Relaxn at the Pool!

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Braggin'

This post is wayyy overdue. In February, my sisters took me away for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. And we didn't stay in some dinky hotel, they went all out and got a room at the JW Marriott Resort. Well as luck would have it (and a nice phone call) we were upgraded to a suite! That is right, a SUITE...just for us ladies...and no kids! It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! In true girls weekend fashion: we ate, read books, watched bad tv, had some wine, swam (they have a great pool), got stuck in an elevator (true story), and just hung out. It was an amazing weekend, and so therapeutic. Sometimes it is nice to step back, and get out of the rat race. I can't thank them enough for doing this for me, because I would have never done it for myself. Thank you Melanie & Lisa (and all family members that contributed) for a brilliant weekend that I won't ever forget!

Now you must look at all the pictures, and drool.

Our patio

Our view from the patio!

The rooms were sooo nice!
And I didn't have to keep telling Mel & Lisa not to touch stuff! Bonus!

There were some amazing views!

I'm a lucky girl!

Baking a Cake!

Saw a wonderful recipe for a Blackberry Buttermilk Cake in my latest BA, and decided we had to make it! The kids helped out, and it turned out de-licious!!

Ta-Da, as Lucy would say!

If you would like the recipe, just click on the cake name above.

Rhys' Acting Debut

Rhys went to Theater Camp this week, and he landed the lead male role in "Beauty is a Beast". These actors (grades 3 - 6) did a great job of learning all their lines in 5 days, and creating the set and props. I was really impressed with the production!
I recorded the main parts for your viewing pleasure, but please excuse the poor camera-ship. I do not own a video recorder, so I was recording it with my camera.
Just a small note: there was a boy in the play that has autism, and he was unhappy with Lucy making noise. He shushed her a lot, so I sometimes get distracted by that & the recording gets a bit wobbly. My bad! :)

Here is the link to the recording, enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L53BqSDxiAU

Mario Kart Racing

We are really enjoying our summer! The boys are in camp this week: ethan is doing robotics, and rhys is in theater camp. They are loving it!! More news to report later!! Make it a good one!

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Flashback: Elise's Dance Recital

In May, Elise had her very first dance recital! She did a great job, and it was so fun to see her up on stage doing something that she enjoys so much! She was a knock-out!! We are already looking forward to the next one!

Flashback: Mother's Day at the Alamo (of course)

For Mother's Day, we took a trip down to the Alamo. Rhys had been complaining that he did not remember ever being there (uuumm that's where uncle dave introduced me to the term "swass", so I know Rhys had been there). So we loaded into the car, and set out. It was a great visit, and we really took our time and toured the whole complex. It is funny how the Alamo can still give you the sense of sacrifice that it took to make Texas a state!

Flashback: Ethan's Millionaire Party

After TAKS testing is completed, Mrs. McQueen & Mrs. McElveen (ethan's teachers) do a special unit on manners & restaurant ownership. Manners isn't usually a subject taught in school, but I applaud these ladies for making it a priority for their students.
Manners are definitely a skill that benefit a person throughout their life!
The crowning achievement of the student's hard work was a "Millionaire's Party." The students dressed up, and were assigned a partner. We turned the library into a "restaurant" where the couples came to eat, and celebrate the end of the year. It was very nice to see all the young men and women using such nice manners with each other. And they really got a kick out of it too!!

Whew! We did ALL that in ONE weekend?????

This past weekend, Jake and I had 2 very special graduation ceremonies to attend, in two very different locations. Jake flew to Seattle to watch his sister, Tessa, graduate from High School, and the crew & I drove down to Castroville to watch my brother, Nichola, graduate. It was very cool that we both got to be present at these ceremonies, and represent! It is all too surreal that the both of them have graduated from HS!!
Down in Castroville we shoved as much FUN as possible into the weekend. We played Clue (Mel only won once, thank you very much), fed horses, swam, rode horses, took professional family pictures, rode electric scooters, played Wii, ate some steak, attended the graduation ceremony, and just hung out. Whew! It was a GREAT weekend, and we enjoyed every minute of it. One of my favorite parts of belonging to my clans are celebrating the sweet spots of life, and this one was no different. It was a great weekend!

I made Nichola pose for a lot of pictures!

It is hard to get 10 people to look good at the same time, but this is the closest we go!

Lu & I play it up for the camera

Lu had the horse riding thing all figured out!

Running from the cows in his trunks & boots!

And a special good bye to Soline. She is going to live in France for 6 months, and we will miss her! I am looking forward to reading about her adventures on her new blog!

Flashback: Rhys' Last Day at Windermere Primary

I know I say it all the time, but I cannot believe how quickly time flies! It seems like Rhys just started kindergarten, and now he is leaving WPS! He had a great 2nd grade year in Ms. Klein's class. We are sad to leave WPS; it was such a great place for my kids to begin their education! WPS will always be a place full of fond memories for us.