double digits

my sweet elayna turned 10 years old last week! a whole decade! where did the time go?

last weekend we had a luau themed birthday party. elayna decided she just wanted a family party with all her cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. uncle travis even came all the way from mississippi.

umbrellas for the drinks. the kids loved these

veggie pizza. i also made a colorful fruit platter with dip but forgot to take a photo

some of the delicious kebabs ready to be grilled

the birthday girl. i miss her now that she has gone back to school. wish she could stay here all day with me. she is such a funny, happy girl and a big help with her younger siblings. we love you elayna! (i cut her hair the day after the party, hence the shorter hair in the first three photos.)

toledo bend

a few weeks ago we spent the weekend at toledo bend with my sister and her family. we stayed in a cabin that had a gorgeous view of the lake. the weekend was filled with swimming, fishing, playing games, making smores by the campfire, exploring, and just relaxing. we had such a great time! avery asked if we could live at the cabin forever. wouldn't that be nice!

avery loved making sandcastles! that was her favorite thing to do. she was thrilled to find this ratty old feather to place on top of her sandcastle. i think she even brought the feather back to the cabin.

the kids trying to get the fish out of their net to place in the bucket. they caught lots of little fish using goldfish crackers and a net.

the beautiful view from the cabin's back deck

walking the path by the cabin

there was even a nice playground next to the cabin!

it was such a fun weekend. so glad we had one last getaway before school started!

walter and jessica

a few weekends ago i did a photoshoot with my cute sister jessica and her hubby. we took the photos in a beautiful area of houston with huge oak trees, located close to their new place. we had such a fun time taking photos and visiting with them in their new home. here's a few...

then we headed down to a really cool graffiti wall. lady joined them for a few photos. she was so wiped out from her walk with uncle dan. all she wanted to do was lie on the cement, but we managed to get a few.

such a cute little lady

yum

homemade oreo cookies. recipe found here. so easy, elayna makes them. so yummy!

beach day

i love beach days! especially when we have family with us. the cousins always have the best time playing together.

best friends...

the kids took turns burying each other in the "sand."

those two lumps on the ground are dario and aiden

evan loved the beach. the water was very calm that day. hardly any waves. he loved to lie on his tummy and kick his legs in the shallow water.

such a fun day!