Fun weekend with MeMaw and PawPaw!

We got to go to Tyler last weekend and visit some of our favorite people! As always, we spend lots of time playing games with MeMaw and PawPaw and they are always up to learning new games!

This trip Claire chose to bring the game of Life and Mancala

 Then Claire moved on to teaching MeMaw and PawPaw how to make slime...

                                        

PawPaw was pretty disgusted with how sticky it was at first.

 MeMaw was not a big fan of the first batch either!

 Out of the 4 slimes Claire made, they enjoyed playing with 2 of them, I guess 50% isn't too bad!

 The final activity was spraying shaving cream onto a pan and being creative.

 Claire used food coloring to create her name in the cream.

 When she finished, she went all in and combined all the colors. 

 It was fun to watch her be creative with simple supplies and MeMaw and PawPaw enjoyed it as well, even though it made a bit of a mess! So grateful to have these wonderful people in our lives for the past 11 and a half years!

Happy Birthday America!

We had a wonderful 4th of July! We were able to get come cute pictures at church last Sunday

 Then on July 3rd, we went to the Dynamo soccer game and through Gulf Swimming we got to go out on the field and hold the flag for the start of the game!

 Claire's good friend Addie Hicks and her family joined us for the game and we had a great time!

 After the game, they did a beautiful fireworks display timed to music. A great way to start the holiday celebrations!

 Then for the 4th of July, we kept busy with swim practice and shopping while Jeff was at work. When he got home, we swam for a while, grilled, and played games. It was a wonderful day!

A great day with wonderful friends!

Claire had a few of her closest friends over today and they all had a blast. They got to do some swimming and wanted to all jump in together! Going...

 going.....

 going...

 They had fun playing together in the pool for over an hour.

 Once it started to thunder they got out and hung out under the patio to dry a little bit.

 I love having these three girls together. They became friends in kindergarten and I pray they stay close the rest of their lives!

Happy 10th birthday Claire!

Today my baby turned 10 years old. I am a bit emotional about it, but so blessed to have been given these past 10 years with the most amazing child a mother could ever ask for! Claire has such a huge heart, a desire to help others, an ability to always make people laugh,  a strong will, and a passion to always do her best. God sure went above and beyond when he allowed me to be the mother to His child. Claire never ceases to amaze me and each day is a new adventure. I am so thankful for the past 10 years and I pray that I get many, many more years to watch Claire grow into the woman He intends for her to be.

 We didn't do a party for Claire at this time (she is having a roller skating and pool party/sleepover in August). Claire instead had one of her very best friends overnight last night and they spent the day together today having lots of fun. Claire woke to open presents and have monkey bread for breakfast.

 Then after church we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse.

 Claire got to ride on the saddle for her birthday and handled it very well!

 Then we came home to do some more swimming on a beautiful afternoon.

 You can't have a birthday without some cookie cake and ice cream! We sang happy birthday and Claire blew out her candles. What a great way to end a wonderful day celebrating an amazing girl!

Dolphin Swim in Punta Cana

We had an amazing family vacation in Punta Cana. So many wonderful memories were made and more pictures will be coming soon. One of our favorite things was spending a morning swimming with dolphins. It was a first for Claire and Owen and we had a blast!

 We got to do a little dance,

 we got some kisses,

 we got to hold the dolphin by the mouth,

 and we got to cradle the dolphin.

 The best part was when we got to get a ride in the water by holding onto the dolphin's dorsal fin,

 and when we got to do the Superman by laying on our stomach and letting the dolphins come from behind and push us out of the water with their mouth! Claire did so great and had no fear!

 Such an amazing experience for the 4 of us! Definitely something we will talk about and remember for a very long time!