Brian and i are sitting here in the den listening to Asleep at the Wheel while he works on budget stuff and i, well, blog. we're getting an unexpected night alone since my mom invited the kids to stay the night out there after we went out for the party today. the party went well. the cake was a success and didn't fall apart when cut. the cousins ran around like wild indians and were thrilled when they realized they were getting a slumber party that night.

the only thing that has put a damper on the day is that i've had a headache all afternoon. bleh. i'm gonna try and go to bed early and sleep it off. my friend Robyn is bringing her two youngest boys by around 8 tomorrow for me to watch for a few hours and i need to be on top of my game. i'm gonna try to get out and get in my miles early tomorrow morning. today was the first day i haven't exercised in as long as i can remember. time and headache were not permitting.

i guess i really have nothing of substance to blog about this evening, so i'll leave you with the text from this morning's sermon that Pastor Smith preached (Pastor Cassidy is still in London), one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture.

Isaiah 55

The Free Offer of Mercy

 ¹ “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
² “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
³ “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
⁴ “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

 

sweet things

my mom asked me to make a cake for my stepgrandma's 80th birthday party tomorrow. i thought it was going to end up a cake wreck because i had trouble assembling the two layers after putting the fudge in between, but i was able to resurrect it after a quick prayer for help. the writing turned out kinda wonky, but i was just happy that it all held together and looked halfway decent. hopefully it will taste ok as well. Samuel wanted his picture with it.

Brian and i had a good time at the concert last night. after such a long, hard week of juggling 4 grades of school work, it was nice to get out and have fun as grown ups.

Randy Rogers Band - Interstate

looking forward to seeing these guys tomorrow night!

tumminess

 25 weeks and i feel like i'm 8 months pregnant! can't believe i have 15 more weeks to go. yikes!

on a quest to find a chandelier so i can do something like this



aren't they grand? not sure what room i'd put it in, but i'd find someplace.

the last two days have been full of school. wow, it is a lot harder than i expected, but we're hanging in. i think all together we've done close to two weeks of school work over the past month. it feels good to have some "extra" days under our belt. we'll need them once the baby comes, i'm sure.

i took the kids to Shipe park this afternoon for a swim and to play a bit. we saw a couple of Maplewood/swim team pals. we were only there an hour, but it was nice to get out even if it was 105 degrees.

my belly is so very big, it makes me wonder if there is any way there was a missed twin. i've read accounts about a twin being missed in the first and second trimester ultrasounds, only to be discovered in the third. i guess we'll see in a couple of weeks when i go back to the doctor. i'll be 27 weeks then. i don't remember my tummy ever being this big at this point. and i'm not round all over, so i don't think it's just fatness.

i have the kids doing all sorts of chores these days and it is really wonderful! they each have a  dinner clean up chore, they each oversee and particular room in the house to keep tidy, they have an outside area they are responsible for sweeping, and they each have a bathroom job. the chore assignments rotate each week. i also have one of them help me with laundry, and that rotates each day. the miraculous thing is that i haven't had any resistance from them.

Brian's parents are coming into town Friday evening to spend one night. they're on their way somewhere else, but wanted to stop in and see us. they're gonna babysit for Brian and i so we can go hear Randy Rogers Band at Nutty Brown Cafe, which should be fun.

well, 5:15 comes early, so i'd better hit the hay.

last night we took the kids down to the splash pad at Butler Park to play with their cousins. i walked the 4 and a half mile loop at the trail while they played, and then Brian and i threw down a blanket and listened to the symphony play out in front of the Long Center.



it was nice and relaxing as we'd spent most of Sunday afternoon doing curriculum planning. we plan to do a full week of school this week. it seems a little daunting, but i think i'm ready for the challenge.

baby has been constantly on the move. i still can't figure out why i only feel her movements way down low, but never near the top of my uterus. it seems like she never sleeps. at least she's always awake when i am and when i'm trying to go sleep. what a wiggle worm she is!

i scored a great diaper bag at the thrift store over the weekend. it's a sleek black one from the Gap. it looks as if it was hardly used and has a changing pad and bag for dirty diapers. it'll be nice to have something neutral that Brian can carry.

cool! the new zero waste in.gredients store is going to be on the east side, 2 blocks from our church within walking/riding distance from our house. no excuse for me not to try it out i guess.

