Good Bye Summer

Today is our last official day of summer. Brinley starts preschool and Clayton starts back to MDO tomorrow! We have been very busy the past 3 weeks, sending summer off in style!


We closed out our YMCA family pool season on a Saturday. We normally go during the week after I exercise and isn't as crowded. Luckily, everyone must have been getting ready to go back to school, so we had the pool to ourselves! It was also a treat that Jason got to come with us. It was very nice to have him with me to chase the kids around!!!

On Sunday, Jason took Brinley with his family to the Astros game. Since Clayton would be no fun to keep up with at a game, he and I took my brother out to lunch for his birthday with my family!

Brinley at minute maid park watching the Astros

Brinley and Aunt Marian

Clayton enjoying his new helmet Daddy got him


On Monday, we went with my mom to the new waterpark in Baytown, Pirates Bay. It is really nice and the kids had a great time sliding, riding in the lazy river and splashing around!

The rest of the week was filled with all kinds of fun activities with Bill, Vickie and the kids who were visiting from Switzerland for the week. First, we headed to the Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston. Brinley has been several times, but this was Clayton's first time (that he would remember) and boy did he LOVE it! He was fascinated with the sea lions and penguins. He would stand there and watch them for 30 minutes without moving!

Grandpa with his grandkids

This picture pretty much sums up how wild and crazy Brinley and Wyatt are when they are together!!!!!!!!!

We also celebrated Marian's 15th birthday (how crazy is it that Jason and I started dating when she was 3 years old!!!!!!!!)

Hannah, Marian, Brinley, Lizzy, Wyatt and Max

We also went to Marian's High School band preview concert. The kids really enjoyed listening and dancing to the music! Afterwards, Grandma treated the kids to ice cream cones....at 8:30pm! Needless to say this was a long night :-)

This is how Clayton prefers to eat his ice cream cone!

Poor Liam was sick almost the entire trip, so this was the only picture I got of him on the last night when he was feeling a little better!

In the midst of all the craziness, the kids finished their summer gymnastics class.

We also attended Brinley's BFF, Addison's birthday party at the skating rink.

This last week has been uneventful since we have been trying to get back onto a schedule and get ready for school tomorrow! We did spend yesterday at the beach. Some friends of our got a beach house and had their daughter's birthday party there. It was wonderful and made me really want to get a beach house.....Jason's reply "get a job". Maybe someday!

This boy really LOVES cake

my little beach babies

riding the ferry was the highlight of her day!

Daddy teaching her how to boogie board

a boy and his wagon

PHEWWWWW! I am now tired just writing about all this! I am soo ready to be back on a schedule. The ease of summer schedules are great, but more tiring on me. We had a great time and can't wait for next summer!

a little trip to paradise

Jason came home from work last week and let me know he had booked a long weekend trip to Mexico. I was shocked at first, because we hadn't even discussed going to Mexico this year with our trip to Switzerland in April and our upcoming trip to Disney in December. He had a few days of downtime at work (a first in months) and the rest of the year looks to be very busy for him as well.

So my mom came over to stay with the kids and we took off to the Riviera Maya, Mexico for 4 days! We went to the same all inclusive, adults only resort we had gone to in 2007. Jason had looked at several other resorts, but when it came down to it, we were too spoiled at the El Dorado Royale :-)

When we got the airport, another surprise awaited me, Jason had upgraded us to first class with a private car picking us up at the airport to take us to the resort. It was my first time in first class and I must admit, I like having all the extra space! We got the resort and it was as breathtaking as I remember it. For the next 3 days, our schedule consisted of:

sleep late

eat breakfast

lay on beach/sit in ocean/read or sleep on beach

eat lunch

hang out in pool with bartender and drink

go back to beach

eat dinner

go to main bar for nightly entertainment

sleep

It was wonderful to have absolutely no responsibilities, eat a meal without getting interrupted, clean, cook, etc. By the way, my mom said the dog missed us more than the kids did! I got to read 2 novels, work on my tan (a little too much the last day!) and relax! It was a great way to unwind and have some couple time!

We had an infinity pool on our balcony!
This is the view we had for lunch one day

cheers to starting our vacation

Us at the candlelit dinner on the beach

Jason sleeping at our cabana on the beach

me and the beautiful ocean

the view from our balcony...not too shabby