"It's off to church I go."

"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to church I go!"

Eliette is so in love with bags of any kind. She wants to hold them and carry them, and walk herself, and she's a big girl....you get the picture.

So, 6/8: Mommy & E off to church, while Daddy and Gage had baseball, I'm sure....

Ready to head into the garage....

In the parking lot, heading into church....

Down the hall to her age room. Blurry b/c she's pretty fast!

Oh, she's just a mess. A wonderfully perfect little independent mess!

Zoo Trip, June 2014.

I don't have ALL of the pics from this next outing because my camera died as we walked into the zoo. I only have what I snapped with my phone.

Where: Dallas Zoo.
When: June 10th.
Who: A whole group of us!
{Rikki, and her 3 girls, Me, and my two, and one extra, Gage's Buddy, C}
That's two adults and 6 kids. We were so outnumbered.

So, here are some of the shots I *DO* have.
:)

 (Hey, son, that's a rather 80s looking hairstyle you're rockin' there.... Just sayin'....)

 Someone was soooo tired....

 And by "someone," I mean: we were all sooooo tired!

City League Baseball.

Gage's baseball team competes in tournaments as well in the city league.

This year, he had an especially close game with a team where Gage is friends with some of the players on the opposing team. Gage was especially excited and nervous about this game...

In the end, Gage's team won, but it was a reeeeally close game. Perhaps the best of the season in terms of entertainment value!

At another game of the season, Gage was given the opportunity to catch. This boy of mine---wanted to be catcher at some point ALL.SEASON.LONG. Let me just say---not his finest baseball performance, but he didn't totally suck when you consider he was playing it for the very first time in borrowed catching gear. He was so excited!

AND---that just happened to be the night that R1 & R2 came with us to cheer Gage on. We traded one sweet baby girl for two wild & hungry boys for the evening. Turns out, we all won!

In the end, Gage's team placed first in the city league. He was THRILLED to get a 1st place baseball trophy.

 Shortly thereafter, the city hosted a tournament after the regular seasonal play. Although Gage's team came out first for the season, they didn't win first place in the tournament. It was a bit of an upset for Gage, but he put on a brave face to congratulate his friend.

...but alas, baseball wasn't over for us just yet!
We had more tournaments and the local World Series to look forward to.
:)
Clearly, I'll be posting about that soon....

Sweet boy.....

"There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

VBS I & II

Gage was lucky enough this Summer to attend not one but TWO different Vacations Bible Schools. Lucky duck.

The first was at our church, and this was his second year to attend...

Gage was lucky enough to have two friends in his group this year.
At the end of the week, the kids all put on a singing program for the parents. Eliette was THRILLED to find that her brother was sitting on the front row. This is how she wanted to spend her time during the performance:

Above pic taken by blurry cell phone, before the program started. Makes my heart sing! She just wanted to be right there, with him, hugging the whole time. So sweet! Sadly, Daddy had to take her out of the sanctuary for the actual performance so that others could see the show...

VBS #2: invited by friends, so he was excited to go. He was also excited that it was an evening VBS and they served dinner. Seriously, this kid has gone on & on about the food served. I think that was his favorite part! {Kids are so funny, right?}

So, two VBS sessions this Summer. He was so excited to be a part of both!
:)

** June GNO **

Pics from 6/6 GNO. I don't have ALL the pics from that night, and it was a fun night, but here are a couple:

{Okay, really, we are quite the tame bunch who sit and talk.... Or rather, that's how we've been SO FAR. }

And while this mama was out for GNO, our little handsome devil was out at a Rangers Game B-Day party for his buddy, and caught a ball in the pump-up-the-crowd activities that they have. Yay for him! He was soooooo excited and declared that H had the best.birthday.party.EVAH!

So, while I was out and Gage was out, Daddy was home with Little Miss all by himself. I believe he put her to bed and enjoyed some PEACE and QUIET for a change!

GNO: So ready for the August one. Just sayin'.... Somebody better start organizing, yo!

Shopping girl....

Oh, my sweet girl is a shopper. She loves carrying any kind of bag and loading it with goodies. She loves purses. She loves acquiring new things. Daddy is so in trouble!

...and so is her future husband, but hey, he may very well be getting used to her spending habits here at an early age.

:) This is C and Eliette. He's a bit younger than E, but she's okay being the older woman.

6/2/2014: Susan and I met up with the "littles" for a little lunching and shopping....
Eliette was thrilled, clearly:

I can't remember where we ate... Reasons, Seasons, 59 Forks----who knows! I just remember: it was delicious and it was all dairy free and fresh and delicious!

...and then there was shopping.... Sister wanted OUT of that stroller and she insisted on carrying her own bag.

Now, originally I just loved this above photo of Eliette... There at Northpark, where her brother took some of his first steps. There she was, walking the same halls, shopping, thinking, walking...Northpark: a place that I just love to be, doing something that I just love to do!
...and then PawPaw put a whole other spin on in. She's this tiny little thing in this huge place, alone, looking down, just kind of forging through the situation by herself, carrying the weight of her own bags---OMG, may she never be alone in this world! Ugh!

So, I suppose like all the great works of art {because, duh, my daughter herself is clearly a masterpiece} there's always room for interpretation.

Sweet Baby Girl, may you never feel as alone as you appear in this picture. Please know that I will always be right behind you, cheering you on, with a watchful eye to the path before you.

The Bubble Blower

"Bubbles, bubbles everywhere, but not a drop to drink!"
~Willy Wonka

Oh sweet girl, "we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
...that too is from Willy Wonka.

{Pic taken May 2014, when Eliette was one year, & 5 days old....but who was counting?}

Schooool's Out.For.Summah!

Schooooool's Out.For.Evah!
No, not really.
He's not down with the whole home-schooling thing. I know: I asked him....

Anywhooooo....on the last day of second grade, Gage was thrilled to bring three buddies home from school with him (that car pick up was LONG fun). These boys had a blast swimming until it was go-home time....

Gage even let his little sister enjoy a bit of the fun.... She didn't last long....

She's a "Helper"

Eliette prides herself on being useful and never being in the way. She's a "helper," if you will....

She helps with dishes....

 She helps organize magazines....

 She helps Jess at the bank....

 She helps with laundry...

She's just QUITE the helper these days....