as promised!

last gymnastics class

last gymnastics class for the semester!!!  summer session starts next week and ellis will be going twice/week.  she LOVES it :)  and it is such a nice change from dance!!  i never thought i would get sick of tutus...but i am so there...

as you can see, i attempted the double french braid (per her request) and succeeded!   

parents were invited into the gym to see their skills up close.  don't you worry...i might just post a cartwheel video!!  here is emery taking off across the fun bouncy floor...pls look @ her hair!!!  this is what i am left with after she pulls her "ponytail" out :)

before the end of summer, i will attempt to do a back handspring after class...mark my word!

austin + memorial day= fun!

from the pictures, it might look like i just dressed my kids up and took pictures of them around the house :)  not the case!  we clocked major pool hours at my cousins house and had so much fun doing so :)  

 here comes trouble...

 triple threat...

 she might look silly but she can get around the pool all by herself :)

check out her freestyle!!!

i am thinking we should have done swim team!!!  she is pretty effin good (and her backstroke is even better!)  

new animal loose @ the zoo (a very cute animal)

all over the place...roaming the houston zoo :)  she loved every minute!!  um...except meeting the chimps :)  i also had to get into a few fights w/ some "field trippers" who attempted to block her view of the sea lion show!!  how dare they?!?!?

do you think she likes the pool?

i can't keep her away!  not good.  she also thinks she can swim by herself!!  she climbs in every chance she gets...even at the older kids swim lessons....hopefully the novelty wears off soon :)  watch her in action...

one more day of school!!!!

i can't believe the school year is almost over...so crazy.  lazy days of summer here we come!!!  ellis "graduates" from pre-school on thursday morning :)  they actually have a ceremony...cuuuuuute!!!  kindergarten registration is next on my list!!!  people are always asking me if i am ready for her to start...um...yes...i have three kids.  shouldn't one of them be in real school by now?!?!?  although she isn't the one i would choose to ship out of the house everyday!!!  i know...so mean, right?!?!  

speaking of :) look @ his pretty little shiner.  he also has a burn on his arm from opening the oven and...you know...putting his arm in!  this is what i deal with...

bebe brought them home some new clothes...love it when they match!!!  couldn't decide which picture i loved the most...so there are 4 :)  beckett got a summer cut today after these pics were taken...adorbs

quickest way to her dad's heart?

mastering the double hook 'em at 13.5 months :)

bikini girl

 totally ridiculous looking but ellis insisted :)

look at the ponytail!!!

 why, you wonder, is she in a walker when she can walk??  because she climbs into it every chance she gets!

really?

chatty cathy (chatty emery catherine)

she talks...and talks and talks and talks.  i don't remember my other kids talking this much at 13 months?!?  i need to go back and look at my notes :)  this week she started saying ellis, cracker, agua, and thank you!!!  so cute!  and she says thank you at the right time!!!  i love it...so much fun.  of course "uh oh" is still her favorite.  is there a one year old on earth who doesn't love the game in the video below?!?!  dropping food on the ground (on purpose) then following with "uh oh"...oh how i will not miss this little phase :)

she is getting four top teeth at the same time right now...yuck!  so she has very little time to practice her talking in btwn all of the fussing :)  more words next week!

birthday text

picture texted to bo on his b-day yesterday :)  he was traveling and the munchkins wanted to send him some birthday love!  kid free dinner on friday to celebrate the big day...already excited!!!

mother's day weekend at the lake

not a bad place to spend it, huh? AND the weather was ridiculous...absolute perfection.  we left emery behind (boats and 13 month olds don't mix well in my experience) and headed out early friday to our friend's lake house in east texas.  we cruised in the pontoon, tubed behind the ski boat (including beckett and ellis!!!), swam, sunned, fished, and soooo much more.  debra and i even went for a run :)  impressive right?  the dads took care of the kids and made breakfast on sunday while we slept in (really late...till like 8:15!!)  it was really sweet...the kids were so excited about mother's day.  we left after breakfast...had to head home to emery and to see our mothers!  we loaded everybody back up and headed to brandon's parents for a crawfish boil...my parents went too...fun times and delicious...

i am worn out!!  it seems to be a pattern for mondays.  i stay up too late "celebrating" on the weekends...celebrating the fact that i made it through another week with 3 kids.  just kidding :)

more pictures of the fun weekend to come...i do hope emery forgives me for leaving her at home mother's day weekend!!!  trust me she was in heaven with bebe and bo...

and HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best dad in the whole world...he is 60 today!!!

summer started early

we have been in the pool a ton already.  this baby LOVES the pool...like, tears are flowing when we have to get out :)  

and these two...you would have thought it was christmas morning when i said "yes" to writing on the flagstone with chalk while in the pool.   it kept them entertained for at least 2 hours.  needless to say, they can go ahead and count on "yes" to that little activity every time :)

who doesn't love to draw with chalk naked in the pool?

bluebonnets...

i had emery's 1 year pictures taken in the bluebonnets :)  emery did a great job...especially given the fact that we drove over an hour to get there!??!  the photographer gave me 53 pictures...she is smiling in every one of them!  

can you see the heart in the tree???