Red Car

Brenna is growing up so much!  I can't believe how much she talks and understands....really is an amazing thing to be able to watch and take part in.  While school work does take me away from her more than I'd like, she does get to have fun with Daddy

and help me study

And while our Cinderella loves to help us in the kitchen, sometimes I need a little reminder that she is still so small (well, maybe not her cheeks)!

South Padre Island Vaca!

We had such a great time on our first vacation in 3 years.  We stayed at The Pearl on South Padre Island...and it was amazing.  Mostly because we missed the summer rush and were able to enjoy the beach without too many distractions.  The weather was perfect, as long as you stayed on the beach, the breeze was amazing.  We played in the water every day and (much to Nick's pleasure) walked well over a mile each day on the beach.  My feet have never felt so exfoliated.

We had a lovely surprise waiting for us when we got there!

We had our first dinner at Louie's Backyard.  We missed the sunset (ended up being the theme to our vaca) but saw some amazing fire works that would rival most July 4th finales.  We also got to see the 'party boat' Murphy's Law pass by again and again.  Bass booming, lights flashing, DJ spinning and families sitting awkwardly, probably wondering why a party boat ever sounded like a good idea.  

The beach was really nice.  Very clean with soft, white sand.  There were some dunes between the hotels and the water, but they were pretty small.  The sand was so HOT that I actually burnt my feet one day just walking to the water.  Lesson learned.  The exfoliating walks were a little shorter after this.

Our cab driver the first night gave us an amazing list of restaurants that gave us with great dining options each night.  Nick was on a first name basis with  him by day 2.  We had some great sushi and lots and lots of shrimp!

Great sushi!

Nick trying desperately to open our champagne for our Mimosas

We managed to work out each day.  Kind of a stupid thing to start on vacation.  We were pretty sore for most of the week.  Although, recovering by the water was pretty awesome.

They were delicious!

Lamb fries. Look em up.

 We had a pretty nice view from our room, which had a partial view of the ocean and over looked the pools.  It was a great spot.

Probably the best thing we had...bacon wrapped, jalapeno stuffed shrimp

We were so burnt this day.  Even with 50 SPF!

Ok, I'm sure you can figure out why he got burnt....

The view of South Padre Island.  See that tall, light colored hotel?  Ours is the little square one next to it (can't see it).

We finally caught a sunset.

So there were actually a few more selfies and lots more pretty drink shots, but I think you get the idea.  Had a really nice, relaxing time.  I read a book that had nothing to do with healthcare.  

It's been a great (and very busy) 5 years.  Can't wait to see what we get to do in the next 5!

What Jace is up to...

Jace....He seems like such a BIG boy...but to our surprise, he was about 50th % for both height (30 inches) and weight (22lbs)!  But his feet are HUGE...he's in a size 5 and will quickly be growing out of them!

He loves to wave and DANCE!  He can make a fist and knock on the door.  He points at everything and loves to make the surprise face.  He kisses and smiles and loves to give high 5s!  He loves to run with his sister, but does not want to be touched!  He just figured out how to walk backwards.  He gets real upset when he is tired or isn't carried when he wants to be and will just plop down and cry.  hard.  He also has a pretty good arm and can throw anything a good distance.  He is just starting to appreciate books and will pick up a couple of his favorites and bring them to you to read.

Jace loves to play patty cake and throw his hands in the air.  He still rubs his lip with whatever tag he can find when he gets sleepy.  He also does this with new foods and wants to rub them on his lip before trying anything.  He has a really good appetite and will eat most foods.  However, when he is done, he's done.  He'll spit the food out into his hand and throw it.  He's doing great with the sippy cups and loves milk but not so much the water.

He is not nearly as bowlegged as he once was but his legs are so long and skinny!!  He loves to make faces and push his bottom lip up over his top lip.  He has 6 teeth that he will bite you with (only if you are silly enough to put your fingers in his mouth!)  He is completely fascinated with toilets and we've had a couple near misses with him throwing things in them.  He loves to pick up the lid and let it drop.  Needless to say, bathroom doors are closed at all times!



And here's Brenna, playing with the jalapenos from our garden.  She was pretty excited to get a picture with them.