A Week in the Life [Day 7: Saturday]

Saturday morning, though the kids woke up early, I took my time waking up and getting out of bed. Aaron was kind enough to bring my coffee to me in bed so I didn't have to get up. The camper was so cozy warm, I just sat and enjoyed it for a while.

After breakfast, everyone decided we should go back to the pier for more fishing.

I'm so glad that the kids are big enough to handle their own bait and tackle!

We went back and packed up the camper and enjoyed a few more minutes of play before we headed back home.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at Bluebonnet Cafe (where they are famous for their pies).

Lunch was absolutely delicious. And how can it not be when you're eating good ol' southern comfort food like pot roast and chicken fried steak? So good.

We finally made it home early afternoon, and we got everything unpacked and unloaded. (Which--moment of confession--is good for us! Sometimes we just let most of it sit for a couple of days because we're too tired to unpack. It makes me think of the Baggage episode from Everybody Loves Raymond.) The kids went and played while Aaron and I worked on finishing some things to be ready for church tomorrow. 

After a while, Aaron was having trouble breathing (he'd been struggling a little for the past couple days but hadn't said much), and we decided he should go to the doctor to get checked out. He left and the kids and I went to drop off some pictures to a client and friend of mine. As we were leaving Laura's house, Aaron called and said it looks like he has a kind of asthma and it was good that he went. The doctor had to give him a shot, a nebulizer treatment, and then gave him an inhaler to keep with him.

At this point it was getting too late to cook anything, so the kids and I stopped and picked up burgers and fries at Steak & Shake and we all ate dinner while we watched America's Funniest Home Videos together. We were all sunburned (Oops! It didn't feel that hot at the lake.) and a bit worn out, so it was a nice way to end the weekend.

A Week in the Life [Day 6: Friday]

Friday morning dawned and it was a beautiful day. It was a little cold at first, but it ended up being a perfect day. This was my morning view from our campsite.

Aaron built another fire and we tossed our breakfast tacos on it to warm up. I've gotta say, they were pretty good!

After breakfast, we decided it was time to get out and do some stuff!

We first went on a hike to Devil's Waterhole. It was really pretty and we all had a lot of fun. I love that both of our kids have an appreciation for beauty. Carson kept rounding corners, "Guys, you have to come see this!" They love to explore.

The rock formations at the park are so cool and interesting. I would love to know more about it. Very unique. God is so creative.

A while later, we drove down to Longhorn Cavern State Park. It turned out to be more than we wanted to pay to go into the cavern, but they had a lookout tower that was really cool and had a pretty spectacular view.

View from the tower. The white to the right was a castle-like building.

We came back and ate our giant sandwich, and then it was on to fishing. The kids couldn't wait to fish. We went down to the pier, where the kids immediately set to baiting their hooks and casting their lines. I parked myself in a chair with a book, even though I do love fishing. I'm was/am reading Graceling, and I wanted to know what happened next.

No one was getting any bites for the longest time, and then I heard Aaron holler, "I got one! I got one! Come here!" I ran over to see him pull out a HUGE fish. It was the biggest fish I'd ever seen someone catch in person. It was so heavy, that when he was trying to pull it over the edge of the pier, it's lip gave way and it fell back into the water. OH NO! It was so sad. From what we can tell it was a channel cat, and it was nearly the length of Aaron's whole arm. Probably somewhere around 15 pounds. It was impressive. We at least got this picture, but it's so hard to get perspective because it was still down below the edge of the pier and there's not really anything to compare it to. It was big though, and here is all the proof we have. :)

After that, everyone kept fishing for a good long while, but there wasn't so much as a nibble. Still fun though. We went back to the campsite to get our bikes and went for a ride. We set out to find a good trail, but we ended up at the Park Store renting a canoe. Sadly, I did not bring my camera for this. We canoed from the store over to Devil's Waterhole again to see it from a different perspective. Abby was totally freaked out by the canoe at first and was in tears because Carson kept looking over the side and she felt like we were going to tip over. But after a while, we all settled in and enjoyed it immensely. (Though at the end, it was very windy and the paddling was hard work!)

We went back to the campsite after that, and while Abby and Aaron went to go get firewood and ice and such, Carson decided he would go swimming in the water by our campsite. That water was cold, but that didn't stop him. Abby joined him when she got back and they had a blast.

Aaron took a nap in the hammock.

Once swimming got old, the kids decided they wanted to go fishing again, and I just sat and waited for sunset so I could take pictures.

The boys played a little catch. I started getting dinner ready again. Oh wait, no. Aaron took care of dinner. Love that man.

We all had such a great day. Carson kept saying over and over again, "This is the best day ever!"

A Week in the Life [Day 5: Thursday]

Okay, this wasn't exactly the typical week in our life because we decided to throw in a last minute camping trip. We didn't tell the kids we were planning it. I got them up and sent them off to school, and then I sat down to plan our menu. I ran to HEB to buy everything we needed, and then I came back home to start prepping everything.

