My birthday feast!

I have to do a shout out to Bryan for the AWESOME birthday feast he put together for me this year. I never make it really easy for him in the first place, because a box cake just isn't my choice of birthday dessert. Or a store bought cake. So already I'm a difficult customer. He has really whipped up some good creations in years past, but this year he set his sights a little higher. I'll start with the main course. As an aside, my husband makes the best ribs I have ever tasted. I used to like to go out for ribs, but I can't do it anymore! Bryan's are just so much better!! But I wanted STEAK for my birthday! So he grilled up some mean ribeyes, made loaded baked potatoes, bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos, and some vegetable that I can't remember. But my memory should be excused because obviously it was my amazing birthday cake that took the cake this year! Bryan made me a mean, from scratch, three layer, German Chocolate Cake. He roasted the pecans, he beat the egg whites, he sifted the cake flour,...he did it all! I didn't even step into the kitchen! And I'm not kidding...it was amazing! The bad part of all this is that I am supposed to be the baker in this family! He's showing me up!! But still, I have to say, my husband is amazing. Thanks Bry!!!

Labor Day in Galveston

For the second year in a row we have gone to Galveston for Labor Day weekend. We have some friends here who have a guest house about three blocks from the beach in Galveston who have let us use it for the past two years. I have to say that this little trip is a big highlight for the kids, and the timing of it (about 2 weeks after school starts) is perfect! It is a nice little break from the new harsh realities of the school year, and we just love it. These pictures and this post in general is going to be a little reminiscent of last year's post, but that is because we are creatures of habit! When we find something we like, we stick with it! We always do the beach. LOVE the beach!! The thing I love the most about going to the beach is that there is something about it that gets kids and adults just playing together. Have you ever noticed that? Just look up and down the beach next time you're there - moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, all burying the kids in the sand, running out into the surf, throwing the frisbee, building sand castles. Families are just playing together! So we played and played and played, and could have stayed there all day. But alas, we decided to leave at a decent time so that Ruby could get a little nap in and we could all get cleaned up before our big outing to dinner. (I could go on in some detail, also, about the ritual we go through post-beach in ridding our children and selves of sand before getting in the car or especially the beach house. It involves a lot of carrying and hosing and stripping and depositing straight into the shower. And I have to say...we are good! There wasn't a grain of sand to be found in that house!)



The boys would dig these giant holes, and Ruby kept calling them hot tubs or "baby pools" and wouldn't get out! So they were forced to start new ones!

Then Ella joined in...

And here they start a new one!


OK, so on to our favorite restaurant in Galveston - the Rainforest Cafe. What is not to love about the Rainforest Cafe?? We learned our lesson last year after the two hour wait, and we went early this year. It was fun and memorable as always! We always splurge and get the Volcano Cake for dessert, and it is just a dang fun and gigantic dessert. And it's one of those things that we just know that kids will never forget. The kids have recently learned that there are other Rainforest Cafe's besides the one in Galveston, but they all agreed that they didn't want to just go there any old time. That it had to be saved for special occasions! Pretty cute.


I have no pictures to prove the following information, but I do want to note (for my memory's sake) that we went to Schlitterbahn in Galveston on our second day there, and it was by far the best water park I have ever been to. We loved it!! It will definitely make the cut for a repeat next year. We also hit the downtown candy store two nights while we were there (I got the homemade Apple Pie Ice Cream again this year), and we also added a new winner of a restaurant this year. It was called the Fisherman's Wharf, and we enjoyed some great seafood. And the best part? We ate outside, right on the water, and we saw dolphins swimming out there! Dolphins, people!! The kids made quite a scene, I'm afraid, when we spotted the dolphins, but I think that even the old folks there appreciated the excitement. Right? And they may not even have spotted them without our kids yelling, jumping, and pointing! So anyway...we can't wait for next year!!

One last trip to the lake

The Saturday before the Fall Sport season kicked off, we took one last trip up to the lake for the summer. What a gorgeous day to be out on the water! The boys took up knee boarding this summer, and they really loved it. Bryan and I even took a turn or two on the knee board, and it brought back some fun memories from the younger years. Bryan had some pretty good moves, and I was so sore the next day I could hardly walk! The first time Tyler knee boarded he was on a friend's boat using theirs. On his very first try, the other boat drove right by ours and there is Tyler - doing a complete 180. First time out! So anyway, I just thought that was funny. The boys each got quite good at catching some sweet air coming in and out of the wake, and it was so much fun to watch them. I think it actually improved their water skiing too, because they both got a lot more daring and proficient. Tyler got to where he could go in and out of the wake on skis, and Spencer was able to hang in there much longer before letting go. He rarely fell, because he preemptively let go any time he got a little wobbly or saw a little wave!

Here's Ty!
And here's Spence.


Taking a break, to cool off. The classic "funny face" picture.

Next up is skiing! First Spencer...

And here goes Tyler, heading outside the wake.


The other funny thing about this trip to the lake was that it was right in the middle of the early days of potty training Ruby. The no pant days. So, we just took her out on the boat naked! With a life jacket, of course. I thought she was quite a champ, because she had to use a pretty disgusting port-a-potty before and after the lake. That would have frightened seasoned adults!

Nothing like a naked-bummed swimmer! Until next summer...good bye Canyon Lake!