Rough housin'

Sweet!

The crew

What fun!

Local beach...

One day we went to the little swimming area "in town", Kyler and Gage rode their bikes there (yes the whole way!....6 blocks!) Alex and I walked and Mandy and Austin rode in the truck with Aunt Kelly. The daddies went ahead early "to catch bait" for fishing. The kids got to fish and swim as well as hunt for shells and play in the dirt. So much fun! I snuck a few pics of play before because I just can't help myself!

Aransas Wildlife Refuge

6 miles from the cottage is this fantastic wildlife refuge. It is a national park and we have enjoyed it and Ginger in the office every time we have gotten to visit. She actually remembered us from last year when I came in the door! God bless special people like her. The kids really got a kick out of checking off all the animals they had on their sheets and wore their Smokey the Bear badges and bracelets the entire time. We got to see some great wildlife this trip: turkey, snakes, birds, deer, a gator and her babies (there were 11) and the daddies and kids found some neat tracks for racoons and deer too! It was so beautiful to see so many different ecosystems and habitats in one place.

"The Cottage"

This past weekend Daddy was able to get a long weekend form work and thanks to Grammy and Poppy we have what is now fondly called "The Cottage". We love this place and are very grateful they share it with us freely! This cottage is in a tiny town that doesn't even have a gas station and it is a perfect place to get away from the world. The kids have a playground and pavilion (for riding bikes) right across the street...we can actually sit on the porch and watch them play. Daddy tries to help "fix" things that are obvious (like this screen) to help Popppy out and I know he secretly likes helping too. It was great that Aunt Kelly, Uncle Shawn, Austin, Alex and Gage got to come with us this year...the kids had so much fun together! Sometimes they acted more like siblings or friends rather than cousins and it was precious.

Morning Pool Play

Shortly before lunch the kids decided to swim for a little while...one we taught the dogs that the pool was for the kids they had a great time playing together.
Kyler the fish...

Mandy "reading" the instructions (in her mind the rules) to brother...

JUMP!

Simple fun and giggles...need I say more???

Playdate at the Zoo!!

Mandy's BFF Livy, her mom (Mrs. Jennifer) and her little sister Maren invited us to go to the zoo today. So we all packed up and had a great time! The kids got to see almost all the animals and run themselves ragged. It was so much fun to see Mandy wake up this morning, stretch and the first thing from her mouth (with a smile) "Livy!". Seeing these friendships blossom are so much fun for me! Ofcourse now I am exhausted from pulling 80 pounds of kids around the zoo in the wagon when it was 97 degrees outside but well worth it to kick off our summer together at the zoo. I know there are a lot of pictures but i just couldn't help myself!