Pool Time 2

Both boys enjoyed playing outside. They love sunshine, I think! Ian discovered he could cool off his hot plastic slide with a cool stream of water from the hose. He also learned to stomp and splash in water puddles. He made sure Caleb had toys to play with in the pool, too. We all had a good time in the backyard!

Pool Time for Caleb

Caleb's mom reported a not-so-fun pool experience earlier this week. However, with Aunt Karen's gentle coaxing, Caleb found out that sitting in the pool was as much fun as his bathtub at home!

The Hill Country is still Paradise

Our trip this weekend was great. We enjoyed the smooth ride and great gas mileage of Alan's new Fusion, the scenery was so peaceful, the food delicious (try the Tin Roof Steakhouse in Boerne), and the history was plentiful. The Germans and Alsatians who migrated to Texas in the early 1800's came to find land and jobs. Henri Castro was an empresario who brought thousands from Germany to Texas via Galveston (think Stephen F. Austin-type guy). There are some people in Castroville who still speak Alsatian regularly to keep the dialect alive. We drove through Hondo, Bandera, and Boerne, stopped for a day there, then through Marble Falls and Round Rock. I had forgotten how beautiful the country is in that part of Texas. We saw exotic animals on several ranches, lakes, mountains, limestone houses with tin roofs, and lots of cattle herds.

It was a great way to celebrate our 35th anniversary.

PS. the captions to the photos are on the Picasa site...

35

Today was our 35th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with a low-key candlelight dinner at home followed by dessert at Sonic (can you tell we live in a small town?) Alan sent me a dozen red roses which are glittered.

On Thursday, we're traveling to Castroville, TX for a long weekend getaway. Castroville was settled by Alsatian people from the area of France (Alsace) that has often switched between French and German ownership. So there are hints of both cultures in this town with German food and Alsatian half-timbered homes. We're looking forward to getting away together since I've been traveling solo quite a bit since February.

I'm thankful God has seen fit to bless our marriage with these many years. Probably we don't have 35 more to go...but maybe 25 or 30? Whatever it is, I pray God will give us grace to grow old together, to ignore each other's failings, and to remember to be thankful for each other.

Scrappin' Good Time

Here are some photos from the retreat this weekend. It's obvious we had fun!

Ian Visits Grandpa's Office

Friday, Ian and his mom made a quick visit to Palestine. We stopped in at Grandpa's office to pick him up for lunch. Ian loved the telephone on Sue's desk,
the singing birthday card in Kristi's office (he danced to the tune),


the stairs that connect the buildings,

and running in the parking lot.
He did NOT like being told a) to get back in the car, b) no you can't go outside yet, c) this way Ian, d) don't touch.

After naptime, we made a quick trip to the grocery store. He was pretty tired by then!
We enjoyed their visit so much!