Beach Trip

Last month we spent several days in Galveston. We discovered Galveston a few years ago, and we love it! We are always one of the few people on the beach, and there is so much to do there. Of course the beach is my favorite place in the entire world, so I might be just a little bit biased. :)

The day that we got there was our 7 year anniversary. Time flies when you're having fun!

PawPaw and B... just strollin' down the beach.

Jason did a lot of fishing. One afternoon we headed up to the room so that Bryson could take a nap and my dad stayed to watch Jason. Jason ended up catching so many fish that my dad said he was catching not fishing! Jason also reeled in a three foot long shark! He was pretty nervous since he was so far out with no way to get it off of his line. I have been sworn to secrecy but this story made me laugh until my stomach hurt!

We continued our donut breakfast tradition!

The beach was clean and the weather was great. We took several long walks looking for shells and other treasures. One morning B found this guy...

He was dead, and I know I probabaly shouldn't let my child play with dead creatures, but he had a blast! He's ALL boy!

Playing in the sand...

Bryson destroyed every attempt I made at a sand castle. He thought it was so funny!

Toes in the sand...

B loved feeding {and chasing} the Seagulls.

Grandma and PawPaw

One night we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. PawPaw walked around with B on his shoulders most of the time we were there. Bryson loved it because he could actually touch the birds, butterflies, trees, etc... I just knew he was going to pull on one of the branches and send all of it crashing down onto everyone's tables, but somehow we avoided that. It was a great evening.

PawPaw on our balcony...

Feeding the Seagulls

On your mark, get set, go!

Bryson chasing grandma with sand-- I have never seen her move that fast!

 We laughed and laughed and laughed! Good times. :)

 Every morning and evening we watched this guy {who was staying at the condos next to us} take his wakeboard attached to a sail and ride the waves. It was amazing. Sometimes as he was carrying it out there he would actually be lifted off the ground by the wind. He could jump and would stay in the air for up to 5 seconds at a time. It was crazy!

 Enjoying the view...

 Bryson came down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease while we were there. By the time we left to come home he was pretty miserable. Fortunately the beach served as a good distraction {for the most part} and he did pretty well while we were there.

Can't wait to go back!

Until we meet again Islander East...

What we've been up to...

Summer is definitely here and in full swing! We have been enjoying long days outside full of working in the garden...

...and enjoying the fruits of our labor!

 Having barking competitions with Jake...

 ...and slip-n-slide contests.

 And the award for Cutests Slip-N-Slider goes to...

Bryson!

(although Daddy was a very close second!)



Sunday Delight

Prefer the given.

Sounds easy enough, right?

I am reading a book called "Momumental; Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family." In her book the author Jennifer Grant mentioned that one of her college professors introduced the idea to "prefer the given."

She writes, "Coined by British author Charles Williams, the phrase means choosing to appreciate what we have instead of being dissatisfied with the grace and other gifts God gives us.

In other words, if winter is a northerner's lot in life for half the year, what's the point in wishing it were otherwise?"

For some reason this really struck me today. I definitely try to stick to this philosphy, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of every day life gets in the way. It is easy to forget how blessed we are, especially if we fall into the pit of comparrison. Lets face it- sometimes the grass does look greener on the other side. But looks can be so deceiving.

I am so thankful for the life, though not always easy by any means, that God has chosen to give me. As I go through this week, I will be working to prefer the given.

Happy Sunday!

Sunday Delight {on a Tuesday}

Last Friday, the Ruple family lost an amazing woman, mother, grandmother, and friend. Although I didn't get to spend a ton of time with MeMaw, she always made me feel like a part of her family. I am so thankful for the family she raised, the family that is now my own.

We spent the weekend with them celebrating MeMaw's life and we had a truly wonderful time. That is almost weird to type- but it is true.

Bryson had a great time with Uncle Clay and Uncle Joe, and of course with Granny and Grandpa. Spending time with his cousins was just the icing on the cake. The way the Ruple family handled the passing of MeMaw is a true testament to the woman she was. MeMaw also got to meet our baby Caroline on the day she would have been six months old. What a treat to meet her great grandmother on this special day! While we grieve the grandmother that was lost, we look forward to the day when we will all be together again. I am so grateful to be a part of this family.



Sunday Delight

Conversation in the truck on the way home from church:

Me: "Ooh, Bryson! Did you color this picture?"

B: "Uh huh. It's the ark."

Me: "Do you know what was in the ark?"

B: "An elephant."

Me: "And what else?"

B: "A Noah."

Haha!

Love that kid so much...

Happy Sunday!



Who Knew???

Three words.

Squash. Vine. Borers.

Who knew these tiny little disgusting grubby things even existed? Who knew they could RUIN your entire plant before you even knew they were there? Who knew that some people don't even attempt to grow squash/zucchini in Texas because of these horrible little creatures?

Well I sure know now. Oh the joys of gardening.

One day I noticed that the squash leaves were a little bit droopy. I watered them and by evening they had perked up. I thought that it might have been the heat.

The next day they were droopy- and so were my zucchini plants. One quick Google of "droopy squash leaves" gave me an instant answer.

Squash Vine Borers = Dead Squash and Zucchini = Very Sad Day

Jason admiring the root system- wishing he could get grass roots that looked like that!

 These plants were overtaking my garden, and it looked so bare without them!

Since then I have planted a few things in their place including one zucchini plant. I have loved having fresh zucchini for zucchini chips and homemade zucchini bread (SOOOO good!). We will see if the Borers return...

Oh the dramatic life of a gardener. :)

Waco Zoo

A few weekends ago we didn't have any plans for the weekend. We slept in late on Saturday {well, late for Bryson- which means 7am!}, and then decided to visit the Waco zoo! We had heard so many wonderful things about it but had never actually been before.

We made it to Waco in about an hour and a half and then ate an early lunch at Taco Cabana. Bryson was so excited to see the animals!

Here is Bryson with a huge wad of gum in his mouth. Gum is definitely his new favorite thing and he is always asking for it.

 Near the entrance there was a beautiful river with more turtles than I have ever seen. We bought fish food and Bryson had a blast throwing it through the fence and watching the fish and turtles.

 There was also one huge albino catfish! Jason estimated that it weighed about 25 pounds!

 Buffalo!

 A HUGE tortoise!

This zoo seemed to be just about the right size. We got to see all of the animals, feed the fish a few times, and then go back and see Bryson's favorite animals again. We were in the car and headed back to College Station by mid-afternoon. Bryson slept the entire way home.

It was a great Saturday adventure with lots of sweet memories made.