Summer Fun

This summer has been very full and very fun ...

even exhausting.

Annie made this play dough head and said "It looks like Uncle Stephen." I took a picture and sent it to him. His reply was, "The resemblance is uncanny! Like a photograph in playdough!"  ...I doubled over laughing.

In mid-June, we took a family trip up to Tulsa,Oklahoma to go to The Gathering Place along with Matt's parents and Sarah and Lisa's families. It was a long drive, but turned out to be so much fun. We rented a house with fusball, ping-pong, and a huge backyard, including fireflies. But most of our days were spent playing at The Gathering Place. They have huge climbing structures, play areas, a splash pad, sand boxes, zip lines, slides, gardens, a museum, etc. all for free. So fun!

Our pool was closed for repairs for half of the summer, so we made the best of it with our own kiddie pools.

Sarah and Ada have been doing a Spanish class the last two years and they finished up this year with a little presentation, including a short play, all in Spanish. 

Fun at a friend's pool.

Ada turned 10 in July. We made her the most beautiful oreo cake that looked just as good as the one on the computer. We had a big party with lots of friends.

Because of the "big freeze" earlier this year, the blueberries around here had a bumper crop. We had so much fun blueberry picking and came home with soooo many, despite Peter's efforts to stuff as many as he could into his mouth as fast as he could when I wasn't looking.

Dog pile!

Joseph, Annie, and Ada all went to week-long day camps at Kickerillo Preserve over the summer.  It was hot, but the amazing park rangers made it so fun for them --and I  think they even learned something along the way.

A new, interactive zoo opened in Houston and we have been having so much fun there. You can touch nearly all the animals on exhibit including sharks, stingrays, and birds. 

Sadly, Annie sprained her elbow pretty badly on one of the bounce houses at the zoo. But it finally healed up alright.

To wind up our summer, we spent a few days at Galveston. We rented a little beach house and just relaxed and played. The kids caught quite a few fish and crabs, and lots of "blue buttons" washed up on shore.

Now, we're back at school. Annie just started a dance class, which she has been wanting to do for years.

And Michael started 8th grade at Kleb Intermediate, right behind our house. He wasn't too excited to go back to public school, but he seems to be liking okay now. I think getting a school-issued laptop and free school lunches helped ease the pain.