Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Photos from their trip

(from Mom's camera)

A surprise appearance at Uncle James's 50th Birthday Party






The beloved splash pad (they talked about it for two years, since our last summer visit to Pawpaw and Manah's house)







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The girls are back :)

This little guy was getting hungry and tired when the girls arrived around lunchtime, so they didn't quite get the grand welcome. But when he woke up from nap he was SO happy to see them.

He went up to Gloria and gave her a giant hug...


then asked her to put his shoes on for him. Now, that's love. So cute.


So happy to be together!

They're on their way!

The girls are one their way back this morning. I am so excited to see them!

Did I miss them like crazy? YES!!! More than I even expected.

Did I get a lot done? YES!!! I cleaned, sorted and organized the bedrooms and cleaned the whole house...among other little things.

Am I exhausted? YES!!!

Stephen has missed them too. He frequently holds his hand out, palm up, and asks, "Where Allia?" or any one of the missing sisters but her name is easiest for him to say. I think he will be excited to see them again. He has enjoyed his time in the limelight though. Lots of play time with Mommy, snacks and drinks right away when he asks, and a few trips to the park. Fun!

Here is one little project while they were gone. When we visited Corpus Christi for Memorial Day weekend, my MIL had these buckets on the table with silverware, napkins, salt and pepper, etc. so the table did not have to be formally set for every meal. I have been hoping to find one and finally did find one that is just right for us Saturday evening at World Market...and at 50% off! Yay! The ceramic trivets add nice color to the display and are there ready to accept hot dishes.



Don't get me wrong, I like having the table set for meals, cloth napkins and all. But a mother of a large and growing family has to keep her mind and eyes open for simple ways to save time and energy. I tire of getting up and down at meals to fetch a fork for someone who dropped theirs or a spoon for the salsa, knife for the mayo, etc. Now it is all there at the table when we need it! So if we are in a hurry, we can just throw some plates on the table, and we are ready to eat!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Off they go

We sent our three sweet girls off to spend a few days at Pawpaw and Manah's house on their own. I sure will miss them (and I bet Stephen will too!)



Friday, August 26, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Rain!

We finally got some rain! Yay! We played in it all morning. It was almost miraculous!




Sunday, August 21, 2011

SEA WORLD!

WE - HAD - SO - MUCH - FUN!!!

This trip was promised to Mariana by Austin, who has been dying to go to Sea World since the day Allia was born, when she stopped sucking her thumb. Once we figured out how expensive it was going to be (and we had coupons!), we decided to make it a big birthday celebration for us August/September birthdays. This made it extra fun because we packed our own lunch, snacks and drinks (saving billions...the park food is really outrageous) and then left at the end of the day for a nice dinner out where we sat and let someone else serve us. It was luxurious. The second night we went to Maccaroni Grill, one of mine and Austin's favorites and one of the few restaurants we don't have here in town, and even got a birthday song, free cake, and a few desserts we ordered too. Mmmm. ;)

Day 1
Just arrived...so excited!


Big splash house










Our first show...it was awesome. The animals were doing cool tricks right in front of us, but the people tricks were even more amazing!



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I took this video for my sweet Godson...here is your next trick, Andrew!














Next show...Shamu








Austin went on this one with the girls, which is the roller coaster that makes a big wave in the water at the end. Gloria was even able to go and was so brave! This was the last ride for the first day.


On our way out of the park, Mariana turned to Austin and said, "Daddy, I have never had so much fun in my whole life!" Too cute!

With no nap (I hoped he would take a little one in the stroller, but he was way to interested in all that was going on!), this little guy fell asleep the minute I buckled him in the car. Really. We had not even loaded the stroller up or started moving yet. Sweet boy!


Day 2
We began by Austin and Allia hitting the Steel Eel (a BIG roller coaster that she was actually tall enough to ride) and me taking everyone else to feed the dolphins, which we all loved!

Steel Eel


Dolphin feeding








Eye to eye






After feeding the dolphins, we went to see the fish and sharks in tanks. Gloria had been looking forward to seeing sharks for weeks now!


Finally, the sharks...


Then four trips down the lazy river later...gotta love fun for the whole family. All smiles!


Sister buddies rode the big water slide together


I was originally planning to take this guy back to the hotel for a nap the second day, but he was soooo tired he just conked out in the stroller right after lunch. So we all got to stay the whole second day too. :)












What a fun, blessed trip we had. It was really just perfect! And now we are back to rest up a bit. Whew!