Hooray for Weddings!

My cousin Jenny and her fiance George got married this weekend!

As none of my extended family are members of the LDS church, this meant a trip to Brenham for a traditional Lutheran wedding ceremony... followed by a fun country reception!

And what country reception would be complete without BBQ? Lincoln it seems was more excited about the pickles, but trust me, it was good!


Since the littles were sick, Andrew stayed home with them and I took the big kids with me. One of my favorite things about these family gatherings is watching my the next generation of cousins play like they've known each other forever. Most of my cousins on my mom's side of the family still live in Texas, so Leah and Lincoln got to play with my cousin's kids all evening.

My aunt Linda had the brilliant idea of setting up a kid's table in one corner of the reception hall - coloring books, little toys, dress up jewelry, goldfish crackers, and fruit snacks! Leah and Kara had a great time with all the treasures they found there. I tried to get a picture of Lincoln playing with Jack and Matt, but they didn't stop moving long enough...

Leah tried valiantly to catch the bouquet, but wasn't quick enough - one of the bridesmaids really wanted that thing! Instead, she made her own bouquet from the flowers on the tables... which I think turned out better anyway.

Lincoln, however, was more successful with the catching of the garter. This may have had something to do with the reluctance of every other male to touch it. It's hard to tell, but in this picture they are all trying to help Lincoln catch it or are standing by just watching the whole spectacle.

Here he is with the proud groom - and you can see the cousins in the background, waiting for Lincoln to be done so they can get back to their games!

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs have come to our children's museum!

And wouldn't you know, we only have one week left on our museum pass...

We have gone several times this week to take advantage and get our fill of dinosaurs


As usual, Eli has no fear of things for which a healthy dose of caution might be warranted!

Peter really liked the volcano

And loved getting to ride on some of his favorite dinosaurs -
although we think they should also have a Parasaurolophus.

We also revisited many of our favorite spots:

grocery shopping, working the restaurant, and of course, the train table!

Soccer

Several of Leah's friends from school decided they wanted to play soccer together this year, so we signed them all up on a team at the YMCA. It turned out to be a 6-7 year old team, so we put Lincoln on the team as well. It is so nice to only have to schedule in one practice and one game during the week rather than two!

They seem to be having a good time so far, even if they haven't won very many games. Usually the teams turn out to be pretty evenly matched and it seems like all the goals are made right at the end of the game when everyone is ready for it to be over...

First Day of School!

I can't believe how big they're getting!

Leah was off like a shot, confident that she can handle anything the 2nd grade can throw at her.

Lincoln wanted me to come with him and give him an extra hug to get him started. He's a little nervous that 1st grade will be quite a bit different than kindergarten. But, hey, his class has guinea pigs - what more could a little boy ask for?

Last weeks of summer

How did we spend our last few weeks of summer?

A day at IKEA for some free indoor playtime and a free lunch!
Eli declared himself the clean up crew - as the older kids decided they were done eating, he would reach over and pull their plate over to his spot so he could finish their leftovers.
No wonder he wears the same size clothes as his older brother!

A field trip to the Capital of Texas Zoo.
We got there right as they opened, but it was already hot!
We spent about an hour looking at the animals, then ate lunch in front of a power fan.

This lemur was ready to play - or maybe he just smelled our lunch.

The lion thought we were crazy for being out in the heat - I tend to agree!

So we headed for home and made our own water park in the back yard - which turned into a mud wallow... I guess if animals can stay cool this way, kids can too?

I think we'll be ready for school to start next week!