vbs is over. i'm not sure why it wore me out so. all i really did all week was sit in a rocker and watch babies. i came home yesterday, put on a movie for the kids, and took a nap. last night we went over to Central Market for dinner and to listen to Ruby Jane do her thing. it was relaxing and a good day to start the weekend.

we got our a/c fixed in the suburban and i can't say i'm complaining. it really is nice to have a car that gets too cold again.

i bought some onesies yesterday for the purpose of embellishing. these are the only articles of clothing Hazel has to her name so far. i've seen several cool ideas for things to do to onesies and am going to see what i can do. i have a couple of tubs of dresses i made for Margaret when she was small, but most of them are toddler size and larger. i can't wait to start sewing some little things for Hazel!

well, i did what i said i didn't want to do. i went out and bought some maternity jeans. i just couldn't keep wearing my couple of pairs of cut off jeans shorts and the same few skirts ALL THE TIME. i wore my regular jeans the other day to Margaret's swim meet, but couldn't keep them buttoned so i decided i had to do something as i'm such a jean lover. almost all other maternity jeans, like those from Motherhood and Mimi are huge and too baggy. baggy jeans haven't been in since i was in 2nd grade, back when jeans were also pleated, so i'm not wearing them just cause i'm pregnant. but i found some trim fitting jeans at Target this week and bought them. i'm pretty happy with them.

enough clothing talk, i've gotta get out and exercise before everyone else gets up and wants grub.

last night we went over to Hyde Park to swim in the pool at Shipe Park. i didn't swim, but instead walked the streets of the neighborhood admire all the pretty houses. i don't know why i love houses so.
a house with character just thrills my heart. it's eye candy for me.



built in 1891, Hyde Park was the first suburb of Austin. it was a big deal back then and seemed way far north, reached by street car. actually it's only a mile or so from downtown. it's full of Victorian homes and turn of the century bungalows that have so much character, some restored and some pretty much in the same state they were a hundred years ago.







it's about a mile and a half from our house, on the other side of the interstate, but it seems worlds away. when i'm over there it's so easy to imagine i've gone back in time. they have this great park, Shipe, named after the developer of the neighborhood, Monroe Shipe. i took the kids there all the time when they were much younger because it has a very shallow wading pool so i could keep up with all babies at once much easier. lately i've been reminded that it's still a great place to take the kids even though they're big. there is a creek that runs through it, and a basketball court, a deep lap pool, and wonderful old oaks to climb.

when Brian and i were training for the marathon we'd run through Hyde Park every sunday morning before the crack of dawn on our way down to town. it was so quiet and peaceful and you almost forgot that you were right off the interstate.

anyways, i really enjoyed my walk last night. i think i'd almost always rather run or walk through a neighborhood than on a trail.

vbs has been good this week. i've worked every morning in the baby nursery and have had different moms come in to be my helper each day. i love one on one time with other moms like that. we haven't had very many babies, so there has been lots of time to talk.

well, i have Margaret in the kitchen making rosemary bread, so i'd better go check on how it's going.

***************************************************

tonight Margaret is baby sitting the three little boys she takes care of. it's her first evening sitting job, so Brian has gone over to sit with her the last hour or so. boy does it make a momma feel old when her baby starts babysitting!

we've been on the hunt for a middle name for Hazel. i've looked through so many "old fashioned baby names" lists that they're all starting to run together. any suggestions?

it is a wonder what this baby has done for Brian and i! maybe it's this way for any couple that has a baby later in there marriage (is 13 and a half years considered later?), but it has drawn us so much closer! we're like newlyweds again. not that we ever loss the spark or anything, but there is a greater sense of love and respect for each other than ever before. it is really special.

this is my 100th post on this blog. i guess i should celebrate or something. or give door prizes.

we drove down to New Braunfels to go to Schlitterbahn yesterday, but when we got there, we were informed that the older part of the park was closing down because someone had backed into an electrical cable and knocked power out for the whole park. as it was already 2:30, we decided to just drive back to Austin and find something else to do. my mom and Leah took the kids swimming, but i had a headache so they brought me back home. i got some rest time in and some reading. my mom and Leah took all the kids out to dinner which gave Brian and i a little extra time together once he got home. we went on a long walk until nearly dark.

last night we discovered William had lice, the first time we've every dealt with that. i think he got it from his cousins who all got it last week, who think they got it from Patrick's friend. we did the whole treatment thing on all the kids last night. this morning William still had it. ugh. he didn't go to vbs today. i bought another kit and plan to do everyone again. also bought the spray that you spray the furniture down with, and tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner which is supposed to repel the things. i've been washing everything in the house that can be washed.

