Annual Beach Trip

 I am a few weeks behind in posting this, but I think I have a good excuse.  I am moving to the other side of the world. Okay, not the world but Idaho definitely feels like another planet to me so I think it gives me an excuse.  Anyway. A few weeks ago we were very blessed to be able to spend a week with my family at the beach in North Carolina.  This is a trip that we take every year and look forward to going back the next year as soon as it is over. I for one love the beach and I especially love the beach when other people cook me food and play with my children.  That is really what I dream about at night, so this vacation is a true vacation for me!

Here are just a few (this actually a true statement, I think I have about 300 pics from the week) of our trip:

Jonathan & Valerie

Uncle Jonathan

Isla loved the beach!

Isla & her uncles

Uncle Jonathan

Aren't they cute? 

a typical dinner spread- delicious & impressive!

Yes, I would like to help bury you in the sand so you can't move, that sounds amazing...

I mean, stop it...

It's hard to tell if she likes it...

Sarah & Justin

Isla & Aunt Sarah

Isla got a beach braid

checking out the sand turtle

Grandpa & Knox

The whole crew

Knox got swim lessons every day from Grandpa

Isla & Grandpa

Racing with Uncle Justin

this girl wears here emotions on her sleeve

sitting with Great-Grandma Charlotte

making donuts with Mana

the best part of making donuts!

Knox is obsessed with Legos

Isla loved the hot tub

squirt guns with Aunt Sarah

This year's beach week was no exception. We had a blast and already can't wait for next year! 

-Stacie 

Our going away party...

Things are getting real here for us.  Now that we've had our going away party and the moving truck is coming this week I am starting to believe that we may actually be moving.  This past week was a very difficult week for me. We have started to say goodbye to friends and that is the hardest part.  Our house is feeling bare and like a bomb went off all at the same time.  It is crazy and exciting and sad- which is honestly just making me very tired.  I think when this week is done I will be very thankful.  

We officially leave Austin on Thursday.  The kids & I will leave by airplane and fly to Spokane to spend a week with Kyle's family.  Kyle & Mercedes will leave by car and drive the 25 hours to Boise for him to start working on Monday again.  Our cars and stuff should arrive sometime around August 1st, which is when the kiddos & I plan on arriving in Boise.  Slightly convoluted but I think moving across the country with 2 small children, 3 cars, 1 dog and a partridge in a pear-tree kind of warrants such craziness.  

Back to the going away party.  We had some wonderful friends who offered to host this party for us so we all met up at a local restaurant/bar and ate food, drank margaritas (oh Texas, I will miss those) and tried not to cry to much (or at least that was how my evening went- I held it together pretty well at the party and then proceeded to cried until I couldn't see the next morning,d bc my eyes were so puffy, once I got home).  It was bittersweet but we are so thankful and blessed by the amazing friends that God gave us here in Austin.  

my old college roomie Hilary

Tiffany & Allison

Ryan giving us a toast

Cheers!

the gang

the Rouses

Allison & Allison- so sad to leave these two!

Ryan & Allison- they have been our family here in Texas

Kyle & I never imagined we would move to Texas after he finished business school in 2009. But God gave us a church we loved and deep friendships.  And now here we are again- we never imagined we would be moving to Idaho but I know that God will bless us again and we are excited for our next adventure.

-Stacie

Packing it in...

With our move date fast approaching I have been trying to do as many fun Austin-y things as possible with the kiddos. This week we visited Blue Bell Creameries about and hour and a half west of Austin.  It was a bit of a trek but the kids had fun and it was a really good tour- so success!

a rare pic with mom

crazies

eating their "free" ice cream after the tour

little cuties

Isla and her buddy Parker

eating some ice cream

Knox was pumped!

riding the cow statue...

being silly

watching the ice cream being made 

he's going through a silly faces stage...

A different day this week we also made a visit to 'Foodie Kids'. Foodie Kids is a really cute store here in Austin where kids can take cooking classes or do a drop-in and decorate a cupcake, cookie or pizza. The kids had a lot of fun decorating their cupcakes and then eating them of course!

I still can't get over the pigtails

Isla mainly ate her frosting

listening to their teachers

 It was a fun week hanging out with friends and trying to pack all our Austin activities in.

-Stacie

Waco Zoo

Waco is my favorite city in Texas. It holds so many special memories for me and my years at Baylor. So on my bucket list before we leave for Boise was one more trip to Waco.  Even though it is a small town, Waco has a really awesome zoo so we decided to take the kiddos there for one last time. 

Isla is our big animal kid- she loves them all! Knox not so much, he spent most of the day whining about how tired he was.  Oh three year olds, you are so much fun sometimes...

checking out the bald eagle 

the giant tortoises

the fish tank 

this girl loves her daddy

it's impossible to get them both looking...

We had a fun trip to the zoo and since this summer hasn't been too hot yet even the weather was great!

-Stacie