Canyon Lake

10 adults + 9 kids (7 years old to 1 year old) + a cool lake house = great fun!!!

This was our 4th Annual Friends River/Lake trip, and once again, it was full of laughter, silliness, and overall fun! Every year, the biggest issue of our trip is where we will stay. We all look and search on the Internet forever looking for "the house". Every house we have had so far have worked, but none have been perfect. We would love to find a house that will work every time, every year! Carl and Sonja found our house this year on Canyon Lake, and it was as close to perfect as we have found so far. The best part about it was that every family had their own bedroom, and there were plenty of bathrooms. Another great part was that there was a huge eating area! We could actually all eat at the same time this year. Last year we had to eat in shifts or on the floor. The bad parts were that it was a little dirty, and the stairs leading down to the pool were pretty rickety. Other than that, it was great!

We got there on Thursday, and we were greeted by a sweaty little guy who apparently lived there and "cleaned" the place when nobody was renting. He was really proud of the place, and he gave Kacy and I the grand tour. We hung around the house and waited for everyone else to get there. Once the Hrobars got there, we decided to take our first dip in the pool. The pool was great! There was a really shallow area that Adilyn could stand up in, so it made swimming a lot easier for her. Everyone made it by dinner time, and we all had a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, a man drowned in the lake right in front of our house that night, so that was really sad. We all watched the boats and divers look for him; it was strange and heartbreaking to witness. We were going to take the kids down to the lake to explore right before all that happened, but we decided to just wait until Friday. Thank goodness we didn't go down there

because we might have actually seen it all happen! That would have been a memory that I wouldn't have wanted any of us to have to experience.

Because of the situation in the lake, we decided not to swim in the lake on Friday. We went down to the Guadalupe to swim and play around. We were not expecting the water to be so ridiculously cold! The Guadalupe River is always chilly, but this was almost unbearable. We had a couple tubes, so we just floated around and played in the water. Adilyn had the most fun playing the the mud with a bottle cap and a stick. Kacy's favorite part was riding around in the tube with Cory. Adilyn had her first turkey and peanut butter sandwich (she created it and said it was delicious)! That night we swam in the pool some more, cooked Cory's "famous" chicken, watched a movie, and hung out around the house.

Saturday, we decided to swim in the lake, and it really wasn't too bad. A couple of our floats got away, so I volunteered to go after them. I was a little nervous, so I took a noodle just in case. I will say that when I got to the spot where we saw the divers, I got a little nervous, but I retrieved them safely! We had another fun day playing with playdoh, coloring, watching more movies, swimming, playing some outdoor sports, and just hanging out.

On Sunday, it was time to head out. It's always a challenge getting everyone packed, cleaning up the house, and just loading everyone up; but once again, we succeeded!

Some of my favorite moments:

*Kacy loved Luke. She always wanted to know where he was, who he was with, and what he was doing.

*It was hilarious watching Isaac with the girls. Each day, he choose another girl to hang around. He would play with them, tickle them, and just be super cute with them.

*Adilyn sat at the piano with Mike for a while listening to him play and "helping" him play.

*The Hrobar boys were very interested in Emily's princess castle. Every now and then, you would catch them dressing up princesses or playing with the Barbies.

*I love watching Adilyn swim. She is so proud of herself, and that makes me proud of her!

*When we were walking up from the lake, I looked up ahead. Adilyn and Isaac were running and holding hands. Love that these kids get to grow up together.

*Kacy really thought she could hit the baseball all by herself, and she would not let anyone help her! My little stubborn one :)

*Adilyn was so careful and nervous about Luke (only 1 year old) getting small pieces of her toys.

*All the older kids were in one room watching "Pocahantas". I don't know why, but it was really sweet to walk in that room with all of them quietly watching a movie in the dark.

*Talking with the girls about all our pregnancies/deliveries, etc. I love sharing those moments with other women who have been through it. It makes me feel like we all have this special bond or something.

