S'mores, S'mores, S'mores!

Who doesn't love a s'more?! There's chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. What's NOT to love? We had a bonfire out behind my parents' house quite a few nights during our stay in Washington. There is something so relaxing and peaceful about sitting around a bonfire. Josh especially loved making fires with grandpa and eating roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. He wanted to do it every night, of course! Every little boy's dream come true! And every grandpa's dream come true too! My dad loved having bonfires just as much as Josh did, maybe even more. And what was even better, they slept outside in the tent together after enjoying a good bonfire. I hope all these memories stay with Josh as he grows older. We had so much fun!

Hot Date With My Boy

I've wanted to go on a special date with Josh for awhile now. I feel those one-on-one moments are so important. Especially if that child is no longer an only child, those moments can be crucial to them feeling loved and noticed. The two of us had an action packed night full of Burger King, feeding the ducks, playing at the park, and last, but not least, eating something really yummy at Dairy Queen! Josh was being his usual goofy self for the camera and loved getting a toy with his dinner. I can't even tell you how much fun we had together, just the two of us. It is a tradition I will continue thru the years with all my children!

Family Tradition

We love playing games! Whether it's a card game or outside with a stick and ball. Doesn't matter how many people are available....2,3, or more. Someone is always ready to play. You may say we might be a bit competitive, but I say it's just to have some fun together. My mom and I, especially, will try to get a game going just about anytime when we're together. Our newest game to play was croquet, which I hadn't played in quite some time, which my boys absolutely loved! Give a boy a mallet and very hard ball, and what more could he ask for?! My parent's house had the perfect backyard to set up our course and we all had fun, fun, fun!

Drew's First Trip to the Beach

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Pacific Northwest and the Pacific Ocean in that area, but all you need to know is that it is REALLY COLD! Add in cloudy weather with lower temperatures and that is Drew's first experience at the beach. Josh, Drew, and I were with my parents and my brother Daren's family at Ocean Shores. Daren also had 2 little ones, Jude and Lily, 13 month old twins, that had never been to the ocean. It was fun to see all their first reactions. Drew wasn't sure what we had done to him. Sand and him were not instant friends! But we gave him some time to get used to it, and then the fun began! Jude on the other hand, couldn't get enough sand! :) And I'll let the pictures speak for themselves once we tried to get Drew in the water!! Priceless!!

4th of July

This is our first 4th of July in Texas and we celebrated by attending a yummy breakfast put on by our church, watching a mini parade that came thru our neighborhood, and dressing up in red, white, and blue! There were no fireworks lit that night which was very different. All was quiet on this frontier! However, they did light fireworks the night before somewhere in town. We just didn't see them!

Our Little Visitor

Three weeks after we moved to Texas we had a visitor. This little visitor decided he wanted to see Drew's room, particularly the wall next to Drew's crib where we found him. From the look of him, he was maybe 1.5 inches in length and no more than .25 ounces. He was a gecko! Any day, I would rather have this guy in our house than some other things I can think of....cockroaches and spiders. The boys loved seeing the gecko and Josh managed to pick him up. I was afraid he was going to squish him just because he was so small, but no worries. We set the gecko free.

Fishing with Daddy

This is one of Josh's favorite things to do with daddy. They go to the pond in our community and fish for bass or bluegill. Almost every time they go, they catch something and then throw it back in. Their largest catch to date has been a bass. Can't remember how much it weighed, but in these particular pictures, you will not be seeing a 10 lb. bass! They do look like they are having a good time!