After the rain....

After the rain, we got the nice cooler temperatures of autumn and this surprise:

Of course, Jack wanted us to run down the street to find the end.  Fortunately, it left as quick as it showed up.  No running to look for it- thank goodness. :)

Soccer anyone?

Yes this takes up a lot of our time:  SOCCER.

The season is almost over and it couldn't have happened sooner - thank goodness. I am soccer'ed out.

Here are the munchkins doing their best:

 This girl is awesome at soccer.  She is fast and has no fear.  The only thing holding her back this season is a team that is not up to her level.  She gets a bit frustrated with their lack of skills. Oh well, she is awesome.

He is not a lover of soccer.  He is not as fearless as his sister but the boy loves to run.  So, he plays forward now so he can run the length of that field as fast as those long legs will take him.

We will be taking off from soccer in the spring.  Decided fall is enough.  After a long winter with rainy weather all the time and it getting so dark so early, once spring comes they hate to go to practice.  They just want to play outside.  So, this spring we will do just that- PLAY. 

bubble time

Sophie has been trying to learn how to blow a bubble..look what she accomplished today?

 

Way to go girl..I told you just keep trying.

National Night Out 2011

Our little historic district had National Night Out on Tuesday.  It was so hot but it went well.  Kudos to Ashley Jewell for the AWESOME job she did planning and executing it.  Only one thing needs to change- we need to have ours in October like Texas does- it is too dang hot to have this kind of thing in August.

There was a food tent for all.

Of course my daughter who hates hot dogs informed me that she hates our hot dogs that Mr. Paul does them great.

Ashley made things for kids and the theme was Pirates - arrrghhh.

Can't go wrong with this now can you?

Two of my favorite guys just talking..dad and son.

And nothing would happen in this neighborhood without the ever giving couple:

Mike

and his better half- Nancy

Thanks to all those who helped and came out.  Yes it could have been cooler but it was fun all the same..here's to next year - hopefully in October.

till the next get together - tammy

Summers over...for us anyway.

Well we did it. With only 5 weeks of summer vacation due to kids being on a year round school calendar we did our vacations with a week to spare.  

We left for Texas the day after school got out - June 11 for 2 weeks to visit with hubby's family.

His parents live on Lake Belton so the kids had a field day - kinda made it hard to come back to living on land without a lake:( 

We did a bit of this:

 and this:

and got to hang with the cousins:

yeah those Texans are a bit out there but we love them anyway.

I hit lots of stores while shopping with my bestie - Liz.

We hit up Winnie and Tahlulas, Binky LaFayes, Martas shop, Spice in Waco, Bloom-n-Bee, The Fredericksburg trade days, Austin City wide garage sale and more.

I'd love to say I got lots of photos like I promised but it was hotter than a witches patootie and lugging around that camera just didn't happen. Sorry.

After our 3 day drive back from Texas we had 2 days to unpack, repack and then hit the road for the beach trip over the 4th of July..

lots of time for bikinis and boogie boards: 

time for brother and sisterly fun if not love :

time for craziness and just plain old fun:

time for sparklers:

and more:

even those that are too cool to hang with family at the beach never outgrow sparklers:

After the beach we got home and had 10 days till school started.  We had a house to clean after being gone so long, a yard to mow, and unfortunately an infestation of fruit flies to conquer and kill.  We did it all and still managed to have some pool time, just laying around the house doing nothing time and of course school supply shopping.

Today school started up and who would have thought it was merely two weeks ago they were living in bathing suits ?

My new first grader all in pink - her choice- Sophie

And my third grader - funny little man- Jack.

I am back to crafting and will be sharing as I go along..

Only 74 days till my October 1 show..

Glad to be back.

jammed up?

This is a bit of what we did over the weekend?  

Freezer strawberry jam...it is yummy.

What fun things did you do?

So proud of my kids

Thank you so much to all of my blogging friends who are sending out tons of prayers our way.  It is wonderful how you are there when we need you.

My community is blowing my mind right now. 

There are three groups that have started face book groups to serve all these tornado victims and it is amazing the out pour of support. 

I said to a friend that communities usually come back stronger from events like this and that it is times like this that put 

"neighbor" back in "neighborhood".

All of this hasn't been lost on my two youngest either.  They heard that yesterday a pocket of people were found and the children had not eaten since Saturday.  That really made them sad.  They said we need to do something. And we did.  We went through all our closets and made a huge pile to donate so these kids would have clothing.  

They went through their toys to give these children some hope.  

And today we went to the town north of us and we bought diapers, wipes, food, water, personal hygiene items and we bought items for Easter Baskets.  There is a group that decided these kids have lost everything and their innocence and childhood should not be one of them. 

So, we are making baskets for all these children so they are happy on Easter. My kids were so worried that the Easter Bunny wouldn't know where to find the children so we made 10 baskets..

Getting that assembly line ready to go:

 Next comes the grass:

 Now lets start loading them up:

 Here are our finished baskets:

Gotta say it again- 

I am so proud of these two..