California... part 2!

On the second day we went to Laguna Beach and enjoyed to quaint downtown with all its trendy shops and great restaurants. We walked for about 3 or more hours and then ate some lunch before heading back to our condo to get our swimsuit for... our FIRST surfing lesson!!

For those of you that don't know, I am INCREDIBLY scared of sharks. I am TERRIFIED of sharks! I have seen all of the Jaws movies about 20 times each and thus Sonny and I had to have a funny/serious conversation with the instructor as they both assured me that we would not be eaten! Yes, we were laughing but I was still honestly pretty scared (plus the water was about 65 degrees!!). Though we are not going to be competing in professional surfing competitions, we both were able to get up and ride a few waves in. The waves were about 7-8 feet high and more powerful than I could have imagined. To say that we got "beat up" by the waves is quite an understatement!

We survived! No shark attacks!!

California Trip... part 1

Sonny really wanted us to write down our California trip so we don't forget the great time that we had there so these posts are mainly for us to remember our amazing trip! 

Peets Coffee and Tea was my special treat on the trip. They had amazing pumpkin spice lattes that I enjoyed from the start of the trip until the end! Yummy!!

Here we are on the plane... one week of relaxation and sweet time together.

Sonny was so stinin' amazing and rented a Jeep Wrangler for us to use for the week. It was AMAZING!! We drove with the top of the jeep off the whole week and got some major sun. The weather was amazing!!

We went to Manhattan Beach outside of LA on the first day. We looked a little funny because we were still in our "plane" attire (planes are always cold so we had on long pants and I had on boots) and everyone else was wearing beach attire. Oh- well!

We had a great lunch together at a seafood place and just tried to soak in the California climate.

We drove all over LA and admired the enormous houses. Beverly Hills was breathtaking!

We went to visit some great friends of ours who live outside of LA, Boaz and Allie and there kiddos. It was so nice to catch up with them and see a little bit of how their lives are as Californians =) We forgot to take a picture of our time with them!!

We headed to our condo late that evening. This is the view when you walk down to the beach from our condo. It was simply amazing!!

Time Flies!

Summer is coming to a close and fall is almost here! I can't believe that the summer went by so fast. We had a great time making the most of even the smallest adventures. We are continually thankful for our wonderful friends and family that make life so sweet...

3 Generations! Charles (B-Dad), Sonny and Asher. Charles moved back to Texas this summer so we have been able to see him a lot more these days =)

Asher climbing trees at Great-Grandma Howard's house...

We always go to eat at a Chinese Buffet in Wharton when we go there to visit. The kids got a special treat (lollypops) from the waitress... mmm... SUGAR!!

I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready one evening and I overheard Asher telling his "Sissy" that he wanted to read her a book. I grabbed my camera as fast as I could to capture the moment. I am so thankful for the sweet moments that they have with one another...

We go to Willowbrook Mall quite often when it is blazing hot because the kids love to run around in their indoor playground (and its FREE entertainment). The kids also love to climb all over these machines. We thought we would take this picture for Papa =)... Harley boy in training!

Our small group started out more than 3 years ago as a bunch of young couples- some married and some engaged. We have been growing a lot recently and soon I think the kids will outnumber us!! So thankful for these wonderful friends that we get to do life with!

Kinley and Zoee are 3 months apart to the day. They are growing to be such great friends. 

I took an idea from Pinterest and decided to let the kids "help" me mop the floor/appliances. I just got them each a bucket of soapy water and let them "paint" with bubbles on anything in the kitchen (minus cabinets). They were entertained for quite some time and when they were done, I just mopped the floor and wiped down the appliances. It turned out great for all of us.

I was trying out some new craft ideas and made Zoee and Kinley matching shirts. They turned out okay and both girls wore them to bible study one night without the mommies even planning it...

Our little Zoe-Bear... now a toddler =(

Asher and the Lion King!!

Asher has been in love with the Lion King for quite some time. He loves to watch the movie and pretend to be Simba- it's so entertaining sometimes. Sonny and I love to hear him sing- even though his musical abilities are just as "great" as mine are. Hope this makes you smile!!

Family Day= Houston Zoo!!

Even though our whole family still seems to have an ongoing cold, we have been telling the kids for a few days that we were going to take them to the zoo on family day. Asher has been seriously obsessed with dinosaurs lately (he roars continually) and they have a whole dinosaur exhibit that lasts until September! My parents got us zoo passes for the whole year as a birthday present and we have already used the passes so much. What a great gift! We never really get to see the whole zoo in one trip (it's so hot and the zoo is huge) but we try to see the kids favorite animals. Zoee loves to go to the petting zoo and pet the goats, Asher loved seeing the dinosaurs (he would just stand there in awe of them until we made him move on to the next animal!!) and they both love feeding the giraffes. Though it was hot and we weren't feeling 100%, we had a great time and got home in time for naps!!

Feeding the giraffes their salad! Yummy!!

Handsome little man in awe of the giraffes!

Very life-like depiction of a T-Rex! The kids honestly couldn't tell the difference between these "pretend" animals and the real ones! Great job Houston Zoo!

We all got to pet the baby alligator!

Incredibly thankful the T-Rex isn't real!

Daddy and dinosaurs... Asher's favorite!

More Summertime Pictures...

As I was looking through my photo library, I noticed that there were a bunch of random pictures that I have not had time time to edit/load. Here are some more moments that I think should be documented in the Howard photo library =).

Our street had a block party at the beginning of the summer and everyone rented a HUGE slide to go between our house and our neighbors house. The kids LOVED it! Asher was a little hesitant at first but he gets pretty brave when he sees other boys doing something he might not have otherwise had the courage to attempt. This was one such event. One of our neighbor boys was so sweet to slide with Asher a few times until he got the courage to go by himself.

Our neighbor Kielee loves to help me with Zoee. She is so sweet to both our kiddos...

Zoee at the block party... just chillin'

Three of our neighbor girls. They are so good with all the little kids...

We have been to the Oil Ranch in Hockley 2 times this summer (thanks to Living Social deals) and the kids love it! Asher still talks about how he was able to jump in the huge barn filled with hay and the train that we all got to ride. They let you feed cows, hold baby goats, ride horses, jump in the hay, ride trains and just PLAY a lot. It's pretty hot there in the summer but they even have a little pool that the kids can play in after getting all sweaty. Here are some picture from our first trip earlier this summer...

Asher and the horse...

Zoee giving me her "no pictures please" look...

Zoee and Kinley...

Me and the crazy kiddos...

Beautiful Kinley...

 The train! What kid wouldn't LOVE to ride this!!??

Kristen and Kinley...

Kaitlyn and the goats... =)