How we spent out Summer Vacation

Hello Friends! Happy Summer! Do you wonder what we've been up to?
Well, Emily has been working a whole bunch, and hasn't been as good about updating the blog as one might hope, so here's a whole big "catch up" update, all at once.
Lydia spent a whole week in June at Gan and Gumps house. And although we weren't there to take pictures, we know what she did. Swimming, shopping and eating.
While she was gone, Brit, Emily and Guthrie attended a festival in Waterloo Park. Here are Emily and Guthrie with Emily's friend Brad. Brad works as an editor with Emily, at Freescale. Brad had just finished performing at the Festival with his band, Flamin' Desire, when this photo was taken.


Here are two more of Emily's work friends. Phu and Cristi.




We've also spent some time swimming at the Y. Have you heard about the pool at our Y? It's spectacular. Guthrie and Brit enjoy the "beachy" end of the wading pool, while Lydia prefers the playing and swimming part.





Lydia has been doing fun stuff, like Vacation Bible School at Wesley, where she saw some old friends. And the following week went to art camp at Laguna Gloria, too. She loved it! Here she poses with her dad, and some of her projects.


Guthrie has been enjoying the summer harvest. Here he is with some berries.

And here he is during his post-blueberry bath. I just love a baby in the sink!

Next we're off the Orland, then Camp Grandma Pappy. We'll try and keep you posted!

Guthrie's First Swim

So, we didn't let Guthrie put more than a toe in the ocean. Mama was too afraid. (Lydia, on the other hand, swam in the ocean daily, and is an excellent body surfer.)
But, on the last day of our trip Guthrie, Lydia and Emily stopped in Katy to see Gan, Grumps and Gigi, and we all went for a swim. Guthrie was so happy! He's a natural, too.

Please S'uh, can I have some more?

 

Sand, Sand Everywhere

We're discovering that Guthrie is a very tactile little boy. When we sat him down on a towel at the beach, he was very interested in the sand and spent most of his time just digging around in the moist, warm grit.


Rachel, Lydia and Emily had a very different sand adventure. We went to the AIA Sand Castle competition on East Beach in Galveston, and checked out the entries. Although it was very hot, and somewhat crowded, the girls agreed that it was "awesome" and they had never seen such cool sand castles. http://www.aiasandcastle.com/

Because they're cousins...

One of the big attractions of an extended family vacation in Galveston is the opportunity for Lydia and her cousin Rachel to spend great chunks of time together. And they do it so well.

The Sea Air

Some people say the sea air creates an especially healthy appetite. You be the judge....















What's a boy to do after a fine, big meal of bananas and oatmeal but take a bath in the sink.....


Please note: should the opportunity arise, the little boy is ready to eat more.

The Historic Strand

We really enjoy The Strand. We like the historic buildings, the funky gift shops, and the ocean air. And this trip, we found something else to love. A store that sells propeller beanies. Here we are, with Guthrie in his new hat. 

When it Rains in Galveston

We play twister! Or rather, the girls play twister on a Twister Towel.


A sleepy Guthrie watched from his chair, and tried some of the moves.

Galveston!

Hooray! It's our annual trip to Galveston with Grandma and Pappy. Every summer, Emily's parents rent a house on the beach in Galveston and spend a week in fellowship with their daughters and their daughter's families. This year, our party included Aunt Katie (Emily's sister) and Luke and Rachel (Lydia and Guthrie's cousins) and Brit, Emily, Guthrie and Lydia. Plus, of course, Grandma and Pappy.
Here are Grandma and Pappy, on day two, with the grandkids.


We spent part of day three at Moody Gardens, visiting the aquarium there. Here, Guthrie takes his first of what will likely be many photos inside the giant snake head, at Moody Gardens.

He is joined by his sister, and his cousins.




Brit, Emily and Guthrie enjoy the scenery in front on one of the aquariums. This one is actually very fancy - it's a tunnel that you can walk through, and the fish swim around above you, too. This way, you can see the belly of sharks and other creatures.

Kindergarten Graduation

Cedar's International Academy had produced a special graduation play in honor of the completion of kindergarten for Lydia and her classmates. Lydia was cast in one of the main roles, as the school principal, Dr. Williams.
Here is Lydia.





Here is the real Dr. Williams.

As you can see, Lydia did a great job.







Al and Melissa, Mo and Kirke, Aunt Mandy, and of course Brit, Emily and Guthrie were all there for the big night. Here is Lydia in the graduation cap she made.
She did a wonderful job in the play, and of course, she just loved kindergarten. We are very, very proud of Lydia.

Mother's Day

The Leuba Jones family celebrated Mother's Day by heading to Katy, TX to hug and kiss on Gan and Gigi.
Guthrie spent some quality time with his great-grandmother, who we call Gigi.

Even though it was Mother's day, Guthrie also spent some time with his Grandpa, Gerald Jones.

Solid Food!

Good Gracious, we almost forgot to tell you!

Of course, he's taken to it like a duck to water. No surprises there. He practically dances while he's eating.

Lydia lends a hand with one of his earliest feedings. The novelty has worn off, though, and now Brit and Emily do the dirty work. The boy loves his cereal.

This last picture has nothing to do with solid food. We tried Guthrie out in a restaraunt high chair a couple weeks ago. He didn't last long, frankly, but he had a good time during those few seconds.

Lutheran Ponies

Messiah Lutheran Church had a very small spring carnival this weekend. The best part was the pony ride. The ponies were NOT tied to any kind of contraption at all - Brit just walked Lydia around the church property.

Guthrie posed with Caramel Candy, too.

Rose gets Married!

Brit and Rosann Bruscia have known each other since high school. Last weekend, Rose married Adam Sear.














It was a beautiful ceremony at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden.
Here is Lydia, standing with Rose's half-sister, right where the ceremony had been.
We all partied the night away at the Lodge above Buffalo Billiards after. Our children love a good party, and this was a great one.
One of the very best things about weddings is seeing so many friends.


Here is Guthrie with our dear friend Pat Skok.



















Here are Brit, Kevin and Onda, friends of Brit's who live in Houston.














And here our are our Austin friends Kevin and Debbie.
Probably the last time all these folks were at the same party together was when Brit and Emily got married. (Okay, Debbie wasn't there, but she would have been invited if we'd met her back then. We like her very much.)
Guthrie took a disco nap during the reception. Smart baby.
Later, he made me take his picture in this cool longhorn chair.