The New Wittys

Girls trip to Houston: Louvre Couture and Frida Kahlo at MFAH

2026-02-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

2026

Elena and I had a week off earlier this year and I had been wanting to catch the Louvre Couture Collection from Houston Fine Arts Museum in Houston. I knew the boys wouldn't appreciate the day trip, so they stayed home instead :)

The exhibit includes gowns through the ages made by famous fashion designers and the museum did a fantastic job matching the vibe of the clothing and shoe to various exhibit rooms and buildings.

The Frida Kahlo exhibit was also being displayed. It was f'n weird. They had collaborators' work also be displayed and it was a clown show so I will not be including any of those garbage pieces.

I would like to note that they were pro rainbow people and the exhibit was 17+ for obvious degenerate reasons. My explanation to Elena as to why those pieces of artwork were being exhibited is because modern art is an absolute disgrace but everyone is forced to endure it, and in some cases, praise it.

Frida was edgy in 1930's and 40's. In the 2020's there is no such thing as edgy art--just degenerate.

I did include her original paintings that I enjoyed, though. I hope you enjoy them too (click on pics to make them bigger).

Onto the good art:

Elena started reading every little label beside each piece. I don't think she knew how much ground we would cover that day!

The museum is split into several buildings and several floors:

Each building is connected by a tunnel or garden or exhibit.

The Wilson Tunnel is one of my favorites!

This is a photograph.

Frida's custom boot to compensate for her shorter leg:

We walked by this installation in progress! It was not completed when we walked through...such a pity because it's supposed to be interactive and you could climb through the netting. It's a massive exhibit!

This piece titled "Water Lilies #4" was completely made out of Lego's. I have a video of it, and it is just so impressive! Click here to see it in video

A couple of Picasso's at the Kinder Building

A gown made of foil? No! Look again!

This is the Glassell Garage Tunnel. It made us almost sick to our stomachs but it was certainly an interesting experience.

There is the Flores Tunnel which consisted of 3 primary colors. The mixture of both colored lights made even more colors and don't even get me started on the camera editing the colors on its own!

See the walkthrough here.

There is also a tiny room filled with little candles made by some weirdo back in the 2000's trying to imitate the reincarnation of life once it's over. The room is titled "Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity" ffs. I don't appreciate all the art mumbo jumbo existential crap they talk about but it was definitely a cool experience being in a tiny dark room, lined with mirrors, and having the little candles light up.

You can see the video here.

This was a pitch black room with one bench and a wall lined with red lights that reflected themselves throughout that wall making it appear as if it was several rooms (depth). You had 20 seconds to sit in silence to appreciate this. This is art!

But me and Elena? We love the classics! She appreciate this piece a lot because it was one of the pieces for her Art History UIL competition that was coming up!

This quilt was just magnificent because it was so large!

Silly people thinking things like this looks good on the runway...This was worn by a male, too.

I absolutely loved this piece of the flower seller. Brushstrokes were insanely good.

Absolutely ridiculous shoes! I guess you have to be sorta mad to be a model!

Then we had to stop to get lunch as we were famished and tired. It was such a nice day trip I wish we could go more often! I want her to be my day trip buddy forever!

Day Trip to Dallas with the Girls

2025-11-07T02:00:00.001-06:00

My mom planned a girls birthday weekend, combined with a Mother's Day celebration thrown in there in Dallas. She bought us (my sister and I) day tickets to WorldSprings: Mineral Hot Springs & Soak Experience. I didn't know what to expect, because this is a semi-new attraction. Off I went to Dallas all on my own, sans kids or husband. I was blown away by the experience I wish we had one close to home!

Off in The Colony, Texas, they've built this beautiful area with hot tubs that are a recreation of the worlds most well known springs. WorldSprings was just a little crowded on a Saturday for Mother's Day, but it was still manageable and could always find a pool to join. The weather was excellent, the vibes were just right as soon as I got a drink in my hand!

There were so many little pools everywhere. Enough space for everyone to have fun and enjoy the warm mineral water. I promise we were just having fun and being goofy...we hadn't even finished our first drink!

Catching up face to face, instead of text to text!

Can't take her anywhere! ...during our Cold Plunge, Mom took a fall and the First Aid guys were so nice to her. They fixed her up and on she went on her way to have a good time!

