The Start of Summer 2016.....

The summer began about a month ago, and it has flown by!!! We have been having a great time together and I have LOVED having the kids home!!

We kicked off the summer bowling with friends!

We tried a new splash pad which the kids loved it!

The beginning of the summer has been really rainy and wet. It started pouring on us, and the kids were so excited to play in the mud! Something I don't let them do enough!

They also tried rock climbing! The gym I work at has a rock climbing wall and they really enjoyed trying it! After several tries Ella made it up!!

Cavin is so close! He needs a few more times of practice and I'm sure he will get up next time!

Channing...well, let's just say we got her equipment on and she let us let her go for a few rocks before saying she was too high ;)

I even tried! I haven't rock climbed much since my college days. It's amazing how weak you feel when you haven't done it in a while! I need to pump some more iron! I did get up a few times though!

Next we got a fun visit from my sister Marisa and her family! The kids hadn't met her twins yet and they sure loved them!

I think Channing was constantly asking to hold one of them, and as soon as she was finished with one, she would ask to hold the other ;) Needless to say, she loved Kate and Addy!

Ella also adored them!

We joined Ethan, Liam, Aubrey, and Grandpa at the zoo one day and sweat it out nicely! Zoos may not be the nicest place in the summer in Houston! 

We had fun though and got to have lunch with Ragnar at the Toyota Center afterward.

We went to Bouncing Bears with all the cousins who live in Houston. They had fun and got nice and sweaty.

One day we headed back over to the splash pad so the kids could show their cousins the fun place!

I sure love these kids!

Then the last day we got to celebrate my nephew Liam's birthday. He turned 6 a couple days after they left so we celebrated early. He had a star wars party, so naturally they had a jedi battle! As a family, we haven't seen Star Wars...I know I know..pathetic. So each week this summer we are watching one movie. The kids have enjoyed it and look forward to it each week.

This is all the kids except one twin who was sleeping! It was so fun to have both my sisters here and my brother Chris, we sure missed my other brother Corey and his family though!

Other than that, we have been visiting the pools! Also the kids spent the last week at AUMC bible school which they really enjoyed!
We also have been "soccering"

Ragnar took Cavin to the COPA America game at Reliant Stadium. He watched Mexico vs. Venezuela. I don't think Cavin had had a real soccer experience before that game. He commented on how loud it was and that he had beer spilled on him! He seemed to have fun though!

As a family we went to the Houston Dynamo soccer game as well. It actually wasn't too hot in the shade, and it even sprinkled on us at the end! We have of course also been watching the U.S.A. Olympic trials and cheering on Germany in the EURO cup. They won today! Yay! On to the Semi-finals! Go Germany.
It has been a great start to the summer!!!