water babies

My boys love the water, and Andrew wants to to do anything Kai does, so this past week, Andrew summoned up all the courage his little body has and took the plunge off the diving board at Mimi and Pawpaws. Once he got started it was hard to get him to stop!!

Kai started swimming lessons this week, and while he still has a ways to go skill wise, he has mastered floating (something I, unfortunately, have never been able to do) So to celebrate this accomplishment we went home and baked cookies!!

Vacation

For the past two years, we have taken a family vacation to Glen Rose, TX to attend the Coleman Family Reunion (mom's side of the family). Last year's trip here and here was all about the dinosaurs. This year Kai, Andrew and I had to go without Ryan (who was on a mission trip). Luckily we had my parents there to help me out!!

We started out the trip attending Fossil Rim Wildlife Reserve. I did not really know what to expect...but now, I can not wait to go back and take Ryan.

The giraffes were, by far, the coolest things to see and feed!!

Kai loved all the deer.

We were a little afraid of the zebras, because we were told they might bite.

But nothing compared to the fear that the ostriches struck in our hearts.

These birds were relentless for food. They would stretch those long necks into your car and go straight for your basket of food. And they would chase after your car after you tried to move on. Kai was not quick enough in giving one of them food, and it reached in a bit his finger stealing the food out of his hand. The entire car load of screaming hysterically until we found out he was not hurt... then our screams turned to laughter. We quickly rolled up the windows and tried to get away from these scary creatures as fast as we could!

We spent the afternoon playing at the park and visiting with family and then, that night, we went to a drive-in movie to see Toy Story 3.

I had never been to a drive-in movie, so I was really excited about it, and it did not disappoint. This was truly a remarkable experience. Everyone was so friendly. Kids were running around playing Frisbee and football before the show. Families were all bundled up in blankets in the the back of trucks. Coolers were brought out and everyone was eating and drinking and having fun. It was a blast... and the movie was really good too!

We spent the next day at the pool and then headed back home to see Ryan. It was a great trip for a second year in a row.

If you are in need of some good, family fun in Texas, I would definitely recommend Glen Rose, TX.

Book Review

Summer is the time to sit back, relax and enjoy the things that you really love to do. Luckily both of my boys are now at an age where they can play by themselves for extended periods of time, which all allows me to do exactly what I love to do, which is read. I have already read five books since the beginning of June, and I have a stack of about 7 more on my night stand. So here is my mini book review, just in case you are in need of a good summer read.

House Rules by Jodi Piccoult: This book is about a boy with Aspergers that gets charged with the murder of his behavioral specialist's. I figured out the ending relatively early in this book, but it was written so well that I wanted to finish it through to the end.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks: This book is about a girl who goes to live with her father for the summer and falls in love. Very generic, I know, but the book is awesome. The only down side I had, was every time I read the main characters lines her voice came out in head as Miley Cyrus I haven't seen the movie yet-- just the previews were enough to do it for me.)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: I loved this book. It was about a veterinarian that worked for a traveling circus during the depression. I could not put it down!!

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline: This book was about a mother who sees one of those "have you seen me cards" in the mail, and the child in the picture looks remarkably like the child she adopted. I am not usually into mysteries, but this one held my attention, and I was surprised by the way it turned out.

The Carrie Dairies by Candace Bushnell: This is Sex in the City before Carrie becomes corrupt. It tells the story of Carrie in high school. It has all the same great humor of Sex in the City without all the sex!