dancing our way through June

Emmaline loved almost all of her dance camp..except the day where they showed the parents what they learned. She said she didn't like all those people there watching her! Poor thing was so shy and nervous..there were no tears but she did literally hide her face with her hands. She had to do 3 different dances and it only got more pitiful with each one..she just looked so uncomfortable..bless her little heart. But at least, she went out there and still said she loved dancing and tap! I was proud of her and she looked precious!After Emmaline had her big dance camp finale Natalie, the kids and I headed to Austin for a little day trip! We had a stop at Hey Cupcake! of course!!then we headed to Carlos N Charlies for snacks. It was so fun to relax and chat and enjoy a Friday with another adult. Hayes did great and took a long nap while we were there, then woke up and munched on tortillas.the girls were pretty good and stayed busy looking at boats and birds!Hayes just got lots of adorable hand me downs from Hoyt, this salmon colored shirt is one of my favorites!! I love it with his chinos! ;)Pop & Hayes-man were coordinating at brunch so we had to take a picture!We are in CS, hoping the girls can go to the gym tomorrow for a summer camp, then we hit the road for our annual beach trip for the 4th of July! YAY!! - UPDATED: Our little excursion to Austin was for an upcoming wedding!!! Jeff proposed to Natalie on their 2nd Anniversary (July 9) and I got to help with the proposal idea and the scouting of the event! So excited and happy for you two!!

A Happy Father's Day wedding

Happy day to all of the daddies out there..especially the special ones in our lives! We love ya'll and appreciate all you do to make us feel loved and important!
We went to a wedding this weekend at the Rose Emporium. It was fun. It was hot. There was dancing. There was photo booth dressing up. Sarah & Chris seemed really happy. Carrie gave her matron of honor speech and did great! It was a fun night followed by a Father's Day breakfast, some napping, watermelon eating and sprinkler running! Tonight we are watching the Aggies in the College World Series and eating crab! I realized that the Aggie centerfielder was in my Spanish class when I taught..he also was on my awesome Mile Relay team in track! Way to go Krey Bratsen!!

Tomorrow Emmaline starts her dance camp so I hope that goes well! I'm sure lots of pics to come!This is her portrait of our family. Notice she is into making hearts and adds it after she writes her name now. Also she wrote a 4 because that's how old she is!

Summer fun

It has started..it is hot..but we are making due with lots of indoor and water activites!Farmers Market at the Pearl Brewery..we love going on Saturdays and getting fresh veggies and bread. The girls love hanging out by the river and seeing all the dogs!We also got to meet Olivia at the Twig storytime! It was fun, but the girls were a bit frightened by her huge ears!Guadalupe River trip..our day on the river was so much fun..especially with the bug juice and Jimmy's hair cut!'Gettin' loopy on the Guadalupe' - is what our shirts said! We had a blast on our adult river trip! Little to no sleep has left us exhausted, but still so worth it! Jackson, Carrie & Marvin came over to swim one day..we sure will miss them!Bathing suit fun for the girls...they were on their 3rd change for the afternoon!Mr. Hayes is so cute in Jackson's float. He seems to love swimming so far!Here is G with all her purses and bags and items. She is quite the hoarder!Lots of fun so far this summer..can't wait to see what we do next!

Hayes Bryant is 9 months

He likes to move it move it! He is fun and wild and getting a bit fussy these days. I like to blame it on teething and the fact that he loves me so much he can't bear to be inches apart! So there is some separation anxiety going on!

*HB has learned how to go from crawling to sitting up, so that is fun, but his new skill has woken him up at night.
*He still has no teeth in site but at least isn't biting me anymore!
*He is eating more baby food and people food, but still a bit pickier than the girls at this age.
*HB loves his tongue..he sticks it out when asked sometimes, he spits and loves to see other peoples. It has a crease down the middle of it. *He claps and waves, but not on command all the time.
*His favorite toys seem to be balls and I think he has said 'Ba' but not sure. I would say it was his first word that he tried to name an object.
*He still jabbers a lot..lots of Dadas though there is no correlation.
*He loves water, pools, splashing and kicking his legs. He loves bathtime and even got in with his sisters.
*I nurse him 3-4 times/day and he sleeps through the night so no more of that!! YEA!!
*We moved his crib mattress down so he won't crawl out.
*He still does his nervous/excited habit of twirling his wrists..not sure what this is all about but he has always done this.*He wakes around 8, naps good for about 2 hours or so and then bed at 8!
*Still in size 3 diaper, 12-18 month clothes.
*He loves his sisters and gets excited when I say their names. He is enjoying them playing with him and singing to him. Here he is looking for them...*He loves his paci and is starting to love his little lovey blankies too.
*One of my favorite things is when he lays his head down on my chest and snuggles. He is a cuddler and I hope that continues! He also has given me kisses..though he gave me a big open mouth kiss the other night!
*He laughs when other people laugh outloud like he wants to be in on the joke too!
*What a sweet, handsome big boy! His hair is growing longer and thicker, but still sooo blonde!
*HB is a faker - fake cough, fake cry..it is hilarious! We go to the dr. next week for his well check and I will add on the stats! I am guessing 23 lbs. He still seems tall too! - UPDATE: At dr. HB weighed 21.4lbs (60th%) and was 29.75inches (96th%). He didn't cry during a shot or getting blood drawn from his arm (with a paci in)! What a brave boy!

