Halloween Happenings

Halloween, the beginning of the holidays.  I don't know what it is about this year, but I am really excited for the holidays.  I wanted to decorate every inch of the house.  And while that didn't happen, we did try to think of a few new things to add to spook things up around here!  

We made our ghost jugs again.  The kids had a great time designing their own.

And of course there was a pumpkin carving night.  Paige had all her fun playing in the seeds.  Jaxson and Shaye designed their own pumpkins, and the little girls carved a mini one to share.  They were so pleased with their work!

The Pool

This post has been a long time coming.  I have procrastinated it for months.  We moved in in March and knew we wanted to put a pool in, we didn't have any luck finding a house we liked that already had one when we were looking.  A few weeks after we got settled, we started interviewing pool companies.  We picked one we liked and had recommendations for, and got started.  

I came home one day and the whole street was full of trucks - digging day!  This was exciting for all of us.  It was a big mess, and I'm sure the neighbors were not happy to have us, but we were closer to a pool!

Then the work started.  There were crews here working almost every day for weeks.  Sam would come home and give it his personal inspection.  The kids were always excited to see what had happened that day while they were at school.

It took about 6 weeks to get the water in, we filled it up Memorial Day weekend, and then they spent a few more weeks on finishing touches.  We love it!!  Sam came home after work and just sat in the backyard for months saying "it's like I am on vacation!"  The backyard was small to start with, but we feel like we made good use of the space.  We especially love the arbor.

The kids played in it every day in the summer and still continue to get in on warm days.  Shaye had a swimming birthday party this year and I'm sure we'll have many more.  We love everything about having it - Sam even enjoys the work it takes. :)

Nighty Night

One of life's cruel jokes - when you're young you fight against naps with all you've got.  When you grow up, you'd take out anyone you could just to get a nap!  I would like to take back all those times I didn't nap as a kid now please!

Here are a few shots of our cuties over the last few months when the lost their battles.

Sydnee at Walmart shopping with Sam.

Jaxson after some hard practices and long nights.

Sweet Paigey after making a mess in my kitchen.

Paige is under that blanket, and napped 2 hours in the entryway.

Sydnee made her a cubbie right in the pantry.

Dove Hunt in Crockett

Labor Day weekend was also opening day of dove hunting.  Sam took the 3 big kids with his dad and they went to the ranch in Crockett.  The kids had a blast driving the Gator.  They love to go out there, and I'm happy they get the chance to get out of the city once in a while.

The dove hunting wasn't too successful.  They only shot one.  But they also caught a fish! :)

Pre-k at Holy Covenant

After Labor Day pre-k started.  Sydnee was so excited to go.  Here she is posing it up on her first day!

This is her friend Charly Holt who she'll carpool with this semester.  Sydnee is really enjoying Charley, she wants to play with her all the time.  They are some friends from our ward.  

They are in the Pony Class with Ms. Melissa at Holy Covenant Child Development.  Its the same school she went to last year, and we have really loved it.  Syd goes 2 days a week - Wednesday and Thursday.

While Syd was at school, Paige had playtime with Charly's little sister, Sophie.  On Wednesday they played at our house and on Thursday they went to Sophie's.  Paige has been asking to go back every day!

Labor Day Weekend

We were gonna take our chances again going to New Braunsfels and floating the Comal River for Labor Day, hoping a giant tree didn't fall this year.  To make the most of it, we decided to see what else was going on in the area to enjoy that weekend.  Charlie Robison, a Texas Country musician was playing at Gruene Hall - "the oldest dance hall in Texas."  We love this place!  We had to go!!

Back in Texas, so I need cowboy boots it seems.  Sam's been suggesting I get them for months.  Apparently my Nine West cowgirl boots weren't cutting it.  I had been resisting, but something about going to Gruene Hall and hanging out in the wood floor, no a/c, screen wall honky tonk convinced.  If I was going to spend that much money on boots, they better be comfortable, so I bought so Lucchese and so far so good.

The concert was a lot of fun, and the next day we headed over to meet a large group of friends from our ward to float the river.  It was a great day - no our car was just fine when we returned! :)

Back to School

First day of school was on August 27th.  Since we moved, the kids were at a new school this year.  They go to Stan Stanley Elementary.  So far so good!  Jaxson really likes it because he already knew some kids from the neighborhood and his football team, and Shaye likes it okay.  

Jaxson has Marci Eamon as his second grade teacher.  

I can't believe its Shaye's last year in elementary school.  Next year we will have a junior high kid.  Crazy!  She has Caroline Salak as her teacher, and she seems very nice.  It's a big year for Shaye as the big kids on campus!