Happy 5th Birthday Dean!

Dean turned 5 a couple of weeks ago. I know I say this at every birthday, but I truly can't believe it's been 5 years since Dean was born! He requested brownies for after supper, and since I couldn't draw a picture on the brownies, we used construction cone candles.

I brought chocolate chip cookies and ice cream to Dean's class to celebrate. He was beaming!
After we picked up KatieLynn from school, we got Daddy, and then headed to Mountasia. The kids loved trying to spray each other on the bumper boats (Darren & I sat that one out), the go-carts, and even miniature golf.

The kids were very pumped about playing mini-golf, but found it a little difficult to get the hole where they wanted. At the third hole, Dean was pretty frustrated, so Darren tried, and his first hit pitched the ball into the water.... I think Dean enjoyed watching the ball move down the little creek even more.

KatieLynn and I lasted until 9 holes, and then we were ready for something else.

Here's my big man.

He adores his big sister!

Dean's Favorites:
Books: Nonfiction equipment and Franklin
Games: Uno, Toy Story Yahtzee Jr.
Toys: legos, construction, tractors, trucks
Stuffed Animals: Denver (teddy bear) & Buck (deer)
TV: Swamp Loggers, Harvest, Ice Road Truckers
Cartoons: Franklin, Curious George
Bible Story: birth of Jesus
Outside: Digging in dirt pile or sandbox, riding bike, or helping Daddy
Food: Macaroni
Dessert: Ice Cream
Color: Green (surprise!)

Special things about Dean
He loves his family, and is completely devoted to us.
He shares whatever he has.
He is a hard worker, whether it's digging in the dirt pile, pulling weeds, or picking up sticks in the yard.
He always tells me thank-you (I hope he tells others too!)
He is usually easy-going, and will go along with whatever KatieLynn wants to do.
At home, he is kind, gentle, and helpful (again, I hope he will do this everywhere).
He takes good care of his stuffed animals.
He is a homebody.
He is a good snuggler.

1st Day of 1st Grade & Pre-K

I know this is a little late, but sorry! This summer the kids had so much fun; they never thought about school starting. Then 2 days (Tuesday) before KatieLynn's first day, we went to Meet the Teacher night; that was when she got excited! She was able to see all her friends, meet her teacher, and check out her classroom. Wednesday night she told me she didn't think she could go to sleep because she was so excited, and the next morning she got up almost an hour earlier than usual! Thursday was a fabulous day for her.After KatieLynn's first day, Dean started asking every day when he was going to school... it was nearly 3 weeks away! But we filled our days with Daddy, errands, taking lunch to KatieLynn, playdates, and of course playing! On his first day, he asked me if any of his friends from last year would be in his class, and I told him no, they were all going 3 or 4 days a week this year (instead of 2 -Dean goes Tuesday/Thursday). He had a great first day too! Though the second week of school, he told me that next year, I should sign him up for just 1 day a week! I laughed, but broke it to him that next year would be kinder and 5 days a week! He was comforted by the fact that he would be at the same school as KatieLynn.Most mornings, the kids spend 15 -30 minutes outside playing, before loading up for school. The mornings are when they play the best together!KatieLynn is ready to get to work!Dean is ready for centers.

Neither of them shed a tear, and actually barely told me good-bye! I fared pretty well too; no tears.

Weekend in San Antonio

This past weekend we went with my parents for a mini-vacation to San Antonio. We got there Friday afternoon, where the kids were anxious to swim in the hotel pool. After swimming and relaxing for a while, we ate yummy Mexican food, and then settled into our hotel room to watch Swamp Loggers before turning out the lights.

On Saturday we headed to Sea World. The kids played in the middle play area, but I wasn't entirely comfortable. There were people EVERYwhere, and it was difficult to keep an eye on both kids through all the mazes. The kids and I went on some of the water slides. The slides were fun, but very crowded, and a little foul smelling. We watched a couple of shows, and loved AZUL! It was like circus on/in the water! If we are able to go back next year, I think we will plan to go during the week (not the weekend), as soon as KatieLynn is out of school (her school gets out a little earlier than most schools, so it should be less crowded, plus not so hot!)

Sunday morning we ate breakfast in our room, and then enjoyed a couple of hours at the pool, before we checked out. We ate lunch, and then headed home. I was shocked that Dean didn't nap in the car, but he was in bed that night at 7:15, and KatieLynn at 7:30, and they both slept 12+ hours! We all had a fun time, but were also ready to sleep in our own beds Sunday night.

Bebe & Papa with the kids One of the AZUL performers
KatieLynn cools off at hotel
Dean splashing in the water

The hotel pool was pretty neat!

Swimming

We are lucky to live so close to Bebe & Papa's (my parents in Brenham). We love visiting with them, and also enjoy cooling off in their pool!

KatieLynn & Dean are both great little swimmers!

Uncle Harper can throw us really high!!

Hunters

I tried to get a few shots of the kids yesterday, but it can be difficult to get 2 kids to look, smile, stand still, etc. at the same time! I can't imagine how much harder it would be with more kids! Maybe that's a good reason for us to stick with just two. :) SILLY! I thought if I did this, they would relax and give me more natural smiles the next time, it was a good idea, but .... not sure it worked.

The kids (and us!) love to play the deer hunting game! We got this in West Texas at the Lacy Family Christmas a couple of years ago. I think I actually got a bottle of wine, but I traded Laura for the game. (Thanks Laura!) We are so outdated because we don't have a Wii, but that's ok. :)

It is serious business when it's your turn to shoot! The kids have come a long way. At first, Dean would just shoot the does because they were easy to hit, (but that ends your game) and now he can shoot bucks, coyotes, foxes, and more. KatieLynn could usually shoot a few bucks, but now she is pretty competitive with us! At any rate, it's great fun, and Darren likes that they are learning to enjoy hunting at an early age.

Zube Park

We started playing at Zube Park 5 years ago when KatieLynn was only 1year old, and barely big enough to reach anything, and I was pregnant with Dean. They are now pros at everything on the playground! Though right now, we can only go early in the morning because of the heat, the kids still enjoy playing there often! We are lucky that it's only 5 minutes from our house.

It's a Little Dry

Like many of you, we've not received significant rain in MONTHS, and even then we were behind. Our cornfields are not tall, the plants tasseled very early, and the stalks are drying down quite quickly. The kids and I prayed for rain almost constantly after we planted, but in mid-April we changed our prayers to ask God to make our crops grow and be prosperous. We still pray that our harvest is good, but more than that, we trust that our Lord will take care of us through whatever happens.

I think KatieLynn found the biggest ear! It was on the end of the row, and the surrounding seeds never came up. Most of the others we found were about half that size. Dean loves to pick ears!

Galveston Weekend

We had a wonderful and relaxing weekend at Galveston Island this past weekend. My good friend, Catherine and I headed out first thing Friday morning with the 4 kiddos. We ate lunch, and then hung out at the beach for the rest of the day. The kids had an absolute blast splashing, wading, and digging! I apologize for no water pics, but I didn't take my camera to the beach or the pool.

Darren and Jack got in Friday night as we were getting the kids ready for bed. Saturday morning, we went swimming at the pool until lunchtime. Then after lunch we napped, and then headed to Moody Gardens Aquarium. We had fun there, but were disappointed at how expensive it was, especially considering the poor lighting in most of the exhibits... We spent Sunday morning at the beach before we headed home.

It was a fun weekend, and I imagine we'll try to do it again next year. :)
Here's Hadley, KatieLynn, and Dean outside the Aquarium

The kids play in the shark cage.