this afternoon i dropped off the suburban to have the a/c worked on. i hate the thought of putting more money into that car as we planned to only have it for one more year, but now i'm trying to convince Brian that we should drive it until every last part has fallen off and it can't move anymore. i've never been a car person. not to say i wouldn't love to drive something nice and new (and the suburban was when we bought it 7 years ago), but i'd much rather put the money into our house. and in a way there is something kind of cool about driving a car forever ever. it's like it takes on the personality of you and your family.

i am 24 weeks pregnant today. heehaw! after my upcoming doctor's visit which will include an ultrasound, i'll have one more monthly visit before i start seeing the doc every 2 weeks. had to believe that the weeks have gone by so fast!

well, i have fish waiting to be cooked. gotta run.

a great idea from one of the blogs i keep up with.

subway art!

vbs at Redeemer started this morning. i worked in the nursery, getting a chance to visit with the two other mommies in the nursery. the kids seemed to enjoy it, i guess. it's always so hard to tell with the boys as they're kind of socially awkward in new situations.

the a/c on the car has been having trouble the past couple of weeks, and just gave out completely a few days ago. i took it over to the station and left it for them to look at. the library is on the way home from the station, so i stopped in there and picked up a few movies for the kids and a few books for me. Brian called later with the bad news that the a/c compressor went out and it would be nearly a $1000 to fix it. ugh. that car is the biggest money eater! i'm half inclined to live without an a/c but then we have a couple of road trips planned for this summer and it would be pretty awful driving all the way to the Alabama coast without an a/c.

i was really stressing about the whole thing, plus upcoming dentist and ortho appointments, and the cost of the hospital and birth and all.  but i was reminded to "consider it all joy", even when the a/c breaks. i just started thanking God for how He takes care of us and daily shows us His kindness. how can i doubt His faithfulness?

i got a call today from a neighbor down the street who wanted to give us some baby stuff. she brought by a nice gray & black graco travel system and 3 carseat bases! what a blessing! also this week my friend Karen gave me a bunch of cute tops, also some for Margaret. see, God does take care of us!

Brian has a deacon meeting tonight and i won't expect him home for a long time as those are always such long things. i'm letting the kids stay up late and watch Swiss Family Robinson. not that they haven't seen it like 10 times, but it is still one of their favorites.

i'm headed off to curl up with my book and my hot tea. g'night, y'all!

y'all who blog with blogger, how do you comment on your own blogs? i can't seem to make it happen. it just won't let me.

i bought a pile of more cloth diapering essentials this morning from a yard sale on the next street - a dozen tiny chinese prefolds and 8 or so covers or various styles and sizes, some terry inserts, and some cloth wipes. oh, and one of those clips for cloth diaper. i forget what it's called. i think i'm all set to go now. i have about 50 diapers of different types, sizes, and colors. i've spent about $212. i am curious how far that would get me is i was buying disposables.

pastor Cassidy preached on matt. 13 this morning and the parable of the sower. i can never hear that parable enough it seems. i always get something out of it.

there was an orientation for the vbs workers after church so Margaret and went to that. i think it's going to be a good week. unfortunately my dreams of us riding bikes to vbs every morning won't happen. i have to be there so early that i don't think we'll be able to get there in time.

we all took a nap this afternoon. we've kind of made a habit of sunday napping which is perfectly fine by me.

pregnancy indigestion and heartburn have been my companions of late. the other day i could not stop burping. i felt like an old lady. LOL.

i guess that's all the news worthy stuff i have to write about today. happy sunday!

i've been in a blogging mood lately. life has become more home-centered this summer and i feel as if i have more time to process life going on around me.

i've also felt a resurgence of creativity. i had gone through such a dry spell for so long, but i now have a million ideas going through my head of things i want to make! i have a growing collection of blogs of oh-so-talented mamas who inspire me in this area. now to just make something happen!

awhile back i picked up a midcentury coffee table that a neighbor a few houses down had put out on the curb. it needed some wood glue and refinishing as it had been used as a porch table or something like that for a long time. otherwise it had good bones and lines. it has sat in our carport for weeks (months?) waiting for me to do something with it. i finally finished it yesterday. it looks great in our den! can't beat free. okay, i think i spent $1.79 on wood glue at HEB. but that's it.

