Swimmin' with Friends

My friend Brandi and her daughters Bailey and Briley as well as their cousin Taylor came over to hang out this afternoon. We had a great time soaking up some rays and splashing around down at the pool. The big girls and Cam had a blast on the slide. Mara and Briley stayed close to the shallow end since they can’t swim yet. Cam is working hard on his swimming, and has improved each time we’ve gone to the pool. He is able to swim underwater for a good distance now. Mara loves the water, too. She’s not afraid of getting right in there and sometimes just jumps right in. (Thanks goodness for floaties!)

After swimming we came back to the house and ate. Brandi and I hung out for a while the kids played. Cam introduced the girls to the world of “good guy/bad guy” with his guns and they hid and chased each other all over the house.

It was a good time that wouldn’t have been half as fun without our friends. Thanks for coming over, guys!

Who's he trying to fool? I still know it's him with those big brown eyes!

Visit From Grandma

How do you know you have a great mom? Well, I’m sure it’s different for each person, but for me it’s the little things she does for my kids when she visits.
My mom drove all the way from Mimbres, NM (12-ish hours) just to visit us this past week. While here she did some great stuff with the kids. I don’t have pictures for much of it since she hates having her picture taken. Here’s a sampling of the many activities she did with the kids:
- Went to the Austin Children’s Museum
- Took them to Zilker park and rode the train
- Made zucchini bread together (my favorite)
- Went fishing with the whole family
- Did leather project with Cam. (She taught him how to use a few leather working tools she picked up at a store while she was here). He made his very own coin purse/wallet.
- Went swimming and saw Cam doing the underwater doggie-paddle. Very funny.
- Helped Cam write and practice his talk on living the Gospel Standards
- Played go fish which ended in a three-way tie. (nobody lost)
- Did Mara’s hair pretty
- And last but not least she let them bounce on her sleeping arrangements (blow-up mattress) every day!

Thanks for visiting and making our week so much fun, Mom!! You’re a great example of what a great mom and grandmother are. We love you!

Photogenic? Sometimes.

Here are some pictures of Cam and Mara from a recent photo shoot with my friend Linda. The kids weren't in the best of cooperating moods this day, so I was very pleasantly supprised that we got some good pics out of it. Mara was a little cranky and getting a "real" smile from Cam was pretty hard. We didn't get any good ones of the two of them together, but I'm happy with their individuals. Especially Cam's. He has always been a good picture-taker. I had to break out the raisin snacks to bribe the kids to sit still at one point. One thing I did learn is that next time we should do this early in the morning and probably outside where the kids can run around instead of feeling cramped by the studio. I guess a little crankiness was worth it, though, because I just love these pics. Thanks Linda for all of your patience in getting these!!