In the Aquarium Pyramid

We finished up our time at Moody Gardens in the Aquarium Pyramid.  We loved the seals, shark tunnel, and penguins.

I love this picture of Kayla from the creative mind of Randy Boaz!  (No sweet nieces were actually harmed in the making of this picture)

At Palm Beach

Day Two in Galveston:  Palm Beach (but not a real beach - just the waterpark at Moody Gardens).

 The intrepid explorers took off down the rushing river, with their even more intrepid dad.  It takes a brave man to take two semi-comfortable-in-the-water kids and one nervous 2 year old to a water park!

They had a lot of fun while Abby and I stayed cool inside!

In the Rainforest

While our Colorado family members were visiting, we took an overnight trip to Galveston.  Besides a little time at the beach, we got to explore Moody Gardens.  Here are our pictures from the Rainforest Pyramid.

 

I always wanted to live in a rainforest when I was a kid... But not a real rainforest.  Too hot.  And humid.  And then there's all the bugs... and rain.  I think I'd love to live in a Rainforest Pyramid, though!

Family Time

The doorbell rang.  Naomi and Johnathan opened the door to discover a large box on the front porch.  "Open it up, Naomi,"  Dad said.

When Naomi opened the box, for the first time in her life, she was nearly speechless.  Cousin Kayla was in there - and the rest of her family was hiding around the corner!  We were so excited that they took the time to drive down to Texas and spend the week with us.  New cousins Sarah and Abigail got to meet one another.

Big and Little Boaz girls!

Johnathan loved baby Sarah, too.

 We had a busy week showing them around our Texas home, but we squeezed in a little bit of relaxation, too (or as much as you can with 6 kids running around!).  The Boaz Brothers shared a favorite activity - watching a recording of last season's Broncos game with babies napping on them.

Trying to get the perfect baby cousins picture

Abigail's and Sarah's first playdate at 2 and 4 months old

And Kayla and Naomi "treated" Auntie Erika to a pedicure and massage at the highly exclusive "Nayla Salon and Spa".  Even Baby Sarah got a little spa treatment!

Congratulations to David, Heather, and Carolanne, who welcomed little Zachariah Peter into their family on July 25.  We look forward to meeting our great-nephew someday!!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Birthday Month concludes with my wonderful husband's birthday.  This year we "fiestaed" with a dinner of tapas and a frozen chocolate mousse pie.

We can't tell you how much we love you, Daddy.  You hold us together and keep us laughing though it all.  Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Happy Birthday, Naomi!

Naomi is now 8!

 She celebrated her birthday with swimming lessons, a lunch date with Dad, a new bike, and tater tot casserole for dinner. 

 We postponed her "birthday dinner" for a surprise arriving later in the week, but she still had a treat of brownies with candles on her special day.

And at the end of the week, Naomi's big birthday surprise was delivered to the front door - her cousin Kayla from Colorado!  With such special company, her birthday dinner and cherry chocolate cake was that much better!

You've grown in so many ways this year, Naomi.  We've loved watching you learn to read, explore your interests, and share your enthusiasm for life.  We love you!

Ezra and the Good 'Ole Days

Ezra has been reliving his babyhood these days... 'cause Abby's stuff just looks so comfy!  Like her crib.

And her play gym.

I guess they bring back good memories... of simpler times.  It's not easy being 2.

In Search of a Smile

Abby started smiling at us when she was about 6 weeks old.  So sweet!  But it's so hard to capture those early smiles on camera.

Not quite a smile... but a pleasnt expression, at least!

Closer...



Definitely not a smile!

There we go!

Oh, yeah!!

Those smiles melt our hearts!

Zipping Through the Zoo

It was time to head home from our little Houston trip, but first we spent a couple hours at the Houston Zoo, seeing what we could before the July sun wilted us.

We enjoyed the shady primate area, hoofed it through the African forest, and met Jonathan the lion.

The aquarium area provided a breath of AC, where the kids crawled through a pirahna tank.  By then we were sufficiently baked, so it was time to head towards home.

Space Center

Our favorite part of the trip was going to the Space Center.  We got to pose in front of the newly retired space shuttle that is now outside the center.

Johnathan and Dad under the shuttle landing gear

 The Space Center is huge and full of amazing exhibits, actual spacecraft, a cool play area, and more.

We touched a piece of the moon!

 In this picture we were walking through the full-size International Space Station trainer.

We learned all about how you sleep, eat, and even go to the bathroom in space!

Dinner with the Fishes

That evening we went to the Downtown Aquarium to have dinner, tour the exhibits, pet stingrays, and see the white tigers.

Houston Getaway

This week we took a two night getaway to Houston.  We got passes to several museums and had a great time playing, learning, and relaxing.

Our first stop was the Houston Children's Museum, where we had fun in Kidopolis, playing in the Flowworks water area, and painted our faces.