You can watch who went down first in the video -- lol!

The circle saunas were spread throughout the entire grounds. Some sauna's were hotter than others...I tried it once. I don't like being hot. But Mom and Caren did, a little!

Just having a fun time

Fell in love with these stairs...

The layout and the grounds were absolutely stunning against the blue sky.

Each section of the world had a couple or more hot tubs of the same waters with minerals, but varying temperatures. The information was displayed for guests to know which tub had what health benefits and what the temperature water was.

We tried ALL the pools!

Onto supper we go!!! They had all the facilites you ever needed or wanted. We showered, changed, and did our hair and makeup. We decided to go to the Bloom Lounge which is a flashy Instagram restaurant near WorldSprings.

Mamacita with a delicious rose drink.

The drinks, food and dessert were amazingly delicious!

Gotta give Moomie a moo, right?

Bye Dallas!

Girls Trip: Camping at the Beach

2025-04-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

2025

For our Spring break last year, Elena and I decided that we were going to the beach. The boys and husband had school the week we were off so I booked a one night camping grounds stay at the Galveston State Park website. We headed out with our camping gear, our swimsuits, a dog, and some food just hoping for the best

We packed the dog, our wagon, our toys, filled up our tank and headed south. When we got to the state park, we noticed it was celebrating 50 years so we took advantage of a photo op!

Once our cute little setup was complete, we slapped on our swimsuits and headed out to the water!

Since this is a state park, dogs cannot be without a leash. Our doggo did quite well, except when Elena would go into the water where he would yelp and whine for her non-stop. I guess he wanted to join!

After a whole day of fun, we went out west in order to find a good restaurant to fill our bellies. I found Sandbar not too far! I knew we visited the right place when I saw this pelican with a pink shirt.

Ceviche and Gumbo was our jam! I was also admiring how sunburnt I had gotten!

I had bought some specially made adhesive patches for our cute little tent, after all, the thing is ancient. (probably from the early 2000's) and hoped for the best! It's was soon to be lights out.

We woke up in a sticky humid tent, with the sky visible above us! The ground was wet. There was nothing left to do but wait for the sun to come up to dry everything.

I made Elena catch the sunrise. Don't pay attention to Gerald...

It was back to camp for a good Colossal Crunch breakfast!

We dragged our toys and chairs out again and headed back to the beach

A beach practically all to ourselves.

Treasures

I don't know what these birds were doing, but it was weird.

Elena is happy in the mud or sand, I don't think it matters!

It was time to pack everything and head back home!

A Funeral and a Gathering

2025-03-21T18:39:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this by saying this is a lengthy post of over 200 pictures. Any time I take pictures, especially at any family gathering, all I desire to capture are the moments. Whether it's a laugh, an interesting point of view, a person that we hardly see or is camera shy. I feel these pictures show all of that, and maybe more.

Apologies if some pictures seem to be a little on the brighter, happier side. I do not want to take this event lightly or want to minimize it in any way. Instead, I was looking through a snapshot in time. What will these people look like in 20, 30, or even 50 years from now? Would they remember this exact day? What will they say about them? Will anyone remember them? Who will be at our own funeral? And I felt the weight of it all to have to document everyone.

I did capture some really heavy moments that make me feel like crying all over again. I hope you look at them and remember that feeling you had and may you never forget.

Hopefully the heaviness of this gathering was not felt in a sad way. I know that our Wita loved when our families would gather and I know that she would be all smiles if she could have been here. That's why we wanted this to be a celebration of life. I'll shut up now so you can scroll.

Snow in South Texas

2025-03-06T02:00:00.003-06:00

Well, everyone and their mamas here in the south was all up in arms about the coming freeze. We have one every year, but this year, we were also expecting snow. Everyone was excited, of course, because that means No School -- even for us grown-ups.

One evening in January, snow began to fall. The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland. It was very special because we were the first ones up in our neighborhood, which meant the snow was untouched and beautiful.

We took this opportunity to bring out our snow toys. We have had those hidden in a closet for some time. At the end of this post, is a video compilation I made so be sure to watch it :)

We had a blast in the snow for a little bit. Neighbors later joined in the powder. The birds were happy to have some seed in the backyard. Their lovely red colors so bright against that white. But, it wasn't long before the temperatures rose and melted everything off. Meanwhile, we had two glorious days off from school just being lazy potatoes around the house!

