Life's a Beach

We spent a few days in Padre Island with my in-laws and had a fabulous time. There's nothing like seeing your child "discover" the ocean-- I'd rank it as one of the top thrills of parenting so far. (Watching them discover anything is actually pretty cool...)

(Click on the picture above to really see the look on JP's face! Sheer excitement!) Elise loved it too-- she actually could sit up for the first time on her own in the sand. And there was infinite amounts of stuff to dig your fingers into:


We arrived the first afternoon and met up with Pat's parents and his sister's family. We headed to the beach straightaway, so I don't have any pictures (the camera was still packed) but after a few timid moments, John Patrick was down to his skivvies (literally) and having a ball.

JP called our condo "the little house" and was very pleased with having Grandma and Grandpa next door. He kept asking me where his "friends" were... it took him awhile to understand the "cousin" concept.

The next few days, we spent endless hours at the beach. We (Grandma) buried Emma:

Jumped waves with Clara:

Watched Audrey and Clara boogie board:

Played in the water/pool/ sink:

Cuddled with Grandma:

And Grandpa:

Played with Uncle Pat:

Watched Elise work the room:

And were even allowed to jump on the bed:

We slept pretty hard too:

All in all, very good times. The entire slideshow is accessible by clicking the title "Life's a Beach"-- no, this isn't every picture we took!

Can I Get a Woof-Woof?

Both my children find barking hilarious. I can't believe I've caught them both on tape... here is Elise CRACKING up while her big bro barks at her:

And here is JP laughing at the SAME thing (at the SAME age) two and a half years before:

California- Part 4 (PML with the Wiechers)

The last part of our stay, our dear friends, the Wiechers, came up to the mountains to join us, bringing with them more good eats, stunning photography skills (see slideshow below), and lots of laughs. Liese and John Patrick were soulmates from the get-go, and they had a blast hiking the trail, swimming at the beach, exploring the "secret garden" together, and, of course, watching a few Hermie movies "Neecie" lent us. I'm not sure if they were more excited to see the stars late at night or eat ice cream cones outside after dinner. Luhan and Elise just watched... strapped to their chairs, and having the best time with all the excitement.

(You can see these pictures in a full-screen slideshow by clicking the title "California- Part 4" above)

California- Part 3 (Pine Mountain Lake)

After our trip to Modesto, we settled in at Pine Mountain Lake with Pat's grandparents and the Parvis fam. I don't know how many hours Rachel, Denise and Glory did PlayDoh with JP, but the Bob and Larry (VeggieTales) Rachel made him were legendary-- masterpieces of the Doh. He cried when he had to put them away, even as they were hardening to solid form. And *busy* Timmy finally got Elise to warm up to him with HIS legendary "Bucky the Beever" act.

California- Part 2 (Parvis' Place)

After Pat arrived in San Jose, we drove up to Pine Mountain Lake and then to Modesto for JP's THIRD birthday! Steve and Denise made sure the day was perfect-- not only did they have about twenty Hermie movies for JP, piles of presents, and a swimming pool, they also fed the rest of us filets and homemade ice cream cake. We marveled at their incredible new kitchen, checked out Rachel and (busy) Timmy's beautiful pad, and watched Elise practice her new favorite human trick: making raspberry noises.

California- Part 1 (Sherman Casa)

Our journey to California began with me, myself and I flying with the two kids to San Jose (via LAX). That's right... all by myself, with a plane change. Luckily for me, everyone I knew was praying it'd be manageable, and indeed, God provided two great flights with my little crew. I was so anxious the night before, I hardly slept. :) My grandmother used to have to move by herself cross country with two children... I hardly know how she did it. (And I think there was a dog involved too!) What the below picture DOESN'T show is the mommy with the enormous carry-on and three suitcases, or her pregnant friend (herself with a 3-year-old), helping her.

We journeyed ahead of Daddy to have some QT with the Sherman clan, who received us with open arms. Our time there was so jam-packed, I hardly have any pictures to document it, but here are a few. Thanks, Shermans, for a great visit! JP is still a proud owner of the "man card" the boys gave him:

Big Brother is so funny!

This clip captures Elise's giggle, compliments of the hilarious John Patrick. (Turn up your sound!) He is absolutely WONDERFUL at entertaining her-- I'm so grateful. Maybe I should be bolting down the baby swing, though.

Me and my big brother

More bro/sis shots, more indecision about which are the cutest:

Brotherly Love

I can't decide which of these is cutest...

Grandparents are GOOD!

Tom and Sue (aka, Grandpa and Grandma Mooney) came for a weekend of grandkid bonding. We potty trained (JP), teethed (Elise) and broke in some new Kipper movies (all of us)! I'm happy to say that JP has not had an accident in recent memory (even at night!) and Elise's second tooth just poked through (9/3/08). What do we have, like 18 more to go???

I love the progression of Sue's face in the next two photos, proof of teething:


Product endorsement:

Our Olympic Medalist

Frenchman John Patrick takes another GOLD MEDAL on the Pummel Horse (aka, "Pretty Pony"). The media is already calling.

Future Roommates

One of my college roommates and dear friends Angela had a baby shower in Dallas in early August. We had a mini reunion, sans Kimi. (We missed you-- Elise was not happy to stand in for you!) Kristin's daughter Audrey was born just days after Elise... we figure they'll make great roommates at the Kappa house in 18 years. Aren't they just precious? Congrats, Ang, we're so excited for y'all and your baby BOY! He'll have to keep an eye out for the new 1001 Bright Circle Trouble.

Elise riding the famed stallion, JP

Look at the gleam in her eyes, folks. They both love this new game.

Bath time fun

John Patrick and his friend, Kadyn, just sharing a bath, singing "Jesus Loves Me", and, of course, the alphabet song. Life is absolutely hilarious some days...

Bunny, Elephant, and a Monkey

We're playing lots of dress up these days. Here are a few favorites: