...And More Visitors

Chad, Sara and Samantha came to New Braunfels from Dallas for a mini-vacation. Thursday night we cooked out while Ella & Samantha got to know each other. They seemed to have a mysterious "sisterhood" bond & got along great. Friday was Schlitterbahn...fun for Ella as always. She did fall down within the 1st 15 minutes we were there and scrape both of her knees. It took her a little bit to get over it and realize she really was going to be able to walk again. Once she did, it was Family Blaster, slides, lazy river, "beach" - all with her new friend Sam. They were too cute together...someone even asked if they were twins! Ha ha! That evening we had a great dinner at a nearby Mexican resturant. Saturday the adults floated the river. Sara was a trooper, 5 months pregnant with "baby boy Fox." The girls stayed at the house & played with Miss Melissa. They were great! She said they were giggling at each other all day! That evening the Andersons came over, we cooked out again, & it was more running & playing inside & out. What a fabulous day until about 8 o'clock! Then, we had 2 very tired 2 year olds ready for bed & the adults continued catching up. We will definitely make it a point to get Ella & Sam together more often from here on out.

Visitors, Visitors...

The Herring Family came in town for a weekend full of summer fun. Saturday we took the kids to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Safari. Ella & Colten enjoyed letting the animals eat out of their hands & Sydney thought it was funny to watch. On Sunday we had a full day of fun at Schlitterbahn. Ella rode the Family Blaster for the 1st time and the 2nd time and the 3rd time...she liked it so much she didn't want to stop. Ella & Sydney swam, slid, and floated in the lazy river while the guys took Colten on some "big boy" rides. Won't be long till the girls are right alongside him!

Mommy Back to Work

Job is official! Over the last few weeks I have interviewed, been offered, & accepted a job for next school year. I will be teaching 3rd grade at Freiheit Elementary. We are all very excited with this change coming to our household routine. The school is conveniently located close to home & I think it's going to be a great fit. Ella will attend First Protestant School starting Aug. 17th. She went with me to drop off some paperwork, meet my principal and said "Mommy's new work is a school!"

Fish Tank

Ella just got her 1st pet fish. She was so excited when we went to pick out the tank & all the goodies to go inside. She was very specific that she wanted "pink & black" fish. This meant one solid pink fish and one solid black fish. The pet store had one pink danio, which fortunately for us was genetically altered to be the color he is. The other one she chose is a black molly. We showed her a really pretty black and white "dalmation" one, but she went back to the solid one and said "no, THAT black one!" Ironically so she will name them nothing except "Pink & Black." She loves watching them swim and thinks it is "so cute & funny" when its feeding time. We look forward to adding fish to her aquarium in the near future.

Visit From Aunt Jules & Friends

Julie & some of her friends recently came for a fun summer visit. We ate dinner at the Gristmill on Friday & floated the river & had a cookout on Saturday. Ella was hilarious & loved the attention of many new faces. Everyone was so sweet to her & she loved dressing up in various hats, sunglasses & jewelry. She didn't miss a beat until about 9:30 Sat. night when she suddenly got fussy & told us, "I'm all done!" We couldn't believe that she went right to bed with a house full of loud adults & kiddos still playing.

Pool Time

Sunday was pool time with the kiddos! How fun!Ella relaxing in her "floatie"
Allie "toobing the pool"
Swim, Landry, Swim
Ashlyn in mid-air
Good friends, good times!

Play Date at the House

Ella & I had a great day at the house with Allie & Ashlyn. The girls played babydolls, dress up, had tea parties, and once all the toys inside were exhausted, they moved outside to continue the fun. We had a full day of playing while Stephanie & Shayne were in the hospital getting to know baby Aaron. Congratulations Anderson family on your newest arrival - how exciting to add a little boy into the mix!

River Girl

Yesterday Ella had a ball playing in the river. We went to the "island," which is a beautiful private part of the Comal river. As you can tell, Ella was equipped for some serious swimming, but it mostly consisted of wading, "catching fish" (aka rocks) & playing with toys. We took a picnic lunch and my friend Amy & I enjoyed watching the kiddos take in the outdoors, while we were able to catch up on a little bit of "adult conversation." Ella and Axel had some great, humorous 2 year-old conversations, too. How cute & what a relaxing way to spend a day!

Life is Good

It's a GREAT Monday at Target!


Mommy & Daddy ready for an evening out in New Braunfels. Going to a benefit dinner & a new seafood restaurant pre-grand opening.