She Did It!

I can't believe it. On Wednesday Callie came home from school announcing that she wanted her ears pierced. Apparently, a few of her friends have taken the plunge, so Callie thought she was ready. I had Chad take her because honestly I didn't want to waste a trip to the mall. Well, she did it. . .I can't believe it. For those of you who know our girl, you know that she has some MAJOR fears when it comes to her ears. But Chad said she was very brave and very intent on getting it done.

She does love her new earrings--they are little pink flowers. And she is already talking about getting the ones that 'swing.' Oh my girl . . .

Before. .putting on a brave face


Getting prepped

My poor baby---during. . .

Later at home

Back to School

Yes, it's a busy time for our family. We are now in our second week of school and are trying to settle into a routine. I am looking forward to this weekend and an extra day of sleep.

Here we are outside my classrooom our first day back. I can't believe my boys are in 6th grade!!

Pictures Developed

I finally developed the pictures on the water camera from our San Antonio trip. The pics never seem to come out too well on disposable cameras, but we did manage to capture a few moments.

Here's Chad and the kids carrying their tubes down to the Guadalupe River--the water was so cold-- I mean FREEZING!! It took awhile for all of us to get used to it.The route we took was supposed to take 2-3 hours, but since the water was so low--it took us almost 5 hours!! Many times we had to paddle ourselves along the water. Then at one point I became tangled up in sticks with the ice chest, so I walked along the bank.

Callie was somewhat nervous at first. But all the tubes had bottoms and The Fosters were nice enough to let us borrow Sam's lifevest. Later Callie told us that she couldn't wait to tell everyone how brave she was on the rough waves.

While we were in San Antonio, we FINALLY went to Schlitterbahn Water Park---this water park was part of the bribe to get the boys to move to Texas. I wish we would have known how massive these park(s) were--we could have spent 2-3 days there. I think we are looking into staying at the Schlitterbahn Resort next year--the kids loved it!!

My favorite picture---someone PLEASE teach these girls how to read!!!!

Sleepover

Well, if you'll notice, I am posting this at 8 am. . oh yes, the Goodnight Girls slept over last night. Both girls are bright eyed and bushy tailed--Nannie Jamie, well, not so much!!

LATER THAT DAY. . . .

Since the weather wasn't suitable for swimming, we all went to the Children's Museum in The Woodlands Mall. The girls seemed to enjoy playing dress up--there are several areas for role playing.

Megan and Callie in Storyland
Michelle Making Groceries
THEN EVEN LATER . . . Nannie Jamie took a NAP!!!

Jalyn's Visit

My niece Jalyn came to stay with us for a week before school starts back. We packed in as many activities possible so Jay would have a good time.
(We're secretly hoping Jay can talk Mom and Dad into MOVING here!!!)

The kids had fun going to Sam Moon, Build -A-Bear, Creekside Pool, Shankz Glow-In-The-Dark Golf, and NASA.

I hope we created some happy memories. . .I hate that I can't see my nieces and nephews regularly. We love you, Jay. . .come back soon!!

Ethan's Baptism

The main reason we went back to NOLA was so we could attend Ethan's christening. Little Ethan handled all the commotion quite well and was all smiles. . .as usual.
He is such a sweet little guy.

PawPaw cutting up with the boys in CHURCH!!

Callie and I were able to hang out with Ethan after his nap. . then we were headed to Mammy and PawPaw's to pack :-(
FINALLY. . .a shot of all the Perilloux grandkids. (You have NO IDEA how difficult this was!!!)

Gulfshores Vacation

The kids and I were were finally able to spend some time at Mom and Dad's condo in Gulfshores.

The view from the condo

Lotioning Up for the Day

Getting ready to hit the beach

The boys had a blast body surfing. The water was clear and the waves were big enough for them to have fun, but not too big to make me nervous!!
In the evenings we would cook dinner and hang out just waiting for the sun to go down.
Then, we would take the kids back to the beach to look for crabs.
BooBoo was a real trooper and took the kids down every night!!
Getting ready for bed!!
Thanks Mom and Dad. . .the condo is just perfect!!

Summer Vacation: San Antonio

We arrived late in the afternoon, so our first day of vacation was spent exploring the area. Unfortunately our hotel was located on the wrong side of the interstate, so we had to travel by tram to get downtown.

San Antonio's Riverwalk was just incredible. Thankfully there was plenty of shade for us to enjoy--it was pretty HOT!! Personally I was taken away by all the beautiful foliage along the Riverwalk--simply amazing.

On Day 2 we went tubing on the Guadalupe River--it was so much fun!! We took a water camera with us, so hopefully I'll have those pictures soon.

On Day 3 we spent all day downtown. Due to discount prices, Callie's age varied throughout the trip--yes, we were able to sneak her in one museum as a 3 year old!! Callie would ask Chad how old she was supposed to be for each attraction--as if the girl isn't confused enough!! Surprisingly, she took it all in stride--her favorite saying of the trip was, "For Freeeeeee!" and she would make a crazy face (from Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories).

Here she is with Chad making that dang face--she was cracking us up!!

Walking around downtown--heading to the Alamo. I was impressed with the boys' knowledge of the Battle. They had Texas History in 4th Grade, so they really enjoyed seeing all the artifacts.
We took a Riverboat Tour later that day.
One of the boys' requests was to go to the Guiness Museum.
The boys with the World's Heaviest Person

Chad "The Fat Man"

The World's Tallest Man--with quite possibly the world's shortest 6 year old !!!

On Day 4, we went to Schlitterbahn Water Park--definitely the best day of all!! Again, those pics are on the water camera--I hope to have them soon.

San Antonio Vacation: Six Flags

During our vacation to San Antonio we spent a day at Six Flags/Fiesta Texas. It was VERY hot (and overpriced) but we wanted to cram in as much activities possible!!

My cousin Paige and her crew were able to come in from Dallas to meet us for a few days.
I haven't seen Paige since Hurricane Katrina, so it was great to get the kids together. Paige and I used to take family vacations together when we were little, so it was nice to be able to continue the tradition.
Here's her little ones, Nick and Ellie, coming off a roller coaster. Look at poor Nick's face :-(

Callie preferred the kiddie rides the entire day!!
Ken, Nick, and Jake enjoying the bumper cars.

Callie and Jake--Super Freaky!!

I was a little worried aobut the kids' behavior during the trip--my three tend to get on one another's nerves if they spend too much 'quality time' together. But they were all well-behaved and the boys were great to all the little ones.

My Heroes

During lunch, Bugs Bunny and Pals performed for the kids.

Ellie enjoyed a little nap after pizza and ice cream.

I tried thoughout the entire day to get a picture of all five kids. I thought I captured it on the carousel until I noticed that Callie was not looking at the camera--she was looking at HERSELF in the mirror!!

FINALLY--a picture of all the cousins!!