Horseshoe Bay

Another Labor Day Weekend at Horseshoe Bay was lots of fun! Between the 10 of us there, we covered swimming, skiing, wakeboarding, tennis, golf, cycling, shopping, treadmill, pilates...and several episodes of Thomas The Train.  :)  Clearly fun was had by all.

One evening we enjoyed a nice (and really hot) dinner out at a restaurant on the lake right at sunset.

And we were able to celebrate a pretty big milestone. Trip turned 16! I still can't believe the little baby I got to hold in the hospital right after he was born is already 16. So glad that at that time I was just the girlfriend, but that I've been part of this guy's life from the beginning and am officially in the family now as a proud aunt. :) We all love Trip, but there is a certain little boy in our family who pretty much thinks Trip hung the moon. And that was confirmed when Trip picked a "Turbo theme" on his own birthday cake because he knew Tate would like it. That just sealed the deal. :)

No one had a lighter for the candle, so we did what any 2013 family does in such a situation. We used the iPhone birthday candle. :)

It's such a fun weekend with lots of time out on the lake. I love it because there's a tennis court as well, so I get to throw in a few drills. But the hit of the weekend is definitely being out on the boat.

And this little guy fell in LOVE with the boat this summer. He seems to have no fear out on the water, which is a little worrisome. But nonetheless, he loves it all, jumping off the boat, tubing, and floating around in the lifejacket.

Trip has been rocking the wakeboard for a couple of summers now.

Over the weekend, Mary Tish decided this was the year she wanted to learn how. Wakeboarding is not for the faint at heart and is hard to learn. But she was determined and did it! Not sure who was more excited...her or us??? :)

It was a great couple of days that unfortunately ended on kind of a scary note. Wade & Tate were in one car pulling the boat back home. I was with Will in the other car. We were on a 2-lane road going about 70 mph when all of a sudden Wade (in front of me) has to swerve to miss a huge concrete whoknowswhat that was in the middle of the road. He can't swerve much because of the boat. I'm right behind and him and barely saw it coming. I tried to swerve but didn't have enough time, so I had to drive right over it...at 70 mph. First time in my life I've "flown" in a car. It was the weirdest/scariest feeling.  

Obviously the car didn't appreciate that and the tire AND wheel were destroyed. We were in the middle of nowhere. Amazingly, Tisha & Ford just happened to be driving back by. The next hour was an ordeal including a bad spare tire and "Fix-A-Flat" exploding. But low and behold, Trip's crazy idea worked. 

His bike's air pump and some serious elbow grease saved the day.  :)

So I made it home on a spare and had to go less than 50 mph the rest of the way home. I now have a whole new level of compassion and empathy for anyone driving slow with hazards on.  SO thankful the tire was the only thing that was damaged. I know there could've been much worse outcomes.

And so thankful for a super fun weekend with sweet memories made with a pretty great family.

2013: My Year In Books

My annual reading recap from 2013. I love hearing what others read and am happy to share as well. I seem to average about one book a month. My time of day to read is right before I go to bed, so that means it ends up being maybe a chapter a night. Takes awhile, but I still love that feeling of when you're in the middle of a great book and can't wait to read it.

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio ~ Absolutely loved it! It usually takes me weeks to finish a book. I finished this in 3 days. I never do that but seriously couldn't put it down. Every kid should read it before they start junior high. Really every adult should read it at some point. "Show kindness more than necessary."

• The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ~ This one took me a few chapters to get into because of so many character names to keep up with. But once I figured it all out, I loved it. It is set during the time of slavery, so there are very difficult parts. But the stories and characters are powerful.

• Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham ~ I wasn't crazy about this one. It is a really long book with a story that goes on a really long time. I wanted to like it, but was just ready to get it over with by the end.

• Generous Justice by Tim Keller ~ One of my favorite non-fiction books I've read in a long time. It was a powerful read of how the Bible promotes justice and compassion for those in need.  I love the reminder and encouragement of living out faith by serving those that need it the most. 

• The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls ~ This is my third novel to read by Wells. They have all been stories of young children struggling thru and rising above really hard circumstances. Hard to read at times, but great stories that keep you reading. This one reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle, which is one of my favorites. 

• Grace by Max Lucado ~ This was the book in one of the group studies I help facilitate up at my church. Another beautiful read by a wonderful storyteller. I loved the parts about the God who stoops and about sustaining grace. "When grace happens, generosity happens. Unsquashable, eye-popping bigheartedness happens."

• How To Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World by Dave Stone ~ Really short, but a good read. He had some neat, practical ideas. But the overriding theme was that kids have to see their parents living this out to ever believe it for themselves. That is both daunting and motivating. 

• Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ~ This was part of the SSC with Tate. I'm not sure if I ever actually read the book as a kid, so it was fun reading this together over the summer. Best moment was when Tate ran out to exclaim to Wade, Daddy! Charlie Bucket found a golden ticket!"  :)

• Astronaut's Wives Club by Lilly Koppel ~ I found the stories and content of this book absolutely fascinating. I was constantly telling Wade about the stories I was reading of the wives of the Mercury & Apollo astronauts. It was really pretty incredible and kind of turned me into a space junkie for awhile. But I will say, I was not thrilled at how the book was written. It was hard to keep up with who was and and got confusing. But the content made it worth powering thru. 

• The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ~ This was the first book from the online Book Club I'm in. I always enjoy the time era of the 40s and 50s. This was written from several different character perspectives, which I always like. It has a mystery element to it, which is pretty interesting. It was a little on the wordy side but still held my interest. 

And I always prefer to read books recommended by someone else rather than a completely blind pick. So here is link to my 2012 books along with links from several previous year. Funny that I didn't read one single book that I listed as to-read. I finally discovered Goodreads, and that has helped me keep track of what I've read and what I want to read. 

Any books you have loved?

Happy Birthday Wade!

Tate's favorite thing to do when it's someone's birthday is to come up with a theme. So Wade's birthdays in the past have been Cowboys, Rangers, and this year...Star Wars. :)

 Tate helped with the decorations and the entertainment...light saber fighting.

Wade's birthday was on a Sunday, so that afternoon he went out on the lake with a group of guys to ski & wakeboard. Since it is best for all parties involved that I don't try to drive the boat, Wade is usually the one pulling other people. He enjoyed having a friend out there that could pull him and actually  wakeboard himself. Once he got home, Tate & Will had the party ready. :)

It was a great day celebrating everyone's favorite guy. And he got to enjoy the day out on the boat...his happy place. We love you Wade!

And of course he managed to find a bowl on Blue Bell & Magic Shell that day as well. :)

First Day Of School ~ 2013/14

This was the first year for both boys to start school on the same day. Everyone woke up excited and ready to go!

After Will turned 3 years old last April, he started at a new preschool. So this would be his first full year there. He was so excited a few days before when we went to Meet The Teacher Night, and he saw Ms. Cindy again after a long summer break. He kept saying, "Bye Mommy!" thinking it was a school day. :)

To help with transition and routine, he rode the bus on the first day of school. Made me a little sad that I don't have pics of him walking into school, but the consistent routine helps him so much better if we do it this way. He was SO excited when that bus turned the corner to pick him up, and the year was off to a great start!

Then it was Tate's turn. For 1st grade! I'm really not even sure how that is possible. He was excited and ready as well. I will enjoy these years with them excited about school (and happy taking pictures) as long as I can. :)

And a cute little moment was when our very nice neighbor stopped by to wish Tate a good first day of school. He also shared some advice out how in his culture kids always respect adults. You can see Tate was loving every minute. :) But hey, we were saying preach it, Mr. Patel!

The first day of 1st grade is way different than the first day of Kindergarten. I barely got a "bye!" from Tate.  :) He seemed to pick up right where he left off last year. Happy to be there. Happy to see so many friends from last year in the same class.

And we are fortunate to have another great teacher. Each year, I'm more and more appreciative for all of the hard work that goes into teaching school. I was never cut out to do it, but so thankful for those that are and do it so well!

Another first day of school in the books!

Back-to-School Blessing Night

A couple weeks before school started, our Small Group had a Back-to-School Blessing Night for the school-age kids in our group. It was a very sweet night. So bummed that a few in the group couldn't make it, but I look forward to this being an annual tradition. And we will probably have double the kids up there next year with several new families that have joined our group.

For each kid that was going into Kindergarten and older, they would come up front and get to sit in the special chair.

The parents would share with them some sort of blessing, charge, or encouragement for the year to come. Yes it was a little uncomfortable and maybe embarrassing. But it was important that they hear those words. And it was important for us as parents to share those words. Something about them being said out loud and in front of other people, make them sound louder and stronger for some reason.

Wade read our blessing to Tate, so I got out of crying that way. But then I read this letter to all of the kids. Could barely finish it. Such a great reminder for the kids...and parents...about what really matters.

And another important reason for doing this is to remind each of the kids that in addition to their own parents, they are surrounded by other adults who care about them and want to invest into their lives as well. They are surrounded by a network of support, prayer, and love. A hard concept to get, but with each year I think it will sink in more and more.

I continue to be incredibly thankful for this hodgepodge (said with love, of course) group of friends and the great kids they have.

Will-isms

Over the years, I've tried to use this blog to record and keep up with those little things your kids say that you want to remember...and know if you don't write it down you'll forget two hours later. I've shared many, many Tateisms in the past. I love looking back and remembering. In fact, Wade & I even realized we're so sad that he doens't say "zerdirt" anymore for dessert.

For so many reasons, it absolutely thrills me to finally get to share the first installment of Willisms. His speech is improving so much! It is really fun to watch. We are incredibly thankful for the collective work of speech therapists, occupational therapists, music therapists, teachers, babysitters, shadow buddys at church, and lots of family & friends who have all have helped us and Will so much. It takes a village.