Side note: I hate cooking when we're camping. I never seem to have all the right tools/pans, and I hate dirtying a ton of dishes that I then have to try and wash in a small tub. So the last couple trips, I've tried to prep and/or cook a lot beforehand so that work and dishes are minimal.

Chicken on a Stick w/Veggies
Steak, Potatoes & Asparagus

Breakfast Tacos

Picnic Sandwich

The morning was a bit crazy with cooking and packing everything up. I missed the Thursday morning creative meeting at church. Aaron came home at noon to help finish packing and loading everything up, and we got going around 1:15. We hooked up the camper and stopped by the school to pick the kids up early. I snapped a quick selfie while Aaron went in to get the kids just to prove that I exist. I hate having people take my picture. Not that this is much better. And there's Bella. She got to go spend the weekend at Ammie & Poppy's (her favorite place).

The kids came out and saw the camper and were SO excited! Huge smiles on their faces.

We drove up through the beautiful Hill Country to Inks Lake State Park. We drove around and found a campsite we really liked (#236) right on the lake. It wasn't long before it started getting dark. We cooked our chicken kebabs and ate them in the camper because it was pretty cold outside. After dinner, we were happy to brave the cold and we went and sat around the fire and made s'mores. 

The kids fell asleep around 9:00, and Aaron and I ended up just hanging out in the camper and laughing about dumb stuff until we fell asleep. It was a great day!

A Week in the Life [Day 3: Tuesday]

Since Mondays are our day off (at least for Aaron and I), Tuesdays are the first day of the week for us in a lot of ways. It's a day for running errands, cleaning the house, and getting things done.

Tuesday I got up and had to fix my hair. I didn't have the courage to take a picture before I had done anything to it, so this is it halfway done. What a mess.

Then it was off to Target to pick up a few things. I also happened upon a great mirror that was on clearance. Score!

After a day of running errands, I went to pick up Carson from school. We went home to get a few things done and hang out for a bit. At 4:00 we went back to school to pick up Abby from tutoring, and then I drove Carson to church with Aaron so that they could go to baseball practice. Abby and I went home and worked on homework and finished cleaning the house.

At 6:30, our small group came over, and we had just shy of 20 kids and 20 adults in our house. This is our second week. We just realized at the end of 2013 that we didn't have any life groups for families with kids (our demographic), so we figured we'd start one. The response has been great! We're going to have to create a couple of other groups very soon. Our poor babysitter--all those kids in one room upstairs. God bless her.

Group went great, and everyone was gone by 9:00. We stayed up way too late watching multiple episodes of The Good Wife. All in all it was a nice day!

A Week in the Life [Day 2: Monday]

This morning I opened my eyes at 6:29 and got up to help the kids get ready for school. Not that they need much help these days. They set their own alarm, jump in the shower, and get dressed on their own. (Have I mentioned that I really enjoy this age?) I sat and talked with them as they ate breakfast, instead of making their lunch like I meant to. I think we were out of bread anyway, so I decided they could just buy lunch today. Before we were out the door, the kids brought me their folders and progress reports to sign. I was very happy to see that Carson's teacher, Ms. Bratcher, had commented, "Carson always has a great attitude and shines his brightest academically, and lately, behaviorally as well!" He had a rough first semester behaviorally, but has turned things around beautifully. I made a big deal over each of the kids good reports, especially the great character qualities each of their teachers complimented them on.

Then we were out the door. (I may or may not have run out the door ahead of them and told them to wait to come out until I got in my place. Maybe. Maybe not.)

When I got home, Aaron was up, which was kind of unusual for a Monday because that's his day off and it's a rare opportunity to sleep in. 

We took turns making our coffee, and then we went and sat on the couch together to talk and to read. I always look forward to our slow Monday mornings.

We took our time getting ready this morning, and eventually got out of the house around 10:00. Aaron took me to the AT&T store to upgrade my phone, which I've been putting off for ages. I got an iPhone 5s. It's gold and white. Aaron thinks it's ugly. But I like it.

After that long ordeal was over, we went to Freebirds for lunch. It was really good, as always.

Once lunch was over, it was only 11:30, and Aaron asked what I wanted to do. The weather was (once again) amazing, so I said that we should go to Government Canyon and walk/hike. We went home to change real quick and then we hit the trails at GC. We set our sights on the far far back of the Backcountry and took off. After about 3.5 miles (maybe more), we finally reached it! And then, we looked at our watches and realized that we were going to have to book it to get back to pick the kids up on time. Initially, we were pretty sure we'd be fine. But as the miles wore on, we realized we were definitely going to be late. We walked incredibly fast up and down the rocky trails. Our feet were starting to hurt. As 2:35 neared, and then passed, we decided we'd just have to run. So we did. When we got to the car and sat down, I could barely breathe. But we did manage to get to the school just before the kids went inside. And we weren't the absolute last parents there (just second to last), so we felt pretty good about that! Needless to say, I did not get a picture when we got back to the car like I had planned. With the exception of that last part, we had an incredible time walking the trails and hanging out together. Date days are always so fun with this guy!

