Beach or Bust!

We had the best time in South Padre with the Spielhagens! What a fun getaway!

The drive was not bad at all. We left SA at about 10 am due to a last minute pediatrician stop. Of course Blake had mysteriously been running fever on and off the couple of days leading up to the trip, so we had to investigate. It was the run-of-the-mill fever virus, so we kept the Motrin and Tylenol going and he was fine.

After a stop in Robstown for BBQ at Coppers we were back on the road by 1:00 and pulling into South Padre at a little after 3. We unloaded and then took the kids down to the beach to walk around and check it out. After showering off, our "topless" children posed for some pics for us.

The wild foursome- Luke (18 mo), Kate (almost 3), Hunter (almost 4 1/2) and Blake (18 mo)

Hunter and Kate- the best of buddies!

A family shot of the four of us before getting nit and gritty down at the beach.

Luke and Blake in their matching ensembles! Boy were they cute!

Hunter and Kate were so excited to try out their "surf boards."

The dads and the big kids were the bravest when it came to facing the chilly water and the "red flag" waves. We had very strange but good weather. It was very overcast, sometimes a little foggy seeming, but it worked great with kids since it didn't feel unbearably hot and you weren't fried under the sun all day. The water was a little chilly, but you could definitely get used to it.

Blakey and mommy playing in the sand.

One night we dressed the kids in their beach finest and went out to dinner. Boy they clean up nice!

Playing out back while we were waiting for the sun to go down. Time to crab hunt!

Hunter had his full crab hunting gear! The kids were amazed at the crab that Cari caught.

Overall, it was an awesome trip- one we are SURE to repeat over the years. As a matter of fact, we need to get it on the calendar for next year! Can't wait!

My how time flies!

I love comparing old and new pictures to see how much my boys have grown. Here is Hunter the first day of school 2009. He was ready for his first day of preschool. Little did we know what an incredible year he had in store. His teachers were wonderful and nurturing and so much fun. Hunter just loved school!

Here he is in May 2010- so grown up and ready for summer. I cannot believe in a few short weeks he will be 4 1/2. How does the time fly by so quickly??


Now, it would not be fair to not include Blake. Here he is in September 2009 at 9 1/2months.

And again May 2010 at 18 months.


Love these boys!

The boys each at nearly 18 months...

Can you tell who is who??


(Blake is the top and Hunter is the bottom pic)

It's Been A Long Time...

Palm Sunday our church had their annual Egg Hunt. The boys were very excited to get their first egg hunt underway and had no interest in pictures for mommy.

A family pic on the lawn. I had the best Sunday teaching Hunter's class that morning. Being Palm Sunday, we of course covered Jesus' triumphal entry, but the most precious part was taking the class into the sanctuary waving their palm leaves. We got to sit at the front of the sanctuary and hear the story. The kids were so precious.

Easter weekend we split between Waco and San Antonio. On Saturday, we were in Waco and got to go to Ridgewood CC's Easter celebration. This year, they had a camel to ride. Guess who rode that camel? Me and the boys! Her name was Coco Chanel and like me, she was expecting. Poor Coco- that's a rough job for a mama-to-be!!

Blake and the "Easter Bunny." Hunter refused to take his picture with the bunny, and I cannot say I blame him. It's a little creepy.

Blake totally got the concept of picking up eggs and putting them into his basket. He even figured out how to shake them to see what was inside. Smart boy!

Making our way around. The boys were mesmerized by this animal. No one said a word the entire time we were riding.

As usual, Hunter had a blast with David and Ryan.

Back in SA, we went to church and then came and had Easter lunch at my parents' house. It was a wonderful day and the boys had a great time. Hunter made the neatest thing at school- a Resurrection Box. Inside, it had 10 little items that symbolized something important about the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Hunter was able to take each one out and explain that part of the story to me. It was so incredible to hear him and know that he understood the story.

The boys were eager to get out the door the morning we went to the Dinosaur Exhibit at the Witte Museum. I grabbed my camera just in time to see this act of brotherly love- or probably more like, "Hurry up and get in the car so we can go see the dinosaurs!" We had a great time and both boys loved it!

Blake LOVES to be read to. His favorite books are.... Goodnight Moon, Big Book of Trucks, Big Book of Animals, Pat the Bunny, Moo Baa La, La, La.... I found him in the rocker the other day just reading away. So cute!

We spent a weekend at the lake "working" to get things ready for the summer. The boys worked hard out in the yard and mom and I cleaned like crazy. We got lots checked off the list chore-wise. Of course, we did manage to fit in some fun while we were there. No weekend at the lake is complete without being smashed into a stiff life jacket and taken on a boat ride.


Then, as luck would have it, the bluebonnets were beautiful all around the lake house. So before we left, I insisted on snapping a couple of the boys in the flowers. They were not in the outfits I would have wanted had I had the choice, but they turned out pretty good for being a last minute thing.


Fiesta was a busy week around here. Chris and I had several nights in a row of events. One that we really enjoyed was Town Club. The theme this year was Roaring 20's, so I was a pregnant flapper. We had a great time!

More later....