Elia's First Birthday

Our precious baby turned one on July 9th. We had a little party for her, and Mickey Mouse Club House was the theme because that is her favorite show in the world! She loved the idea of opening gifts and then running around the room to show them off. As everyone eewwwed and ahhhed, she would crack up! She wasn't too sure about what to do with her cake that Nana made her. She touched it gently, until mommy finally smushed her hands in the icing! She never really did like having the mess on her, but I think she enjoyed that butter cream icing! This has been the greatest year of my life and I cherish each memory made with this beautiful little girl. She is the greatest gift of all.

Elia and Julian

Elia and Julian loved spending time together this summer. She started out by yelling out "bra" for brother, but that evolved into "bra bra", and finally "Bubba" as time went on. She would give a deep down belly laugh when he would pretend to chase her. I took these shots as a suprise for Father's Day. It was quite a task to get both kiddos to look at the camera at the same time! Especially when Elia was more interested in eating grass!

Summer Vacation 2008

We went to Broken Bow State Park in South Eastern Oklahoma this summer with my parents. We rented a log cabin in the woods that was far from "roughing" it! It was two stories, with the second floor having our room, as well as Julian's loft, with a pool table! You can imagine he had a blast with that. I enjoyed the outdoor hot tub! Elia loved the rock drive in front of the house. She was very proud to bring Poppy a rock and go out for more! My parents and I enjoyed sitting out on the front porch early in the morning listening to the birds. My mom cooked the trout that Isaac caught one night for dinner. In fact we cooked entirely too much food the entire trip! The kids enjoyed their first wade in the cold river water, while Isaac and my mom fished. Isaac could have stayed in that river all day! We toured the museum at the state park that told of the area's history of logging and had displays of Native American art. Mostly, we just enjoyed our time together away from the business of everyday life. It truly was a great vacation

Beth and Julian's Special Day

Each summer, Julian and I take a day together just the two of us. This year, we went to the Herd Museum and Wildlife Refuge in McKinney, Texas. We walked the nature trails and saw animals we'd never even heard of before! The musuem was very interactive and we both enjoyed looking at fossils, dinosaur bones, and live snakes!

Elia's First Swim!

Elia loves the water, but hates her sun hat! We took the kids to the neighborhood pool a lot this summer to cool off. Nana also bought Elia a swimming pool to use at her house. She loves to blow bubbles in the water!

Julian's Birthday!

Julian's Birthday was July 6th and we celebrated his 9th birthday at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. We played at the indoor waterpark all day, then he and dad stayed in the hotel overnight. He had a blast! Julian was really brave to go down the "Howlin' Tornado" thrill ride! Daddy put on his brave face, too!