Durango

This summer we decided to head out west for our vacation. We needed a break from this stifling heat and decided to go to Durango. On the way, we stayed in Santa Fe and got to visit with my dad. We stayed at a really nice Casino/Resort where we could see the smoke from the wildfires.
Durango was beautiful and the weather was so nice. We rented a cozy little cabin by the mountains, that had a little loft that Finn was obsessed with. Rick and Finn Finn went white water rafting while Sloane and I hung around the downtown area. Finn and I took the train to Silverton and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Rick, Sloane, and my Dad met us in Silverton where we then drove on tiny little roads on the sides mountains to Ouray. Some other fun things that we did were eating a true Chuckwagon dinner and hiking to see cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.
I loved Colorado and was plotting ways to stay there forever. The only downside was the lengthy time the kids had to spend in the car and airplane. Sloane had a bit of a meltdown on the plane ride back that may have been the most nerve-wrecking 10 minutes of my life. In the end, a great time was had by all.

Pioneers for the Day

On the Fourth of July weekend, we decided to visit Pioneer Farms. Pioneer Farms is a large farm with houses and stores that are replicas from pioneer days. It was in one word- hot! I don't know how pioneers did it with no AC! It was pretty interesting but I could barely stand an hour tour. Too hot! I liked how the pioneer guide showed Finn the barn that someone his age would probably sleep in and all of the chores that he would be responsible for. Makes feeding the fish and wiping down the table after dinner seem like a breeze!

Sloane's Favorite Word

It was this Big!!!!

Finn is officially a fisherman! Rick has taken him fishing a few times this past year, but he had never caught anything until now. Rick's friend, Randy, took them out on his boat on Lake Austin. Finn caught nine fish that he promptly threw back each time (good boy!). Rick says that he might of had a little help, but Finn reeled them in on his own. Finn had to rub it in to Rick and Randy and said "Why am I the only one catching all of the fish?" What a natural!

VBS 2011

I spent the first week of summer vacation...teaching! For the third year in a row, I taught Finn's Vacation Bible School class. Sloane hung out in the nursery while I led a class of 22 five year olds. It was a lot of work, but fun too. The theme was "New York, the Big Apple." The kids had fun dressing up for the different themes- crazy socks, crazy hair, etc. Finn had a lot of fun hanging out with his friends, learning bible stories, doing arts and crafts, and playing outside. The last day of VBS Finn and his class put on a performance for the church, singing and dancing four songs. Last year Finn froze up and wouldn't move a muscle. This year, Finn got really into it and sang and danced to every song We were so proud of him! I had a mini-melt down that after the show. Next year at VBS, Finn will no longer be the pre-school group. All of a sudden it hit me what a big boy Finn is becoming. I can't even imagine how I'll do when Finn goes to his first day of Kindergarten.

Congress Avenue Mile

Finn and I ran a mile in order to support the Citizens School program for AISD. Erin volunteered there for a semester teaching a class about writing. It is a great program that benefited at risk children of Austin, and unfortunately will probably be cut next year due to the school budget crisis.
It was Finn's first race and he was a trooper! He ran the whole time, holding my hand most of the way. He got tired but kept on running. He ran a 10 and a half minute mile. I'm so proud of my little runner!

She's got spirit, yes she does!

Little Miss Sloane is just something else! She is definitely my spirited child. Sloane is the sweetest girl in the world, as long as you give her every single thing that you want. While this can sometimes be challenging, I know that if we steer her in the right direction her spirited quality will end up being a great thing. I just need to get through the grocery store trips where she is having a screaming fit because she can't stand the idea of being strapped in a chair for an hour while I shop.
Sloane is very happy when she is outside. She's very rarely in a bad mood when she's outside. She loves Finn and is always willing to give him a hug or a kiss. Sloane is already a jokester. She will point to Rick and say "Mama" and then laugh. It's too cute.

Sloane is sometimes a challenge, but such a joy too.