Fishing fun!

This past weekend, the kids were fishing fools! And Daddy too! They managed to get to the lake 3 times over the weekend. Success for sure. Shawn parents came into town and they brought up two nephews too! {Check out Ally's boots!}

Ally loves to draw. She journaled part of the evening while the boys were fishing. And Maebry took all the lids off the markers!

A few of the catches. While they were small, they were definitely fun to catch.

Saturday morning we drove into Denton for the Farmer's Market. It was a pretty & hot morning! The kids participated in a self defense class in the park and they all loved it.

Earlier that week the two older kids participated in Sportsworld at our church, Denton Bible Church. Jase was in basketball this year and Ally did cheer. They both had a blast!

The red vs. blue rivalry was at it again this year. Both kids were on the red team, but sad to say the blue took home the spirit award this year.

I treated the kids to snow cones one afternoon. Bahama Bucks in Denton was pretty good. I think I could get the shaved ice and be happy!

While the two big kids were gone all day, I sure did have fun with my littles. We ran some errands, stayed at home and played, watched Pioneer Woman {Finn's request!}. It was nice to soak up this time with them. I don't always get alone time with them, so it was good.

After a busy week and weekend, we took it easy Sunday afternoon. There is definitely a reason why God rested on the 7th day: our bodies need it! Thankful to have this time at home with my family.

Ally's Dance Recital

Our dance season wrapped up this past weekend. Allyson had her dance recital and she was in three dances: tap, ballet and the daddy/daughter dance. Her recital was an hour away because the dance studio she goes to is a satellite studio and the main one is in Decatur. We had our dress rehearsal early that morning. And then we drove back for the recital.

 Allyson on the red carpet! We had a little of time before the show to take a picture.

I was so glad that she was able to sit in the audience and watch most of the show. In years past at our last dance studio, she had to stay backstage the entire time and was not able to watch any of the routines. She enjoyed watching the other girls dance. Nanny and PawPaw came up and they were HUGE helps with crowd control.

 The girls smile for a group picture backstage before changing from their tap costumes.

 My little ballerina. Her costumes this year were too cute.

She made some sweet friends this past year in dance.

Nanny and PawPaw with their little Ally. This was right after Ally and Shawn did their Daddy/Daughter Dance. It was super sweet and they did a great job!

Our family! Seeing this picture is such a reminder to just how big the kids are getting! So thankful for my family.

And that's a wrap. We ended up leaving the recital after 9:30 and it still was not over yet! Super long day for this gal, but she soaked up every minute of it. She danced so great in all three of her routines and has definitely improved from year to year! We love our little dancer.

Fun Weekend

We had a busy weekend, a lot of rain, but that didn't slow us down any. My sister came into town Saturday afternoon and she joined us for a graduation party that evening.

That evening Alisha and I made shirts. She bought a Silhouette Cameo machine, which allows you to design and cut vinyl to apply to shirts. It was super fun. And when the kids were asleep, we even made some homemade malts! It's been years since I've had one of those. And for the record, it was delicious!!

Here is a sample of some things we made! So fun. I just love to create, when time allows of course. And that little dress that Ally has over her head was $4 at Walmart. Add a cute little monogram and Viola!

Alisha snapped this pic. I think the kids were into it just as much as we were. They were giving us their designs left and right!

A coworker of Shawn gave him a Death Star waffle maker, so we had to make some! The kids loved it of course!

Ok, so at the graduation party we had Elote or Mexican corn. It was my first time to ever have it or hear of it for that matter and it was SO good! Like so good y'all. I had two big ears of corn at the party, I couldn't help it. So you grill corn on the cob, then you peel back the husks and apply the outside with mayo, salt, chili powder and parmesan cheese! It was so tasty that I had to relive the meal Sunday night. She also made homemade lemonade at the party and it was also super good. So good I have to share. So she used limes instead of lemons, the small ones.

Homemade Limeade (makes 1 gallon)
- juice of 5 small limes
- 2 cups of sugar
- top the gallon off with water

That's it. Super simple, yet so tasty. And it was not tart at all, like lemonade sometimes is.

On Monday we drove into Dallas to purchase some heat transfer vinyl. It is a warehouse district area, and similar to Harwin in Houston (if you're familiar with that area). Anyway, the store we wanted to go to, the mother load of vinyl was...CLOSED! So bummed. I guess they had a bunch of rain and needed to close the shop. It happens and I hope all is well with their families, but man were we looking forward to it. Next time! We ended up meeting up with Shawn for lunch, which doesn't happen much since he works so far away. That was definitely a blessing. We ended up finding another store with vinyl, so the trip wasn't all for naught.

This was Finn that evening. Poor guy was passed out on the kitchen floor. Long day!

Baseball wrap up

We wrapped up our spring baseball season a couple of weeks ago and the boys finished strong. They ended up winning the last two games and landed themselves in the playoffs.

Look at these girls, they loved their time at the ballpark this season. There were so many little girls for them to play with and they looked after Mae so well!

The beat the 2nd place team in the playoffs, and we had not beat them in the past 6 outings, so this was a big deal!

A couple nights later we showed back up to play the 1st place team. In the first inning we had too many errors and they ended up scoring 5 runs on us. We scored some runs, but ended up falling short 7-3. We had a good run and I'm so glad the boys started hitting the ball like I knew they could. 

Since the boys won 2nd in the playoffs they got a ring! It is huge! I mean it doesn't even fit on my thumb, that's how big it is! But that doesn't stop this boy! He wears it All. The. Time. 

Jase was asked to play on an all-star team, but the state tournament they were scheduled to play in got rained out. Hopefully they are able to play in a tournament or two. 

Selfie King

Our little Finn will be 4 this summer! So hard to believe. This fall he will be participating in our homeschool group with Classical Conversations. I will actually be the one leading his class, it will be fun!

This guy loves to take pictures on my phone. It is nothing for me to discover 150 new photos. They are usually selfies or of the floor. Every time I see them, they make me smile!!

He has been quite the talker lately and his little mind is working. I just love it. Here are some of my favorite things he says these days:

- Am I listening, Mom? {he usually asks this right after I get on him for not listening}
- I love baseball. Can we watch the Astros vs Rangers on the tv? {he is such a fan}
- You are a good mom.
- The Holy Spirit is in my heart.
- God is Jesus' father.
- Will you sing some songs? {when I lay him down}
- Can we watch Pioneer Woman? {He loves to help in the kitchen}
- Excuse me. {when he wants you to exit the bathroom so he can go!}

His prayers at night touch my heart. Every time he says them I want to record it and capture the moment. He loves talking to the Lord. "Thank you for your goodness." We love you little man!

Pool Fun

The middle kids started swimming lessons this week. They are doing well and the pace is slow, but maybe that is good for them. Not for me, but good for them! 

On Tuesday I ended up taking them to our community pool and it was a nice time. Surprisingly it wasn't crazy! Last year at the pool was a little much by myself with Mae not walking.

Boy, when you take my kids to the pool, you better be prepared to eat some food! It is snack city!

Here is Mae in action at the pool.

On Wednesday I took the kids to Whataburger for brunch after swimming lessons. We haven't been to WB in over a month {felt like forever}, so it was a treat! Kids loved it of course! 

The kids have been doing great at jumping in at the end of practice. 

Here are a few of their swimming clips from this week.

Thursday we went back to the pool after swimming lessons and it was fun. I actually was able to work one on one with Ally and Finn on swimming. Ally is determined to get it, but we just need to keep working on it.

Summer is underway and we are taking full advantage!