In Celebration of Grandmom Hipkins

Even though the occasion was a sad one, we ended up having a good time being with all the family. The services that we attended included a cemetery service and a memorial service at the church. Grandmom Hipkins was a woman of God who took Scripture seriously and literally. Every time she attended church, she covered her hair, and over the years built quite a collection of hats. The women of the family thought it a good idea to honor her by wearing hats during the services. It was beautiful- all the women looked so classy! We think she would have liked it!




Gigi playing with her Auntie Heidi



twirling in the pretty dresses



more twirling



Garcia Family



Mama and the Baby

Denver Trip: Round 2

Unfortunately, soon after we returned from Denver, we received the news we knew would be soon coming: Grandmom Hipkins passed away. Staying home and not going to her funeral was not an option, so we packed up the van, and away we went again to Colorado. God must know that by the time we hit the Colorado border we are tired of being in the car and in such close proximity to each other and in desperate need of inspiration and motivation. During the drive, we were blessed for the second time with a beautiful view of a full double rainbow! It was so close, it seemed like we could have touched it if we just put our hands out the window of the car. Right after seeing it, we were snowed on. During the afternoon. In August. Wow!

Vacation- Grandmom and Grandpop

One of our main reasons for taking the trip to Denver was to see Steve's grandparents and introduce them to Deacon. This was especially special to us because our Deacon Nelson is named after Steve's Grandpop, Joseph Nelson. The visit was great! Gigi loved on and snuggled with her Great-Grandmom, and Deacon got to play on the floor with his Great-Grandpop. Claire, of course, was oblivious and played by herself with the dolls.

Vacation- Through the Storm

Unfortunately our time with the Longs was short lived. We still had to drive through Oklahoma, Kansas and half of Colorado to get to our destination. We were very blessed that the spring storms decided to take a break during most of our drive. Right before we left most of Tornado Alley was alive with thunderstorms and tornadoes, so we knew that there was always a possibility of being delayed by the weather. We were safe until we were about 50 miles from the Kansas-Colorado border. At that point the clouds darkened and we were hearing severe weather warnings on the radio telling us of thunderstorms with 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts. The storm was really intense and very scary! At one point we considered pulling off the road and waiting it out, but we were driving behind the big trucks and figured if they could keep going, we sure could too! Afterward, we were so glad that we didn't stop, because if we had we would have missed the best part of the storm- the full double rainbow! WOW- talk about gorgeous! It sure made the uncertainty of driving through the storm worth every minute.

heading into the storm

during the storm

the light at the end- storm's almost over!

our prize!

Vacation- The Longs

In mid-July we took a family trip (yes, in the car with three kids for 16 hours!) to Denver to see family. Of course, no trip up north would be complete without stopping by to see Lisa and Clint Long. Or as Gigi says: Auntie Wisa and Untle Twint. During this trip they were gracious enough to let us visit Clint's parents and Clint's parents' pool. I wish this leg of the trip could have lasted a little longer- we had so much fun!

He's on the move!

And our lives have changed forever! What a curious, fun-loving boy!

Fourth of July

Fourth of July 2009 was spent with our friends, the Kloubec family. Every year they host a party, and we were able to attend this year. Dave is incredibly talented with a barbecue grill, and we all came away from the party fat and happy. Unfortunately the pictures we took of this event didn't turn out well, so we have mostly memories of being hot and sweaty outside in 100-plus degree heat while watching the kiddos run around wet from the water slide. Good times...

Here are some wonderful shots of the babies on July 5th, though, and they were just as cute.

sweet little tomboy

Drama Queen

can't resist that handsome face

Summer 2009 Updates

Kids always grow up entirely too fast. Gigi is now 3 1/2 and a smart little girl. Claire is 2 and our little charmer, and our sweet boy Deacon is almost 6 months old and is already trying to sit up and crawl.

Is there a way to make them slow down a little so we can enjoy them just a little longer?



loves having her picture taken



begging for another cupcake



nursing her baby (she even burps baby after!)



she knows we can't resist that face



he tries to sit up by himself and ends up falling over



rocking on his hands and knees and mad because he isn't going anywhere

Backyard Swimming

We recently bought a little pool for our backyard, and the girls love playing outside in the water- really, what kid doesn't! Last week they had friends over to play and I couldn't help snapping a few pics of the cuties.

No, this isn't the pool!

Somehow they both ended up in the bucket instead of the pool...

Dancing Girls

Dance, dance Baby! These girls are so much fun!

Pflugerville Lake

One of our favorite activities this summer has been to go swimming at the Pflugerville Lake that is located 5 minutes from our home. Our friend Julie (or as Claire says, Miss Jewey) will bring her dogs and meet us for some splashing good fun. The dock that we normally go to is only 2 feet deep at its deepest, and the girls love being able to be independent, and I love being able to sit and relax and watch them play.

Oh, happiness...