MEMORIAL WEEKEND 2014

I'm so thankful for the men and women that sacrifice for us to have the freedom we have today. At times at a high cost. It's never free. Not only am I thankful for the men/women that serve, but also for the families of these soldiers. They too have paid the ultimate sacrifice of losing someone near and dear to them, or families having to deal with their loved one being gone for months at a time. Many times them missing huge part of their families lives. I can't even imagine. Thank you.

Of course, Sat was spent at a swim meet and late afternoon we went to my friend, Kristen's for some yummy BBQ. Sunday we woke up and went for breakfast where Ricky had a bright idea to rent a boat on lake Conroe. The only problem was that there were no boats available. After much indecisiveness of what to do, we packed up and headed south to Galveston. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. The traffic to get there was horrible. Through some of Ricky's maneuvers we were able to avoid a little bit of it. The island was packed!! There was no parking on the seawall, which turned out to be a blessing.   We quickly realized that the sea weed is horrific. We kept driving hoping we'd find an area that was cleaned off. No such luck. We finally ended up close to Surf Side. Well we made it this far so there was no turning back. I'm so glad we battled through the sea weed. The kids had a blast!! Makes me realize how much everyone misses the beach, and how much part of their life it is. Saturday evening the beach had minimal waves. Even Vincent got in on the action. We decided to stay the night and found a hotel on the sea wall. Due to the holiday weekend prices were inflated, but there's not much you could do. At least the continental breakfast was yummy. After we showered we went out for dinner. It was late and everyone was tired. Late morning we packed up and headed back to the beach. We did not know that North Houston had a huge storm system brewing which I believe is why the surf picked up quiet a bit. The kids love jumping the surf. Something very exciting happened and Vincent practiced walking. He took a few steps!! After a couple of hours of them having a great time we decided to battle the traffic and head back home.
We were very surprised at how clear the water was. I see a lot more Surf Side trips in our future. Such a close and fun getaway. I'm so glad we were able to make great memories this weekend.

Practicing his walking!!

I love this pic. I think it's bc he's reaching for daddy's hand. 

He loves cashews. He'll chew on them forever. Silly boy

EASTER 2014

This year we continued our tradition of visiting Aunt Lynn and Uncle Gary in Bastrop. They do a huge thing on Lake Bastrop every year. It's a lot of food, fun, family and friends. The important things in life. We made the drive on Friday to get a couple days in. The kids love visiting. They have so many cousins to play with. Who wouldn't love to spend a couple of days just visiting and having a blast?!
Saturday we did some running around for the Easter festivities, had dinner at Barbies and for a treat Ricky and I were able to go dancing at Midnight Rodeo. Courtesy of Lynn. She kept the kids for the night. Even said that Vincent did great. Ricky and I had so much fun. It was great being spun around on the dance floor. Love dancing with him.
Even after a night of dancing we woke up early and made it to church. We did leave Vincent with Lynn. After church we headed to the lake. There was so much food, a huge Easter egg hunt, tons of prizes for the kids, 3 pinatas and more prizes! The water was freezing, but that didn't stop Hana from getting in and splashing around. Ricky was happy staying on shore. Vincent had a great time getting dirty and playing in the sand. When it came to all the fun stuff, he slept right through ALL of it :(.

All the egg hunts, bunnies, chicks and prizes are fun, but we can't forget the real reason for the day.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for our sins to be forgiven and have eternity with our loved ones.

The water was cold...brrrrrrr

FIRST SWIM MEET OF THE SEASON - SHOCKWAVES VS TOMBALL

We were very excited to have our 1st swim meet of the season. It was the first time Hana was swimming! It was so exciting having both of them swim.
Hana did great!! She definitely exceeded my expectations. I put her in swim to make her a strong and confident swimmer. She is good at recreational swim, but I need her to be strong. My goal was just to get her from 1 side to the other. She has definitely surprised me this meet. She is definitely keeping up. She won her heats. She is one of the younger 7 year olds. In the events (ages 7/8) she ranks in the middle. I think is awesome. In freestyle she shaved off 5.12 seconds from her seed time and in backstroke she shaved off 8.05 seconds from her seed time. Hana's backstroke is awesome. This was just the 1st meet. I'm excited what the next meets will bring for her. Go Hana!!!
Ricky is having a great start to the season. He was in 2 relays and his team won both. The 1st relay (100 yard medley) he was 1st leg and started it off with a backstroke. The 2nd relay 100 yard freestyle he was 2nd leg and did amazing. It was neck to neck and they won. So exciting. In his event swims due to his seed time he was in the fastest heats. He held his own. So proud of him. In his freestyle he shaved off .03 sec. He finished 4th in the event! His backstroke is not as strong. He keeps going towards the left side. We will work on it and figure it out. He placed 6th in the event. The last stroke he had was butterfly. He did awesome and shaved off time, but unfortunately got disqualified for not lifting his hand out of the water all the way at  times =(. I was so sad bc it was an awesome race. It is a hard stroke. Everyone, but 4 people got disqualified.
At the very end there was a special race to be had. The coaches raced against each other. It was a very close race, but our coach won! Love that they did that for the kids.

It was a great 1st meet and the kids did great.

Getting ready for her event. 

http://youtu.be/w59yPRO6KRg

Above is Hana swimming her 1st freestyle

http://youtu.be/E9mtKCE3dbc

Above is Ricky swimming a freestyle. He is in the fastest heat. Even though he did not win he still did great. 

 http://youtu.be/07eYsgw5KSs

Ricky's back. We need to work on his drifting to the left, but other than that he did great. Again, fastest heat. 

MOTHERS DAY 2014

I had such a great Mothers Day! My little munchkins definitely made me feel loved. I was able to sleep in a bit while they made me a hot breakfast. They slaved over scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. It was delicious. I also received my goodies. The kids got me a nail salon gift card and Ricky knew I wanted new athletic shoes and clothes so I received a visa gift card. The kids gave me some fun stuff they made at Midweek. Which of course was the best gift of all.  After breakfast we went to church. After we got home Vincent took a nap and we all relaxed. After he woke up, we headed to one of my favorite places. The Waterway in the Woodlands. We ate at Grimaldis pizza. Their pizza is super yummy. Plus, it's a perfect spot. We are able to sit outside by the fountains so the kids can run around. After we ate we got the kids ice cream and let them run around. Even Vincent joined in the fun and tried to get in the water.
I'm so blessed to have such an amazing family. They truly make Mothers Day special.

Vincent didn't look to interested in taking a pic =(

I just LOVE all his smiles