Texas Family Reunion

Shawn, Laura, and I just recently returned from Texas where we spent 5 days with Shawn's immediate family. We had a great time visiting with everyone, especially considering Shawn's brother and his family will be heading back to Kenya in August and we won't see them again for 2 years! The weather was absolutely beautiful -- not nearly as hot as east Texas normally is in July. We were able to have a family picture taken, go to the pool and a local water park, and spend a lot of time sitting around talking. Enjoy the pictures!

The whole family (minus one nephew that had already headed back to Kenya) - taken by a friend of Shawn's sister. She did a great job!

The 3 of us...if you look really closely you can tell that Laura just took a bite of her flower!

Laura loved pushing her cousin Ava around in this baby stroller -- it provided hours of entertainment!

A nice picture of Shawn and Laura.

Laura loved the water park. She had no fear and even went down the kiddie slides by herself!

Laura and MeMa

Fatherly thoughts: 'Bug' and the last bottle

You killed your first bug today.

Daddy was so proud … mommy nearly cried. Well, Ok, it wasn’t a “bug.”

It was a worm … not exactly a bug. But close enough. It’s creepy and crawly and everything a bug should be.

You and I were hanging out on the porch this afternoon, and I spotted it crawling around in the grass. I immediately did what every good father would do – I picked it up and handed it to you.

You seemed to think it was pretty cool with all of your ooohs and ahhs. You quickly began to squash it between your fingers. I told you to be gentle – at least at first. I didn’t want all the fun ending too quickly.

But, since you're still working on your English skills, you really don't have a clue what gentle means. The next thing I know ... you hand me half of the worm. Last time I checked, the worm was on life support. It didn’t look good for the poor fella.

So anyway, your mom called and I gave an update on how your day had gone so far. I gave her the morning nap report: you slept a couple hours. I gave her the lunch report: you ate a grilled cheese sandwich and some applesauce. And then I just casually mentioned that you were playing with a worm outside … I didn’t even mention that you pulled it apart yet … and your mother immediately became alarmed. “Shawn, she’s a girl. She’s not supposed to play with worms.” And I guess this makes sense, since your mom declares something is dirty if it has a spot the size of a pinhead on it. And since I seem to have a spot or two on about every shirt and pair of pants I own, I’m always wearing “dirty clothes.”

I eventually mentioned the pulling apart element of the story, and your mother started asking over and over if I washed your hands. And at that point, she sounded a little teary ... maybe not ... but it sounds more dramatic that way. "Have I washed her hands?" I thought.

“Stephanie, it’s a worm … not Cobra or a disease-infested rat. It’s a worm!”

So maybe you got a little extra protein today. Big whoop. I’m definitely learning about your mother's fear that you will become a Tom Boy ... or fall in love with ultimate fighting. She’s all about dance and gymnastic lessons and whatever else little girls do. Of course I can’t help but hold out a little hope of seeing a little black-haired ponytail blowing in the breeze as you chase down a soccer ball. I mean, come on, you're Colombian. There has to be some soccer genes in there somewhere. Well, Laura, whatever you decide to do mommy and daddy will be proud of you.

Last week, you took the big step of officially moving from a bottle to a sippy cup. I have to admit I had your mother take a picture of the last bottle. A little corny, I know, but I'm glad I did. It seemed like I looked away for just a second, and you had already finished it.

It made me a little sad – but not as sad as that worm. May he rest in peace ... or pieces.

Shawn's Family Visits

In early June Shawn's family came down to the lake for the weekend. We were thrilled to see everyone...especially since Shawn's brother and his family will be returning to Kenya in August. We spent most of the time on the water. Everyone was able to water ski and lounge around on rafts next to the boat. We had a great time learning how to play a card game called Foot and Mouth, though I have totally forgotten now how it goes...hopefully Jan can teach us again next week when we all get together in Texas! Here are the pics:

Big brothers always tell little brothers how to do everything!

The Hendricks Family (minus Rex) enjoying the water.

MeMa enjoying a sunset cruise.

Laura and me enjoying the breeze.

Our lovely niece Tiffany.

Steph and Titus saying 'cheese' for the camera!

We are all caught up now with our blogging. Check back in a day or two for Shawn's latest Fatherly Thoughts. Hope you are all having a good summer!

My Family Visits

In mid-June my grandparents and aunt were able to come out from Missouri for a visit. They just couldn't wait to see more of Laura and spend some time with us at home and at the lake. We had a great time the whole week they were here. Shawn was out of town, so Laura and I were able to spend an extra-long weekend at the lake to enjoy the weather and water. Here are some of the pics from our week...

Aunt Mary and Laura having a tea party at our house.

Great-grandma and Great-grandpa helping Laura play with the seashells on the beach.

Laura leading me around in the water. On a side note, she is getting very close to walking. She takes a few steps at a time and has great balance. We are expecting her to take off any day now.

Laura doing some reading on the deck...I guess she is ready to do some shopping!

Be sure to check back in a day or two for pictures of Shawn's family visit!