This was snow back in 2017, when she was about 3 years old. You can see we didn't get as much snow on the ground then.

Click here to watch a cute Reel I made in Instagram

Celebrating a 14th Birthday

2025-01-23T01:00:00.003-06:00

Our youngest boy turned 14 a few months ago. This guy gets spoiled every year because not only do we celebrate one more year of life with him, we also celebrate a national holiday every year. He is our Independence Day baby and we love to celebrate him with patriotic colors as well as our country.

We always love to visit family, but this year, we mad a special trip through our nation's capital to catch the fireworks display. It was blazing hot but grateful we got pools! Here are memories of family, gifts, pinata, and cake galore to celebrate this guy's birthday. We love you, Jonah 💖

I always make my babies' birthday cakes!

This just reminds me of the many times this kid has blown out his candles while being surrounded by family. What a sweet throwback!

A Sister Date and a 20-Year High School Reunion

2025-01-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

A couple of years ago, we (me and my sisters) decided that we should do a sister date. Living around in rural Texas, we knew we would need a DD, a designated driver, so that we could have a great time. Our lame brother decided to pass on this opportunity to hang with his cool sisters, so our adorable Dad stepped up. We had a great time laughing it up and trying out wines and beers at Lucky Vineyards in Dublin. Then, we had a lovely meal at the hometown Mexican restaurant when our DD's truck decided to eat my purse (see video), and then that was that.

The following weekend, my sister and I attended our 20 year High School reunion which made us feel a bit old, but ahem, like we still got it 😏

Take a look at our pics below. And also, of what we looked like 20 years ago.

Obviously not much has changed regarding opening our eyes for a picture 😁

A Girl in the Snow

2025-01-21T13:34:00.000-06:00

We have snow in Houston again! Snow hasn't hit us in a couple of years but when it does, schools and work close, snowballs get thrown, we cozy up with movies and chill. Only this time, a little girl had been wishing for a photo shoot. She dolled up, braved the cold, and pranced in the snow for us. Enjoy!

A High School Homecoming Dance

2024-10-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

Last Fall, the boys attended their first Homecoming dance at their school. I made sure that they looked presentable, yet let them choose pieces that they still felt comfortable in, like Andrew's red Chucks. The boys were not too pumped about attending this dance, but me as their Mom didn't want to hear it. They were dressing up, going, and they would have fun.

However, not first without a little photoshoot in our backyard and our favorite pug, Gerald. Enjoy!

Easter in the Hill Country

2024-03-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

2024 Easter in the Hill Country

These pictures have been backdated :) Apologies for being out of chronological sequence.

These are my Family Easter pictures.

Our trips are normally like this: pack up the whole family, travel several hours, arrive tired but so happy to see family, get situated, do the festivities, eat and drink a lot, pack up the whole family again, and travel several more hours until we get back home.

We had my cousin's family visiting as well, so this Easter was a lot of fun! Looking back on these pictures sure makes my heart so happy! Especially noticing how little the kids were (and oh, so innocent). Just remembering the girls being so little is adorable.

I made sure to bring Easter baskets and goodies for everyone, including the host, my Mom, who always gives up her peace and quiet for chaos and disorder for several days! Thanks Mom, you're absolutely the best!

I always also make sure to take pictures of the beautiful Texas wildflowers and force Gary to stop during our travel so I can take pictures of them. And when allowed, I like to make a bouquet out of them--but you already knew that :)

ENJOY!

Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin

2023-10-12T02:00:00.008-05:00

A couple of years ago, during one of our school breaks, we decided to venture north and visit the small town of Lufkin. Why Lufkin? I don't remember what the thought process was, but I thought it would be a different kind of scene and I really didn't want to drive into downtown Houston. I wanted new experiences, you know? Surprisingly, the kids still talk about this zoo and reminisce about how cool it was. Always making the comment that we should go again. A win for Mom.

They had a vast assortment of animals, but I was incredibly surprised that they have a hippo!

They also had free-range peacocks. It was neat!

The also had free-range peacocks and they were everywhere!

