School's Out for...

Summer!  School is officially over and Kevin just had his first week off and home with us!  It's a huge treat for both Jake and I to have Daddy around.  We both get really spoiled with his love and attention, and we both love it!  Kevin does have some coaching responsibilities throughout the summer, but overall, he's home a lot more, which means fun family time.  We've already been to a RR Express game, Brushy Creek Splash pad, the park, and Milburn pool.  It's just the start of our summer adventures!

Jake and Daddy at the park

These guys like to climb

We played some family baseball at the park.  Jake is quite the batter.

batter up!

Jake's response to the camera

Remember how I said Jake likes to climb.  Well, it's definitely the truth.  He started climbing up this fence and we were about to stop him, when I realized, he's doing it!  So with a little spotting from Daddy, he made it all the way to the top.

What a monkey

Finally, a pool shot.  This guy LOVES the water.  He is so happy and pretty fearless (which is a little scary).  He's already taken some swim lessons in May and did great, so we went ahead and signed him up for the next level for July.  Yeah for the Dolphins!

Dime Box

A few weeks ago, we got the special treat of going out to a country town called Dime Box with good friends.  The Robertsons were so gracious to invite us out to Tanya's parents' place for some time away.  Jake loves being outside and loves being with friends, so he definitely had a blast.  The first night there, we had to get in a little exploring of the property.

Every man needs a good walking stick

My handsome outdoors boy

 I really enjoyed the weekend because I didn't touch one piece of electronics.  I didn't use my phone, the computer, or watch TV.  There's something so peaceful and good about spending time with people without those distractions.  By Saturday afternoon, it was time for a little water fun...

I think you can tell by the look on his face...he had lots of fun!

loading up

a short break to pose for the camera

The highlight of water fun was getting Mr. Wilson and Daddy (the
only adults daring enough to brave the cold water)

Things did get a little silly at times...

what's Mia doing?

I don't know, but Jake thought it looked fun!

Wilson had the idea of bobbing for apples.  The kids were pretty good when the stems were still attached...

the look of success

but Wilson was the only one to successfully conquer the apple bobbing without stem...

One of Jake's many attempts trying. 

It wouldn't be a Dime Box weekend without saying hi to some horses...

We also enjoyed a lot of playing and hanging out time indoors.  Emi made fast friends with Kevin.  She definitely stole his heart...

This is my only picture of all the kids together.  I didn't even try for a posed shot.  Joe's the story teller with all the kids listening intently (well, except for Jake playing with a toy ;-)

Great times, great memories!  Thanks for a great weekend, Robertsons, Pollards and Browns!

San Antonio

A couple weeks ago, we went on a quick little trip to San Antonio.  Kevin had a coaching conference which meant a free hotel room for one night, so Jake and I decided to join him.  We got in Thursday afternoon, checked in and went straight to the Riverwalk.  It's such a beautiful area, and it was nice to enjoy it together.

Before we headed down

I wonder what Jake sees that Kevin doesn't

Mommy and Jake

It's always fun to pose on a bridge!

We stopped and got ice cream before heading in for the night.  Jake LOVES ice cream!





On Friday, Kevin headed to his conference while Jake and I visited my best friend from elementary school and her two kids.  That's right, elementary!  We've been friends for 27 years!!!  I rarely see her, so I think I was enjoying myself too much and didn't get one single picture.  It was great to see her and see our kids playing together....quite a history.

Mother's Day 2012

Kevin (and Jake) is really good at fun and creative presents, and this year's Mother's Day was no different.  The boys sat me in the living room and disappeared for a little while.  When they returned, they were chanting, "Zumba, Zumba, Hey!" over and over while dancing around.  It was a dance themed Mother's Day which began with me seeing two handsome guys dressed in all red.  They put on a Zumba YouTube video and we all did family Zumba in the living room.  Kevin then told me I was being treated to Zumba dance classes.  For many reasons, this was a perfect gift, and I was completely surprised! 

Here were my instructors for home Zumba

 This is an embarrassing photo, but for the sake of fun memories, here I am in the shirt they presented me.

We also headed to San Antonio later in the day to see our 15-year-old cousin in a dance performance.  I LOVED it.  I wish I would have gotten a picture with Brittany.  She is a beautiful girl inside and out and a beautiful dancer.  I loved the entire dance themed Mother's Day.  Thank you to Kevin and Jake for making me feel so loved and special not only one day, but every day of the year.

Strawberries!

Kevin took a day off work in early May so we could have a special family day.  This is something I really appreciate and love about Kevin.  Since Jake's been born, he's made a commitment to take a couple days off each school year so he can have special time with us.  I love getting the chance to all be together even when it's not the summer or the weekend.  Like last Spring, we headed to Marble Falls for some strawberry and blackberry picking at Sweetberry Farms.  Last year, we did not have good luck with weather.  It was cold and rainy, this year was a slight improvement.  It was just muddy, not rainy and much warmer.  Here's the pics from our day...

