Summer, cousind, and ice cream...what could be better?

During our New Braunfels trip, we choose one night to go out to eat in Gruene. All of the little cousins were perfect angels at the restaurant, thanks to Mimi's promise to buy them ice cream afterwards.

Yum!

More pics from New Braunfels

Exploring the rocks in the river and the tadpoles that were swimming in the crevices

#2 enjoyed picking up rocks and tossing them into the river to see the "splash"

Everyone piled into our bedroom in New Braunfels to watch movies at night. Snow White, Mary Poppins, and Ratatoulle were the favorites.

Our new friend

Last night, we participated in a church event. 270 kids from a church in a low income area of town arrived on buses, and our church members "adopted" one or more children for the night to bring them to Walmart to buy school supplies and share a meal.

Our family "adopted" a 6 year old little boy and we brought him to Walmart. Since I avoid bringing my kids to Walmart at all costs (so I don't have to constantly fight the "I want this, I want that," I was a little nervous about how they would act. I had informed them ahead of time that we would get to meet a new friend and help him find school supplies and clothes for school.

I was amazed at how well they behaved. They still grabbed a lot of things, but instead of saying "I want this, I want that," they were grabbing things to show the boy saying "Do you like this? Do you like that?"

Afterwards, we went to everyone's favorite, Cici's Pizza, where we grubbed on some pizza and brownies. The boy (we'll call him "D") was so sweet, and when Matt realized he had forgotten to get a straw "D" jumped up to get one for him. He was so well mannered.

The boys were so sad when "D" had to leave. I'm glad we did this, and will do it again next year. It truly is rewarding to be the hands and feet of Jesus, meeting people's needs, perhaps we get more out of serving than those who are served.

We will definitely do this again next year...

Brothers

A brother is a friend provided by nature.

CDR Family Reunion

Last weekend we went to a family reunion for my Mom's side of the family. We stayed in a lodge on Lake Granbury and had a great time hanging out with cousins and playing games. The rooms all have full kitchens and were very spacious and clean for a good price. There is an enclosed beach with shallow water right next door, so the kids built sandcastles and played in the water while the bigger boys (including the dads) played baseball using a wiffle ball in the sand. I miss my cousins and wish they did not live so far away in Lubbock because we have such as good time when we are together.

Here is a breakdown of who came:
GG (the Matriarch)
Daughter C
Daughter D and her husband
Son R and his wife
Granddaughter K with her husband and 2 of 3 kids
Granddaughter M with her husband and 3 kids
Granddaughter K with her husband and 2 kids
Granddaughter T with her husband and 4 girls
Granddaughter S (Me!) with her husband and 3 boys
Granddaughter T with her 2 boys
Granddaughter W with her husband and baby on the way


My mom organized several games for us to play, including a pass-the-balloon over/under relay, a yo-yo contest, a Reunion Queen contest, and a family history bingo game. The kids had a blast just hitting the balloons all over the place.

What family reunion would not be complete without a buffet of food? We had a big lunch in a large room that we rented from the hotel. To make things easy, we had leftover buffet for dinner and called it "Re-Buff".

My sister W, her husband J, and me stuffing our faces (they will have a little one at next year's reunion - I can't wait!).

My cousin M, sisters T and T, brother-in-law D, and cousin-in-law L

My husband M with cousin-in-laws B and M, and cousin's daughter S

Little cousins everywhere!

Wrestle-mania!

The balloon relay


The Reunion Queen

The yo-yo contest (we saw some pretty fancy yo-yo moves by M, my cousin's husband, but ultimately my dad won out).

Our crazy family!

Birthday boy

Four years ago today my sweet little boy was born. He is my youngest, and has such a charming and spunky personality. Although he has the itch to aggravate his brothers at times by snatching their toys and running away laughing, he has such a sweet and giving heart. I am so blessed to be called Mommy to this sweet little one, and I look forward to what God has in store for his life.

Happy birthday Boo Boo! Here are some birthday pictures of him:
1 week old

First birthday

Second birthday

Third birthday

Almost 4