You've just seen all of the wacky faces of the Witty children, consider yourself so lucky.

The zoo also has a train so you know we had to experience that. It was a sweet little ride operated by some very experienced conductors. It went around in a loop and it was pretty inexpesive. Very nice way to end our zoo experience.

After our train ride, it was time to go home. But not before stopping to see what the city of Lufkin has to offer. We found a pretty amazing mural that I absolutely love, and some lettering to pose with.

We also hit up the Museum of East Texas, or MET. It was very contemporary and fascinating. They had an opportunity to create some artwork, so obviously I had to take their picture.

It was a good trip.

Summers at Lake Whitney

2023-07-17T02:00:00.019-05:00

Sharing this because I love the pictures I took.

Here is Jonah on a wake board

Pretty Sunsets on a Boat

Mid-Winter Break Mini-Trip in Seguin, Texas

2023-05-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Y'all, if you were ever curious as to what the weather is like during February in Texas, it's cold. Regardless, I planned a quick little getaway to South Texas. Ever since we passed through Seguin a few years ago, I was smitted by that small little town. An ad kept popping up in my feed about Geronimo Creek! Geronimo Creek Retreat is a little area on the North side of Seguin that has cabins, sky cabins, and teepees alongside Geronimo Creek. The place looks absolutely magical and I knew we needed to go there when they had a deal for a weeknd in February while on our school break.

The drive was 3 hours long after a tiring Friday. And we got there late, well past check-in time. However, the kids didn't mind and Gary was just taking the whole thing in never having heard of such a thing, and he wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. His first impression (by the look of his face) was confusion, I think? You see, they're canvas cabins. It's like you're camping out, but more like glamping. And he's not used to that.

Our cabins was plenty big for all five of us, had all the bells and whistles of a hotel room, but with a killer view of the camp. The one caveat was the bathrooms. You had to use a bathroom that was a bit aways, sorta like when you're actually camping. And it was a bit unusual however, because every cabin has an assigned stall with a shower, toilet and sink.

The creek was obviously freezing, but did the kids mind one bit? No they did not. They got their swimsuits on, grabbed a kayak and a life vest and headed out to adventure while chattering their teeth. They were absolutely in heaven even though it was 40 degrees that next morning!

Anyways, Seguin was amazing, as always. We liked driving through, visiting historical sites, browsing through the shops, and eating their amazing food downtown. We decided to eat at Burnt Bean Co. BBQ which had a line coming out of their restaurant wrapping half the block and we thought, "What is the commotion? Something must be happening here today!" But no, it's their normal. Their bbq is world renown and it's THAT good that people make a line outside in a tiny little southern Texas town. We didn't even take pictures because we were just gowing with the flow of everyone enjoying themselves. We meandered inside City Hall to use their restrooms (super deco) and had to take a picture with their largest pecan (again). They have a little park trail by their very cool librabry (amazingly modern), and we walked through it and explored.

We also noticed a few breweries have opened up since our last visit and we had to try one, of course! All of this was hard to leave, just wishing we could spend a little more time at. However, someone (ahem) had coaching duties that he needed to get back to.

Enjoy the pictures!

A Witty Update

2023-02-08T14:59:00.001-06:00

Hi y'all! Long time no see. I am missing this space as of late, longing for some order and a little bit of creativity. I just wanted to say Hello!

I wanted to share a few pictures of the family and let y'all know what's been happening with us, the Witty family.

Following Christmas Day, we arrived at our house to discover massive broken water lines during a very hard freeze in our home. We went without water for 2 days while Gary managed to crawl under the house and repair the lines.

Those lines are probably over 20, or 30, years old. He went in search of insulation but didn't manage to find any locally until a few days later. The Home Depot closest to our house gets insane with folks trying to repair their lines, as if that location is the only hardware store in the area. After this freeze, I don't think Gary will shop at Home Depot any more for pipes and pvc. I think he would rather spend a few dollars more to avoid the crazy aisle closures and the masses. I am so grateful for his reliability and that he's able to fix our home when it breaks.

After being blessed with water again, we managed to make it to New Year's Eve gathering at our friend's house. You know? I think midnight is too long to wait for the New Year because it's past my bedtime. But I'm glad I toughed it out because Gary and kids love those fireworks!

