Breakaway

The day has arrived!  We have a soccer player.  Now, don't get me wrong, I know nothing about soccer and when I think about Walker in high school I picture him playing baseball and golf.  BUT, I'm so excited that we have a soccer player!

We had a bit of a delay because we didn't have a coach, so our boys only had one practice.  Clark took Walker and agreed to help on game days.  I think W loved having Daddy on the field!

This league is on a tiny field, with small nets and they play three on three.  It is perfect for four year olds!

Oh my goodness... I love this picture:

This was right after Walker scored his first goal!  He was so excited!!

He didn't exactly fight for the ball in the middle, but he certainly didn't shy away either.  But, there's no doubt, this boy is good in a breakaway!

 He got the ball on one end of the field, got some distance from the pack and took it all the way to  the goal!

(I have about five more pictures of this breakaway, but I'm guessing you get the idea.)

GOAL! Wow, it was exciting.  Here's Walker with his team:

We're very excited about the season.  All of these boys played really well for having only one practice. It's going to be fun to see how well they do as they continue to play!

Miss E's Turn

I seriously think Walker going to school without his sister on the first day was the best scenario ever!  Everly didn't understand why she didn't get to take her backpack or get her picture made or even stay at school.  It made the next day fabulous, because she was sooooo excited!

All smiles!

Ready to show off her backpack and lunchbox.  I love her little poses:

The official sign picture:

This is her teacher, Ms. Sarah:

Lots of smiles!  Everly is a drama queen, we all know that.  So, she usually cries when we drop her off anywhere.  Like at church, even though she goes all the time!  But, her first day of school was a breeze.  She gave me a hug and a kiss and said "Bye Mommy!" I was so thrilled.  She'll go three days a week and on Wednesday mornings, we'll have girl time while W is in school.  

I'm excited about our new school and our new routine!

First Day of Pre K!

Wow, my boy isn't a baby anymore!  My BIG boy is officially in Pre-K!

We are at a new school this year and it seems to be going wonderfully well.  Walker was thrilled to go and his teacher says he's doing great in class!

Look at this handsome boy.... melts my heart!

He loves his new backpack and lunchbox:

We had to do the official sign picture:

I was thrilled to get so many smiles!

And, here he is with Ms. Jeanne:

Walker will go to school three and a half days.  Which means we wake up and get ready Monday-Thursday.  I hope he continues to be excited every single morning!

A Spot of Tea

The women of our family love high tea.  It's just fun.  And lovely.  And fabulous.  So, you can imagine how wonderful it is that I have a friend from Scotland.... who serves an amazing tea!

I was so pleased that she hosted a very special tea for Carson's birthday!

Bunny loved introducing another granddaughter to high tea.

We had such a fun time and Carson really enjoyed it.  Trudi knowledge and her accent made it such a good experience!

Trudi's kids and my kids enjoy playing together, which means Everly got to "dress for tea".  So, I have to include this precious picture:

Wow, she looks so grown up.... How did that happen?!?!?

Loving San Antonio!

We didn't plan a major vacation this year, so we took the kids to San Antonio!  Seriously, what a fun trip.  There's so much to do and they kids had a great time.  

Guess what they are big enough for now?  Headphones in the car!

They loved getting to watch several different movies!

We went straight to the riverwalk.  Because, you can't go to San Antonio without seeing the riverwalk. Walker and Everly liked watching the ducks and boats!

After riverwalk fun, we went to our resort.... The JW Marriott.  Wow, what a great place.  Awesome pools, great service and a really nice room.  We were able to get in a quick swim and as we walked back to our room.... we found s'mores!

Yummy!  Walker and Everly loved their sweet treat.

The next morning, it was off to Seaworld!

Another great place.  Our first stop was the dolphin encounter.  Less and a year ago Walker SWAM with a dolphin.  This trip he wanted nothing to do with them.  His sister, on the other hand, was ready to spend some time with these sweet guys!

She loved touching it and feeding it.  She kept asking to do it again!

After the dolphins, we went to see a few shows.  Walker LOVED them all.  Seaworld does such a great job.

We stopped to see the flamingos along the way.  RayRay, this is for you:

Next up, hanging out with Shamu for lunch...

 We got an up close and personal look at these amazing animals.  They did some training.  Those guys are HUGE!

Everly took a little snooze and Walker got to play in the big Sesame Street area.  He loves to climb.

It was a great Seaworld day!!

Next on the agenda.... a whole day at the awesome pool!

Walker and Everly are little fish.  We spent as many waking moments in the water as possible.  I'm thankful that I talked them into going to dinner with my friends.  It was great to see Erin and Geoff and Tinsley.  

Such a wonderful trip!  I know I say it too much, but we really are enjoying our "bigger kids".  They were so good and it was great fun doing new and fun things.  And, I can't even tell you how great it was NOT taking diapers!  I will gladly stop to go potty in exchange for not having to change a diaper at a theme park!

We only have a little more than a week until school starts.  How is it possible that Walker will be in Pre-K??

No More Babies

I can't even tell you how many times I've said, "wow, the kids are so grown up" or "huh, I didn't realize they could do that" lately.

It's a fact.... we don't have babies anymore.  We have big kids.

Truly, the seem so grown up.  From what they are saying, to how tall they are, to being able to swim, climb, etc.

We went to the water park at Villa this weekend and they were almost completely independent.  Obviously we kept our eyes on them at all times, but we didn't have to follow up the stairs or wait at the bottom of the slide.  How did that happen????

There's a part of me that is a little sad about this, but mostly, I'm excited about the future.  Think about how much more fun we will have on vacations!  So many of our friends went to Disney this summer.... I CAN. NOT. WAIT to take Walker and Everly back.  It will be a ball.  (We're thinking Disneyland next summer!)

I'm sure part of this new reality is that Everly is potty trained.  I gotta say, it's really, really nice to not have to carry diapers anywhere.  And, the no swimmy diapers.... amazing!  And, just to update you on my big girl... ZERO accidents.  She's still wearing a pull up for nap time and bed time, but she is dry every single time when she wakes up.  Those pull ups will be gone in no time. (Mommy is ready to get rid of them now, but E isn't so sure)

Next week we are going to San Antonio.  I'm so excited to take them to SeaWorld and enjoy the hotel pool.  And, speaking of being all grown up... I was telling Walker about the whales that we will see. This was our conversation....

Me: "Walker, do you know what a whale is?  Do you want to see a big black and white one?"

Walker:  "A black and white one.... I think you mean an orca whale."

What?!??  

See what I mean?  No more babies.

Sunday Funday

Last weekend, we had nothing going on, so we decided to take the kids to the Aquarium!  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Overall, I'm totally impressed with the Houston Aquarium, but the kids did enjoy checking out all the fishes!

And, more importantly, they enjoyed the rides outside!

The ferris wheel was a big hit!

And, getting silly drinks in a shark cup....

And, riding the carousel....

Once we'd had our fun outside, we went back inside for food.  Peepaw and Maggie met us for dinner.
The food was tasty and the kids were good.

I think the favorite part.... desert!

Check out this cookie...

YUM!  

It's fun making last minute plans.... and made for a great day!