Camping at the Beach

Man, it's been a while since I've posted - I thought things were going to slow down some, but that hasn't been the case.

Over the weekend we took the camper down to the beach for a little fun...we did have one heck of a storm Friday night with hail and winds that wouldn't quit, but other than that it turned out to be a beautiful weekend. And the park we stayed at was awesome - it had splash pads, play grounds, pools (one with a swim up bar), laundry, nice facilities, and lots of kids which was great for my two! Our spot was literally right at the splash pad and play ground so it was the perfect spot for us...Michael and I could sit and relax at the camper and watch the kids play.

The park had a lot to keep us occupied, but we definitely had fun at the beach, too! The water was cold, but that didn't stop any of us! The kids played in the mud - and by kids I mean my two little ones and my big one...okay, and me too - and jumped waves for hours!

And Michael played Boy with a Grill and made up a yummy dinner of these guys - and let's just say my kids are now huge crab lovers! They nearly ate 'em all up!

We came back home Sunday and that afternoon ended up getting rear-ended...not once, but twice! How in the world do you hit someone twice! When I felt the second impact I really thought that someone else had hit the car that initially hit us, but there was no one behind her!! I asked her how she managed to hit me twice and she said I swear I hit the brakes. I honestly think she panicked and when she thought she moved her foot to the brake it was still on the gas. Needless to say I'm in a rental while my car is being repaired. Aaron went with me today and I think he made quite an impression on the lady helping me this morning - she was smitten with him! But I can't really say that I blame her!!

I am just glad it was only cosmetic damage to my car and that no one was hurt. Her car had a lot of damage - she hit us so hard that it busted her radiator - immediately there was antifreeze all over the road when we got out to see about everything.

It didn't ruin my Mother's Day in the slightest, though - I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with my family and I know we'll make more trips to this park in the future, too. I hope you all had a great one, too!

Emma - the awesome big sister!

Now I've told you before that my daughter totally rocks - well, she rocks the big sister role, too! Sunday she made me super proud of her when she stood up on the playground for her little brother!! Some other little girl thought she could push Aaron around and not give him a chance to play b/c he was "too little" - welllll, I am just here to tell you that I watched Emma put that little girl in her place!!

 Man - I'd give anything if I had had that on video - she did not hesitate one tiny bit and even had her hands on Aaron's shoulders protectively and kinda moved him to her side so she was right up in the little girl's face! Watching her stand up for her little brother was one of my proudest mommy moments!

We had a very fun and full weekend - something going on every day just like it's been for the past couple of months. This proud mommy moment happened while we were at a festival - the kids had a great day and I let them indulge in everything!

I loved watching the two of them having such a great time together - Emma helped Aaron each time they went up the rock wall on the big maze...

And my brave girl had a blast jumping, too...

Once Aaron saw Emma he was ready to jump, too but by then the line was extremely long...so we opted for a silly string fight instead!

We all had a good time - fun, food, lots of music...the kids didn't stop the entire time we were there...

Love these happy faces! They are just the best thing I've ever done in my life!

Take me out to the ballgame...to watch football players!

Saturday was such a fun day for us...and I think it's gonna be the first of an annual event for our family, too. We (Houston) have a phenomenal defensive player for the Texans in JJ Watt. The man is pretty awesome - his foundation does so much to help kids.  

Saturday he hosted a softball game - Texans offense vs. defense - and raised over $300,000 for the charity. This money was earmarked to help middle school kids through after school sports programs.

I found a cool video from the game through his site, too...check it out!

My kids are big Texans fans - stands to reason living in the house with their father!! They had a blast. Aaron got his football autographed by some of the players, including JJ Watt - I don't think daddy is going to give him back his football now, though! :)

Waiting on that autograph!

Got it!

Cheesing for pics with the football...and Emma had her picture taken with the SWAT Team...

Toro was there and even took a turn at bat and time to sign autographs for the fans!

I think the players had a lot of fun - they were dancing in the outfield, had a fake rush on the mound, had a rapper for their manager...what fun their job must be!

Wonder where we can find this big glove!

Michael got to see his favorite player up close & personal, too!

Cushing is still in rehab so he just coached first base.

And Schaub took out a fence, but made the catch!

And of course, the cheerleaders were there...though only for a minute actually. They just came out to announce the players then they were gone again...

These were a few of my favorite shots...we were close, but next year we're buying tickets the day they go on sale and hopefully get some right behind the dugout. There was a lot of signing going on there!

It was a wonderful day out. We were gone all day, but it was all fun & everyone slept very well that night, too! Friday we were actually gone all evening, too. Michael's company hosts a crawfish boil every year and this year it was Friday...bounce houses, bull rides, pinatas, candy, games...it was a full evening as well!

So the kids had a full weekend, needless to say!

Lately every weekend seems to be that way - we haven't had an open day on the weekend in about 6 weeks now I think. I'm ready for some down time! But it sure was fun!!!

Randomness

I've been lagging on my posts as of late...no real reason except life is busy - which is probably true of most of us these days.

I've had a break from cooking a couple days a week b/c of crossfit - Michael takes dinner duty those nights and he and the kids usually go out or something - last night, though even though I didn't have crossfit I got another break! Came home to daddy grilling it up for us - surf 'n turf style, too!