Jake showing off a strawberry

Daddy and Jake hard at work

Sometimes strawberry picking is messy work

 They also have goats there.  We didn't hang out with the goats too long, but we had to take a picture of the cool goat bridge.  Check it out...

Now on to blackberries

Jake had good picking skills

Showing off his muddy artwork

the fam

Sweetberry also sells homemade ice cream.  We tried it for the first time and it was DELICIOUS!

Daddy and Jake enjoying their ice cream

Masterpiece

One of Jake's Christmas presents from my parents was a really cool building toy.  I highly recommend this toy b/c it's easy for little hands to connect, and there's so much you can do with it.  It's simply called Straw & Connectors by Roylco.  There are LOTS of pieces, but it's worth it for the fun and creativity.   Here's Jake in front of the big tower he and Mommy built.  He was so proud... 

Big Helper

We got the special chance to have another sweet little girl in our house, baby Ruby.  Friends, Andy and Ashley, have the most adorable red-haired little girl.  When Ashely was looking for someone to watch Ruby for a couple house, I jumped at the chance!  Jake also loved having Ruby around.  He was especially considerate and helpful.  My heart definitely melted a little seeing how sweet he was with her.  We all had dinner together, and Jake first tried out feeding Ruby her baby food.  When that proved a little messy, Jake left that task to Mom and Dad, and decided he wanted to hand feed Ruby her Cheerios.  Ruby loves herself some Cheerios, so Jake was definitiely validated for his effort.  He kept saying, "She's so hungry!"

Carefully, carefully...

I don't really know what Ruby thought of being hand-fed, since she is beg enough to get her own Cheerios, but she didn't seem to mind and Jake definitely liked having a special way to contribute.

Our friend, Eliza

Cody and Chez Dishman are some of our very best friends here.  We've hung out and had fun as young marrieds, collaborated and served together as Huddle leaders, and now we're experiencing parenthood together.  They have a darling daughter, Eliza, who is almost exactly 2 years younger than Jake.  From time to time, we get the priviledge of keeping Eliza.  In the past I've tried to get pictures of the two, and it's just so hard!  This last time, I captured a few decent ones.  Eliza discovered Jake's backpack which was her perfect size, so she sported it around the house for awhile.

What a cutie!

 I hope Cody and Chez forgive me for posting a pantless picture (we had a little spill we were recovering from), but I love how this picture  shows more of her and the backpack.

What a big girl!

Jake has an indentical larger backpack, so he thought it best they matched.  Here's the matching pair...

I love the chances we have for Eliza and Jake hang out and spend time together.  Our families have a special relationship, and I hope Eliza grows to know the love she has in the Lawson home.

Handsome Guys

Our family also experienced a loss in April.  Kevin's Memaw passed away.  Memaw was an incredible woman with so much love for her family.  Kevin credits his superb domino playing skills to his Memaw, but above all, she was a devoted wife and mother who loved the Lord above all.  Despite the sad time, funerals are occassions that bring families and friends together, and young children definitely help you to remember the love and happiness all around us!  I didn't get any pictures of the family, but I somehow managed to get some pics of these handsome guys.  This was Jake's first time wearing a tie, and he was SO proud!

I was so proud and impressed with both Jake and Cohen's behavior and respectfulness the entire time.  They were the perfect gentlemen and even sat through the funeral service as quiet as can be.

Papa and Grandmama's house

Back in April, Jake and I spent a few days with my parents.  Jake had tons of fun, as he usually does.  I didn't get too  many pictures on my camera b/c I was also the photographer for my Mom's camera, but I captured a few.  These pictures capture some things that go hand-in-hand with a visit to Papa and Grandmama's house: fun outings, yummy desserts, and adventures around the house.  We visited a wildlife center and got to see all sorts of animals.

Jake got the luxury of sitting on Grandmama's lap for the ride; I'm not sure who loved it more.

We went out to eat at a German restaurant, and when Jake's with my parents, one thing's for sure, dessert is always available!

What a cake (please excuse the closed eyes.  99% of the time this is our pictures the moment there is a flash.)

My Dad loves to spend time outdoors on the land around my parents' house.  He and Jake go on walks, check out his garden, and sometimes take a special ride...


Jake's first driving lesson!

B-ball with Daddy

Kevin got free tickets to a Toros playoff game, so the the guys got to enjoy a spontaneous guys night.  Jake was so excited.  He insisted on wearing his basketball jersey, and of course, Daddy had to match.  They were so cute getting ready to go.

Jake was so proud holding the ticket

Jake genuinely does seem to love watching live sports (he's like me and doesn't care too much for it on TV...yeah!!!).  Jake loved the game and held onto his ticket the entire time, as you can see.

watching the action

He actually turned around for a quick sec to pose for the camera

They had a great night and the Toros won!  They did leave early since the next day was a school day, but shhhh, don't tell Jake.  If you ask him, he didn't miss a second.