We took advantage of a sale during the week after Christmas and splurged on upgrading the boys beds. Their twin beds needed to be replaced as they were getting quite old--not to mention the boys are growing too! So we got a 2-for-1 deal and decided that the boys were getting new beds.

You know what else that triggers? New bed frames. So Gary got to work. The weather has not been very cooperative for a finished product, but he's been diligent about working on them any chance he can get. Track season at his school starts soon so I assume the boys will have to wait a few more weeks until we are finished with them as I still have to paint them.

You know what new beds also trigger? New bedding. I had to purchase new bedding sets and pillows! These guys are sleeping in comfort and now we have enough beds for visitors, too!

The weather has been a bit insane with hot January temperatues in the 80's and then back to the 30's. I actually managed to snap my beautiful baby girl during one of those sweltering January days...

Jonah purchased with his own money a very difficult locomotive piece from our local Woodcraft (it's really not local as it's 20 miles away). The kids enjoy purchasing wooden crafts from there. Jonah spent almost 2 days painstakingly putting this train together. I hardly have any shelf space to display their master builds!

Our oldest, Andrew, has been homeschooling for most of the school year. He has excelled completely and has surprised us at how responsible and independent he has become. There have been some growing moments, but overall I think this decision has been one of those truly suprising ones. You know, where you didn't know you needed something until you had it?

Even after visiting my folks back in Central Texas for the holidays, we felt like we needed to come back once more to say Hello and Goodbye to a few people. My stepfather was celebrating another year with some cake and family, and my brother was headed to Boot Camp to become an airman. Our family gathered to celebrate, and eat, and fellowship with one another.

We had chicken and steak fajitas, amazing salsa, and a healthy chocolate cake. We had brought a scooter for the kids to play with on the farm, but the weather was a bit harsher than it is back home. Nevertheless, she enjoyed being outside on her scooter and petting all the animals as usual.

My brother's going away party was celebrated the weekend after. A massive crowd of people came to pray over him, fellowship with him, give him all kinds of wise words and hug him before he left to boot camp. I'm sure he'll remember that all his life and realizes how truly loved he is.

(Picture Credit: Caren Sandoval)

On our way home, we stopped in Waco, Texas to visit George's on Speight Avenue. The place is fantastic and I would love to visit once again. I had a chicken fried steak (Lunch special) but you can barely see it from the massive onion rings! That place is a whole vibe.

Recently, we have made a switch to a smaller church. We had attended a mega church in North Houston for over 9 years and it was time to say goodbye. Our new church has made us feel closer in our faith and our community. This church doesn't have frills and blinding lights and I'm okay with that. The message is 30 minutes longer, and I'm ok with that too. All three kids have to sit through the message, and I don't think they're ok with that, but I'm sure they'll eventually be ok with it ;)

I still love going to lunch after service and talking about family stuff. I love that my kids will grow up with that tradition and will pass it on to their families as well.

One of our favorites is JJ Diner where we all know our Lunch Special number and slurp over our Egg Drop and Wonton soups. This here is the famous Orange Chicken lunch special.

Besides keeping busy with projects, getting back into the hang of things from the new year, trying to navigate Andrew's school, we have all be alright.

Gary's athletic banquet was very nice. They acknowledged a lot of hard working athletes whose coaches relentlessly pursue them to be better in all aspects of their lives. His coaching staff, as well as his Head Coach and his wife, have been nothing but supportive, hardworking, and extremely welcoming to him and our family.

I've never been a part of such a team and I am forever grateful to them. That's what a coach and his family should feel, always.

We had a mini picnic with Elena the other day. I made her make personal invites to everyone. However, we had to bring our own tea! She did set the name cards and plates though. I brought Chamomile tea but Gary did not enjoy it. He's a southern boy through and through and will only drink sweet tea.

We have enjoyed crawfish this season already! It was yummy, but I dare not go too many times unless we wanna eat beans and ramen noodles for the rest of the week. I'm glad the kids enjoy them crawdads, too! They've really turned into true Houstonians!

Notice we still like to eat Ramen noodles, regardless of our financial food situation. Ha!

That's it for now! I hope you'll forgive the lapse between posts as blogging is now not "in" and posts on Instragram are king...but I do miss this place.