Thanks babe! It was yummy, too!!

Also - about three months ago I got ombre highlights on my hair -  it was very subtle b/c I was kinda nervous about how it would turn out. You probably saw it if we're friends on FB or if you follow me on Twitter. Well, a couple weeks ago I went back for more...a lot more!! I love it and think it looks awesome for the summer! I wore the same shirt yesterday from the first time I shared my new locks so I decided to show the comparison from the first time - what do you think?

Needless to say 2nd go round was a lot more noticeable!

And more random stuff - Michael went out of town last weekend and the kids take every opportunity to sleep in our bed - so these are the pics we took and sent to daddy early one morning while he was gone!

Please ignore my puffy eyes - it was early! LOL

They left me later that day to spend the night with their Teta & Geddo (my parents) b/c I had a wedding to attend - I went with a coworker since Michael was gone...it was a fun ladies' night out!

So, that's all I have for now - just odd & ends!! We have booked two camping trips for the upcoming months. We really enjoyed our first trip in the camper and can't wait to use it again & again - and hopefully have some more interesting stories to share, too!

Life on the Lake

Sorry I've been kinda quiet for the past week...we had a fun, full weekend out of town and since being back I've been so busy at work and home I haven't taken much time to post anything. I've got two photo sessions to share soon, but haven't finished going through all the pics yet.

This past weekend we took the camper to the lake for the first time and it was a blast! We took it up to my hometown and found a beautiful spot on the lake - this was the view when we walked out of the camper...

What more could you possibly want??

We spent a lot of time with family, fishing, and just relaxing! I am ready to take it out again...very soon! Michael is fishing in a tournament this coming weekend and we do need one weekend to stay at home after that, but maybe the following weekend we'll get to hit the road again. Aaron couldn't get enough of the fishing - looks like daddy is going to have a good fishing buddy on his hands! He practiced his casting all weekend.

Emma wasn't as into the fishing, but she loved being outside and near the water and exploring everywhere with me!

With work being so busy right now I'm thankful for the full weekends away from home to relax, too - relaxing isn't something I've been able to do during the week. And for whatever reason Aaron hasn't been sleeping through the night, coming to wake me several times during the night recently. I take him back to his bed a few times and eventually he ends up just sleeping the rest of the night in our bed...which means I haven't been getting much rest. And did I mention I've started crossfit? I go two nights a week right now - for about two months now. I really need to get a good night's sleep after all that work so I am praying whatever is making him wake up every night so much will remedy itself soon.

That being said - I've been up working tonight, but now that I'm done and was able to sneak in this quick post I'm about to shut my eyes and take advantage while he's snoozing right now! Pray he stays asleep tonight so mama can catch up on her Zzz's!!

Sweet dreams to all!

Overdue JellyStone Pics

I've  been lax in posting my pics from our trip to JellyStone Park! We had a blast and I had a lot of pictures to post - it's just been busy ever since we came home so I am finally getting around to it now.

Cabin 217 - one of the bare bones Boo Boo cabins - was our home for the weekend. The kids loved it b/c they had bunk beds, which was the coolest thing, of course!

And you don't go to JellyStone without meeting Yogi himself, right - or Cindy!!

Horseshoe Lake was a treat b/c the kids caught a ton of fish!! And Emma caught a turtle!!!

Emma was fine as long as she knew nothing yucky was touching her! Such a girl!!

My son on the other hand was like "Bring on the grossness!" Such a boy!!

Ewww...he even broke some in two to put on the hooks. Blech!

The pond was certainly well stocked and big!

 The kids also had a blast on this giant jungle gym...I've never seen one quite this big!

This was great for us, too b/c we could sit and relax nearby on a picnic table while the kids wore themselves out and didn't have to worry where they were b/c there was only one way in or out! Wish we could put this up in our back yard.

Daddy grilled us up some yummy dinners each  evening over the charcoal - and Emma sat down eat day to journal about everything she did!

At night we always had a campfire - I mean, you have to right?? It was a cool fire b/c we bought some stuff to put it in to make the flames change colors. That was a big hit!

And where there is a campfire, there are s'mores...right??

We made super, yummy, gooey ones with these giant marshmallows!

And with full bellies we would walk down the road to the log benches to watch a movie at night under the stars...that was one of my favorite parts!

The kids did brave the cold water one day - the slides were just too much for them to resist. We had to force Aaron out, though when his lips turned blue!

The last evening Emma decided to forgo the fishing for arts & crafts...so I went with her while Michael and Aaron went to catch some more fish. Fitting for my girl, she picked out the peace sign piggy bank!

Before kids Michael and I used to tent camp and loved it...the last time we went, though I was about 7 months preggo with Emma. We've wanted to go back, but I didn't want to go in tents with the kids. I thought a popup would be better and we've talked about it for a long time...well, after this trip we realized we couldn't wait any longer and finally bought one! Now we're ready for another trip back to this or any park! We are taking it out this weekend for the first time and I cannot wait. It's a very nice and roomy one, too and the kids think it's like a big playhouse at this point! LOL

I don't really know what it is b/c sometimes camping does take more preparation and work than going to a resort where you're catered to, but it's still much more relaxing than anything else to me! I can't wait for all the memories we'll be able to create taking the kids out to camp!