"Smell" the Grass

Jonathan LOVES to watch his daddy mow the grass. At first he called it "smell" the grass. He'd ask me frequently: "Can I watch daddy smell the grass mom?" Now he calls it mowing the grass. It's become a bit of a family ritual now. Every time Joel mows the grass the kids & I go out and sit in the driveway and watch. Tonight Jon took out Emily's stroller & mowed the grass with his dad. It was too cute not to catch on film. Enjoy the pics!

Vacation to San Antonio

We wanted to take one more family trip before the summer got crazy hot & before Harrison baby #3 arrived in the fall. We picked San Antonio - mainly for Sea World. On the way back we stopped by Fossil Rim too. We had a great time and really enjoyed spending uninterrupted time as a family together. Below are some of our favorite pictures from our 3 days away.

Family picture at the hotel when we first arrived

Mariachi music at the table on the River Walk. Emily approves.
One of the kid rides at Sea World. They LOVED it!
We walked by the Dolphin Cove exhibit right as they had feeding time. We got to feed & touch them. This was probably my favorite part of the trip.
The kids had a blast at the hotel pool.
They most loved jumping into the pool repeatedly (with Daddy catching).
This animal tried really hard to lick my face more than once. :-)
We got to hand feed zebras too - how often does that happen??

Short Hair Like Mom

For about the last month Emily has been asking to go get her hair cut "at the store." (I usually just trim it up myself at the house.) Then a few nights ago she was messing with my hair & said "I want to have short hair like yours, mom." She still was asking for short hair the next morning, so I made an appointment for her with my awesome hair stylist, Jennifer. When I told Emily we were going to get her hair cut that day she got a huge grin on her face (dimples showing and all) & said enthusiastically "that will be awesome!!" So here's a before, during & after shot. She was so, so proud to show her daddy her new haircut & when she got home she went to our mirror & just started laughing over & over because she liked it so much. Too, too cute!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Too Cute Video

Joel was testing out using our computer's video software to use for a blog. Emily wanted to help. Her unexpected sadness & then laughter at the end were waayyyy too cute not to share. Enjoy!

Stories at Bedtime with Daddy

Joel has been reading a bedtime story to Emily for a few years now right before prayer time. She loves it & if, for whatever reason, he's out late & can't do it she always asks me "can daddy read me my story when he gets home?" - very sweet. She'll let me read her story in his absence, but always asks if he will too later. Since Jon's bedtime has been a bit earlier than Em's he had not been a part until recently. Just a few nights ago as Joel was tucking him in Jon asked if daddy would read him a story. So...he got to come listen in on one in big sister's bed. Looks like he's decided it's time he's in on the tradition too. As I was listening in on the story I couldn't help but snap a picture of it.

Mavs Game

Joel's brother, Nathanael, won playoff tickets to the Mavs game this past Saturday and invited Joel to go. They had a great time & got to watch the Mavs win 99-90. Joel even came home a little horse from all the yelling.

Confetti Eggs

The kids had their first experience with confetti eggs at a family dinner last week. They were a little unsure at first, but quickly got in on breaking them open over each other's heads. Fun stuff!