Camping Inks Lake

Inks Lake

A Couple of weekends ago our family got to go camping with our friends, the Rousches, to a beautiful lake outside of Austin called Inks Lake. It was so nice to get outside and enjoy sleeping under the stars:) We even swan in the lake...even though it had weird green slimy things floating in it.
The Rousch Family moved here about a year ago from where we are hoping to move in Alaska, Anchorage. They LOVED so I enjoy hearing all their stories. Our kids didn't skip a beat playing and discovering things. They even seemed to manage eating dinner swarmed by mosquito's without complaint.


This was on a hike we took the first night. It was so beautiful!

I love sunset and silhouette pictures.
Miaja bundlin' up for the night!
Thomas being silly

Miaja loved playing with Erica their oldest daughter.

Ayden just chillin'
Thomas always get's a hard time for being a little crazy...because he kinda is...but he is the cuddliest and sweetest ever! Love my Thomas.

....Thomas is the cuddliest and sweetest 2 yr. old...now Chase...he's the cuddliest and sweetest 6, almost 7 yr. old.

Jaron just hangin' out having a good time. Jaron the master of setting up camp. He could pretty much make the greatest camping set-up from next to nothing!

Love the picture...Miaja loves her daddy!
...Jaron is the sweetest and cuddliest 32 yr. old ever ...(maybe too much information:))
Of course Thomas would find the tree he could climb that would take him out over the lake...makes for a good picture!
So sweet. I love Ayden.
Coombs Fam...with our sweet dog Belle

The Rousche Family

Ott Annual Bike Rodeo

Annual Ott Bike Rodeo

My kids love riding their bikes, like most kids. They look forward to the Ott Elementary Bike Rodeo each year. Last year Miaja won first place for the 2nd grade girls and this year Chase won first for 1st grade boys. They do such a hood job at the school. They even give the kids their own trophies. My favorite part is hearing the kids cheer on all their friends. The classes get to watch each other and it makes me smile to hear them cheer each kid on as they do the obstacle course and stuff. The kids are hoping that wherever we move next year they have a bike rodeo. If we go to Alaska maybe it will be something like the Cross Country Ski Rodeo:)


Chase just getting started. He was SOOOO excited! Daddy and Thomas were close-by to cheer him on.
I had to give Chase his mommy kisses while he waited his turn. He usually gets a bit embarrassed but I know he really loves it:)
Total focus:)
My favorite picture by far. These boys love each other so much and nothing could make me happier!
Miaja

Miaja in the line-up
Miaja did such a great job! Especially since her bike is a cruiser and quite big.

I love my little lady

Everything is funner with a friend...Miaja and Emma were a great support for each other!

We've Been Smurfed!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Our Four Little Smurfs! Crazy Smurf...Sweetie Pie Smurf...Lego Smurf:)...and of course, Smurfettte! My favorite Smurfs ever!

I must say, I was proud of Jaron being willing to wear knit white pants...we wore them to our church Halloween party and then i washed them and they shrunk a little so on Halloween they were extra snug. Thanks Jaron for being a good sport!

Miaja's good friend Emma was Smurfette with Miaja

Ayden loved this Angry Bird costume...I noticed that our friends the Coils were Angry Birds for Halloween...we loved their costumes too!
That's Crazy Smurf for ya!

Chase with his good friends Tyler Hanson and Tyler Morgan.


Miaja with her great friends..the Bahr girls. Miali, Emma, Miaja and Kennedy. We were so happy this family moved in near us!


My good friend...momma Bahr...Julie and I trying to keep track of the kiddos trick-or-treating.


Jaron getting caught by a BIG, HAIRY spider!!! Thomas was actually terrified and thought Jaron was going to be gobbled-up by this spider!

We had such a great night! Texans spare NOTHING when it comes to Halloween decorations. Who needs haunted houses when you live in Texas! Such a "Spook"-tacular night!

Padre Island part 2

Padre Island Weekend Getaway!!!

So I had said that I had more pictures...here they are!

Jaron bought "me" golf clubs for my birthday! I did have to tease Jaron whether the gift was for me or him. Jaron LOVES golf! We all have a great time playing together.

I love taking the kids. They are actually really good. We had to get Miaja her own lefty clubs because she's left handed.

I just love this picture...the beach was so fun!

Miaja and I building a sand castle...this was right before Chase dumped a bucket of water on my head!

Ayden and Thomas are tucked in that trailer. They really liked their "chariot" that took them up and down the beach.

This is such a Thomas picture. He literally ate the sand...willingly. Love the boogers too!

This is such a Chase picture. My handsome boy.

Ayden and hi silly sense of humor. He was hilarious...about 3/4 the way through our second day at the beach it's like he realized that he was all sandy and he didn't like that!

Chase was brave and let the boys bury him.

My handsome husband. I love to get to see him relaxed.

I had to take a picture of Ayden with his jammies hiked because he always does this and I think it's too funny!

Thomas and I the first night on the beach.

Jaron worked so hard to pull this whole trip together and I must say...he did a fabulous job!

My birthday buddies cuddled together in our hotel! Couldn't be better!

Jaron and the kids even made me a apple crisp birthday cake!...and it was really good! I loved this picture because it is so true to how I often feel. The kids moving everywhere! Love it!

Birthday Weekend!!

Jaron and the kids decided to spoil me this year for my birthday and they did a good job of it!

My birthday happened to fall on a Thursday this year and my favorite thing to do on Thursday is go to institute. Jaron kept the kids home with him this time and I got to ride with my sweet friend Julie Bahr. She's so great and keeps me laughing nonstop.
After institute Julie had planned a lunch with some of our friends which was super fun and thoughtful. I have met so many amazing people here in San Antonio and feel so blessed to have their influence in my life.
After lunch Jaron came and picked me up and brought all the kids (plus two of Julies that he had been watching).
Then it was off to Padre Island. Jaron did an amazing job at pulling everything together WHILE watching our two (and Thomas equals atleast three or four) and my fiends two. He is great! I had packed the kids and my bags but Jaron did EVERYTHING else...(which I must admit was a little scary:))
Padre Island was just perfect! We stayed in this great hotel and our room over looked the ocean. We were literally twenty steps from the beach. Since it's technically "off season" it wasn't too crowded and we all just had a blast! Our hotel had three pools and a hot tub that sat on the edge of the beach so that was nice when we were done with being covered in sand!
We also brought our bikes and road up and down the beach. We fit couldn't Jaron's bike on the car so he jogged, ( but I think he enjoyed the extra exercise:))

I felt like Jaron deserved a kiss....especially since just before this pictures Thomas was stuffing sand IN Jaron's ears! Jaron was such a good sport!
Miaja and I finally got to ride our "beach cruisers" on the beach! It was every bit as fun as I had imagined!

The kids made countless sand castles. I love how much fun a beach is...it reminded me of living on the beach in Maine...which does almost seem like a dream now...a great dream though!

Jaron was just like a little kid on the beach with the kids! They named our kite "Shamu". Seaworld has had a HUGE effect on my kids! They have no idea how fortunate they are to live five minutes from Seaworld!

Oh how I love these guys. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! I guess 33 is off to a good start!
(I do have a ton more pictures....these were off Jaron's phone but my camera is in Jaron's car...at work. I'll post more pictures later!)