Animal Attack

We went to San Antonio for a little getaway last weekend. Mom, Matt (my brother), and Becky (Matt's girlfriend) came too. It was a TOTAL BLAST. We had so much fun! The Krispy Kreme sharing a parking lot with our hotel was the first sign of a great weekend. There are no KKs in all of Houston, sadly. So be ready for a long post with lots of pictures...

Cute Baby Reiley

Matt & Becky. Aren't they cute??!!! Love them.

We visited Natural Bridge Caverns. Didn't know we had these in Texas, but it was a nice surprise.

A rare photo of Mike & I together. This is us at the entrance to the caverns.

All three girls just being their adorable selves.

This is the group-minus myself of course- after the hike through the caverns. I think it was about a mile long, but super hilly, steep, and HUMID.

Nadja, ahem, Skye, looking pretty among the bluebonnets.

Here's where the craziness began. Next door to the caverns is the Natural Bridge Safari. You drive your car through an African safari and get to feed the animals. I heard there were zebras. Read on if you care to...

This was just a pretty scenery picture. Not too exciting. Keep reading...

This little guy got lots of food. Look at his tiny little baby horns.

We didn't feed the ostriches. Something about those long necks and pointy beaks just didn't make us very comfortable. They were so big! This one just walked along with our car staring at us. I almost felt guilty about not feeding it. Almost. Had to find the zebras.We found the zebras. The green car is my mom's with her, Matt, Becky, and Michaela in it. I was so excited about being this close to the zebras that I crawled through the sunroof to get a better look. I was astounded that the zebras were coming right up to their car. Then...one zebra reached through Matt's window and stole his bag of food! That's the white thing you see one of them eating. The bag of food excited the zebras and they started bucking eachother. It was nuts. But still I was so excited to see them this close.

Then it was our turn. They were so aggressive! Check out this zebra! Hes started nibbling the steering wheel, then went after Mike's pants! It was hilarious.

Look at them! Greedy little suckers. I just couldn't believe we had 2 zebras sticking their heads into our car! All fun and games until they came to my side of the car. It was a little freaky to have them so close nibbling at anything they can get. At one point Mike and I both had zebra heads in our laps and we were as close to the center console as would allow. I don't think I have ever felt such a strong sensation to laugh and scream at the same time. It was CRAZY! This zebra kept showing me his pearly whites. That was when I rolled up the window. How do we find those cute little mountain goats again??

Day Trip to Galveston

I woke up this morning NEEDING to see the ocean. Ever have those days? So we packed up the kids and drove an hour south to Galveston Island. The weather was sunny and 70- perfect for hanging out on the beach. We played in the sand for awhile then crossed the street to eat a seafood lunch- well, they ate seafood...I stuck to poultry. We even got some ice cream before heading home. It was THE GREATEST day I've had in a while. I am totally recharged and ready to face the last few weeks of tax season.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

Michaela was jumping on my bed one night and Reiley thought it was hilarious. I kept taking all these pictures trying to capture the moment because Reiley was laughing so hard. Then I remembered to put down the camera and enjoy the moment. Some things are better stored in your heart than on a memory card.

Smiley Reiley...and other things

By far, Reiley is the smiliest baby we've had. All you have to is smile at her and she does it right back. It melts my heart everytime. The saddest part of recent, is that her hair is starting to fall out. Everytime you kiss her head a little hair or two sticks to your lips. Her crib looks like Chubaka slept there. Isn't she just CUTE?!?!

Michaela has dubbed herself the "Medium" sister. With temps in the 60s & 70s, it appears that spring has hit in Spring. Michaela is outdoors whenever possible...climbing trees, drawing with sidewalk chalk, digging holes, etc. Skye is, well, Skye. She thinks its great she can take pictures of herself in the mirror. This seems to find this amusing (she's 12) . She is changing more and more everyday. That adversity she had toward anything pink? Gone. She is looking forward to high school already and is starting to talk boys. Yikes!

But, the most exciting news, you ask?! Tom is coming to Texas and he's bringing the Heartbreakers!! And I got row 14!!!! The closest I have been yet! Love me some Petty!! May 16th is the day...just in time for my *gasp* 30th birthday.

Tis the (tax) Season!

Therefore, don't expect anything great out of me for at least the next 3 months. I am crazy busy juggling my usual accounting job, my mother/wife duties, a church calling, and now adding 20+ tax appointments a week on to it all. But I LOVE what I do and wouldn't trade it for the world.

The real excitement of the week is this... Reiley learned how to grab! Nadja, Michaela and I were all hovering over her the night she did this for the first time. Every time she would grab a ring we would all shout and clap. That in turn scared the living daylights out of Reiley. She got a big (alas freaking adorable) pouty lip and cried.

Pictures of the Week

I feel too lazy to write much on the blog anymore, but here are some great shots of the girls.

Michaela had her dance show at the Little Gym (thank GOODNESS it's finally over). She liked dance, but wants to go back to karate. We're looking in to our options.

Isn't this a super cute picture?! I framed it for my desk. Now I just have to remember to take it to work when I go.

With Nadja gone at school all day, then busy with homework and Young Women's at night, I have to make more of an effort to get her picture taken. Fortunately she doesn't mind.

Reiley LOVES bathtime and it shows.

Surgery Sucks

I don't recommend it. Unless deemed necessary by those who know, like my surgeon. I'm home- sore, bruised, loopy, tired, and drugged. My discharge papers say not to sign anything in the next 3 days. I thought it was a little extreme, but if you've seen how long it takes me to type-due to all the misspellings-you would agree I ought not be signing anything in this condition.

On the brightside...I told those gallstones who's boss.