*Having adult conversations when the kids go to bed...we don't get to hang out and chat with adults very often, so it's nice to be able to actually talk without being interrupted.

We are so lucky to have such good friends to hang out with! It's so nice to be comfortable being yourself around people. Can't wait for next year!

You Have a Funny Way of Saying That!

I remember Adilyn saying things funny like "book-a" for book, and "strawba-bears" for strawberries. As any little two year old does, Kacy says things wrong, too.

The best is that she likes to end lots of words in "tee"...

ponytail = "ponatee"

bracelet = "bralatee"

necklace = "nelatee"

Adilyn is my little Kacy translator. If I don't understand something, she can usually figure it out. Another great thing about having an older sibling! :)

The Dentist

Last year when I took Adilyn to the dentist for the first time, I was not very impressed with the dentist. He came in with his mask on, and he kind of freaked Adilyn out. So, needless to say, we were done there! I asked Dana were she goes, and she recommended her dentist. I wasn't about to start searching the Internet because there are way too many choices! I just went with it, so we had our appointment today. I tried not to make a big deal about it, but I wanted to tell her what she should expect. She seemed like she was okay with everything, so I was feeling optimistic. We had to wait for a pretty long time, so everyone was getting antsy. Once we finally got in the room, Adilyn completely freaked out! She wouldn't even sit in the chair by herself. I had to sit in the chair with her in my lap. I guess it was completely normal because the dentist didn't seem to mind at all. She kept saying, "I'm scared." in this sad little voice. I kept trying to calm her down, and the dentist was amazing. Adilyn did let her clean her teeth and put "princess vitamins" on them. She refused to let her squirt water in her mouth, but the dentist was fine with that. I felt so sad for her, but I really liked how she was able to tell how she was feeling. She didn't just cry and close up, but she could actually tell me how she felt. It was heartbreaking, but I felt so proud of her.

Kacy, on the other hand, was great. I guess it was because she saw Adilyn go first. She just sat there in my lap with her mouth open like a pro! Both girls' teeth got a good report, but the dentist told us that they shouldn't be drinking juice too much or eating fruit snacks. Ooops!

Kacy's Favorite Sayings

1. "Ready, Mama!" She will say this when she is about to jump off something, run really fast, about to jump, trying to do something funny, or anything else that she thinks I need to "ready" myself for. The best part about it is that she screams it over and over until I simply say, "Yes."

2. "Otay? Otay?" This wouldn't normally be funny, but she says this anytime anybody coughs, sneezes, or even sniffles.

3. "Why, Mama, why?" Of course, she says this anytime I tell her that she can't do something. My favorite part is that she says it with the most pitiful voice ever!

4. Anytime we ask who tooted, she always says, "Me!"

5. My favorite is "Move back!"This is hilarious because she says it when she is going to the bathroom. I don't know if she just wants her space, or what, but it cracks me up every time!

I love 2 year olds, tantrums and all! :)