She's 8

2022-02-26T00:30:00.001-06:00

We had fun birthday party at the local skating rink! All her friends came over as well as family members. The weather was semi-great and she was happy at the end of the weekend. Enjoy!

A Pink Baby Shower

2021-07-17T02:30:00.010-05:00

I posted their pregnancy pictures a while back, but never the baby shower we threw them while they were in Texas! Shame on me....

They were certainly loved and welcomed and hugged on. We couldn't wait for sweet little Sophie's arrival. Karina let us rub her belly and we had an amazing time in fellowship among friends and family.

This was them walking through the door and finally seeing everyone. It had been a while!

Our house midwife, Betsy, wanted to check the heartbeat of sweet little Sophie. Such a precious snapshot!

If you want to see the pregnancy photo shoot we did in downtown Dublin, click HERE!

A Vacation During a "Pandemic"

2021-07-16T02:30:00.002-05:00

Gulf Shores, Alabama in 2020!

So yeah, over a year later. Please enjoy our trip. We love traveling as a family, and this trip was even more special because our friends got to join us. We rented a unit through VRBO and the host was incredible. The weather could have been more cooperative, it was a bit gusty and cold and Andrew managed to completely burn his entire back on the first day. You'd think we were beach virgins or something...

The trip was a bit over 8 hours and thankful God kept us safe, to and back. We even had to turn around after an hour into the trip coming back because I had forgotten my camera and laptop in the corner in the floor! It was such a longer trip on the way back, we were exhausted and worn out from our vacation!

My husband and kiddos totally spoiled me during this trip. It was my 36th Birthday!

Anyway, enjoy!

Our little condo had a pool in the middle. It was like 70 degrees and the kids all got in anyway (me too!) Brrr it was so cold!

The next morning, it was off to the beach after breakfast. Elena received her first dutch braids and she was absolutely in heaven.

Those are our units we stayed it. They were really nice! They were called Ocean Breeze or something and it was located right on the beach. Super cozy!

Andrew began working on digging his hole, but everybody joined in when it was time to bury him. Meanwhile, all the other kiddos enjoyed the boogey boards and the waves.

The Daddies were brave enough to get in the cold water with the littles

Unfortunately, all the restaurants did not have any In-Dining seating and it was all Take-Out. The pandemic, or China virus, was at its height of shutting down everything including the tourism to sweet towns like Gulf Shores. We relied on the guys to bring us some cold dinner and we promptly went to bed.

The pool was obviously a highlight for all the kids and they wanted in any chance we gave them permission.

Mean adults had the audacity to go back to the beach and so here we are, Day 2, burying Andrew again, Elena making sand pies and collecting seashells, and Jonah being adventurous in the water.

And of course, Jonah had to get buried in the sand too!

Another day, I can't quite recall which one, rain was forecast so we ventured into town. And sure enough, it rained! We shopped around, grabbed food, and headed back to the unit.

I still have pictures from our putt-putt outing but I'll save those for another time :)

2nd coolest putt-putt we've been to in our lives!

Have you ever been to Gulf Shores? How was it? We would love to go back some day!

Summer Shots

2021-03-13T00:30:00.001-06:00

Hello! It's almost Spring, it's true. But I edited some pictures from last summer, so here they are!

Lots of doggie cuddles and family conversations, good food, family visits and even loving sisterly spats (lol yeah right)...

hello, it's me.

Summer sure was fun for the kiddos. We were glad we could get a visit from Karina and Carl. With the baby on the way, we wanted to get some belly rubs!

All of the Activities {last} December

2021-03-12T00:30:00.001-06:00

Our Decembers are usually jam-packed with activities and trips and shopping and school plays. We have been blessed enough that our Decembers are never tranquil enough to be idle and the holiday feelings surround us as we count down each day.

Even though this was December 2019, I enjoy looking back at all of the activities we managed to do. I know the boys enjoy pulling out the bins from the attic (lol) and living in a chaotic mess for a few days while Mom arranges all of the decorations throughout the house.

I know the kids also enjoy sitting on Santa's lap (lol) and letting him know what they want for Christmas even though certain little boys know that's not really Santa.

And they also enjoy the drives around neighborhoods (lol) to see lights...but for sure, for sure, I think they enjoy the little train village that our church hosts each December. It is always so cool!

