At the park

These pictures are old, y'all.  I had the best intentions when I took my camera to the park in mid-May to try to get a cute photo of Will and then do a "Will at 18 months" post...that never happened.  But, I still have cute pictures to share!

Will at 18 months  :)


Such a happy kid!




Showing off how loud he can be - all boy!


A few of Miss Priss - she was fancy that day with her big headband.




Suddenly camera shy


Climbing up a new way

Learning about our heritage

The Witte Museum recently opened a new South Texas Heritage Center, and we visited during the grand opening celebration.  There were several exhibits and demonstrations on the grounds, and we all had fun checking them out and even doing some participating.

Claire learned about pioneer toys


Robert and I learned how to make rope circles


Dad ended up giving some roping lessons






I tried to keep Will from running away


The kids liked checking out the different saddle exhibits


It is a really nice addition to the museum - I'll have to go back when I can actually take some time to read more about the exhibits!

A morning with Grandmommy

One day in May the kids and I drove to Austin to spend some time with Grandmommy at the Austin Children's Museum.  It was pretty crowded with a few school groups, but we still had a good time playing and exploring.



Will's favorite part of the day may have been hugging the giant stuffed sock monkey in the gift shop.  He clung to it and cried when we had to leave.





After lunch, we were able to make a quick stop to see Grandmommy and Martin's new house during the inspection.  Claire and I both liked the mudroom.  :)

Fiesta Texas 2012

Robert's company's annual family day at Fiesta Texas was on June 8th.  We got a little bit of a late start, but we all donned our blue company shirts (barely) and were able to ride a few rides and have a lot of fun before the kids crashed.  For the past few months, Claire has been in an interesting clothing phase.  She refuses to wear clothes with short sleeves - only long sleeves or sleeveless tops/dresses are acceptable.  Fortunately it is warm and there are plenty of sleeveless shirts for her to wear, but she did have "a moment" when I tried to dress her in her shirt for the day.  She tugged at the sleeves and cried "I HATE THIS SHIRT!" - first time I'd ever heard her use the H-word.  I had anticipated a little battle, so I whipped out my sewing scissors and some ribbon, cut off the sleeves, and tied up the shoulders with black ribbon.  The shirt was then deemed satisfactory, and we went on our way without further incidents.  Four is always so fun! /end sarcasm/

This is the first year we were all able to go on rides - the first year I was pregnant, and the second year Will was too small.  It was fun to all be able to participate!







Sweet siblings!


As we were on our way out, we passed by Bugs Bunny who was posing for photos.  Claire said "I want to go give him a hug."  Um, what???  My shy girl who never wants to have anything to do with strangers wants to give Bugs a hug?  I've been wondering how she would handle character meet & greets when we go to Disney World this fall, so this was a perfect trial opportunity.  I immediately steered her over to get in line.  When it was our turn, she started backing off, but the Bugs was really sweet, and while she didn't want him to touch her, we got some smiles and laughs.  I have hope that she won't be totally freaked out at Disney now!

A Day at the Beach

Courtney and her family made their annual trip to Port A a couple of weeks ago, and we were able to join them for some beach time.  We drove to Corpus Christi on Thursday, checked into our hotel, and met Robert's sister Carol and our niece Grace for dinner.  It was nice to catch up and discuss their upcoming move to San Antonio!  We are excited about having them close by.

The next morning we drove to Port Aransas to meet up with Courtney & fam and some friends.  When we got to the beach, Will's eyes got big, and he exclaimed "Wa-wa [Water]!  BIG wa-wa!"  So funny!

We all had a wonderful morning.  I wasn't sure how long the kids would last, and they went hard for more than 3 hours.  I think they would've stayed longer, but we were already over an hour past naptime and a little worried about the crash if we didn't get going.  We quickly cleaned up and got in the car to head home.  We decided to go back across the ferry, thinking the kids would enjoy it.  Claire fell asleep on the drive through town, and Will was asleep by the time we got on the ferry. Oh, well - we still enjoyed it!

Definitely a successful trip - we are going to have to take a longer beach trip soon!







Snuggling with Daddy after getting surprised by a big wave - he recovered quickly!




Love this one with my boy!


The girls looking for shells






One of Will's favorite parts of the day was chasing the seagulls, or in his words, the "ducks".  He would run up to them shaking his finger and yell "Go away Duck!  Go away!" and then get a contented little look on his face as each one flew off.




The kids minus Will - he wouldn't sit still for a photo!


Wiped out

May Randoms

They thought it was hilarious to get in the old Exersaucer - I'm thinking it's time to pass it on!




A quick trip to Kohl's on their grand reopening celebration day ended up with an opportunity to check out the fire truck.  Will wasn't interested, but Claire was excited!


Climbing at the Museum


At the playground - he loves to sit and play in the gravel.  Just give him a cup and he can entertain himself for quite awhile


He always thinks he's being so sneaky drinking from my cup


Trying to reach her butterfly mobile when she's supposed to be napping


Will figuring out that he can take photos of himself with my iPhone


Trying to hide in Claire's hamper


Wondering what happened to our living room - old carpet was out, and we ended up with new carpet.  Long story.


I've started keeping a little container of baby powder in my purse to help remove sand from the kids after playing in various sandboxes.  Claire found it and wanted to hold it - I told her she could as long as she didn't open it.  A few minutes later, this is what we found.


Goofing off in the playroom


Claire's picture of me - we need to work on the severed heads.  :)


Claire checking out Nana's laptop