Pictures from our Fun in Funkytown

Publish Post

Fort Worth Fun

The girls and I went up to Fort Worth for a little summer fun with Pops and the crew up there. We stayed very busy, but we had tons of fun! Saturday, we went to the Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth. There was a little Children's Museum area which the girls loved. Their favorite parts were the "hospital" part where they could take care of the babies and drive the ambulance and the wind tunnels where they put their homemade party hats on it and watched them shoot up to the ceiling. It was hilarious to watch their faces as they got so excited to watch them fly! We went to grab a sandwich for lunch, and Brandon happened to be there with his friend! That night, we just hung out around the house. Sunday, everyone came over to play. Of course, Adilyn and Kacy had fun playing with Taylor. We also got the baby pool out, and let them play around in the water which they all loved! Terilyn played in the same pool as the big kids, and she kept getting splashed and bumped, but she could care less. That is one easy-going kiddo! Monday morning, we went over to my friend, Laura's house. We played and visited there for a little bit. We had planned a fun day with the Mastersons on Monday afternoon. There was a little fun kiddie pool in Arlington that we wanted to check out, and it turned out to be so perfect! It was about 2 feet deep all the way around, and in the middle was a little playground thing that had water shooting out of it and a couple of slides. Adilyn got right up there and went down the slide; I couldn't believe it! There was water pouring down from the slide, so I thought it would make her super nervous, but obviously it didn't. She had so much fun! Taylor loved running around in the water and jumping off the play structure. Kacy and Terilyn loved splashing around in the water and going through the little waterfalls. There was only one scary moment when Adilyn grabbed Kacy's feet as she was going through a tunnel, and Kacy went head first into the water. I dove through that tunnel faster than I ever thought I could move. Luckily, Kacy holds her breath pretty well, and she was just fine! It was great to spend some extra time with everyone because we usually are so rushed on our quick weekend trips. Tuesday, Pops, the girls, and I went to a Pump It Up bouncy place in the morning. We all had so much fun. Pops got in there and bounced with the girls, and we all went down the slides. There were a couple boys there that were not so nice, and bugged us, but I got "teacher" on them and told them to stop. One boy took a purple ball that Adilyn wanted to play with. I told her that she couldn't have it because it technically wasn't hers, but he kept teasing her with it. He kept walking by her with it, and she was sad and crying a little bit. I told her to leave the bounce house with me, and I promised her that he would drop that ball within a minute or two. She asked me why, and I told her because he only wants it because she wanted it. Sure enough, the minute we left he dropped it and got out. Kids are so crazy! That night I got to go to an exercise class at the Y with Brandon, and it was really good! After that, we went to a movie. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit! The next day we met Lindsay and Noah at a splashpad, and then we headed home. It was a great time! I loved being able to spend a little extra time with Pops. He is such a great father and grandfather!

Princess Ballet Camp

Adilyn has been going to a Princess Ballet Camp this week for two hours each day. I thought that the class would actually teach them some ballet moves, with a few princess-type activities mixed in. I didn't really know what the protocol was for these camps, so I figured that I would stay the whole two hours. I got there just in time for the class to start, and there were no parents in the parents viewing area. Obviously, I was wrong about staying. Adilyn was nervous, as she usually gets in new situations. It was heartbreaking me for to watch her be nervous. She was participating, but she was kind of in the background just hanging by herself. I just wanted her to jump right in and be silly with the other girls, but that's not her. She wasn't crying, and she didn't seem at all upset about it, so I guess she was having fun. I was there when they all came out for craft time, and then I felt kind of awkward. I felt like I was being an overprotective, hovering mom. Anyway, she said that she was having fun, so I left it at that. After watching the majority of the class, I realized that it wasn't really a ballet camp. It was more of a dress-up, princess, craft, and twirling class. She hasn't learned any type of ballet moves or anything like that, but she has had tons of fun! She has gotten more and more comfortable everyday, and now she is right in there with the other girls. I hate to watch her be timid or seeming uncomfortable, but as long as she is having fun I shouldn't care! I sure love my princess ballerina with all her fanciness and cuteness :)

Learning Time

So, I had all types of ideas for the summer. Goals, projects, and other big plans...I have now realized that summer is already half over, and these summer dreams have not yet come true. The biggest failure has been Adilyn's "learning time". I really thought that she would sit down with me for at least 30 minutes a day and do some sort of learning activity. My goal for her was to learn to write all her letters in capital and lowercase. She can trace them all, of course, but I wanted her to be able to write them on her own. Well, we are at "Dd" and it has not been going well! Every time we sit down to do it, she acts like she can't do it, sometimes she doesn't even know how to hold a pencil anymore. Amazing! I have tried rewarding her for doing it, taking things away for not doing it, sitting with her and praising every little thing she does, but nothing works! I have tried doing it in the playroom, in the kitchen, on the couch...nothing! I have come to the conclusion that she is just ridiculously stubborn! She doesn't like to be told what to do. We were working on her C's, and she didn't want to write the letters, so she drew rainbows all over the paper. She said the rainbows were "like C's." I tried to explain to her that yes, they were like C's, but they weren't the right way. She said, "I like them like that'." Yesterday, I was determined to win the battle. All she had to do was trace A-D and write 2 on her own. It took 25 minutes of battling, but finally I won. She did it. I felt proud of myself, but then I wondered...what is this doing to her idea of learning? I want her to want to do it. I want her to listen to me when I ask her to do things. But, in the big picture - is this making her dislike school work? Is she just struggling with me because she wants to do it her way? As a coach, I always tried to stay away from using running as a punishment because I didn't want to ruin the bigger idea of running as exercise for them later. I wonder if me forcing Adilyn to sit and "do learning" as she calls it will make her dislike it later? I tend to believe that she is just being stubborn, but it still made me think about what is really important.

