Babe-sies

Do I have two mini Tommy Doyles on my hands....or what???

It's funny, but...I am amazed at how two boys can look just like their father but not look like each other. They both have identical features of Tommy, just not the same ones. I love it!

Happy Birthday Shannon

Here's a little something for my sis-in-law's birthday today! A fun, springy handbag. This year has been my year to learn how to sew...which explains why if your birthday is on my iCal, you've received a handmade birthday present in the mail. After I get good at this sewing business tho, no promises for future birthdays, okay? But if you want to get in on the action while I'm still fresh, leave your birth date in the comment section. You just might get something cool in the mail from South Texas.

You can find this fun and fast pattern here.

Weather in Texas

One of my favorite things about living in the great expanse of Texas is the weather we get to experience. There is nothing like sipping sweet tea on the porch while watching monstrous thunder heads form right before your eyes.

The sky gets dark and the earth is still for moments before the storm.

Eventually the clouds get to heavy to contain themselves...

And the pounding on the metal roof begins...with loud thunder claps and enormous booms of thunder.

And then...the aftermath, which is the best part for Riley. Playing in the puddles and the earth smelling like it got a much needed bath.

Thank you Lord.

Sweet Sleep

My friend, Hannah had a birthday recently. This was sewn in her honor and shipped to northern California to grace her bed.

Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

—Psalm 4:8

Backhoes and Boys

Riley and Grandpa doing some "dirt work" on the farm...

Texas sunset

Baby Love

Is he really three months already? Say it ain't so....

Hay Trade

I recently met a young woman who does swimming lessons in her backyard and we were so excited to enroll Riley as soon as possible. Her prices were steep though, too steep for us...so we were bummed. On the phone, the young lady happened to mention that this drought has been so hard on her that she has had to irrigate out of the river to produce hay for her grass-fed cows. I had one of those "ah-ha" moments...

"Well," I said, "I live on a hay farm and we have lots of hay. Would you be interested in trading hay for swim lessons?" She was thrilled!

The bartering system is still alive and well in some parts of the states.

Leave It To Beaver

Who is this guy???

Grandpa and Gigi took him to lunch at his favorite mexican place, Olivia's, and he came back with a new slick doo.

This part is so straight...I couldn't have used a ruler to do better!

Apparently he was very good for the barber and got a sucker. When he got home he kept running his fingers through his hair saying, "Mama, it's crunchy...like cereal." The barber used quite a bit of hairspray.

Goggle-Man

Found these $1.50 beauties at Wal-Mart the other day. Riley is happy to open his eyes under water now. You know, he's gotta look at underwater gems like submarines, frogs, and hidden treasures.

Baby Blessings

Getting mail is just the best! Yesterday we received an oh-so-nice present from our friends Cortnee and Mike in Humboldt. Thank you for thinking about us and our new babe, Cort!!!

A very nice card, put directly into Abram's baby book.

Awesome Flappy Hat, which will be used today at Sea World and every day after today until it's too small for his cute head.

Adorable and yummy soft outfit!

Even Riley scored! He got an awesome matching/puzzle game with beautiful pictures and lovely colors. THANK YOU CORT!!!!

Three Year Old Linguistics

Last night, Riley and I were walking in the field to the top of the hill to try to catch a beautiful sunset. Abram fell asleep in the sling and I asked Riley to look at how cute he was. He did and sighed, "augh!" I said, "I just love him to pieces." And Riley said, "Me too, Mama, I love him to brakes."

(Earlier in the day as we ate dinner on the porch, he dropped his fiestware plate on the cement. I said, "Oh no, don't drop it, it will brake into pieces." This is how his mind was working last night.)

Swimming Hole

Big Tom brought home a copy of Texas Monthly from the Doctor's office which featured Texas' 25 best swimming holes. It's my personal mission to see them all while we are here.

This one is in Wimberly...another cute, quaint, artsy town in the hill country between San Antonio and Austin. Marybeth kept saying it smelled like Bayou country....and we half expected alligators to be in this river. It was mossy, lush, big tree roots lined the bottom, and fish here and there.

The Taylor bunch

TnT

Baby Abram napped in the heat by the river side

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

Fun on the Fourth

Went to a BBQ down the street for the 4th for July. They had a kiddie pool which nicely entertained the children for a few hours. The food was amazing too...mesquite smoked chicken stuffed with jalopenos and wrapped in bacon, brisket, country potatoes, cowboy beans, and hand stuffed deer sausage.

The perfect capture of water getting splashed on undeserving Isaac.

Father and Son

Father and Son

Then, we headed to the local City Park for fireworks. We enjoyed ourselves at the playground while the sun was busy setting.

We pulled the truck up close to the firework launch and sat in the bed of the pick up.

Look at Abram look at his Grandpa!

Riley was a wee bit scared of the "boom" and stayed under the lawn chairs for the first half of the show. After he realized he was perfectly safe and there was nothing to fear, he surfaced and joined the rest of us.