Hill Country Adventure

Last weekend we went with some of my family down to Canyon Lake for a fun family adventure. The trip started with my Mom realizing when she was half way there that Zachary put three peanuts down her gas tank filler pipe a few days prior. Fotunately it did not hurt her car but it did prevent her from putting more than .03 gallons of gas in her car per sqeeze of the gas nozzle.

We stayed in a cabin off of Canyon Lake with a great view.





The cabins had plenty of deer that came around hunting for food at all hours of the day. The kids really enjoyed feeding them the deer food the cabin owners left plus our salad leftovers. Some of the deer would even come and eat out of the kid's hands.



One of the kids favorite amenities was the spa out on the back porch looking out to the lake. It was a great opportunity for me to go out on the patio and relax all while keeping an eye on the kids.



On our first full day there Zach and I went with some of my family tubing down the Guadalupe River. We started at the begining of the river and went for about 4 miles. Zachary liked holding my hands while going down the brief rapids. We were definitely surrounded by lots and lots of college kids but at least they were good for providing some music entertainment while floating the river. In the end I unfortunately ended up with some strange sun burns - which included the tops of my feet and a few spots on my legs.

That night after dinner we ended up getting a camp fire going and making smores. Unfortunately the adults did all the work and the kids just ate. So much for the kids having patience.



The next day we rented a boat and went out on the lake with the kids. Within two hours on the lake we -

1. Got to talk with the Sherrif's who wanted to do a safety inspection.
2. Gave back boat #1 when there was a loose connection and the boat would just stop running and have difficulties getting restarted. Luckily we were close to the marina when this happened.
3. Got to swim in the lake and see the cabins we were staying at. The kids amazed me and had no fears getting into the lake.
4. Had to call the boat company a second time when the steering would not work on the boat. Thanks to Erin and Kelly for keeping us out of the rocks. They ended up towing us back to the marina. We decided to not try Boat #3.
5. Ate lunch while we were waiting for our tow back. We had flat bread sandwiches due to my Mom sitting on the bread.





On Sunday night we celebrated Zach's 6th Birthday. He got plenty of Buzz Lightyear gifts and we made a Cars cake. The girls were all giggles playing with the Whoopi Cushion they got as party favors. After the cake we set off fireworks in back of the cabin. Fortunately the Lake is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and they let you set off fireworks.





On Monday we left Canyon Lake to go back home. On our way home we stopped by Hamilton Pool for a swim. It is a Nature Preserve which was cool to swim at. Although it took walking down .25 miles of rocky/dirt paths to get there, I think the kids really enjoyed it.

Summertime Fun

So far the kids have had some fun this summer. They have enjoyed going on field trips, spending the night with family, having friends come play and going to VBS. The last few weeks we have been going to swim lessons in the evenings. Although it was a chore for mom to get them there both the kids had a good time. The major growth at the swim lessons came from both the kids now going under water. Zach is just one step away from fully swimming on his own. This definitely gives the kids and Mom a little more freedom in the water. We did have to battle a lot of evening showers during the lessons plus both the kids ended up with middle ear infections in the middle of the summer. We are all better now.





Last weekend we did venture out and go to the July 4th parade with family. Zachary really liked the race car and motorcycle Elvis' and Katie was really into the ponies.



When we do spend a little time at home some of our favorite things to do are play Wi Baseball, have tea parties and watch the movie "Mama Mia". It's classic to see the kids dancing to the music.

Goodnight Sweetheart

Last night at bedtime I told my 5 year old son to go and put his PJs on for bed and instead of putting on his PJs he went and turned off the light and layed down, totally avoiding the PJs. As long as he was in bed I didn't quite mind letting him sleep in his clothes. I said goodnight at the door and went to go get my 3 year old daughter in bed. After 5 minutes he came out wanting a drink, another 10 minutes went by and he wanted to say hi and then after another 5 he finally came out with a book wanting to read. Although I was a little miffed with him by then I said that he could come sit in my lap and cuddle while we read his Alvin and the Chipmunks book. When the book was done, he gave me a hug and said thanks for reading to me and was off to bed. I didn't hear from him after that point. It made me remember how important the one on one time with them before bed really is.