Our House: 06.2014

6.30.2014

Happy 8th Birthday

Happy 8th Birthday Jerry!!!

for some reason, you've been a popular photo subject recently

Olivia and Mason presenting birthday gifts :)

6.29.2014

When I finally saw them I couldn't stop touching them....Olivia finally told me to stop ;)

A HUGE thank you to Grana and Grampa for completely spoiling our kiddos the whole week we were gone. They went to the library, the zoo (twice), rode the train, went to sea world, parks, out to eat, shopped at stores, went to the movies, made slime, painted pottery....and countless other things. We know they aren't missing us because they are having so much fun, which is definitely a relief.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

6.28.2014

Last Day

Our last day :( which also happens to be my half-birthday. We celebrated lots last night and this morning I woke up to a fancy banner.

best.half.birthday.EVER

It was an incredible week, at a lovely resort. Compared to last year, Secrets Marquis is a much smaller resort. The resort was literally a stones throw from the highway, probably only covering four-ish acres (last year we had to take a golf cart just to get to dinner). The smaller size was nice because we got to know everyone around us, including the entertainment staff. We played volleyball, cornhole, poker, bingo, etc...and since we met lots of vacationers all the activities were even more fun. However, the smaller resort and seven nights was maybe too much...and we were all craving a little more variety in the food department or wishing there was another night bar that we could visit. The beaches/water was beautiful, but it's too rough to swim in (although who wants sand in their yummy drink...not me!). Would I go back? I would probably say no, just because I want to visit other places. However, I would recommend it as an affordable vacation for a quick getaway.

And if you are wondering what the catch of the day is....it's sea bass.

This was an amazing week!! We met Alana and Sean 3 years ago and became instant friends. When we decided to go on this trip, we knew it was going to be fun...and it definitely lived up to the hype.

Sad to NOT be on vacation...

but already looking forward to the next one!!

6.27.2014

Day 7

Our last full day....

there were massages, tequila school, too much food, half-birthday shots, Mexican coffee, fireworks, dancing, and an awesome time with incredible friends

6.26.2014

Day 6

6.25.2014

Day 5

On Day 5 we continued with our slower pace and went into town...did a little shopping, lots of watching, and found a perfect place to relax and eat.

6.24.2014

Day 4

so we slooooowed things down a bit today...this was my only picture?!?!

6.23.2014

Day 3

somehow day 3 topped day 2???

there are far too many pictures....this was our only day with bad weather...a two hour storm, which we played cards. The day continued with cartwheels in the pool with yoga instructors, Tim convincing the whole bar to sing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", dancing with nurses, and honestly...I don't remember what else.

6.22.2014

Day 2

Oh boy. Day 2 in Cabo wasn't lame.

This was the view from my chair....big knee, pool, ocean...

Watching some soccer

The view from our room...oh we are staying at Secrets Marquis

When we met up with Alana and Sean for dinner we noticed that we coordinated.

This is our Christmas card...we don't really know the other people, but we felt they should be included since they also wore relating colors :)

Tim managed to get himself on stage?!?!!!! He did a mexican dance, some shots of tequila, etc...

6.21.2014

Hello CABO!!!

For the next 7 nights we will be in MEXICO with these fun people.

6.20.2014

Foto Friday

Kids are in San Antonio with Grana and Grampa...we were too, but just left :) :) :)

6.19.2014

Our Favorite

Miss Lauren has been working with us for awhile now and we absolutely love her. All. of. us! Since I've been busy with work and she's home from college, we've seen a lot of each other :) I'm completely impressed with how she gets my kids sitting quietly creating various arts and crafts. They all have so much fun together. Recently she's been taking the kids out to the library or park or gymnastics. Extremely grateful!

6.18.2014

I'm still "Working"

It's been over a year now and I'm not ready to let it go anytime soon.

I'm still working for a Realtor, doing lots of paperwork, emailing/calling/texting, scheduling...etc. It's become more normal, although I still struggle with time-management....hence the very infrequent blog updates. I've really enjoyed having something else to keep me busy, something different from the house or cooking or playdates or cleaning.

On average, I work about 15 hours a week. It's hard during the summer juggling time with the kids and getting my work done. The very little cooking I was doing is almost gone...we do lots of grilling a meat and frozen veggies. And I usually get a cleaner once a month to help with the deep cleaning.

I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity to have such flexible hours and work from home.

lauren took a picture of me "working" as proof ;)

6.17.2014

Life

So life is busy! There is nothing in particular...just the day to day stuff that is keeping us very scheduled. OH...and I'm working 15+ hours a week....yes, still doing the realty stuff :)

I'm struggling with the balance of doing things and just being a family. It's fun to do lots of things and see people and be with people...but recently I'm feeling that we need to start saying "no" more and start slowing things down.

And in this busy life, the blog has definitely taken a backseat :-/ I don't want it too because I love looking back on it and see where we've been and how far we've come. It's my journal and it's important to me.

6.16.2014

Our Swimmer

Olivia just finished her first summer swim team. It was a HUGE success. She had a great time, never complained about going to 4 practices a week, and improved greatly. We are very proud of her dedication to the sport.

She really improved her dive and backstroke. This video shows her personal best.

Previous to this, her best time was 45:05.

Current Personal Best

25 yards Free 29.41

25 yards Back 34.86

6.15.2014

Dallas

This past weekend we went to Dallas to visit with The Sanners :) Sweet little Hannah has already lived in three cities...and she is only three months old!! We still can't believe that almost all of our family is back in one state again. It is truly a blessing to have family nearby.

The cousins had a blast playing together!

Everyone aboslutely ADORED little Hannah...especially Olivia.

Look how the littlest lady sleeps...absolutely precious!!!

That's two very TIRED little boys at the end of a very fun weekend!

6.14.2014

Our 11th Anniversary

June 14, 2003

I treasure every evening with him. It's my favorite part of the day. It's quiet. It's just us. We watch our shows, listen to our music, sometimes we just talk, we play on our computers, sip our wine while we devour our dessert. It's always perfect.

On this particular evening we were discussing new beds and Tim suggested a sleep number adjustable bed...I guess that's what happens after 11 years???
(this video is nothing special, just a moment I want to remember)