6 Years Old!

We kept it simple this year and had a Friday night pizza party with family and neighbors.  Evan had a great time with his buddies!  

Our gluten free cake from a fabulous local bakery...  

 He had 2 friends spend the night. Ek thought she was part of the slumber party!

Pancakes in the a.m.!

Evan on his actual bday.  6 sounds so old!

A few things about my big 6 year old...

-His "thing" is now playing skylanders

-He is still strong willed and doesn't like anything that is my idea.

-He is doing great in school and loves his new friends. 

-He enjoys tormenting his sister, unfortunately. And she is overly dramatic about it.

-At the same time, he is thoughtful of his sissy! The day she started dance, the first thing he said when I picked him up was, "how did sissy do at dance?"  

-He is playing soccer again this season.

-He is clever and makes me laugh!  

-He loves his daddy time at night, especially playing chase.

-He says his favorite song at school is the doxology...ha!

-He sneaks in to rock with me for a few minutes on EK's glider every night.  Savoring every moment...

He is just a cool kid! I know God has great plans for him and I can't wait to see how he grows and learns so much during his first year of school.

Kindergarten!

I can't believe my baby started kindergarten yesterday!  For some reason, I felt like the preschool years would last forever.  But, being almost 6, he was ready.  I have to say that based on the boredom and sibling fighting that occurred over the summer, I was ready, too.  

Evan did not seem nervous until Sunday night, when he had trouble falling asleep.  He woke up Monday morning ready to go!

 Outside his classroom

 He got to work right away. I asked him to get up and take a picture with his teacher.  He said, "no, mom, my teacher said I only have 5 minutes to finish this."  Hopefully this is a foreshadowing of his work ethic?  

 We said our goodbyes, and I teared up a little bit.  But, Evan wasn't the least bit sad :) Outside, there was a breakfast for parents so I regained composure and went there. 

 Ella Kate enjoyed the playground during the breakfast! She is going to make a great kindergarten sister!

July 2012

I have been bad about keeping up with the blog. So, here is July is one post!

RR Express Game for the guys...

Happy 4th!

 Rob and I celebrated our 9th anniversary by going to the JW Marriott Resort in San Antonio. I highly recommend it!  This was the view from our balcony.

Grandma and Grandpa visited us.

When Grandma and Grandpa visited, they brought the top bunk for Evan's bedroom set, which used to be Rob's.  It's the perfect big boy room!

 My sweet helper at the grocery store...

Love her pigtails!

 The kids are enjoying the Olympics, especially medal ceremonies!

Beach Trip to Port A

Before we left for the beach, EK had her last summer dance class.  So adorable!

 And, Cousin Sophie celebrated her 8th birthday...

 Ek is notoriously messy with anything chocolate!

Now for the beach... 

After an uneventful 4 hour car trip, we arrived in Port A! The first couple of shots show the kids walking on to the beach for the first time. It had been 3 years since Evan visited the beach and it was Ella Kate's first trip.

Gorgeous Texas beach :)  They came through and bulldozed the seaweed once.

 Sis was ready and walked out determined...

 but quickly turned around and walked back crying. She did not like the "trees" in the water or on the sand (seaweed).  She preferred the pool and enjoyed practicing her new swimming tricks.

 This was her favorite thing to do in the sand. I'm not sure why.  Yoga on the beach?

 Out to dinner

 Out for gelato afterward. We found a lovely coffee shop with gelato.

 A view from our balcony...the water looks pretty from here!

 We took the kiddos to the beach for some pictures around sunset.  

 Evan LOVED the waves and spent so much time out in the water.  He is a beach guy!

Beach Sneak Peek

A couple of my favorites.  More pictures coming soon!

Summer Happenings

Park Time!

 In matching church dresses with Sophie, courtesy of DeDe!

 Evan attended VBS at a local church for the 3rd year. He LOVED it!  He wants to wear the T-shirt everyday and listen to the CD each time we are in the car.  Next year, EK can go too!

The water table became a baby pool!  We have reached the point in the summer where water is required if playing outside :(

 Rob and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary. The kids wanted to watch our wedding video over, and over, and over last week.  

 Kids Bowl Free!  We tried it today and will be back. It was a success!

We are headed to the beach soon. Stay tuned for pictures!

Swim Lessons 2012

Don't let this picture fool you. This is after his lessons.

 Evan learned to swim last summer after private lessons with our miracle-worker teacher.  She is truly amazing and puts up with his fussing and "negotiating."   Even though he knew how to swim, he is still fearful of trying new things.  This summer, he was learning to take breaths, swim in the deep end and began preparations for diving.  I think he cried through it all!  I felt bad but we wanted him to persevere because we knew he could do it!  

Ella Kate was next.  I was dreading it. I just knew she would cry through the entire lesson and I would have to leave the pool. I WAS SO WRONG! She surprised me.  She actually seemed to enjoy going under water. She worked on her kicking, swimming to the wall, and getting out of the pool.  She even enjoys practicing her skills and is so proud of herself.  Way to go EK!