 i'm the queen of salvaged junk! well, actually my friend Karen is, and i'm the duchess. i love to see what i can do with someone else's trash. LOL. i have two other projects still out in the carport, a very old, tiny high chair that i've already sanded down and repainted, and a futon that i need to make a new cover for. it will go in the "barn" once we get it all cleaned out and finished out. not sure if i've mentioned that, but one of our summer projects is to get our big (16x24 i believe) storage building that Brian has taken to calling "the barn" finished out with insulation and electricity (air, lights, fan) so that it can double as a game room, club house for the kids. we're moving all the playroom toys out there to make room for the crib and other baby paraphernalia. if it all comes together like we imagine, i think it will be a great thing. the "barn" already has three windows and has the appearance of a little house or workshop. i think the kids will enjoy have a place to go to getaway from it all.

Brian went and played basketball with some friends from work last night up in Pflugerville. it was one of those rare times when it was just me and the kids in the evening. i took them over to Central Market to listen to music and play.

we have a busy week ahead with Redeemer's VBS. we'll also be going to Schlitterbahn one of the days this week with my mom and and sister and the cousins. i hope Hazel can handle a bunch of tube rides again.

i talked to Gracie, Ricky's mom a few times this week. Ricky is the little boy from Maplewood who has many health problems including leukemia. he has been in the hospital in San Antonio this week on steroids to get his strength up. he's not been doing well lately and in a lot of pain. please pray for God to give him strength in his little body. our church was able to help the family out with some needed gas money for their drives to and from SA this week. i don't think that the Zamoras are in a church. i never hear mention of one so maybe they'll start coming to Redeemer.

speaking of Redeemer, i'm going to head out to get in my exercise before i need to get ready for church. i am so looking forward to church this morning!

regional swim meet

it felt like the big leagues arriving at the swim center this morning.

but apparently the other teams were intimidated by the Piranhas with their large numbers, their matching suits,  and their loud chants. and loud fans.

that's Margaret with the polka dot towel on her head.

up for her first event!

name in lights. swimming in the same pool that Michael Phelps, Janet Evans, Ian Crocker, Aaron Pearsol and other Olympians have swam in!

 
yawn! about to swim last event

Margaret did well, this being her first year to swim, though she didn't place in the top three in any of her races. this has been a very fun season and i know she'll want to do it again next summer.

paint and fabric

as i mentioned a few posts ago, i painted our bedroom recently. here's a pic.

there is a bare wall on Brian's side of the room that i need to fix, but otherwise we're done!

and here's what i did with some of that delicious fabric i bought a couple of weeks ago -

you can't tell in the picture, but the fabric that the pillow is made from has a beautiful woven texture. you also can't tell that there is a gray-blue piping around the edges of the pillow. i ripped it from another set of pillows i made awhile back, the ones i hand-dyed blue from flaxen-colored fabric because i couldn'nt find the color i liked. anyways, if you could see it, it's kind of cool. at least i think.

i also made a couple of small pillows for the two chairs on the front porch. (please pardon the messy porch!)

 what can i say? i'm gaga for color! thankfully in an old house you can pretty much do what you want with color and it isn't frowned upon. sometimes people even think it's cool.

followers

looking through my "followers" on my blog and wondering who Jason Kumpolt is. anybody know this person?

i'm not paranoid or anything, but i kind of like to know who my readers are.

Josh Abbott - My Texas (feat. Pat Green)

domestic life

Brian and i had a chance to go out last night. my mom wanted to take as many as the grandkids as possible out there to Burnet to spend then night. it was a nice little break for us. we went to dinner at Trudy's and then walked through the campus for an hour or so. we stopped in at the swim center where Margaret will be have her swim meet on saturday. made me really wish that i was a swimmer. it looks like it would feel so invigorating to just swim back and forth, back and forth like that.

i went out and exercised this morning, had my Meals on Wheels route after that, and went and met a lady to buy some cloth diapers after that. i was really pleased with my purchase. i got 19 barely used gPants in great colors as well as some liners for $150. comparing costs, it seemed like a good deal.

i'm 23 weeks pregnant now.  it's starting to seem like the time is going by faster. i'm just glad i'm not one of my grandmother's mini horses. they're pregnant for like 11 or 12 months.

a sort of belly pic -

not sure why i look so yellow in that picture. and i figure wearing horizontal stripes is a big-time fashion No No when you're pregnant, but i was short on clean summery shirts.

tonight is homegroup at the Koplin's. so looking forward to the time of worship and fellowship!

well, i've got chocolate chip cookies in the over, so i'd better get back to the kitchen.

