Summer Visitors

We had the pleasure of hosting our first visitors from Oregon over the course of the last two weeks.  Great Grandma Laura Mae (Laura's namesake) and Aunt Carol arrived the Saturday before Father's Day, just in time to enjoy some Texas BBQ.  

This is what happens when we BBQ - playtime on the swingset.

Their visit was filled with visits local attractions, including the university, the zoo, 

Look at those rosy cheeks - this was a HOT Texas day!

the Mayborn Museum, 

and the mammoth site.  

Before we knew it, it was time for Great-Grandma and Aunt Carol to head back north.  We were all very sad to see our house guests go.  In addition to being great fun, they were great helpers while they were here.   

LT said that the only thing worse than saying goodbye to his family was the closure of Toys R Us that same week.  It was a sad week indeed.  But we do hope to see them again over the holidays, perhaps for that impromptu family reunion we've been discussing.

Home Sweet Home

We're pretty partial to our new house.  Here, we've enjoyed some amazing sunsets, 

ominous storm clouds (it looks like the clouds might swallow the house, here),

drenching downpours (where does all this water come from?),

beautiful sunrises,  

and hay farming!  OK, so that's not us doing all the hard work on the tractor, but we are enjoying the process and looking to the sky to see when the rain is coming to make our hay grow.

 

In short, we don't think we could have done better when it comes to settling in a home. 

Gabe Turns 4!

I can hardly believe this guy is already 4.  To him, this day hasn't come fast enough.  He's ready to run off to school with his big brother.  He knows what kind of back pack and lunch box he wants, and he's ready to help me fill them up. Luckily, I get to keep him home for one more year.

Gabe's birthday was just one week after Easter.  We didn't get the chance to do our usual Easter egg hunt at that time, so we made it part of Gabe's celebration.

He has been wanting a Godzilla birthday cake all year.  Daddy found a pack of Godzilla cake toppers on Amazon, and we piled them on this jungle scene cake.  He couldn't have been happier.

Here's to hoping that this year doesn't fly by as quickly as the last one . . . ;-)

Easter Celebration

This year, we celebrated Easter by baptizing Gabriel and Laura at our church's Easter Vigil service.  We were lucky enough to have lots of family members join us in the celebration, including Gabriel's godfather (Uncle Eric),

 Laura's godparents (Cousins Erica & Greg)

Grandma Gonzalez,

Aunt Janie, Uncle Bob, Grandma & Grandpa Robles, and the cousins.

 

 Laura was not so much a fan of the bonnet that came with her gown. 

And getting her, gown and all, into the car seat, was quite a job.  She managed all the activity well, including the baptism itself, thanks to a ready bottle and a quick ceremony on the part of the priest.  Gabe was cool and collected, too, but who wouldn't be when Uncle Eric is helping you out?

We enjoyed having everyone out to help us celebrate the holiday and baptisms.  This was the first time we've played host since moving into our new home.  It was nice to finally make good use of our space, and we look forward to our next celebration.