Our other goal is Adilyn learning to swim. She is doing really great in the water, except she doesn't put her head in the water. As we have learned, (even though we already knew) it is pretty difficult to swim without putting your head in the water. She is learning to tread water like a champion, though. The girl can sit there and tread water/doggy paddle for at least 30 seconds! She will jump off diving boards to us, and she will jump off the side and put her head under, but she just will not do it while she is swimming! Again, her stubbornness shows. She says, "I can swim without putting my head in the water." Oh boy!

One goal that we actually did accomplish was her riding her bike. She is using training wheels, but she can actually get out there and keep it going for a while. Before, she kept getting stuck, and wouldn't push down hard enough to get it going again.

So, 1 out of 3 isn't too bad, I guess! Maybe next summer, I will just make one goal, and work on that one thing!

Fort Worth Fun

The girls and I went up to Fort Worth for a little summer fun with Pops and the crew up there. We stayed very busy, but we had tons of fun! Saturday, we went to the Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth. There was a little Children's Museum area which the girls loved. Their favorite parts were the "hospital" part where they could take care of the babies and drive the ambulance and the wind tunnels where they put their homemade party hats on it and watched them shoot up to the ceiling. It was hilarious to watch their faces as they got so excited to watch them fly! We went to grab a sandwich for lunch, and Brandon happened to be there with his friend! That night, we just hung out around the house. Sunday, everyone came over to play. Of course, Adilyn and Kacy had fun playing with Taylor. We also got the baby pool out, and let them play around in the water which they all loved! Terilyn played in the same pool as the big kids, and she kept getting splashed and bumped, but she could care less. That is one easy-going kiddo! Monday morning, we went over to my friend, LauWe had planned a fun day with the Mastersons on Monday afternoon. There was a little fun kiddie pool in Arlington that we wanted to check out, and it turned out to be so perfect! It was about 2 feet deep all the way around, and in the middle was a little playground thing that had water shooting out of it and a couple of slides. Adilyn got right up there and went down the slide; I couldn't believe it! There was water pouring down from the slide, so I thought it would make her super nervous, but obviously it didn't. She had so much fun! Taylor loved running around in the water and jumping off the play structure. Kacy and Terilyn loved splashing around in the water and going through the little waterfalls. There was only one scary moment when Adilyn grabbed Kacy's feet as she was going through a tunnel, and Kacy went head first into the water. I dove through that tunnel faster than I ever thought I could move. Luckily, Kacy holds her breath pretty well, and she was just fine! It was great to spend some extra time with everyone because we usually are so rushed on our quick weekend trips. Tuesday, Pops, the girls, and I went to a Pump It Up bouncy place in the morning. We all had so much fun. Pops got in there and bounced with the girls, and we all went down the slides. There were a couple boys there that were not so nice, and bugged us, but I got "teacher" on them and told them to stop. One boy took a purple ball that Adilyn wanted to play with. I told her that she couldn't have it because it technically wasn't hers, but he kept teasing her with it. He kept walking by her with it, and she was sad and crying a little bit. I told her to leave the bounce house with me, and I promised her that he would drop that ball within a minute or two. She asked me why, and I told her because he only wants it because she wanted it. Sure enough, the minute we left he dropped it and got out. Kids are so crazy! That night I got to go to an exercise class at the Y with Brandon, and it was really good! After that, we went to a movie. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit! The next day we met Lindsay and Noah at a splashpad, and then we headed home. It was a great time! I loved being able to spend a little extra time with Pops. He is such a great father and grandfather!