July 12, 2011

as i mentioned before, i'm going a little gaga over this whole cloth diapering thing. i am buying nearly 20 little g diapers from a lady tomorrow all in cute girlie colors. i bought 6 all in ones last week as well as12 inserts. i also made 13 prefolds in cute flannels. now all i need is the baby!





Mama came and got the kids this afternoon to go out to Burnet for the night. Brian and i are going out tonight and i am SO looking forward to it!

i took the kids with me on my morning walk today. i had them up and out of the house at 6:30 for a roughly 4 mile walk. Samuel and John ran most of the way since i told them if they finish faster they'd have time to play on the playground at the Lake Park. i hope to do this nearly every day with them. i want them to learn to appreciate the early mornings like Brian and i do.

i have been waiting for my new phone to come in today. it got ran over last week. it continues to sort of work, but the glass is shattered. i've been using Margaret's, which feels tiny compared to my big'n.

it is really terrible that my favorite thrift store is literally right around the corner from my house because i end up going in there way too often. i find the best deals every time! i got me a really cute lime green skirt and a long jersey knit top today. i've been wearing skirts a lot this pregnancy because they're cool and comfy. i have yet to wear anything maternity from the waist down except if you count my two piece swim suit. i just can't bring myself to wear maternity shorts or pants. they just scream "frumpy!"

well, my date will be here soon, so i'd better got try to make myself presentable.

i went to see Dr. Love today. i'm about 23 weeks. so glad to be at this point with no complications or much discomfort to speak of. i feel very blessed for every day with Hazel-baby. i love to feel her moving around and kicking and punching. i can feel her getting stronger every day,  but still not to the point that she hurts me. when i was pregnant with Margaret i nearly cried from the pain of her kicking me in my ribs all the time. i haven't had that problem with subsequent pregnancies. i guess my rib cage stretched after that first baby. even so, Hazel seems way lower than any of the others were at this point. i weighed in at 123 today, which means i've gained 14 pounds since my first visit to the OB. that's nearly what i weighed when i had Margaret. but i feel good about my weight gain since i'm exercising daily, walking at least 4 and a half miles and doing weights and push ups. i'm trying to see how long i can continue to do real push ups. i had been doing 20 every day, but last night when i did them i had to stop at 19. LOL. all this weight up front is getting hard to deal with. i feel like Pamela Anderson or Dolly Parton. i am sure ten pounds of my weight gain is up there. it's rather indecent.

i have another ultrasound next month to look at my placenta. it will be fun to get a peak at baby again!

i ran into a former City School (the private school the kids used to attend) teacher while i was at the doctor. she's 30 weeks pregnant, and we had such fun swapping pregnancy stories and showing off bellies. i'm so happy for her! i remember her losing a baby late in pregnancy while we were at City School. since then she's had a little boy and is now expecting her second boy. i have so many friends who go to Dr. Love that i always expect to see someone i know in the waiting room.

we've started going to a Bible study at the Koplin's again. it's a study of Psalms. it is so refreshing to get together with friends and discuss Scripture!

Redeemer will be having a VBS next week. i'll be working in the nursery, Margaret will be an assistant in the 4 year old class, and the boys will be in attendance. we're going to try to bike to the church every morning if i can get everyone out the door on time. 

last night we tool the kids down to the Lady Bird trail and walked the three mile loop. we intended to go listen to the symphony play out in front of the Long Center, but we got there just as they were wrapping up and missed the whole thing. oh well, we'll try again another Sunday night, i guess. we still had fun being downtown at night, something we haven't done in awhile.

we have two beach trips coming up. one to the Texas coast with my family, and another a week later to the Alabama coast with my inlaws.

Brian and i decided to not go to Jefferson for our anniversary this year. this will be the second year in a row that we've missed and i hate that, since it's such a special place for us. but i'll be 36 weeks pregnant at that time, and we figure it's probably not the best thing to go 6 hours away. also i don't know how well i will handle car travel at that point. we're going to New Braunfels instead. Gruene will be having their food and wine fest which will include lots of the music we like, so i think it'll be a decent alternative to our usual getaway.

i've been doing a couple of days a week of school work with the kids. it's fun, but tiring. there is just so much to cover! each has their own math, grammar, and spelling. John and William are working from the same science book, Samuel from another book, and Margaret from another. John and William are studying the same history, 4th grade U.S. history, and Margaret and Samuel the same, 7th grade world history.  i'm trying to cover two years of phonics and grammar with John as he did so poorly in those areas last year. we're covering 1st grade now, and hopefully will be ready for 2nd grade half way through the school year. there is just so much i want to cover with the kids that i feel like doing school over the summer is a necessity.

