Summer Roadtrips
We just got back from San Antonio. Matt was invited to a client training at the new JW Marriot; and since it just opened in March, I’ve been dying to check it out. Business trips do have their perks!


We also squeezed in a side trip to Boerne to see Cousin Ann and Jackson's new house. They took us to the rodeo where Henry and Jackson got to try calf racing.


For Memorial Day weekend we also went to San Antonio. We stayed at the Westin La Cantera Resort. It was so fun Labor Day weekend last year, we decided to head back but took two other families with us this time.

In June we headed south to see Gram Mellie and Grandpa Bob in Victoria. From there we went to Rockport for a day at the beach. I usually don’t love going to Texas beaches but the big BP oil spill has messed up the coastline from Louisiana to Florida. Now Texas is looking really nice. Rockport has a cute little stretch that’s especially pristine.

More Cousins!
We’ve been blessed with 3 new cousins! Melinda had twin boys on June 1 – Jax and Jace. Jaden was only 21 months, so taking care of 3 under 2 has been an quite an undertaking.


Less than a month later we were blessed again, this time with a baby girl! We couldn’t be more thrilled to add some pink into our sea of baby blue. Kayla Avery is our little princess! (And those cute cheetah briefs are from Aunt Jen!)

Our Little Cyclist
Two neighbor boys, Brant and Mark, have been riding their bike without training wheels for months. Henry didn't care. Matt even told Henry that if he learned to ride without training wheels, he'd buy him a new bike (he's a little big for his bike anyway.) That wasn't motivating either. Then he found out Cousin Taylor could ride his bike with no training wheels. It wasn't a week later Henry was cruisin' down the sidewalk -- Thanks Taylor!

So now that we've got Henry confidence up on the whole bike thing, you'd think he'd want to ride everyday and show off his new skills. No, Henry prefers digging in the yard, looking for bugs, worms and frogs. He's our little nature boy. He caught 2 caterpillars and 2 butterflies at the hotel in San Antonio, and 30 or 40 frogs at Gram Mellie and Grandpa Bob's!

The Athlete
Over the last year, we've had Henry in Karate, Soccer, Gymnastics, Swimming and T-ball. Matt has also taken him golfing. It looks like he's best at t-ball and swimming although golf is catching moving up the ladder. I have him in an all-sports camp right now and he says his favorite sport is "freeze tag". Huh?

Henry's Biggest Fan
Jake follows Henry everywhere, and Henry is the sweetest big brother. At t-ball, Jake yells "Go Henry!" and wants to ride his bike just like Henry. Straddling his little Strider, and going snails pace, Jake walked all the way to our park. I kept trying to help but he'd say "No, mama! I do it! No!" He's very persistent and finally made it to the park 30 minutes later. He pulled in and yelled "I DID IT! I DID IT!"

Jake is prone to meltdowns once a day when he's tired and hungry. (Sounds like mama). Not sure if that's the terrible 2s or just Jake's persistent personality. 99% of the time, though he is talking, giggling and a very happy toddler! He's also very imaginative. He flies through the house yelling "To infinity and beyond!". Flaps the bench cushion and says, "Look, mama - I'm butterfly." Points to glass buildings and screams, "Robot Mama!". At the hotel he pointed to a man with a patch on his eye and cried, "Look - Pirate! I scared uh pirates; I scared mama, I scared!" He also still says "Hold you, mama; Hold you!" when he wants me to carry him. He's my baby so I can't resist.