So I now present some pretty adorable Willisms:

• "Dat so fummy!" (translation = That's so funny.) This one is already slowly going away. Great progress for speech therapy, but for awhile everything was so "fummy," and it was pretty cute. 

• Me = Who is in our family?  Will = Mommy, Daddy, Tate, Will, and Pi Pad (iPad).  

• "Momma, I huv uh ba bum" (translation = Momma, I have a problem.)

• And this one cracks me up. I hear at least 2-3 times a day. "Wow, dat so cool!"

• "Hey Mom. Ssskay what?" (translation = Hey mom. Guess what?)

• A big area we are constantly working on with Will is the meltdown. Using words instead of screaming. He has made some progress here and we hear a lot of "I mad!" or "I sad!" One day he was in full meltdown and was really upset. He screamed that he wanted something "NOW!" I corrected him that is not how he should talk to me. So he looks up sheepishly and whispers quietly, "now!"  :)

Love this boy and love hearing him explore and discover the world in all kinds of new ways. 

2013 Super Summer Challenge

This was our third year for Tate to have a Super Summer Challenge. As I say every year, I can take no credit for the idea. Some lady created the whole thing, and I was fortunate enough to have friends with older kids who knew about it and let me copy them.  :)

Tate's self-portraint of future career from art class. Hockey Player. :)

Push-ups

The art of writing a real letter.

I will say this year was one of the best yet because he has become a great reader. Tate was able to read the poster and figure out which activities would get him the points he was working toward. I think that helped him take a lot more ownership in it as well. Plus I didn't have to read the entire list to him every single day. :)  And I like that it's not an all or nothing kind of deal. I try to put a lot of options up there, but this year I think he still completed about 90% of them.

church sports camp

vbs/summer spectacular

remember to bring bible

2 memory verses

tie shoes

jump rope 10 times

5 push-ups

catch pop fly

5 bites new food

swim lap of 3 strokes

tennis ball rally 5 times

back roll
dribble ball 50 times

math flashcards

library reading program

read charlie & the chocolate factory

write in summer journal

worksheets

100-piece puzzle

spellingcity.com

art class

book on cd

lemonade stand

finish weekly chores

random act of kindness

help with recipe

write and mail letter

read to will

no complaining at dinner

park & rec challenge

help at watermere service

One of the highlights for me this year was reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Tate. This was the first full chapter book we have read together. He loved it. My favorite moment was one night while reading, Tate asked me to stop for a second and ran out to excitedly tell Wade, "Daddy guess what! Charlie Bucket got the Golden Ticket!" So cute.

But we also have a major parenting fail. The bike. This yet again did not get fully crossed off the list. We are going on several years of working on it. He is actually not that motivated to ride it and is perfectly happy with his scooter. Plus we live in the middle of a somewhat busy street. Plus we just haven't taken him out and really dedicated the time to getting it to stick. Hopefully we can figure this out before he gets his driver's license.

Art Class with Annie.

Tennis Camp. And after several attempts, we did rally the tennis ball 5 times. :)

A 100-piece puzzle was a piece of cake. Next summer...500!

Tate did a great job setting up and running a lemonade stand at the entrance of our subdivision. A great lesson on preparation, patience, hygiene, customer service, hard work, and clean up.

After an hour, he had raised $33 for the kids at the Well-Bring Orphanage in Haiti.

And after much wailing and gnashing of teeth (from both of us), he TIED HIS SHOES!

Who doesn't love to learn how to crack an egg?

He did several random acts of kindness, but one fun one was going to a local laundromat and "secretly" leaving new detergent with a "For You...Yes You!" sticker placed at washing machines.

What I think is so genius about this idea (again, not my idea) is that it gives some structure to the unstructured summer, keeps some school skills going, gives positive reinforcement for trying some new things/learning new habits, and helps deflect the whole instant gratification world we live in.

This year we went with 200 points as the goal. And I will say it took the entire summer to get there. I wondered if he would really finish. But it was up to him to do it, and he finally did. :)

I try to make the rewards not necessarily huge as they are usually things we might be doing anyway during the summer (don't tell Tate that), but still something fun and different.

One night we set up the tent in the living room and had a "movie campout." Sidenote is this may have scarred him for life watching Where The Red Fern Grows. Kind of forgot about the rabies, foaming, mountain lion. 

Another fun reward was a day at the Perot Museum in Dallas. We were there almost six hours and probably could've stayed longer. He would've been happy doing this running race the entire time.


He also got a new Lego set as a prize and we played miniature golf on the 4th of July. But the biggie for 200 points was a day at Hurricane Harbor. He had never been there before and loved it. (Minus the assault/robbery we saw on our way out...yikes!)

Proud of this guy for working hard all summer. This wasn't always the top of his list of preferred things to do, but he stuck with it and worked hard. It paid off for some really fun summer memories!

SSC from 2011 (4 years old) and SSC from 2012 (5 years old)