Family Fun at the Horse Races

We took the kids to the horse races on the 3rd. This was Ella's first time, and Carter's second. We had fairly mild weather, which was great, and enjoyed our fun evening out at Lone Star Park! 

Ella seeing the horses for the first time at their stables.

 

Two handsome guys.

 She had been talking about "horses" and "race" all day long, and was excited to finally get to see it!

 Watching them run the track... this was just before the horses crossed the finish line right in front of them.

 In between races, we headed to the family fun park. Carter had a ball in the bounce house with some new friends that he made.

We also went inside the petting zoo (no pics of that, my hands were a little full!) that they both really liked, too. There were the cutest little baby goats and miniature pot belly pigs that Carter loved. And an overly aggressive llama that kept bumping into me and Ella... she didn't really like that. She did enjoy looking at the animals, although she wouldn't pet any of the animals. Eric did eventually get her to take one of the brushes they provided, and brush the goats. Such a girl!!

 Time for treats. Snow cones and popcorn!

 Sneaking a peak at the horses.....

 Pretty sure this girl ate her weight in popcorn.

 And, we're drinking the left over snow cone syrup... nice!

The kids had their share of fun, and we actually opted to leave early and beat the traffic out rather than stay for the fireworks since we knew we'd see some on the 4th. Turned out to be a good decision because on our way home, we saw parts of probably 4 different fireworks displays. We ended up getting a pretty good show after all, just from the highway! Such a fun night with our little family!!

Pool Days

We've been going to the pool almost every day lately, sometimes twice a day! Thankfully it hasn't gotten old yet! Carter is becoming a stronger swimmer every day. I'm really proud of how much he's improved. A floatie is definitely a thing of the past for him! And Ella LOVES to be in her puddle jumper. She bobs up and down, rolls all around, and will even sit on the side and plop herself in, or "jump" into the water from the step. She has no fear, and actually requests to do "bubbles" (swim briefly under water). 

One night we had the whole pool to ourselves, and they clearly loved it!

And, I have to share this hilarious video of Ella. She had just gotten out of the water, and was throughly confused by the water dripping off her swimsuit. She thought she was peeing. Or heck, I don't know, maybe she was! But listen at the end of the video, she actually requests a diaper change. HA! Further proof that we NEED to potty train this girl! 

Lots of summer still left, which means lots more pool time to come!

Vacation Bible Camp 2013

Last week, Carter attended his first ever week of VBC, and he really seemed to love it! He learned lots of fun new songs, brought home some very creative artwork, and talked a lot about the new friends that he made.  Here he is in the car headed there on the first day. 

Also, some of the volunteers helping with VBC were kind enough to put together a video recap at the end of each day and post it to their facebook page. I really looked forward to these, and enjoyed being able to take a peek at what they were doing the whole week. Carter actually made it into the first video!! Watch it here.... he is painting around 1:05. :)

I have very fond memories of growing up in church and attending VBC, so hopefully Carter (and eventually Ella, too!) will always enjoy this one week during the summer!

Cabo San Lucas 2013

Just wanted to post some pictures from our trip. Of course, we had an amazing time. Didn't do much other than lay in the sun with a drink in hand and enjoy each other's company. Oh, we also ate a lot. :) Went to some old favorite restaurants, and tried a few new ones that will be added to the 'favs' list.

Not a bad way to start. Movies, wine, and snacks! 

 A few panoramas of the resort
Main Pool

View of the Pacific from our room

View from the Sky Pool

 Heading out to dinner one night

Weather was perfect during the day, but chilly at night! I had to wrap myself up in the comforter to sit on the patio!

 Hubs relaxing

Enjoying yet another pool day! 

 Panorama of the resort at sunset.

 Love this guy!

 :)

 Skyping with our babies one morning..... so happy to see them!! And the feeling was mutual :)

 Perfect view.

 Heading out for our sunset dinner cruise

 On the boat enjoying the views

Land's End

 This is where you get a peak through to the Pacific side.

So gorgeous! 

Recent Pictures

We went to the zoo last month with friends, and I never posted the pictures that I took. The kids have really loved the zoo the last few times we've been. This time it was warm enough to play in the water at the children's zoo!!

Watching the little penguins swim around

Checking out the elephants

The cheetah was lounging right next to the window, so the kids got to see him up close! 

Ella and Lucy

We bought the kids a pool for the backyard (complete with a tiny water slide!), and they had a blast playing in it for the first time. I happen to be gone the whole day, but Eric said they played in it literally all day long. Couldn't get enough!

I love this picture because it captures Carter doing something I see him do at least 20 times a day.... He is always standing behind her and stroking and rubbing her hair. Just a show of love for his baby sis, and I love that it's caught on camera here! 

Ella sat at the table for lunch one day last week, so I had to snap a few pics. She looks like such a big girl! And she was totally hamming it up for the camera. 

 I love that she lifted up her plate to check out her placemat.... she loves pointing out each "pincess" :)

That's all I have for now. Off tomorrow morning to enjoy 7 glorious days on the beach in Cabo! I'll sure miss my babies, but you KNOW I'm looking forward to this vacation, as is Eric!!