Splashes!

Summer fun = fun in the water!

After a sweaty time at track camp one morning, we went to a splash pad in Bryan with Seth and his family to cool off. The kids had a blast! And of course Chance splashed around too!



Our church picnic was at Adamson Lagoon, and the kids were crazy for the water slides! As always, Cade was super fast on the water slide and did not make it into any pictures. Annie was very happy to show off her love of the froggie slide!



Garrett celebrated turning 7 with a pool party in our neighborhood. A lot of our old WDS friends attended, so it was a fun reunion for the kids and parents!



And both of our kiddos obviously love "going high" with Daddy! They are so brave, and I'm thankful that Chance is so strong!



After Annie's bravery led her into a couple surprise jumps into the pool, we invested in a puddle jumper!

Summer "Studies"

After getting home from vacation, it was time to settle into a bit of a routine for a couple of weeks. We like to do a little learning and a lot of fun! CSISD offered the summer track program again this year, and Cade is probably their happiest participant! He had one friend from school join him this year, and we were very happily surprised to find the Langdon kids there, all the way from Austin! Track camp is very sweaty, but neither kid seems to mind. Even though Annie is too young to enroll, she stays active the whole time too!




Cade also did a week-long basketball camp with Garrett, and that was great fun too!



Cade and Annie had swim lessons for 2 weeks, and accomplished their goals - swimming to the surface for Annie, and side breathing for Cade! Cade moved too fast for any pictures, but we were so proud of him for learning this so quickly. He has also almost mastered diving! Both kids had instructions to do "big ice cream scoops" for their strokes, so of course we rewarded them with big scoops of Spoons for being such good listeners at the lessons!



Cade also graduated to the next belt level in karate. They got to demonstrate their form and sparring at the graduation, and we were super proud of him, as always.



One of our summer goals was to put handles on our cabinets. That means that 62 holes had to be drilled... using my Opa's trusty drill! The kids also like summer science projects, so we did a little fizzy one with baking soda, food coloring, and vinegar one morning.

Galveston Vacation

We started off summer with our family vacation to Galveston! Going here has become almost an annual event, and as much as I would like to explore somewhere else, seeing the joy on Cade's face when he sees all his favorite familiar sights is wonderful. It is also fun to see him introduce Annie to all of his beloved spots! Plus, Annie DOES NOT enjoy the car yet, so going anywhere further away would require sedation for everyone but the driver :)

After the obligatory stop at the outlet mall, we made it to our condo! While this place was kind of far out of town, it is probably the best place we've ever stayed on vacation! We had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a lovely balcony. We were also super close to the pool, which was of course our first stop!



Our first morning, we walked down to the beach on the way to Moody Gardens.



And here we are at Moody Gardens! Dreams come true :)



First stop, the aquarium:



Then, onto the dinosaur exhibit! Annie wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but Cade wanted his picture taken with every single dinosaur. I did not include them all, but it was such a treat that he asked to have his picture taken so often. And of course I took them all :)



Annie took a little nap with Daddy, and then was a little more excited about the exhibit. And we had a cheesy but cute family picture taken!



We also went to an Imax movie and the new Sponge Bob show, which Cade could not wait to tell Garrett about!



The next day, we spent the morning at the beach, and it was super fun! Cade looked for crabs the entire time, and Annie amused herself by playing in the sand and occasionally venturing into the water.



Annie was kind of tired after the beach.



That afternoon, we went back to Moody Gardens for the Rainforest Pyramid and another visit to the aquarium. After that, we met my parents for dinner at Fisherman's Wharf and a walk to La King's ice cream parlor! It was so special to see them at one of their favorite places.



We had one more trip to the pool the next morning, and then it was time to say goodbye to vacation for one more year. We are so thankful for our jobs that give us this opportunity to get away and for our precious family time.