Father's Day Weekend

This weekend was the best weekend I've had in a long time. So good, in fact, that I felt the need to blog about it. I had more to say than what would fit in a Facebook post and I didn't feel like just the pictures would do it justice.

Since the house flooded I have been entirely preoccupied with the enormously long (& ever growing) to-do list. Unfortunately, I get burnt out after working on the house for approximately 2.5 hours. BUT I don't want to do anything else because I know that we should be working on the house. Makes perfect sense, right? Let's just pretend that it does.

R doesn't share this incessant need to knock off items on the to-do list. He works on things here and there & things move along, but he doesn't forget to have a good time. We may finish all of the projects eventually, but for now we have a house to live in & that is good enough. Maybe 😛

So we took the weekend off. We decided to do fun things & enjoy the kids. On Saturday morning we got up early, piled into the car &  headed to the Kemah Boardwalk.

We over-estimated the time it would take to get to Kemah, so even with a few pit stops on the way there we arrived 45 minutes early. Whoops. Ever talked a place up to your young kids and then get there before the place opens? So. Many. Questions. We walked the park and watched the boats and the water fountain until things started to open up.

We got wristbands for all 4 of us & rode some rides! The photo of me with B below is right before the ride started and she screamed like someone was killing her. Maybe she will develop my love of carnival/theme park rides - but so far? Notsomuch.

E was not so sure about the Ferris Wheel at first. By the end of the day he was enjoying it, though.

We caught a nice breeze riding the train around the boardwalk. It was so hot. I know, we live in Texas and I should be used to it. Days like Saturday just catch me by surprise and I just can't believe how hot it can be when the sun beats down on you.

R suggested getting a caricature of the kids done. I didn't think they would sit still long enough. I was wrong. They did wiggle and get a little restless, but overall they did really well. The artist did a great job, I think. I always wanted to get a caricature done of myself when I was young, so I thought this was pretty neat. Just look at those smiles!

We got home from Kemah sometime between 2 & 3pm. R had a few adjustments he needed to make on his micro sprint & the kids needed naps. We loaded up for the second time that day later in the afternoon and went to the track (Golden Triangle Raceway Park) for R to race. He didn't end up getting to race because of... well, lets not pretend I know anything about that. He just had some difficulties with his car and couldn't race. It was actually nice getting to watch some of the races as a family.

Two small rain 'storms' blew through during the evening. During the first one there you could see a whole rainbow. It was so neat! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the entire rainbow in my frame.

Sunday afternoon/evening we took a (very) quick boat trip on the bayou. Being on the boat is definitely my favorite family past-time. I could sit on the back of the boat watching the kids ride in the tube or sit on the front and appreciate the view for an un-ending amount of time.

On our way home, we got to see another rainbow. The kids were so excited. There was even a double rainbow, although it's hard to see in my crappy pictures.

As we were pulling into the driveway, the rainbow was over our house. I think that photo is so neat and I love to remember what the rainbow is a symbol of. I'm learning to rest in God's promises.

Since it was Father's Day, R got to pick where we went to dinner on Sunday. He picked Golden Corral (bleck). The man loves a good buffet. I decided after this trip that the desserts might actually make this place worth it. MIGHT. Because holy jeeze that place was crowded and just... kinda gross. But my deserts were pretty okay 😁

Thus ended the perfect weekend. There were a few rough spots, of course. When you have two small children and two adults with differing opinions there are bound to be rough spots. I like to think we made the best of the time we were given this weekend. With everything we did, I was still able to fit church into Sunday morning AND I got completely caught up on laundry. I consider that a major win.

Here's to hoping next weekend is just as great!

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

I won't lie. I really wanted to title this blog something along the lines of  "Bite Me, Harvey". I guess it was a God thing that right as that thought entered my mind the scripture followed immediately.

On August 29th (Happy 8th Anniversary, Robert! Ha!) Hurricane Harvey's flood waters invaded my home. My home that sits in a 100 year flood plain & therefor does not have flood insurance. The water rose to 3 feet inside the house and stayed for 3 days. Over 48 inches of rain poured over our house in just 4 days. Unreal.

For the last few weeks my emotions have run the gamut. I think I've probably felt everything you can possibly feel. Sometimes all at once & sometimes up & down. Sorrow, hope, dread, helplessness , thankfulness, joy, peace, the list goes on. Maybe the only thing I haven't felt is patience (definitely not my strong suit!)

I keep circling back to the thought that R & I have been married for 8 years. We have spent those 8 years working towards many things, one of those things being a home we could really be proud of. Nothing extravagant, but we were finally turning a house into a home with matching furniture, rooms that made sense, even a rug here & there! It felt good to know that in a few short months we would see our hard work pay off. Harvey took that away in one 4 day rain storm.

But you know what? When it comes down to it, that doesn't matter. I mean, talk about "First World Problems"!! I have so many thoughts floating around & feeeeelings that I need to get out. I want to look back and really remember this time. So hopefully I can utilize this little blog to write some of these things down and look back on them.