Cambrie Alise

Our close friends had their baby girl on Tuesday, the 7th. Her name is Cambrie Alise and I got to meet her just hours after she was born. She is beautiful, sweet and tiny. She smells so good and I don't believe that my kids were ever that small (though they were)!
She is too cute..she looks just like her brother, Britton!!We are so excited that HB's girlfriend is finally here!!

Sea World with friends

the girls loved the carousel and it wasn't crowded!
it's nice to go with friends so that I can take turns doing things with the girls and someone can watch HB
the splash park is awesome!
We got to see the new Sesame Street show!
E & G were a little scared of the life-size characters..especially when they jumped off stage! There was no meet & greet for us!
our friends, Claire, Maggie & Anna came along for the fun day!Emmaline rode her 1st roller coaster..I rode with her..it was the Shamu kiddie one..she was a little surprised and scared but got used to it just as it was done! I think she will go again!I can't wait to go again..even in the heat we always have so much fun!

Last day of MDO

~ tear ~
The girls had their last day of MDO and it was kindof sad..for me..maybe for them. I love their teachers, as usual, and know they learned so much and changed so much. They received booklets of all their pictures from the year and it was fun to see how much they grew!
~ tear ~
We are taking a break this summer from school but will get back to two days a week in the Fall. So far we are staying busy and having fun, but some of the days seem really long! I am attempting to do some school-type activities, nothing major, just read more, write more and discuss more!The top picture is the end of the year, May 2011, the bottom picture is the 1st day, September 2010.

Memorial Dallas trip

was sortof a blur like these pictures..For Memorial weekend we took the long drive up to Dallas to visit my cousin, Dan, and his family. He and Kendra have a 2 year old little boy, Grey. The girls loved having different toys to play with but Grey had a rough time sharing it all with them. It was obvious the Listi crew of 5 is a little overwhelming! E & G did really good and shared a room, and HB stayed in the pack n play in our room. The first thing we did was pick up various cupcakes from the Cupcakery and head to their house. We got Mexican food from the Blue Goose and played outside in the backyard. It was lots of fun just relaxing and catching up on our lives separated by 5 hours down I-35. Saturday, we went to the park, grocery store, and then hung out back playing with all sorts of fun things. There were bubbles, finger paint, chalk, a bouce house, water table, pool, swingset..and of course some Mojitos and grilled hotdogs!
So honestly, do I need to say more..it was a fun weekend. They are expecting their 2nd baby in October, so that is exciting. The kids were all grubby from hours of being outside so we threw them all in the tub. I remember bathing with my cousins when I was little so it was fun to see the tradition continue!Thanks for hosting our wild bunch!! We had a blast and hope ya'll make the trek to visit us one weekend too!! Sunday, we met my parents for an impromptu lunch in Round Rock and then headed home for a pool party with friends. It was a great weekend and ended with fun and lots of rest on Monday!

Peachy Keen

We went back to our spot in Fredericksburg to pick their peaches this time around. It was another great activity for the girls to participate in and they definitely participated.Georgia loved eating those fresh peaches and didn't bat an eye at some with bugs on them. The juice was running down to her elbows. She was a hot Texas mess, as usual!Emmaline loved them as well..though she was a little more standofish at the site of bugs! She was the BIG helper in the kitchen with Daddy. They made a truly homemade peach pie that was amazing! Lucky me, all I had to do was buy some Blue Bell icecream and take a photo or 2 of them in action!
We ate lots of fresh peaches, froze some and made some into jam also. I can't wait to go back and get some more peaches..you just can't beat fresh picked by yourself peaches!Uncle Stephen, Daniel's little brother, got to tag along with us..we also visited Luckenbach and ate lunch in Boerne while he was here. It was a fun weekend for sure!