Vanson turns 5!!!

Its so hard to believe that our sweet little Vanson is already 5 and going off to kindergarten soon!! Man, the time sure flies when you're having kids! He wants to be a doctor when he grows up "so he can wear Daddy's doctor clothes" so we got him some of his own. He couldn't wait to put them on and "get to work". He had a party at Young Champions where they bounced, jumped and threw balls for hours and then ate the Speed Racer cake he'd picked out.

Week of fun and other stuff in Dallas, TX

For Greg's second week of vacation, we headed to the DFW area. The first day Greg took Shannen & Autumn to the Kimball Art Museum in Ft. Worth. I got to stay and spend the day visiting with my great friend Tanya!! That was so fun since we hadn't seen one another since her move there!! Then, she graciously kept the kids so we could take Shannen to Dallas for his surgery. That was Wed. at Scottish Rite which was a fabulous place for kids- they took such great care of him!! When he was released, we picked up the other 3 and went to Addison for the annual Kaboomtown they do each year on July 3rd. It was phenomenal this year!! While there, we also visited the Galleria to have lunch at the American Girl Bistro and took the kids to see the AG Kit movie just out. Friday we ended up staying in Dallas again at the Renaissance Hotel, which has a rooftop pool... the kids loved that!! (everyone but Shannen who could not get wet) That night, there were 30+ firework displays visible around the city from the roof, too... very cool. Sat. am we arrived just in time for the Nasher Sculpture Center to open and toured that before heading back to the our beloved Waco. There is a photo of one of our favorites. We had a great time, but its always so nice to get back home to your own bed!!

Rockport Vacation

We've spent the last week vacationing in Rockport, TX. We had a ball this year. The first few days at the beach were our best ever- the water was so calm and clear you could see the bottom! The kids enjoyed finding hermit crabs crawling around under their shells. I enjoyed lounging on my float and throwing the occasional football or frisbee with Greg. Our condo was nice this year, with an upstairs for the kids- that was a big treat! And the pool there was awesome. We went there at least once a day as well. So, lots of water and beautiful sunny days all week! What more could we ask for??

We got to eat at our favorite restaurant two different nights- the Boiling Pot- Oh so good... if you ever make to rockport, you have to go there!! Delicious boiled shrimp, crab, etc. poured right out on the table. Right before we went, Vanson and Tristan both finished two weeks of swim lessons. They are doing great- we've never had a 3 yr. old swimmer before- he even learned to turn back and front flips this week!! No fear!... not always a good thing :) Anyway, here's a few photos from the week.

One day we took an afernoon trip over to Port Aransas and did some beach shopping and rented a cart to cruise the beach. That was fun.

Best Dam Run in Waco

This past Saturday was a family event for us. We all headed out to the dam at 7:00am, which meant waking sleeping children-- there is definitely something wrong with that!! Then, at 7:45 Greg took off with Autumn and Shannen doing the one mile run. Autumn ran her best ever, never stopping!! She finished strong. Greg and Shannen were right behind her, feet off the ground! This was their first race and they did a great job!! Then, they all cheered me on as I did my 3rd 5K this year. I did my best time yet, but felt like I was going to pass out when I crossed that line! I think I'm done for the summer... even 8:15 got too hot!!

Summer is here! Let the fun begin....

Shannen graduated from Kindergarten- he was excited!!

Once everyone was out of school, we started playing in the water. These were taken Memorial Day Weekend- Greg worked almost non-stop for 4 days, so we entertained ourselves outside. Autumn was home too, but for some reason she escaped the camera :)

Some of my favorite pictures this year....

ok, I made this cute little video, but can't seem to get it to play on here... so view it at this link if you'd like :)

http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z284/newmanfamily6/?action=view&current=05a6a780.pbr

Mothers Day 2008

This Mother's Day was kind of unique b/c we split the family in half... My mom was visiting her mother in TX, so I took Autumn and Tristan (the bookends) and went to East TX to see them. Greg had promised "the books" a camping trip, so he took Vanson & Shannen and headed to Lake Belton for a camp out, then they went on to his Mom's in Austin to visit with her and a few of his siblings before coming home. We all had a great weekend, but I think we got the better weather :)

Here are a few photos we each took on our own, and then one of me with all the kids after we got back home! I feel so blessed!!

10th Anniversary

Greg and I celebrated our anniversary on the 25th. In some ways, its hard to believe it's already been 10 whole years!! But, when you consider that we have been parenting for 21 collective years (we arrived at this fact by adding the ages of our kids), it seems like we should be years further!! Either way, its been a great 10 yrs (or 21) and we were excited to celebrate it!!

Greg took the initiative this year and planned the whole night. I worried needlessly about his first time planning.... That morning, 2 dozen beautiful red roses came to my door. Then, that afternoon he frosted me with some diamonds. That evening, he had a limo pick us up and take us to a fantastic dinner in Temple. I'd say he did quite well!! All I had to do was call a sitter and go shopping for a dress....thanks to my sista friend Tanya that was a blast!! Our favorite sitter that we all love, got sick last minute so we had a moment of panic, but our good friends the Simpsons graciously kept the kids along with their 3 and 2 others so we could still enjoy our date. I can't even imagine their night with 9 kids!!!! But, because of the change in plans, the kids got to ride in the limo over to their house- they loved that!! When we left, it was POURING down rain~ I was so thankful we didn't have to drive and weren't in the date car!! When we got back into town, we took all 9 pajama clad kids, and of course the parents, for a ride!! In spite of the snags, we had a very memorable night!

So that is where all the mud came from!!!

I knew their clothes were an absolute disaster, but I couldn't understand how they'd gotten so bad... until I found these photos this morning on the camera.... Daddy must have had something to do with it :)

TEXAS BLUE BONNETS... gotta love 'em!!