i'm about to head out to take Margaret to her swim practice for the night. i get in another 2 miles of walking while she's swimming, which is a pleasant way to wind up the day.

july 9, 2011

the other night we met my old friend, Tasha and her family, including her mom and brother, at Central Market. Tasha and i have known each other since birth and she is such a special friend! she lives in the Woodlands, so we don't see each other very often, maybe a couple of times a year.

she snapped this pic of Brian and me -

we stayed out pretty late and so didn't get to bed until way past my bed time. i get up at 5 every morning to go exercise, so i was dead on my feet yesterday morning. the whole day was a train wreck. i was so exhausted and yelled at the kids, and cried, and was just an over all bad momma. but things started getting better, and late in the afternoon i took the kids over to Hyde Park to swim at Shipe pool. we ran into some friends from Maplewood and swim team there as well, and had a nice visit. when we were leaving i must've dropped my phone in the street because halfway down there road i had the kids search the swim bag for it, but we couldn't find it anywhere. we went back to the park, and there it was slightly in the road, face down with a tire mark over it. i turned it over, and yep, the screen was shattered. amazingly it still worked. but it sent me over the edge and i bawled about it all the way home. even with insurance it's $130 to get it replaced. when we got home, Margaret took her babysitting money to Brian and said that she wanted to buy me a new phone. so sweet!

***********************************************************************

Margaret had her last regular swim meet today. just she and i went down there and sat through 85 races together. Margaret was in the last race of the day and her relay team won first place! we still have one more week of 8 pm. practices and then the regional meet at the UT swim center next Saturday. it will be nice to have our evenings and Saturdays back.

 here are a couple of pics that i "borrowed" from some other Patterson Piranha parents.





after the meet the whole team met up at a yogurt place near our house for a party. i took some pics of that, but they're on my phone. i'll upload them later.

i'm kind of obsessed with cloth diapering these days. i bought some AIO diapers on Craigslist the other day. i have a growing collection of soft things to put on my little Hazel's bum.

well, i guess that does it for tonight. i'm going to sit down and look over curriculum a little before bed.

POP!

trying out the new screens. they're still not finished, lacking the actual screens and the second coat of paint. went pretty retro with the color combination. now all we need is a funky new porch light and mail box and BIG house numbers to complete the look.

Phew. just finished "summer school" for the day. wow. that's a full load, trying to cover all subjects with the kids. we started last week or the week before doing a day or two of school a week. and it takes ALL day. i was thinking we could finish school work at home faster than they do each day in school, but no.

last weekend was great! Brian took off early on Thursday and we went out to Pedernales Falls State Park to meet up with our friends Mike and Kristi Simpson and their kids. they have a pop up trailer and this is the second time we've met up with them for a camp out. last year it was the beach. this time was way better. i mean, who likes camping on the beach anyways? we drove over to Enchanted Rock on Friday morning and hiked for a good part of the day, and stopped in Fredericksburg for ice cream on the way back to Pedernales.  we hiked down to the river late in the day on Friday, after dinner, and found the perfect swimming hole with a rope swing. and we had the whole thing to ourselves! we stayed until dark, and then made the arduous trek back up the steep, not very clearly marked trail somehow not losing one of the nine kids. we spent some more time in the river on Saturday before we headed back to Austin.

we had such a good time and hope to do more camping with other families in the future.

we spent a good part of sunday in church. there was a luncheon after the second service which we stayed for. we rested most of sunday afternoon and evening. it was good.

we were up and at 'em early on the Fourth and went over to the Langley's to participate in their neighborhood's parade and festivities. they live in Delwood II and we live a neighborhood over in Delwood IV. i don't think there is a Delwood III. not sure why. it was a good old fashion Independence Day celebration with speeches and a neighbor singing the national anthem. so fun!

we came home after that and worked on painting our window screens. we took them down when we first moved in so we could paint the house. we never got around to painting the screens. now, 8 years later, we've decided it's time. we opted for a bright orange, Behr's Solar Flare, if you care to check it out. we're not done with them, but as soon as we get them up, i'll take a pic.

that's all the updating i have time for right now. got burgers on the grill and a key lime pie waiting on the counter. gotta figure out how to round out the meal.