Just keep swimming!

Last week Emma had swim lessons in Troy with our good friends, Buzzy and Kathy Gover. This was her first time to take lessons.

The first couple of days were rough. She was not a fan and wanted nothing to do with putting her face in the water :/

By the end of the week she decided that swimming was so much fun! Go Emma Go!

Popsicles were great incentives :)

I had a swim diaper in the car so Owen got to swim today! I will definitely enroll him in lessons next Summer.

Family Getaway

Happy Birthday to America! After church on Sunday we headed north on I35. After lunch in Waco and a quick kolache detour in West we were on our way. Our first stop was to visit the Hill family in Arlington. Brandon and Jarrod traveled together for a year as state FFA officers in 1998-99. Jarrod also attened TAMU with Brandon & Gara. It's hard to believe that it had been over a year since our last visit. Their son Travis is 8 weeks older than Owen and they had a fun time playing together. Check out these patriotic pals:

Next we checked into our hotel near the DFW airport. Since the night was still young we decided to hunt down the nearest Baskin Robbins...my favorite!! Before bedtime we watched fireworks from the top floor of our hotel. Emma enjoyed this display because we couldn't hear them! Here are some photos I took of the kids that evening. Owen was pleased to meet a new friend in the mirror:

On Monday we went shopping and Emma enjoyed her first ride on a carousel. Because I have weak stomach and equilibrium issues, I stayed behind the camera while Jarrod rode with her. She loved it :)

The Grapevine Mills mall is HUGE! We also made a quick stop at the Hillsboro outlets. Both kids got a couple of Fall outifts and Emma finally got some new Nikes. We were fortunate enough to be crossing I35 paths with my good friend Mandy! We visited for a few minutes at Starbucks and it was nice to finally meet her boyfriend, Arron!

Sibling Rivalry

Emma and Owen have recently started "fighting". Usually Owen wants something that Emma has and she is not willing to share or pay attention to him at that moment in time. It is cute at this stage, but I know what comes next (my bro & I used to fight like CATS & DOGS)!! This clip portrays their personalities perfectly :)

Army Crawl

Last week Owen started army crawling. He is on the go!

Taking a stroll...

One of Emma's favorite toys is her doll stroller (thanks Blanchards)! She pushes it around the house all day long. During Owen's nap time I have to kindly remind her over and over again that it is too loud....and as soon as she hears him peep she starts pushing again! Everything rides including baby dolls, stuffed animals, Elmo, and even her little brother (with our supervision, of course)!

Here is Owen at 4 days old.....

And here he is at 8 1/2 months:

What a big boy!! Tonight he was wiggling and giggling with delight as Emma pushed him (a little faster than she probably should have) all around the house! It is so much fun to watch them enjoy one another :)

Independence Day Eve

We began our Independence day weekend festivities by attending our local fireworks show just after dark on Friday. Emma never meets a stranger and enjoyed running around with a group of kiddos. Earlier in the week I had picked up a big tub of glow sticks for $1. I had a feeling they would come in handy :) I put together a few bracelets and a necklace for Emma and asked if she wanted to share with her new friends. She took the idea and ran with it! She eagerly gave one to each of her new friends and it was so much fun to see them have fun as the sun went down. Before the show started, a few of her little friends came over one by one asking for an additional stick. Sweet Emma was so selfless and gave to her new friends without considering otherwise. I had such a proud moment as a parent watching her practice kind acts toward others. Sometimes it's so easy to not share when you are 3 1/2 years old ;)

As excited as Emma was about fireworks, she was definitely not a fan once they started. She seemed to like them last year so I'm not sure what happened! She ended up falling asleep
on her daddy's shoulder before the show had concluded. Owen was the one I worried about fussing about the fireworks but to my complete surprise he just sat in his carrier and watched the whole time. It's amazing to already see the similarities and differences in the kids :)

This morning we woke up and bright and early to travel to the annual Bell county parade. It has been a tradition in my family and the only year I remember missing was the Summer I spent in Spain. It rained right before and right after the parade and we got lucky!

After the parade we enjoyed lunch at my parents' house. Jarrod's cousin Kirsten and her son Zachary spent some time with us this weekend. My grandmother "Memaw" is in town visiting from west Texas.

Four generations:

Tomorrow after church we are headed to the Arlington area for long overdue visit with good friends. I also look forward to some shopping :) It will be our final family getaway before football season is upon us......

Grandma shower

Tonight my good friend Sandra and I hosted a "Grandma shower" for my Aunt Donna. We both LOVE planning parties and finally had one that wasn't specifically a "playdate" for our kiddos :) Donna's daughter Chassati (my cousin) is due in just 18 days! Miss Aniah, we are so ready to meet you :)

Here we are with the lady of honor!! We did a fun girly pink/purple/bead and boa theme!

Here are our favorite little princesses doing what they do best.....

And here are our handsome little guys hanging out.....


It just so happens that some family members were in town visiting from West Texas. We were so glad that they could come to the shower :)