Well, with all the rain we had in Texas, our Summer outside started off a little slow. Not that we complained, because it also delayed the Texas heat! And being pregnant this Summer, I'll take a little heat delay! But here's a recap of our June and a few more notes about our Summer Vacation!
We were able to make it to Six Flags at the beginning of the Summer. We decided to buy Season Passes this Summer because Preston is really into all the rides and tall enough to ride them! We went with some buddies - The Bradleys. All the boys had a great time; they have really added so many new kids' rides this year and they even have the Warner Brothers characters out. Preston's favorite ride was the "Mine Train"... it wasn't very crowded when we were there, so the boys rode it several times in a row. My girlfriend, Tasha, was a good sport to ride with all three boys.... I was bummed to have to sit on the sidelines for the rides this Summer; because I am a coaster-lover!
In June we also attended two Vacation Bible School sessions. Of course, we went to the one at our home church where Preston was able to play with all of his friends and learn about the Word of God. He loves going to church and is thirsty to learn. The theme was Avalanche Ranch and the whole church was decorated like a cowboy's ranch. I think Preston's favorite part though was when they brought the horses into the Lobby of the church. Well, I guess the horse got excited and had a little "accident"... and being a boy, this was apparently pretty hilarious to Preston and all the boys! I think that might be the last time that they allow horses in the church!
And like his Mommy and Daddy, Preston is a movie-lover... so he was always anxious to see the new movies coming out. I think his favorite was Ratatouille! We ALL loved it!
During June Preston also took a session of swim lessons. Last Summer he really started swimming well, so we just wanted a refresher course - plus they're fun! And boy, what a fish he has become this Summer. He loves to dive down and pick up diving sticks and has even taught himself to do somersaults underwater. Being in the apartment, we have a pool right outside our door and we spent A LOT of time there this Summer perfecting our "skillz"!
Of course we also spent lots of time at Mommy's OBGYN this Summer. Preston went on every appointment with me. He loved seeing Evan on the sonograms and finding out with us that he was having a little BROTHER! It's really neat that he is old enough to understand what is going on inside Mommy. He prays every night that God will make Evan healthy and help him grow. He's extremely excited about meeting his brother... hopefully he'll feel the same way when Evan is screaming and getting all of Mommy's attention soon!
As for Mommy this Summer, in addition to playing with Preston and our friends... I tried to spend some time with one of my favorite hobbies - SCRAPBOOKING! I went on two retreats this Summer with friends. They are a great, relaxing and rejuvenating time. I didn't think I'd ever have the patience to sit down and work on a photo book for hours at a time, but I absolutely love it and I am hooked! And it's a great time to bond with girlfriends and just hang out in your PJs! Plus, when Mommy is gone the boys will play! They build Star Wars Legos, go to Six Flags... you name it! And I know Six Flags is much more fun with Dad... who lets him stand on the bridge of Aqua Man and get absolutely DRENCHED before going home! And sometimes Erick will just take Preston to the office, which is really one of Preston's favorite things and he actually asks to go to work with Daddy! Thank you Daddy for letting Mommy get away for some "girl" time.
Oh, and Mommy and Daddy also got to take a "grown up" trip away.... to one of our favorite destinations... VEGAS BABY! It was such a great trip and we got to be there for Erick's 33rd birthday! We saw a couple of shows, ate some awesome food and of course lost some money! But it was all fantastic! Erick and I had our 10 year wedding anniversary in May, so we were also able to celebrate that and spend some much needed time together before the upcoming arrival! And we didn't have to worry about Preston... he was having a ball at his Mamaw and Papaw's house - who are an absolute blessing to our family and to Preston. They took him on the train to the zoo, to the playground and he even helped Papaw pull weeds in the yard and prune the trees (which is great fun for a 5-year old). Mamaw also took him to the store and bought him lots of jigsaw puzzles and she and Preston had fun putting those together and watching lots of Animal Planet (Preston's favorite TV channel)! Thank you, Mamaw and Papaw for the much-needed break. You are awesome examples for Preston and show us unconditional love and support.
Here we are at the "Stomp Out Loud" show in Vegas!
Another thing we got to do with Mamaw and Papaw this Summer was go feed the homeless at Austin Street Shelter. I had been wanting to take Preston there for some time, but wanted him to be old enough to really understand. And I think he did. Before heading to the actual shelter, we made all the food and Preston helped put sandwiches together for them. Then once we got there, he was really proud to hand them the food we had made and he got lots of attention from everyone. We hope to do this at least a couple of times a year and it will hopefully be a memory Preston will have forever. We told him to be thankful for everything we have... not just the toys - but the fact that we have food, a warm bed, warm shower, a doctor... so many things that other people unfortunately do without sometimes. He actually got pretty emotional when he thought about it... he'll be our little humanitarian. Thank you Mamaw and Papaw for being such wonderful role models.
What a great Summer so far... and just think, this time next year we'll have adventures with two boys!
