July - August 2017

July and August...Filled with tons of fun and great memories. Jay was involved in a turnaround June and July and we were thankful to return back to normal in August. Meanwhile the kids enjoyed some camps and also a lot of time where we could play with friends, swim at the pool, do tons of activities and just have summer fun. It was a great summer.

This year the girls both entered Kindergarten. They were very ready and while I miss their silly and fun times, I know they are going to thrive in the school environment. They are bike riders, so every morning we have a 15-20 minute bike ride to school (mom or dad walks behind them--maybe that is what makes it 15-20 minutes!). It is a great way to get some fresh air and a little physically activity morning and afternoon. Aubrey has Mrs. Harrod and Avery has Mrs. Benedek. Both are great teachers and we are so excited to see what they will learn this year and the fun they will have.

In late August, we hunkered down and survived Hurricane Harvey. After 57.5 inches of rain and 5 days later we were so relieved when the water levels were no longer rising, but slowly going down. And everyone rejoiced! At that moment, the tables have turned from "survival mode" to "serving mode." It has been amazing to see God in action in so many ways. This community has embraced each other and we are seeing the power of God not just through the wind and the rain, but through people's hearts.

We have so many pictures and fun times to share!

July 2017:

Just an idea of size difference

Visit with Poppy and Uncle Brian: We are so blessed to be loved by family. Poppy shared some fun times which were memories from us growing up, which included making funnel cakes and cotton candy. Yummy!

VBS camp: The girls got to experience VBS twice this summer. They both were great weeks and they learned so much! Love VBS!

Visit with Nana and Grandpa: We got to do a lot of fun things with Nana and Grandpa this visit including visiting several museums, making arts and crafts and going on long walks finished off with a Wendy's Frosty.

Date Night: The girls went to their first sleep over which translates to a special date night for mommy and daddy! The girls had the best time ever and we really enjoyed trying a new restaurant and time together.

My cuties:

August 2017:

Jessica Birthday: Jay spoiled me to a wonderful birthday date where we went to a fancy restaurant that did a cooking show for our meal. It was so delicious and we enjoyed the atmosphere and doing something new. I had a great birthday celebration. 

Shaving Cream: So apparently the girls love to play with shaving cream. Who would have thunk!?!

Meet the Teacher 2017: 

13 Year Wedding Anniversary: We enjoyed a getaway for two nights at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in New Brunfalls. We had a great time together and also joined up with friends on Saturday to float the river. The best part was the evenings with Jay where we could just talk and enjoy each other's company. 

First Day of Kindergarten: 

Avery: Mrs. Benedek

Aubrey: Mrs. Harrod

Hurricane Harvey: 

Entrance to our neighborhood. 

See you in September! 

May - June 2017

It is the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. The girls absolutely love school, so we hope we can have a summer that they love just as much too. We are all looking forward to some lazy summer days at the pool or to make plans on the whim because we have the flexibility and the time, but I will miss my ability to have non-interrupted time to cook fancy new recipes for dinner while the kids are at school or some much needed recovery sleep time after work (lets be honest!). This summer we have a few camps planned so it will be a good balance between organized/structured play and the lazy days of summer. I can't wait!

We kicked off May with a family trip to Jellystone--our favorite family place to be! It was another great trip in the books. We enjoyed our Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrations. The girls had a blast at Cheer Camp and VBS thus far! Oh to be a kid again!


May 2017

Avery's master lego castle



Pre-K 4 Advanced, School Graduation 2017: Awww, I'm just going to leave these cute pictures here! 

Mother's Day 2017: My heart beats for these children every single day, every single minute.

Jellystone  or Bust 2017: We love our time at Jellystone and we sure love our smores!!

Other fun happenings: The girls "opened a restaurant" and had so much fun preparing food and then writing out a menu and serving mommy and daddy. It was a day and a half of pure fun. Simple ingredients, lots of smiles, practicing writing words and numbers of the menus--all in all it was a perfect rainy day activity. We had a fun Memorial Day hanging out with our faves Aimee, Israel and Tessa. The girls absolutely love and adore each other all around, so that is always good times. I so wish my mom could see her grandchildren play together.
The girls also enjoyed a week at Cheer Camp for Christ. It was a great time jumping with joy, giving praise to God. Avery was in her element. Aubrey had fun, but not to the extent of Avery.

Father's Day 2017: We had a great Father's Day weekend celebration. We continued with our Killen's BBQ tradition and overindulged in goodness!! We also went to a movie together at Studio Movie Grill. We had a fun time at the local semi-professional baseball team too. All in all, it was a great weekend to celebrate someone really special!  

Lots more exciting summer adventures to come!