Flag football camp

Barrett went to flag football camp this week and he had a blast!!  He thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.  He learned alot and especially liked scoring a few touchdowns.  It rained one day off and on and he loved playing football in the rain.

Legos! Legos! Legos!

Barrett loves Legos and so when we heard that a Lego store was opening in the mall, Barrett was really excited!  Well, the store opened up and of course we had to go on the first day.  They had this station where kids could make a watermelon with Legos.  B loved it and Brooklyn had fun,  but she just decided to make her own design.  Then we looked around the store. The kids each put together people.  Barrett enjoyed filling up a bucket with whatever Legos he wanted.  And, he used some of his money to buy a fuel truck. Brooklyn got a zoo set and they are both enjoying playing with their Legos.  I see many more trips to the Lego store in our future!

Our new Home

We moved into our new (to us) home 2 weeks ago.  And we are so happy to be in a home that is all ours after living in a condo for a year.  We are loving our new place.  It is in a neighborhood that we LOVE!! We've met some neighbors and feel very welcomed.  It reminds both Derek and I of the neighborhoods we grew up in. We've already been to the pool several times and we are all enjoying that time together.  Our house is really close to Derek's work and that is really nice too.
 There are lots of things we want to do to the house to update it and make it exactly how we want it, but all that is down the road.  Right now, we are just enjoying our house, a yard and are having fun dreaming of projects for the house.

Our first weekend in the house, we spent some time exploring.  Our yard backs to the greenbelt that leads to Barton Creek.  We took about a 10 minute walk as a family and found the creek.  B jumped off a rope swing and then we swam in the creek and jumped off a large rock into the water.  it was awesome and I am excited about the kids being able to explore and enjoy being so close to the water and greenbelt. Here are some pics of our trip to the creek.

11 Years

Today, 11 years ago, I married the man of my dreams.  I am so blessed to be Derek's wife.  The years just keep getting better and better.  Derek and I have so much fun together.  He is a wonderful father, friend, and companion in this journey of life. 

 Happy Anniversary Derek- I love you!!!

The kids were gone last week to Cousins Camp.  Every year my parents watch the grandkids for a week.  The kids look forward to this time all year.  They had a blast!!  They spent most of their time at my parents friends ranch in Cleveland.  The kids did lots of crafts, played and explored.  It rained, so everyone was in close quarters, but it seems like that didn't get in the way.  The kids are already talking about next year.  I love that they get to spend time with their cousins and my parents without us.  Such special memories for them.
And while the kids were gone, Derek and I had some time together. We did some painting at the house and began moving things over, but still managed to go out to dinner each night and went to some Hill Country wineries and spent the night in Fredericksburg.  We had a great time!  And the week went by too fast.  But, we were excited to see the kids on Friday and I think they missed us a little bit too. here are some pics of our trip to Fredericksburg.  Thanks mom and dad!!

At Tierre di Pietra Winery. After our tasting, we enjoyed wine and a picnic lunch outside.

Derek at Woodrose Winery(this is where we were when Kellee called us to tell us she was having a baby girl!!)

We took a pic of ourselves without our heads cut off

Grape Creek Vineyards.  So pretty!

At Becker Vineyards

After our day at the wineries, we went to dinner in Fredericksburg.  We at a yummy dinner at The Cabernet Grill.

I love the Pastry Queen Cookbooks.  So, I wanted to eat breakfast at her bakery/restaurant. it was so good.  I had a lemon blueberry scone and Derek ate an omelet muffin.  And, we went back there and had a great lunch too. It is a really cute place to eat.

Here is a pictrue of our B&B.  We stated at The Cat's Meow(cheesy name, I know).  But it was a great place to stay!

Crazy Basil

I love basil, and this is by far the tallest my basil has ever gotten!  It is located in just the right spot in the yard I guess.  I have been making pesto, pizzas, caprese salad, and using basil in lots of other things I make.

Chef Camp

Brooklyn loves to cook and bake.  She is a great helper to me in the kitchen and so when we were talking about summer activities, she was interested in cooking classes. This week Brooklyn went to chef camp at Young Chefs Academy.  it was a baking class where she learned baking basics and got to help make many foods-cookies, cakes, breads and pies.  She had a blast.  And even brought home treats to share with us each day. She learned alot and is already giving me pointers in the kitchen!  I am so glad that she loves to cook!

Honoring my Dad

We went to Houston a few weeks ago to a dinner where my dad was being honored.  He does alot of work that goes unnoticed and he doesn't like to draw attention to himself for honors he gets.  But, I am proud of my dad.  One of the thing he has always been passionate about is helping kids, especially victims of abuse or victims of other crimes. He was honored at a dinner for his work regarding victims of child trafficking in America. So, we went to the dinner, auction and concert in the theater district in Houston.   

We sat front and center at the dinner.  We were there at the table with my parent, my grandparents and some longtime family friends.  It was a fun night and really cool to see my dad honored in this way.

Mom and Dad

Derek and me

Dad and my grandparents

Dad saying a few words

After the dinner and auction, we saw a concert by Randy Travis.  He was very personable and funny.  I knew some of his songs.  He's really country, but my mom and grandpa totally loved it!!We even got to go backstage and meet him!  It was a really fun night and I am so proud of my dad and glad we could be there.