Andrew entered a coloring contest for Safety with this drawing and won a 'trip' to school on a firetruck!

This was my first few months back to work after being a SAHM for nearly 10 years and we handled it like champs! The kids' afternoons consisted of reading and playing games for the last hour that Mom had to work, then to do some errands or go to practice before heading home and waiting for Dad to come home from football practice or games...

I think we had like 2 or 3 advent calendars and lately Lego calendars have been pretty fun for the kids!

We also were lucky enough to watch Elena "play" basketball. Her team was worse than awful, but she had a blast being friends with her team mates and talking instead of dribbling.

Jonah played soccer for the first time and he absolutely loved it as well. He had a blast each game with his teammates being silly and passing each other the ball.

Crafts and Cousins!

...and Grinch costumes!

Christmas 2019

2020-12-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

Carols, tamales, family, coffee, pillows, cookies, pajamas, bonfire, cocoa and Santa! We loved our Christmas in 2019, and expecting a great time on Christmas 2020.

The Happiest Time of the Year

2020-12-24T10:46:00.000-06:00

🎅 Santa's Wonderland in College Station 🎅

2020-11-17T01:00:00.001-06:00

Guessss what? You guessed it! This was from last year! We traveled to College Station for a little bit of family fun and landed in the Rudolph parking lot at Santa's Wonderland. This place is something magical. Lights, hayrides, and the friendliest ranch hands around make it for a fun Christmas get together. The weather was really humid and hot for November, which was insane because the year before, it was super cold we bought hot chocolate and watched A Christmas Story next to the fire!

The kids wanted to do the bull riding again and I think quite honestly, that's their favorite part. They had opened up a new section which you had to take a train up a hill to arrive at some Gingerbread house with some bouncy houses, and Santa was up there, too. You could write him a letter and check if you were on the naughty list or not. The only bad thing was that 3 hours wasn't enough time to do everything and we missed out on a lot of things because of it.

The lines were a bit insane and only got to ride the tubes down once on the ice. Other than that, the food and everything else was pretty fun! You should try it out if you're ever looking for something to do come Christmastime.

🍗 A Family Thanksgiving 🍗

2020-11-15T01:00:00.001-06:00

Our Family Thanksgiving 2019

First of all, like I need to say it, right? This was last year's Thanksgiving. Like, duh.

There was a lot of crafting, flower arranging, painting, fellowship, gaming, and food. There's always too much food. Good food. And gratefulness and thanksgiving. And pictures, we can't forget pictures.

I am noticing a lot of changes right now since last year. Now, there's a brand new baby. Carl and Karina have a baby girl for Thanksgiving! The 5 kids in these pictures have all grown several inches and lost several teeth. Between us old folks, there's more wrinkles and grey hairs and perhaps bigger smiles, though. This was a good Thanksgiving, and like I said, we were grateful for all the people that showed up.

Throwing this one in here even though it wasn't on Thanksgiving, but it sure was cute!

Things in November

2020-11-02T01:00:00.002-06:00

Last November we had a jam packed month. One of the things we did together was make Popping Chocolate Spiders out of the Rutabaga The Adventure Chef children's books. We were just fresh off that Halloween hype, ya know? And the recipe seemed easy enough. And Elena 'helped' of course...

While we were loving our home indoors, Andrew's class went on an overnight field trip with his entire class. He had a blast!

Any outdoor adventure that makes him think scientifically is his jam...

This month we had a crazy kid want to try soccer and love it. Not to mention we got to be outside during some very pretty days that made my husband look irresistible in the morning light.

Are you done gagging yet? I'll post Jonah's soccer pictures on a separate post...I just wanted y'all to look at my husband y'all... 😍

Jonah at Nerf Night at church:

We went to the Kid's Art Soiree and had fun. Jonah won something....

This is last year, hopefully next year I'll post 2020's November -- haha!

There's a Bundle of Joy on the Way!

2020-10-27T01:00:00.004-05:00

We will be having a new little one join our family --- it makes me so excited! My brother Carl and his wife, Karina are due next month. She is radiant and beautiful, and Carl is...well, Carl.

Enjoy! Will be posting the Baby Shower pictures after this post.

Once the baby comes, Carl will be walking around like this more often.