A Little Sunshine

Yesterday we had a small glimpse of sunshine before Little Bear had to leave for soccer practice so the kids took advantage of the chance to run around in the yard while I spread mulch. 

Of course, by the time soccer practice started the clouds had rolled back in. I can't wait until the weather gets a bit more consistent and nice. Our upcoming forecast still has a lot of rainy days ahead and we haven't been able to be outside as much as we'd like. 

Grumpy's BBQ

Today was a rainy and cold soccer day. The kids had back to back games and it was the first time that Papa has been able to watch their games this season (the previous two times that he had been off of work had been rained out) so we decided to go out for dinner afterwards. The kids chose Grumpy's BBQ which was on our way home. 

Part of why the kids like Grumpy's is because it is the only place that Papa lets them have root beer. 

All of the kids loved the hot wings. I was surprised that Pequeño not only tried them but requested more!

The alligator bites were a huge hit!

For the meal we shared a platter which had ribs, chicken, brisket, sweet potato fries, fried okra, and corn bread. We ended up bringing all of the chicken home but ate every bite of everything else. They've been on a huge celery kick lately and I thought it was funny that Little Bear and Pudge were arguing over who got the last piece of celery that came with the wings.

On the drive home, we saw a double rainbow (the lighter one was hard to see in all of the pictures)

Family Get Together

Papa's paternal side of the family got together at the lake house today and the kids were so happy to be surrounded by cousins. (I think they are their "third cousins"?) There were kids playing everywhere between cousin A's 6 little ones, cousin J's 3, our 3, and Aunt N's little one. 

(Not all of the little ones made it into the pictures)

The kids had fun fishing, scooping up snails, and finding crayfish. 

Pudge & Great Uncle Steve with two little crayfish

After the cousins left, the kids spent some time fishing on the dock.

And, of course, Papa did too

Pudge's Preschool and Soccer Pictures

Park with Pequeño

As we were getting in the car after dropping the older boys at school, Pequeño sweetly asked if we could take his new rubber duck (his prize from yesterday's dentist appointment) to the park. So, after returning our library books, we went to a small nearby park to spend the morning. He took his duck all around the park and set him down "so he could show him how to play". 

Before leaving to pick up Pudge from preschool, we sat on a bench with our drinks. As soon as he started drinking it, he said "This is delicious! Will you take a picture of my juice?"

Mother's Day 2016

This year, Mother's Day was a busy one. Papa had to work so he missed out on the fun. However, Abuela and Abuelo came down to spend the day with us. Since it was on a Sunday,  Little Bear and Pudge both had soccer games. 

Unfortunately, they overlapped in time so we had to split up. We all drove to where Little Bear's game was since his pre-game practice started a little earlier than when Pudge needed to be at his field. So, I was able to see a few minutes of his practice before Pudge and I left to drive to where his game would be. (Pequeño had decided to stay with Abuelo and Abuela to watch Little Bear's game). I'm told that his team did a great job and Little Bear was really happy that they were able to watch him play.

Pudge was snack duty for his game so, in stereotypical soccer mom style, we brought orange slices and water bottles which my dad thought was hilarious. 

He did a great job and it's fun to see the 5 year olds starting to grasp the concept of how to actually play. 

In the game, he scored 3 goals (and managed to lose a shoe during the last one). 

Both kids games finished at the same time so we made plans to meet at a restaurant for dinner. We had originally planned to go to Texas Roadhouse but since they don't take reservations, the wait would have been over an hour long. 

So, we decided to go to our favorite diner which had their Mother's Day menu. 

The kids were more than happy with the choice and the food was really good as usual. 

Afterwards, we went back to our house to have dessert (donuts) and visit for a little bit before Abuelo and Abuela headed home. 

Fun Day Together

Papa has been working a lot recently so we happily took advantage of being able to spend his day off together. In the morning, we took the kids to breakfast at a local diner. Little Bear had earned a "Golden Ticket" at school on Friday so he was able to choose some way for us all to celebrate. He chose "having a healthy day" and wanted to exercise as a family. 

So after breakfast, we headed over to a nearby park to play... 

And go on a walk & run...

and explore...

(The kids found mushrooms)

(Looking for frogs)

Pudge found an egg in the creek which looked like it had been a painted Easter egg. Since Easter was over a month ago, I got a little nervous when Papa asked him how it felt and he squeezed it and said "It's squishy!". Thank Goodness that it didn't squish everywhere! 

Pequeño wanted a picture of him making his wish.

Papa found an inchworm on a silk thread which the boys thought was really cool. 

Before leaving, Pequeño requested a picture with this tree although he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get one that wasn't blurry or had his eyes open...