School's Out!

Today was the last day of school for Aidan and Bryce.
Amanda met them at pick-up with these cool leis, sunglasses, and squirt guns! (in case you didn't know, she's just the *coolest* mom!)
The boys had a great year at school-- it's always a little sad to see the end of a grade-- especially for Bryce who's graduated from Miss Michelle's *amazing* Pre-K program-- but the boys are sure happy to have some time off to enjoy the sun and spend some time at the pool!

Boys of Summer

With the start of the new school year just a few days away, Aidan and Bryce are soaking up as much of the last bits of summertime fun as they can...

It must be summertime..

Does anything say summertime like this...?

More from the Fair

A few more pictures from our trip to the Williamson County Fair.

Aidan and his friend Jake rode with me on the Ferris Wheel
The boys take a rest after touring the farm

Aidan and Bryce on the Dumbo Racer ride

Aidan, Bryce, Jake, and Zoe all ride on the "Rockin' Tug" boat

The kids all riding on the mini-coaster

Fun at the Fair

We packed up the kids and some bottles of water-- we're in the midst of a pretty serious heat wave here-- and went to the Williamson County Fair yesterday morning.

Highlights included-- getting to sit up on some very LARGE farming equipment, meeting the largest Texas Longhorn any of us have ever seen, going for a pony ride, and-- drum-roll please-- Aidan's first ride on a real Ferris Wheel!

Here's the photographic evidence...

Touring the grounds..

This past weekend, Aunt Laura took the boys on a trip to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, where they're having a display called "Once Upon a Garden", with outdoor installations based on 10 classic children's stories...

More of the beach bums!

More pictures and a couple of little video clips from today's trip to the beach...

Sunday Morning Beach Bums

We just got back from a day at the Beach!

We packed a few picnic snacks and drinks in the cooler, grabbed a few pool floaties and beach toys and met one of our neighbors at a beach on Percy Priest Lake.

We got there nice and early this morning (around 9:00), so we more or less had the place to ourselves for most of the morning.

It took the boys a few minutes to get accustomed to the moving water. The Park Service has put buoys and ropes marking off the swimming area-- the big orange marker in the picture is at about 4 feet deep in the water, so our boys knew to stay on the near side of that. There's a fair bit of boat and ski-doo traffic beyond the far outer buoys-- and that makes for some good waves... and once the boys got used to seeing and feeling the water move like that, they were right into it! Bryce was practically body surfing in his little blue circle float!

Once the boys had gotten wet, we set down to the business of building a sand castle.. which turned into a small castle compound. Other highlights included burying Mama in the sand, taking a break for lunch, swimming some more, playing in the sand some more... well, you kind of get the idea!

If you can believe it.. during the ride home this afternoon, Aidan asked "When we get home, can we go to the pool?"

Fourth of July Part 1

Our Fourth of July this year came in two phases.
Phase I: an afternoon picnic (once it got cool enough for anyone to set foot outside), complete with slip-n-slide, with the neighbors..
Nothing says July 4 like a Nathan's Hot Dog!

Blaine and Aidan on the slip-n-slide..
Aidan gets ready for another run on the slip-n-slide..
Big splash!
Blaine..
Maddie..
The babies (Blaine's brother, Drake and Maddie's sister, Riley)on the lawn..
Have a popsicle and a smile..

Happy Fourth of July!

Gone Biking and Scootering

Aidan's friend, John, gave him his old scooter the other day and Aidan's been learning how to ride it.
The boys went for a spin around the block with Aunt Patty at Gramma and Grampa's house this afternoon.