Catching Up

I'm a bit behind in posts. I should have told you by now about my parents' visit to Texas. We had lots of fun. We went to the circus, we saw alligators at the park, we played in water, we went to the children's museum and just played and played and the kids were spoiled, but I'm OK with that, because it only happens about 2 times a year.

And then there's the last minute trip home. The kids traveled pretty well. Matthew was by far the hardest, and with him on my lap, neither of us had much room. I'm almost looking forward to paying for his own seat, but that would mean 5 airplane tickets for our family. When did this happen?!

We had a nice visit, all things considered. Once we had the funeral we were able to enjoy being there a bit more. It was fun to see my family and some old friends. The weather was cool for this time of year (what crazy weather they've had this last month), and I thoroughly enjoyed the escape from hot and humid Texas. (In the morning the temps were always in the 50's and I loved feeling cold. I also realized how acclimated I am to warmer temps. I guess that's what 7 years in hot climates can do to you.) We took the kids to a few parks, the beach (a real northwest beach that's cold with rocks!), the Seattle Children's Museum and the zoo.

One of the most memorable parts of the visit was seeing all the pictures of grandma and grandpa I had never seen before. We were just barely starting to go through the house and we were finding pictures all over the place, just randomly tucked here and there. I enjoyed seeing them and getting a glimpse into grandma's life. She did so much before I was even around. And now when I think of grandma, I don't just remember her as she was when I last visited in January. I think of all these pictures and things I've learned. I like that.


And now we're back. We celebrated Jacob's birthday Monday, but the real party is coming next week and I'm figuring out the cake. :) We took the kids to Schlitterbahn one more time before school starts and had fun. (No over nighter this time, just a day trip. Matthew had a blast! It was amazing how much more he enjoyed it this time.) We're tired of the weather, but soon I can decorate for Fall and pretend it's getting cool, so I'm looking forward to that. Emily starts school Tuesday. We met her teacher last night. She is new to the school and seems very nice. I need to stop thinking about the fact that once I have my birthday, I'll be 7 years older than her. (I'm sure feeling old lately.) We're going to do a preschool thing for Jacob which will be nice for him, even though I'm sure he will keep himself busy for a while with the Transformers and Legos he got for his birthday - he loves them both! :) Matthew is becoming a climber and already acting a bit like a 2 year-old. And sometime soon we need to figure out our Halloween costumes. It's almost September!!

Pictures coming soon!