Copy Cat

Even though Kacy is super independent, and she wants to do everything her way how and when she wants to, she loves to copy people. She will copy Cory and I, but her favorite person to copy is Adilyn. She wants to wear a dress when Adilyn changes into a dress. When Adilyn dances, she dances. Any time Adilyn runs, she runs. Sometimes this is a good thing, like with potty training. Other times it's hilarious, like when she gets mad at me when Adilyn is mad at me. The funniest part about her copying her big sister is that it never comes out quite right, but that what makes it so dang cute!

When Adilyn dresses up, she always says, "Mama, look at me!" I then, tell her how beautiful she looks or how wonderful her dress looks on her. Just the other day, Kacy dressed up and said, "Mama, me! Mama, me!" Now, she goes around saying it all the time. "Daddy, me! Adilyn, me!" So cute!

Maybe for my 5 Year Old Birthday???

I think one time recently Adilyn asked for something, and I told her that she could get it for her next birthday. Now, every time we see something she wants, she automatically says, "Can I get that for my 5 year old birthday?" My answer is always, "Sure, I will put it on the list." This could be an extremely long list by the time next June rolls around. :) I don't think she understands that these things could go on her Christmas list, which means she could actually get them 6 months earlier...

Summer Confusion

A couple of weeks ago we drove by Adilyn's school, and there were kids playing outside. She said, "Hey, why are my friends at school? It's summer!" I explained to her that some people still go to school in the summer, but she doesn't go because I am a teacher and I don't work in the summer. She thought for a moment, and then said, "Hmmm, well, can I go and play with them somedays? Because I miss Abby." It was so cute to see that she actually missed school. It made me feel good to know that she doesn't hate or dread going to school.

I had a dentist appointment today, so I took them to school this morning. Kacy cried a little, but thank goodness her favorite teacher, Ms. Irma was there to dry her tears. Adilyn was fine, but still a little confused. When I reminded her that we were going to school today, she said, "Oh, so summer is over now?" Thank goodness, not! We still have 5 more weeks of FUN!!!

I have never loved summers as much as I do now that I have my sweet little sidekicks to play with all day long! I feel so blessed to have this special time with them.

A Little Fashionista!

This summer has been so much fun to be home with the girls and Cory! There have been some seriously stressful moments, but overall, it has been great to be home and spend time with them. One of Adilyn's favorite thing to do this summer has been playing dress-up. We have lots of old "fancy" dresses, and we got some new ones from the Michigan crew. Now, she doesn't just wear one dress because that wouldn't be nearly good enough...it's dress after dress after dress after dress. The girl will sometimes wear 7 or 8 dresses in just a couple hours. It's not like we are having a fashion show either, she just wants to wear different dresses. She also loves wearing her fancy little high heel shoes, and the other day she said, "Man, these shoes kill me!" I told her that she didn't have to wear them, and she replied, "But, they are so cute!" Oh my...

Kacy, Do Do!

Our little one has become so independent in the last few weeks, it's so awesome. :) By far, wanting to do everything on their own is one of the most annoying phases for me. It's especially annoying when they actually can NOT do half the things that they want to do on their own. For example, climbing into her carseat, pour her own milk, cut her food, etc. Anyway, to lessen the irritation factor on this phase, Kacy screams, "Kacy, do! do!" whenever she wants to do something on her own. Little does she know what she is really saying!

My other favorite thing she says lately is, "Kacy's turn" every time she wants to do something that Adilyn did. She will say it over and over until she actually gets a turn! That girl is persistent!