I feel like this is going to be a process I want to remember. I have so many things to say, so hopefully there will be more posts to come.

Easter 2015

So I got a surprising text message today. A friend of mine let me know that I 'suck at updating' my blog. Apparently there are actually a few people out there that read this silly little blog of mine. I had no idea! I was pleasantly surprised to get that text & decided to make a new post tonight. Once I got the kids situated in the tub, happily splashing away, I sat down to share some pictures from our weekend. An hour later the kids are out of the bath, one is asleep & I'm still trying to get my photos from my phone onto my laptop. GO FIGURE!!

R & I had a really nice reprieve from our seriously busy work schedules this weekend. Some friends of ours came to visit & celebrate Easter with us. They came in on Friday afternoon & left Sunday afternoon. I did, sadly, have to work on Saturday morning, but I got it out of the way by noon so we could enjoy the rest of the day together.

Friday evening we went to eat at Al-T's & stopped by the park in Winnie afterwards to let the kids run around a bit before it got dark.

I don't really know what went on Saturday morning, but when I got home from work we ate some hamburgers from Kampus Korner (if you're in the H-F area & haven't tried them out, DO IT! so good.). After lunch Rebecca & I dyed eggs with the two older kids while E ran around the yard. Both of the kids loved it. I think B would dye eggs every day if I would let her.

When the egg fun was over we put the kids down for afternoon naps/quiet time & Rebecca & I took some much needed momma-time to get our nails did :) That evening we just enjoyed each other's company & filled the Easter baskets before turning in.

Sunday I took the kids to church & then we grilled at Mom & Dad's house, had an egg hunt for the kids & then said goodbye to our friends. Saying goodbye is never fun, but we'll see them again soon! I'm hoping to make this Easter weekend visit a tradition with them!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! He Is Risen!!

Pumpkin Patch

This past Sunday afternoon our family visited our local pumpkin patch. We have yet to go to one of those super fun places with all the animals to pet & swings & whatnot. Nope, we just head down the road to the Methodist church. Is that just a regional thing, or is it all Methodist churches everywhere? Now I'm curious... Not the point.

We drive by the pumpkin patch evvvvery morning & evvvvvery afternoon & B almost never fails to point out the pumpkins. "PUMPKINS, MOM!!!" It really amuses me that she is so excited every time. You would think the novelty would wear off. Nope.

I was really impressed with our little Fannett, TX pumpkin patch this year. They always do a good job, but I feel like this year they went above & beyond. There were numerous different places to take pictures, a little tunnel for the kids to run through & lots of scarecrows, etc. B had so much fun running from one thing to another. E, again, is still a little too non-mobile to have a great time, but he did enjoy banging on the pumpkins & playing in the grass.

I wanted to get a good family picture while we were there, but who am I kidding? I got a couple real great ones of B, but E wasn't into sitting still.

Stay tuned for pictures of our carved pumpkins. Robert really got creative this year. There may have been a drill involved :)

& It Begins...

October means hunting season around these parts. I'm not an expert, but I do know that in the last 3 weeks my husband has been duck, dove & deer hunting. This past weekend we packed the family up & headed to our lease for a couple nights. We left Friday around 7pm & stayed until early Sunday morning, when we piled back into the car & rushed to make it to church.

It's a simple life at the lease. B colors, dances & plays on the swingset. Poor E just 'hangs out' as you can see :) Hopefully he'll be running around soon!

Around lunchtime on Saturday the weather had gotten pretty warm & E was way overdue for a nap. We though maybe a drive in the car with some AC would do the trick so we took a little trip over to R's hunting lanes to check the feeders & whatnot. R got my mommy-mobile stuck & I had to drive while he pushed. This was the first time I had done this & I consider it a success because no one was angry by the end :) Oh, and E never fell asleep... so there's that.

Thankfully we are on our lease with some sweet friends. Carly doesn't have any kids of her own yet, but she is so good with ours. E loved swinging with her & sister.

After what seemed like a 48 hour day, the kids finally went to bed & the adults got to spend some time around the campfire with a pretty great sunset backdrop.

We had a great time & I'm actually looking forward to going back. Just looking forward to the day when my kids can play with each other & don't need 'momma entertainment'!

Softball Tuesday

I have a love/hate relationship with Tuesday nights. I'm hoping as the kids get older it will turn into more of a love relationship. Most Tuesday nights, I load the kids up & go to the ballpark to watch R play recreational softball. I love to watch him play & B has a blast. Having a small child who can't walk yet isn't ideal. Also, the earliest we get home is 9:30... which is wayyyy past everyone's bed time. Including mine :)

With all that said, we have a ball. Except maybe E, who is only happy if he gets to crawl & cruise the bleachers. That makes me cringe, & I'm not even a germaphobe like the typical mom these days. But even I have to admit, ballparks are gross.

                

Last night R's team won both their games. That was exciting!! E passed out during the second game (thank the good Lord!).

It might be a little crazy & dirty, but we love our nights at the ballpark cheering on Daddy & his team.