnant! I am about 14 weeks and have told most of my family. It still seems surreal and I am just so glad to be beyond the yucky first trimester that really wiped me out. We are opting to not tell the kids just yet and plan to find out the baby's gender in a few weeks. The baby is due in early February.

To sum up our lives now Matt and I went to the Honda dealership to look at a Honda Odyssey today. It is hard to believe that we will soon have SIX people in our family. We are thrilled that God has blessed us with another child to love, raise, and share.

Matt and I have always prayed the same prayer for our children: "That this child would be happy, healthy, sleepy, believer-young baby."

John's 15 Month Stats

Height 30.75 in (45%)

Weight 25 lbs 9.5 oz (50%)

Head 46 cm (35%)

I'll try to dig up comparisons between all three and revise this post. . .

Our Week at Hilton Head, SC

I have to admit that I was dreading our week at the beach. It just seemed like it was going to be a lot of work hauling a 15 month, 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 year old to and from the beach every day - not to mention coordinating meals and sleeping schedules.

Although the week had its tiring moments, all in all we had a BLAST! I highly recommend the beach for anyone with small kids. They had a blast building sandcastles, running in the surf, riding bikes (Alivia on a tandem, and Will in a cart pulled behind me), swimming at our house pool and bonding with all of their cousins. The beach was a quick and easy 100 yard walk from our house on a paved sidewalk.

Matt's entire family joined us for the week. They included Bob and Ruth (Matt's parents), Rusty and Beth from Baltimore with their 3 boys: Drew (17), Zach (15), and Josh (13). These boys were amazing with my kids and are truly the sweetest and kindest teenagers I have ever met. They were a joy to be around and never failed to entertain and play with the kids who thought they hung the moon. And lastly Rob who has recently moved to Boston with his 2 kids: Sarah (20) and Nick (16). Alivia formed a special bond with Sarah during the week and they played so well together, too.

There was a bit of a surprise addition to the week when Rob announced that he had an 18 month old daughter named Sophie with his girlfriend, Shelley. They currently live in Milwaukee and joined us for 2 days.

We mainly cooked all meals since my kids are on such an early dinner schedule. I am looking forward to the days when we can be a bit more flexible with schedules and meals. We ordered yummy pizza from the Mellow Mushroom one night and went to eat a late lunch at The Salty Dog another day.

Overall, the kids were so good. We all slept in one room with John in a large closet. We were all so tired every night that everyone slept through the night without any problems. And once we figured out how to get a sound machine and night light into the closet with John, he slept like a champion - 2 2-hour naps every day and a full 12 hours of sleep every night. That kid loves to sleep (heck, all of the Texas Risingers love to sleep!)

The plane ride back got a little old simply because the novelty of flying had worn off long ago. That day we had driven 2 1/2 hours from Hilton Head to Charleston, flew from Charleston to Houston, Houston to El Paso and finally El Paso to Austin. Note to self - PAY MORE in the future to get a more direct flight. But as I mentioned, the kids did really well and we sat in the bulk head for the last few legs so John could get down and at least stretch his legs a bit.

Since we have gotten home the reality that summer is almost over has hit me. It is a mixed blessing. I am sort of looking forward to more defined schedules and cooler weather, but dread the chaos that the Fall brings with it.

The walk to the beach

Ahhh. . .the view when you arrive

Sarah and Alivia building sandcastles

John loved the sand and couldn't understand why we did not want him to drink the water

All the cousins (except Sophie)

Matt chillin' in our awesome pool

Alivia formed a special bond with Sarah

We rode bikes almost every day

Will loved riding in the "Bobcat"

Our final destination was always the same place - to get ice cream or Icees!

Eating lunch at The Salty Dog

Check out Sarah's beautiful blue eyes!

The whole gang at The Salty Dog

Rob's girlfriend Shelley and daughter, Sophie (18 mos)

We got Will a pair of sunglasses which he loved to wear - too funny

John had absolutely no fear of the water, which of course freaked me out

Visit from Mama T

Mama T (aka my Grandmother) came back from Fort Worth with my mom and dad for a few days entertainment by my kids. Mama T had a great time soaking in all the chaos and I must admit the kids were really good. We had lunches over at Mimi's house, Alivia and Will had a sleepover at the lakehouse with Mimi, Grandpa and Mama T. And today we headed over there for some playtime in the backyard with water and the sandbox. We love you Mama T!