Whoa! Nice Kitty!

The nice jaguar at the San Antonio zoo.  He loves kids. 

Naptime

Addie was being a little fussy this afternoon, so I sent her to go take a nap.  After about 30 minutes of silence, I went to check on her. 

This is what I found…..

I guess I did not specify she had to be in her bed or even in her room.  Where should a princess take her nap?  Well in her castle of course!

Man’s Best Friend?!?

Uncle Tyler came to visit earlier this week.  I’m afraid the dogs have found their new best friend….traitors!

Summer Outdoor Fun (so far)!

Summer is just about half over but we’ve packed in tons of fun so far.  Texas summers always provide plenty of heat, so we do our best to stay cool and find ways to get outside despite to triple digit temperatures.  That usually means lots of water and/or ice cream is involved in our daily activities.  Here are just a few pictures of the kids (and us) living it up so far this summer.

Enjoying the new Bay of Play at SeaWorld.

Enjoying ice cream with Daddy at the zoo for his company picnic.

Enjoying water day at KDO.

Enjoying picnic lunches and popsicles at KDO.

Enjoying ice cream from our favorite little sweet shop down on the river.

Enjoying some water fun at the Splash Pad.

Enjoying Shamu-shaped ice cream while waiting for the Shamu show to start.

Touring the Japanese Tea Gardens and visiting the zoo. 

(We headed out EARLY that morning to beat the heat since no direct contact with water or ice cream was had.)

Lots of water fun on our trip to Florida a few weeks back.

Our brief stop in New Orleans on the way home.  That was as close to that water as I was willing to get.

Backyard picnics with friends complete with homemade ice cream for dessert. 

Somehow poor Addie was the odd man out at the tables.

Enjoying some pool time at Macca & Poc’s house.

Soaking up some sun!

Popsicle break during outside time at KDO Summer Camp.

Fourth of July pops at KDO Summer Camp.

Water Day and picnic time at KDO Summer Camp.

Looking forward to many more days of the summer heat to enjoy!

T-Ball at the Y

Have I mentioned how much I love the YMCA in our area?  We joined almost a year ago and I’ve loved every minute of it!  Well every minute except the one minute a month it takes to balance the bank accounts and I see where they debited our accounts yet again for membership (see previous post of me gaining an addiction to being thrifty).  All kidding aside, it really is a great place.  They have so much to offer…..great exercise classes, wonderful childcare staff (read here: two hours a day mom gets a break from kids), brand new equipment, wonderful childcare facilities (another mom break), rockwall, splashpad, video game room (yet another mom break), sports activities, dance classes, family night activities, parent’s night out and so much more.  Oh and did I mention they offer two hours of free childcare per day with your membership? 

This spring they offered T-Ball for the kids.  It was more of a non-competitive sports clinic with a few scrimmages mixed in rather than an actual league, but it was a fun family outing none the less. 

The Green Team being silly!

Dalton up at bat and then playing first.

Addie learning to “bat” and running to first base.

Dinosaur George

The local library near us always has a great summer reading program.  This year, they organized several different events the kids and I were able to enjoy.  They kicked off the summer with a very cool magician named Spikey Mikey.  He kept the kids entertained and made a few plugs during his routine about how important reading is for everyone.  Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me, so we will just have to make the most of memories.  The library also brought in Dinosaur George for the mid-point program this summer.  I have to admit, for one guy and an assistant to just stand up there and talk to a large group of kids for over an hour and not lose anyone’s attention….well he has a gift.  The show was great.  Very informative and entertaining!  If you ever get a chance to go see Dinosaur George in your area and your kids are the least bit interested in dinosaurs (and let’s admit what kid isn’t?!?), don’t pass it up!

Waiting for the show to start!

Sitting on the edge of his seat wearing the biggest smile ever!

Inside a prehistoric skull of some kind or another.

Addie enjoyed the show from afar.  She wasn’t too sure of all the fossils up close.

Better late than never…

My beautiful niece and handsome little nephew turned one last month.  We were fortunate enough to get to celebrate this milestone with them. 

Happy 1st Birthday Asher and Sophie!

Hello, my name is Crystal….and I have a problem!

I’ve always considered myself a thrifty person but being a stay-at-home mom for the past four years and learning to live comfortably enough on one income has turned me into something I don’t think I would have recognized a few years back.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  In fact, I love it!  However, I do need to confess I do have an addiction that is growing by the month.  As a disclaimer though, I blame Blake 100%.  Okay, so maybe not 100%, but he is on the one that first introduced me to the blog that started it all, http://moneysavingmom.com/.  Her blog is a bit extreme and I do not endorse all of her ideas, but she offers great tips and has taught me how to positively use the “Buy Ahead” principal. 

That being said, I now must show you what I “bought ahead” today…..

 

In my defense, each row of shoes represents a different size that Addie will grow into over the next year or two.  And most were under $5, which is a steal for decent little girl shoes. 

I’m so glad that God only decided to bless us with one little girl….because if we had more, I’m pretty sure we would be in debt!