Birthday Party!

This past Saturday we celebrated both Cooper and Penny's birthdays with a pool party! We had a great mix of family, old friends, neighbors, and friends from school come to help us celebrate.  I don't think we have ever had that many kids in the pool at one time!  All the kids had a blast swimming, playing on a slip-n-slide, eating cake, and playing with some of Cooper and Penny's gifts.  Overall the party was a giant success!  We topped off the evening with our friends the Naisers staying over night and some neighbors and Ma-Mas and Pa-Pa staying to watch the Aggies beat the Arkansas Razorbacks...Whoop!  Some party pics...

Not one but TWO cakes!

Kids in the pool, kids everywhere!

How many kids can you fit in one hot tub??

Kids eat cake!

Cooper and Penny were nice enough to share some of their new toys!

The morning after..everyone just wanted to lounge.

Fall Fredericksburg Weekend 2015

This past weekend while Daddy, Pa-Pa, and Uncle Clint were hunting, Ma-mas, Mama and the kids spent some time in Fredericksburg.  We walked up and down Main Street, went to the Fall Festival, a family reunion, and Trade Days.  Mama and Ma-mas tried to squeeze in things that the kids would enjoy, so that they would let us shop!  It sort of worked, because all three kids did  have fun!  The highlight of course was attending Ma-mas' family reunion.  It was fun to see family and watch the kids run wild. (They enjoyed that too.)  Overall, what a great weekend!

We drove straight to Fredericksburg after Cooper and Penny got out of school on Friday.  They were anxious to visit the park and run around.  We happily obliged.

All three kids' favorite spot on Main Street...the toy store with the playhouse in front!

On Saturday morning we hit the town early!  We stumbled upon a Fall Festival going on, which had many free activities for kids.  Coop loved the "train."  Naturally.

Penny rode too!

Ellie enjoyed the playhouse.  Another thing to note about this little one...she said "Ma-mas" for the very first time!  She was so excited that she could say it that she kept saying it over and over.
(Ma-mas was thrilled.)

After a full morning on Main Street, we ALL took naps back at the hotel.  We wanted to have energy for the Becker Reunion!  Here they are waiting to find out if we won anything.  We knew it was time to go back to the hotel when we didn't win any raffle, silent auction, or guessing items and Cooper burst into tears.  I guess since we won the giant jar of cheeseballs last year, they thought it was a gimme.

Summertime Edition of "While They Were Sleeping"

This summer I was on the go with three kids pretty much on a constant basis. You'd think I wouldn't have had a chance to get anything "extra" done.  I did, however, implement a rest time every afternoon.  This allowed for some sewing time!  I knocked out several projects that had been on my mental to-do list for a while so it felt great to get them done.  I kept on sewing, thinking that this fall I could really hit it hard.  Ironically, since school started I haven't even touched the sewing machine!  A flood of other projects, school commitments, and an altogether different routine hasn't left much room for the "extra."  Here's to hoping I don't have to wait until next summer to sew again.  What I managed to squeeze in over the summer:

A superhero cape for a friend...and my first ever applique!

One shopping trip for fabric brought out that I had never made anything for Cooper! So I made him a set of pillowcases from fabric that he picked out.

Of course, once I realized how EASY pillowcases are, I couldn't stop!  One for each girl came next. (Aren't my models cute??)

Baby blanket!  My cousin welcomed a baby boy this summer and I was so thrilled to have a baby to sew for. (I also threw together some burp cloths, but forgot to take a picture.)

And another blanket for a friend's baby that will be here soon.

Girls!  Seems all the sewing ends up being for them!  Penny LOVES it when her and Ellie match, so how could I resist TWO dresses from only one yard of fabric?