Some Time at the Lake

Grammy & Papa got a lake house on Lake Conroe for a week this summer and we got to join them for some fun. It was a blast to get out on the water and do some tubing, fishing, & swimming!

The boys could literally ride the tube for days. They didn't want to get off. It gave me a glimpse of how much fun they will be as teenagers!

Brady is our little fisherman!

So darn cute!

Daddy, Luke & Brady on our way out of the marina.

Papa & Owen enjoying a boat ride!

The lake is always a great vacation for our family! So much to do- yet such a great way to relax.

Summer Fun!!

This has been such a fun summer. Probably the busiest summer we have had, but so much fun! Here are some random pictures of what we've been up to lately.

Slip n sliding in the backyard! The boys can stay busy with this thing for HOURS. Its a great way to stay cool while playing in this crazy Texas heat.

Visit from EE, Nonah, & Cash. We spent some family time at Putt Putt and had so much fun. Above is a picture of Caleb & his brothers. 

The boys also enjoyed spending time with their cousin Cash. He is so much fun to be with. We miss him so much when he leaves.

Caleb & I usually get a Friday night date night, but a few weeks back we got to go on a special date to The Melting Pot to celebrate Caleb's new job. I will post more about the job later...

Mud fight!

Owen enjoying a cupcake at Maddie & Ellie's birthday party. Trying to keep Riley from eating it was fun to watch.

Special Visitor

Luke lost his second tooth! 

Gladly, this time was at home- last time he was at Grammy & Papa's when the tooth fell out.

Needless to say, the tooth fairy does know where are house is and she came through!

Brady is 4!!!

Brady,
Today you turned 4 years old! My precious little boy- you've been waiting for this day and counting down as best you could understand. At one point, three days ago, you said "Mommy! my birthday is in two years!!!!" You are still working on that concept- although you are at the age where you get super pumped about your birthday which I love so much.

At this stage of your life you are still as sweet as you've ever been. There are really no other words to describe you. You are so kind and tender-hearted. You melt my heart! Truly! Your favorite words right now are "awesome" "awesomer" "awesomest" and "not awesome". Not really sure where you picked that up, but that is basically how you describe most things.

As a little brother you still look up to Luke as your hero. He knows that too. You guys are best friends and I thank God every single day that you have each other. We recently moved you into a shared room which made both of you so happy- I wondered why we didn't do it sooner. Although Luke can sometimes be a typical big brother bully- you always handle him as best you can and keep your tattles to a minimum. I really think he can do no wrong in your eyes.

As a big brother to Owen, you are his protector and teacher. Not quite his playmate yet, but that's ok. I know that time will come. He is still at a different stage in life than you. Oftentimes we have to tell you to push him back if he pushes you because you are so gentle and loving towards him. God surely knew what he was doing when he made you a middle child because you handle it like a pro and you always have.

If you haven't already figured it out- I am pretty crazy about you :) You make me so very proud by your character which says a lot. I hope you stay as sweet as you are now and never change. Lately you have gotten closer to Daddy and have been spending more time doing man things with him. You're favorite thing to do with him is fish, but you seem happy to do almost anything he wants to do. Recently you made three baskets in a row on our basketball goal which made Daddy so proud. He hopes you will be our basketball player and said you have great form. We will see :)

I am so excited to see how you grow and mature this year as a four year old. Stay sweet and always remember how special you are to me.

I love you so very much,
Mom

Tuesday- cooking day

We've tried to keep our Tuesday cooking day going this summer. It has been lots of fun and I am realizing how much the boys love to be a part of things that happen in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, they are still very much into rough and tough boy stuff, but they like to cook too. 

They have learned a lot. (I am preparing them for their future wives) 

Anyway- today we made homemade poptarts.

I am not really a fan of poptarts for breakfast. They kinda seem like a dessert item to me, but I survived eating them as a kid. All that to say, my kids don't really get these very often so this was a treat.

Step One: Roll the dough and cut your squares.

 
Step Two: Spread your jelly
My kids felt the need to sneak in a lick or two as well.

Step Three: Paint on an egg wash around the corners

Step Four: Put a top on it and close it up

Step Five: Use a fork to seal the edges.

Brady's- a little more round and fluffy

Step Six: Egg wash and sprinkles on top

 
Luke's- long and flat- heavy on the fork closure

Mommy's- tried to look a little more like a traditional poptart

Step Seven: Bake on 425 degrees for 10 minutes

Yum yum yum!

The Greatest Show on Earth

Two weeks ago when I was in ChickFila (our all time favorite fast food) I won free tickets to the circus plus a year of free sandwiches. Since Daddy was fine to stay at home with Owen, we invited the McGinn girls to come too. It was a lot of fun!

 Friends!

 Luke was entertained the whole time and never got bored.

 Our seats were amazing! We were almost right on the floor so we got a close up of the clowns :)

My favorite part is always the elephants- and the tigers, but this was a cool elephant trick.

April Family Pictures

I just realized that I never uploaded our family pictures from April onto my blog (i told you i was WAY behind)...

I never really need a reason to have our pictures taken- pictures are one of many things in life that make me very very very happy. But, most of the time I have to come up with a reason for the boss :)

This time, it was time for Luke's birthday pics & thankfully we have a photographer who is super cool and  will combine a birthday session and a family session and put a cherry on top by taking them at the beach. 

Thanks Ginny :)

I love them all, really- but these two are my favorites.

 

Brady Allen- almost 4

 Best buds.

Luke Allen- 6

 

Owen Allen- almost 2