Number Nine!

K2 finally hit the big #9 a few weeks ago, and since he is all sports, ALL the time, he chose a sports-themed birthday. For his special day, he chose to grill hot dogs in the park and play ball, of course! So, on his birthday, Grandpa and Grandma and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins joined us at the park for dinner and a rousing game of kickball. I personally haven't played kickball in forever, but it was a lot of fun! Then it was back to our house for cake and presents.

For a party with his friends, he wanted to head back to the park, but this time for football. We gladly obliged since we wouldn't have to host anything at our house! Also, since a football game required inviting a larger number of boys than we ever have before, we suggested to K2 that he choose a charity to support instead of receiving gifts. He made us incredibly proud by not only agreeing, but quickly selecting an organization that he and the other kids at our church had already been supporting - BGMC. Our Children's Pastor had issued a challenge several months ago for the kids to bring one dime for each year of their age every Sunday and try to fill up an empty water cooler jug before the end of the summer. If they were successful, they would earn a pool party, and all of the money would go to the 'Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge,' which supports missionaries all across the world.

So, K2 invited his friends to bring dimes instead of gifts, and he raised over $86 that day! He was thrilled to take his overflowing jar to church that Sunday and add it to the jug. Way to go, bud! You make us proud!

Grandpa pitches to Grandma at the family kickball game.

A football is always the right gift option for this kid!

And what better way to celebrate the #9 birthday than with the #9 Tony Romo jersey from his favorite team...the Dallas Cowboys (sorry, Dad!).

Betcha can't guess how old I am!

Wishing for the Cowboys to have a winning season this year??

Fun at the park with friends and football - what could be better?!?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

A Little Summer Getaway

After seeing family over the 4th of July, we stopped to visit some old friends, and it was quite the enjoyable little getaway...especially considering we weren't able to squeeze in a family vacation this year. We have big plans for next summer, though, and we're very excited!

Anyways, thanks to our wonderful hosts - what a relaxing time it was!

A shot of the BEAUTIFUL park we visited...sure wish we had something like this around here!

Waterfalls...need I say more??

I managed to snag a great shot of my lovely daughter - eyes open and everything! Go Mom!

Hmmm...think, think, think...

Did I mention K4's shoe fetish?? She can't get enough of these little red cowgirl boots that were handed down from a friend - she proudly wears them everywhere! :)

*You may notice that one of my children is not in any of these pictures...he was going through an 'I refuse to do anything you ask me to do' stage at the time, so photos were completely out of the question! (See grumpy face in 4th of July blog post for confirmation).

It was quite out of the ordinary for our little poser, but no worries - he's back in action now!

Fourth of July

We spent Fourth of July weekend with my hubby's family this year, and it was a chilly one! Of course, most of the summer has been cooler than normal, but I can't remember the last time we sat outside shivering with blankets for a 4th of July picnic! Oh, well. At least the weather cleared up long enough for the fireworks show on the new bridge that night!

Mom and the Krew after the rain finally let up - unfortunately, K3 decided to refuse any photo opportunities that weekend, so all of his pics turned out this way!

K4 enjoys some snuggle time with Grandma during the fireworks show.

Everyone out watching the fireworks...

...ooooh...

...ahhhh...

(look closely and you'll see the bridge in the bottom center of this pic - pretty cool, huh?)

Random Fun

As I was going through our summer pictures to decide what postings to create for the blog, I discovered a handful of randoms that are really cute but didn't fit in with anything else, so enjoy these few while you wait for the rest of our summer updates!

Even at the park, K4 thinks she's in charge...

...but the poor little squirrel didn't want to come down out of the tree after being yelled at!

Summer wouldn't be complete without finding an interesting creature somewhere, especially right outside our window!

A perfect representation of our two boys...the class clown and the poser!

No better way to wrap up the summer than swim time with Grandpa!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We spent lots of time at the ballpark again this summer, and it had to have been the best year yet! K2's team just gets better every year, and this season they played tremendously well, won several games, and even beat the 4th-5th grade team on their way to taking 3rd in the league tournaments!

K2 got to try his first hand at pitching this year, along with the usual business at shortstop and second base, and he definitely had us on our feet more than once! A few strikeouts from the mound, a couple of double plays, and some great base running, too - we've got ourselves quite a ball player!

Like Father, like Son! :)

Okay, enough bragging now...here are some highlights:

One of his first games on the mound

Up to bat at the tournaments

Waiting in the dugout

Enjoying 3rd place out of 14 teams in the League Tourney

Star of the Day

Our beautiful daughter received her Honor Star crown during a very special ceremony at our church in May. This honor is given to any girl who has completed 3 full years of the Stars program, earning multiple badges, memorizing several scriptures, reading the entire New Testament, partcipating in activities, and learning important information about the Bible, her faith, and our church.

K1 was escorted down the aisle by her Daddy (a tearful premonition of things to come!) while listening to a recorded blessing from each of her parents. After each of the other girls joined her on stage, we watched a slide show of pictures from each girl's childhood (again, more tears!), then heard special blessings from her teacher and our pastor's wife, and after that, each girl received her sash and crown.

We could not be prouder of all of her hard work! She also had 'honored' in each of her previous church classes since she was 3 years old (Rainbows, Daisies, and Prims), so she was awarded a Bronze Medal, and has the opportunity to earn Silver and Gold if she continues in the program.

Way to go, sweetie! We love you!

Receiving her sash and crown from her wonderful Stars teacher.

A little adjustment...

...ta-da! Our beautiful Honor Star!