Little Visitors in Our Front Yard

Astro A took these two pictures this weekend...

At the ranch

The boys went to the ranch with Grumpa A, and all they brought me were these pictures!







I think that they had fun!

Thank you, Grumpa!!!

Happy Birthday K!!!

Our little blond buddy is turning the big 4 today, and we want to wish him the very best birthday ever! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sometimes our words come back to us and make us smile...

My little o said to me, "Always think before you talk."

"Why is that?" I asked with a smile.

"Because you might say something mean, if you don't," says o.

"That's pretty good advice," says I. "Where did you learn that?"

"From you, a long time ago!"

Yes, my heart nearly burst with pride, but there was one little problem...I don't remember us having the discussion the first time! At least he did!

Here is my little o, about to flick my camera...

Tuesday Park Day

Another good time at our homeschool park day. Lots of pretending, talking, running, and playing card games. We are already looking forward to next Tuesday!

Here are a few pictures...

Looking for bottle caps...


Just talking...


Tree talk...


Off on another adventure...

Sea World is more fun with family!

We have season passes to Sea World and enjoy going out for short (no more than 2 hour) morning trips several times a month. We got a call from my Aunt that they were going out to Sea World on Monday. Would we like to come? Absolutely! It is always more fun to see the shows, ride the rides, and play with friends and family! Here are a few pictures of our day...

Happy Father's Day...

to my boys' dad...







to my boys' grumpa...





and to all of the wonderful dads in our lives!

More wedding photos...finally

a kiss for her dad...


Two very rascally boys!


cutting the cake...


A hug for her dad...


A family photo...


For more of the wedding photos, go to our photos at Flickr.

Have a great weekend!

A little break...

We are doing some work around the house this week and next, so I am doubtful that I will have time to post pictures for a little while. When things get back to "normal" I will try to get the rest of the wedding pictures posted to flickr.

I hope that everyone is having a great summer!

A few more photos from the wedding...

brother of the bride...


flower girl...



Blurry picture, but still a beautiful bride...

the wedding

My sweet little cousin, Gretchen, has grown up and gotten married. The bride was beautiful. The wedding and reception were elegant and tons of fun. We are tired. Here is a picture, straight from the camera, taken by Astro A. More will come later...

Friends and fun at B & N

We met up with some friends at Barnes and Noble and had lots of fun! The older boys played chess, battle and black jack, while the younger boys gave chess a try and went on to play trains and read books.

I haven't figured out how to compensate for the lighting in the bookstore, either in camera or computer, so these make everyone look jaundiced! My apologies!!!

Little o watches the black jack game...


They played for beans...


Our friend J is quite the serious dealer!

An eventful park Tuesday

Well, we managed to beat the heat on this park day with an early start and a lot of water guns. I am not usually a fan of war/us vs. them games, but the kids did a good job of playing without hurting the feelings of anyone there.


Here, F sets the rules for the game. I love that she (the only girl in the group) has the undivided attention of all of the boys!


A serious look, for a serious game. F is taking the water up to her side's refill station.


Once the war was over (i.e. two of the main competitors on one of the sides went home), a new government had to be established. The kids were very democratic at first, trying their best to vote for a new leader. I was very impressed that they listened to each other's opinions respectfully, but in the end it came down to a race. The first one from point a to point b was the new leader! I laughed!

The younger set found their own entertainment...






Winding down after some serious play...


Uh oh, they spotted me!


Now for the eventful part...On our way back to the car, we stopped by the pavilion for "ten more minutes." The boys were not quite ready to go. While playing with a friend and a remote control car, O fell and hit his head on the edge of the concrete. Any cut on the head is going to bleed, and this one was no exception. To make a long story short, O needed 3 staples for the cut on the back of his head, but thankfully he was alright otherwise. We are very grateful to the quick-thinking mom who had a towel and knew what to do with it!

Change of plans

A rainy morning (Thank you, thank you, thank you! We really need rain!) forced us to cancel our preschool and sibling park day, but we made the best of it by checking out the latest traveling exhibit at the San Antonio Children's Museum. I will let you guess what the exhibit is all about by looking at our pictures.

Enjoy!

stirring the soup...

Feast!

dressing up...

Wrong size!

puppet show...

Things are looking up!