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Abigail Leigh Lane's Birth Announcement

Many Memories Pink Birth Announcement

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Let me apologize...

OK, I've totally neglected this blog!  I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a year!  I'm going to try to be better. 
We moved into a new house at the end of May.  The kids are loving it.  Chandler & Mady each have their own bedroom and Olivia & Eli are sharing.  It's 2 stories (the kids REALLY wanted stairs and Justin and I did NOT) but it's nice to have the living areas separate from the bedrooms.  Not quite as many toys make it downstairs to clutter up the house. 
This summer we've been getting a lot of use out of the neighborhood pool.  It's just around the corner from our house.  The neighborhood also has a great walking path system, parks, and soccer fields.  We use them everyday. 
Here are some pictures from the last couple months...

4th of July

We spent the 4th of July at home.  It was nice to just be at home after all the travelling.  I had bought some fireworks in Texas (just sparklers and smoke bombs).  We decided not to go see any fireworks.  It's always too hot, crowded, and we didn't think Eli and Libby would like the loud noises.  No one was sad we didn't go see any.  The kids had so much fun doing sparklers in the backyard!  As a bonus, some of our neighbors were actually setting off real fireworks.  We grilled hot dogs, and had a totally mellow evening!

 

 My lovely homemade apple pie

  

 It was too hot to actually eat outside, but we had a bbq anyway.

  

  

  

 The smoke bombs were, wait for it, very smoky.  We only did two, but since there was no breeze, they lingered for awhile

  

  

  

  

  

 Even Eli got in on the action

  

 Standing on the top deck of the playset to check out the neighbor's fireworks

  

"Whoa, look mom!"

Galveston

After the wedding we decided to go to Galveston.  The little touristy beach town is only an hour from Houston, so how could we pass?  I love the beach, the kids love the beach, I knew we would have fun.  My dad and Susan came too.  We left Houston Sunday around lunch time.  When we got to our hotel, the room wasn't ready, so we waited for an hour or so in my dad's room.  Eventually our room was available, so we moved everything in, I got the kids changed, and Susan and I took the kids to the beach.  Fortunately she loves it too.  Apparently my dad is not a fan of the beach, so he didn't come down one time.  Even though it was around 5pm, the weather was still warm, and the water was warm!  I'm used to California beaches where as the sun goes down, it gets really cold (and the water is ALWAYS cold).  The beach at Galveston was exactly what I remember beaches to be like when I was a kid.  Dirty looking water, but so warm you could acutally enjoy it.  I thought the town was great.  It was full of junky souvenir shops, and it really catered to families.  In fact, the town was full of families, rich and poor.  I loved it.  It was so laid back and relaxed, it definitely did not have the snobby California attitude.  Believe me, I'm a snob, but it was nice to have everything be so real.  I'm so glad we got to go to Galveston. 

 

 Galveston is full of these amazing old houses.  They are still standing despite all the hurricanes.  So beautiful!

  

 View from our hotel room.

  

 "Hmmm, is this going to be cold?"

  

 Woohoo!

  

  

  

  

  

Jumpting waves

  

  

 I bought the kids boogie boards and they LOVED it.  The waves were small, so it was very manageable for them.

  

  

  

  

 
 

 Chandler checking out the hermit crab he found

  

  

  

 Cooperation!

  

Susan and Mady feeding the seagulls and making them flock

  

  

 We went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens.  The kids love aquariums, and it was fun to see all the sea life, especially the penguins, sharks, and sea turtles.