Up, Up, and Away

Watermelon, lemonade, snowballs.

Things you love about summertime!

Oh, sorry.  That's not in the form of a question.

Summer is in full swing!  Our summer has turned out to be very different than what I imagined it being a mere 2 months ago.  But there's something about summer that is quite dependable.  And that's VBS!

This was the boys' second year doing VBS and we even got to do it twice!  The theme this year (both times, no less) was about the sky and trusting God.

The kids had a blast!  The first VBS we attended was in Houston.  I got to volunteer during this one!  It was a spectacular week!  Unfortunately, Orry didn't get to finish the week since he started running a fever. He missed the last two days and was quite sad about not knowing how it finished.

Luckily, he got to find out how it ended since my parents' church in Houma did the same VBS.  Things about it were different, for sure, but all the crucial part were the same.  What were the crucial parts, you ask?  Well, the message, for one, and the MUSIC!  Man, the kids have been digging the music.  Annie even loves the songs and she didn't even go to VBS!  Next year will be her first chance and I can tell you already that she's excited.  We adults haven't gotten too tired of listening to the songs just yet.  I admit that those songs are hundreds of times better than the ones on some of the radio stations...

So add VBS to the list of things that make us think of (and love) summer!  Can't wait until next year!!

*And some off topic info.  We are moving!  Where, you ask?  To Richmond, TX.  Troy has accepted a new position at a school in Katy, TX and we will move to be closer to the school to reduce commute-time since Orry will attend the same school.  We have our reservations about moving to another part of "town" since it means moving farther away from our church family that we love so dearly, but we are excited about all the new opportunities and commited to keeping our church in our lives!  Prayers will be needed for all of us as we start in on yet another chapter of our lives!  Thanks for reading and keeping up with us!!

While Away

We are on vacation!  And have been for over a week now.  Where did we go?  To my parents' house.  What are we doing?  Working.

Kitchen ready for an update!

That's not entirely true.  Troy has been working.  He helped to prep their kitchen for granite countertops and then went to work putting in some beautiful glass tile backsplash.  And on top of that, he's been doing work on our rentals, getting them ready for the next steps (whatever that means).  

The kids and I are vacationing.  We've been keeping quite busy while still managing to enjoy some indulgences, like excessive snowballs and TV watching.  Here's a string of photos to get you up to speed:

A trip to the Waterlife Museum (Yes, we are still checking things off the list)

Looking at the bayou

Counting the turtles

It wouldn't be a trip to Mamita Donna's without a trip to Chick-fil-A

Dinosaur arts and crafts

Playing the rain

Eating ice cream sandwiches

We've done a bit more, but I tend to forget to bring the camera along.  Give me a break!  I'm on vacation!!

And finally, if pictures weren't enough.  We've got video.  

Enough W(h)ine

Here's a joke to set the tone of this blog post:

How do you know when you've squeezed a grape too hard?
It lets out a little wine.

"Noooo.  No pictures."

Ha ha.  Very funny.  But whining is no laughing matter.  It's downright annoying and a terrible habit.  Unfortunately, it's a downright annoying, terrible habit that all of my children have developed.  *Insert agonizing, guttural noise here*

I should say that this is not the first time that we've encountered this problem.  It seems to be cyclical.  Or maybe it's just a problem that hides, as if in hibernation, for a time before coming back out with a vengeance.    Whatever the case maybe, it has to stop.  My coffee addiction is bad enough.  We don't need to add alcohol to my list of chemical dependencies.

"Heeeeeeh.  Don't take my picture!"

And so begins, again, the arduous task of reinforcing the "no-whine" policy in our family.  We are also hitting the problem with a heavy dose of "manners" and "no means no".   And let's not forget our listening and communicating skills.  *Sigh*

So far, things have been better.  But don't be alarmed if you hear me asking for more wine.