4th of July Fun

4th of July is always pretty low key in our life. We don't have any traditions or family parties, but we still like to do a little something. The last two years we have gone to the Katy Mills fireworks show. I remember the first time we went was when Kacy was 5 days old. We went down there with Dad and Kris who were in town to help. Kacy screamed bloody murder all the way home because she was starving! Then, last year we couldn't agree where to park, and we ended up being so far away, it was barely worth it. That being said...the fireworks show was not very high on our list. We were going to go to Tomball, but they canceled theirs because of the drought. We had decided to just watch the fireworks on tv and hang out around the house. Sounded pretty boring, so luckily we got invited to the Griffins house for fun in the pool and lunch. We had a great time swimming and hanging out with everyone! Adilyn saw Isaac swimming, and she decided that she should try it too. She did so good! She finally put her head in the water, and she was swimming about 10 feet to us, jumping off the diving board, and just having fun in the water. We got Kacy to actually get in her little floatie thing because Hudson was wearing his. Talk about positive peer pressure! It was a really fun day. We got home, watched a movie, and watched the fireworks from New York on tv. No traffic, no parking problems, just us and our couch! Adilyn danced to the music, and we tried to explain the 4th of July to her. After we told her that was the United States birthday, she said, "Is he gonna have a cake?" Perfect ending, to a perfect day with the family :)

My Future for Next Year is Revealed!

The last day of school, I heard a rumor that I might be going to teach 7th grade English at a junior high that I didn't particularly want to go to. I wasn't too happy about that, but I hadn't heard from HR, and it wasn't August, so I wasn't too worried. A couple of days later I saw an elementary PE position post online, so I jumped on it. I emailed everyone that I knew that might have an influence on me getting at least an interview. At 8am, the very next day, I got called for an interview. It was at a great school down in Cinco Ranch area, and it would have been perfect! The interview was the shortest interview in history, so I left feeling pretty doubtful. Days went by, and I never heard from the principal. I pretty much knew it was a done deal! Then, about a week later, I got a call from another principal wanting to interview me for yet another PE position that had opened up. Long story, short, I interviewed there and was offered the job that day! It's for elementary PE at a school about 6 minutes from our house! I have never worked that close to home, so that will be perfect. The job opened up because the guy that was transferred there ended up getting the job at the first school that I interviewed at. It all works out like it is supposed to, I guess. The only problem that we face now is if I love it there, where do we move? The school is not the best situation for the girls to be in for junior high and high school, so we would have to move into Katy ISD, but into an area that is zoned for one of the better schools. Kind of a mess, but it's definitely doable! At least I know where I am at, and I will have another easy year as far as grading/planning goes. The only problem that I might face is my teaching partner. I know how it feels to work along someone difficult - not fun! Oh well, I will hope for the best :)

More Thoughts on Kacy...

Today, I was watching her, and I started thinking of a few more things that she does that makes me smile. If you ever just sit and watch her, she makes the most hilarious facial expressions. Sometimes she does it to be funny, but other times it's just her being herself. It's awesome to watch her and try to figure out what the girl is thinking! Another thing is she likes to say things over and over and over until you acknowledge her. She will stay on that same thing until she gets the response from you that she is looking for. Another thing, although she is pretty violent and agressive at times herself, she loves to point out other things that are "not nice"! Adilyn was in timeout for hitting me the other day, and I heard Kacy's little feet pitter patter down the hall. I heard, "Not nice, Adilyn, not nice!", and then she ran away. The dogs were fighting the other night, and she yelled, "Not nice, Willow, not nice!" When I went to put her down to sleep in Michigan the other night, she said, "Kacy's bed, not nice." Obviously, it doesn't always translate correctly! She loves being funny, and anything that she does that makes us laugh, she will continue to do. Last thing, she has the most genuine smile and happiness about her sweet little soul. If nothing else, I sure hope that lasts for her lifetime. There is not much that a little laughter and joy can't solve in the world!