 After we picked up the kids from school (Carson only fussed at us a little for being late, and Abby didn't care at all), we went home and Aaron and I collapsed while the kids did homework. Then the boys sat down and went through Aaron's old baseball cards that Poppy gave to Carson last night. They went through every card, talking about each player, and Carson was so interested in all of it. It was cute! I started dinner not long after that (Pork Scaloppine with Mustard Pan Sauce, Green Beans, & Couscous), and we ate together. Then the kids ran outside to play with water guns (or was it just one big water gun?) on the trampoline.

The kids are in the playroom playing right now, and I'm about to go tuck them in to bed. It's been a full day, and I think I'm going to sleep well. I cherish Mondays and the chance to take it slow before another crazy week begins!

A Week in the Life [Day 1: Sunday]

A friend of mine did a "Week in the Life" series on her blog a few years ago, and I thought it was such a great idea to just spend a week documenting all of the little moments that make up a week. So, this week, I begin.

Day 1 is Sunday. Sundays are crazy days that leave us feeling exhausted, but in a good way. It's a full day spent with many people that we care about.

Sunday mornings start earliest for Aaron, who gets up around 5:30 and is typically out the door by 6:30. He stops at Starbucks more often than not for his morning coffee, and then arrives at church to get everything ready and have some quiet before everyone arrives. The kids get up when they hear him leave, and I stay in bed as long as I can, even if I can't sleep. It's my one morning to get up slowly. Then I get up, maybe sit and watch TV with the kids for a bit, and then I go make coffee and breakfast. We used to stop and grab breakfast on the way to church, but that adds up for a while. So a month ago, we deemed Sunday mornings "Omelette Sunday" and we have... well, omelets. Then everyone gets dressed and ready for church. When I come downstairs to tell everyone it's time to go, I usually have to tell one or both kids that they need to go change what they're wearing. This goes very well poorly, as you can imagine. But we make it out the door, and when we arrive at church, the kids bolt from the car and run inside. I sit and put on my makeup and have a few more sips of coffee before going in. (The greeters took note last week and joked that I was just trying to get a few minutes of peace and quiet. I told them they are exactly right.)

At 9:00, the service begins, and it's nice. This week, Aaron spoke about complaining, and it rang true not only with me, but many others as well. (I guess we all have a bit of a problem.) At 11:00, I head back to the Pre-School classroom to teach. This week my 8 kids were calm and sweet and we had a wonderful time together. I've come to enjoy teaching in Kids Ministry (which I never thought I would say), and it's really fun getting to know each precious child.

I did not take pictures of any of the things I just talked about because even though I told myself at 11:00 Saturday night to get my camera out so I'd be ready Sunday morning, I still didn't remember to grab my camera until 1:00.

After church, Carson and I headed out soon after it was over while Abby and Aaron stayed and talked with everyone for a while. We had just unveiled a trailer we got for a First Strike Disaster Relief ministry that we'll be launching. There was a lot of excitement about it! Carson and I stopped and picked up some tacos at Taco Bell for a cheap lunch, and then we came home and sat on the couch to veg. We started watching The Amazing Race, and then Abby and Aaron got home. We all sat and watched TV for a while and didn't do much. Sundays are great, but they suck the energy out of us (well, the grown ups, at least). After a while, Aaron went out to the garage to begin carving a pipe out of some birch blocks that he had gotten. The rest of us just hung out.

Mid-afternoon, we all got ready and headed over to my sweet in-law's house for our (nearly) weekly Sunday dinner. Abby was asleep moments into the drive.

The weather has been perfect here, so as soon as we got there, we went to sit out on their back deck to talk and enjoy the beautiful day.

Abby still hadn't quite woken up yet, so she snuggled with Poppy for a few.

Poppy was watering the lawn, but it didn't take long for the kids to ask if they could go play in the sprinkler. They were acting like crazy kids.

Which, of course, attracted Ammie's attention. Picture time!

Aaron just sat and enjoyed his pipe.

Then our friend Lindsey arrived along with Jason, Natalie, and the kiddos.

The boys ran to grab a football and played in the back yard for a long time. (Yes, Carson is wearing pajama pants. He wears them as often as he can get away with it. It's the first thing he does when he gets home from school or church, and of course, Ammie lets him wear them over to her house.)

Once it started getting dark, the kids went upstairs to watch a movie.

And then it was dinner time! Poppy made the most delicious ribs, pasta, salad, and biscuits. Seriously SO yummy.

It was a great night that we all enjoyed. We headed home around 8:15, and the kids fell asleep almost immediately. When we got home, they crawled in bed and we said prayers. Aaron and I stayed up for a while and watched a couple episodes of The Good Wife. We wanted to watch more, but we were just too tired to stay up.

I enjoy Sundays and all that they mean to our family. Worship, friendship, and family. We pack a lot in to one day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.