Memorial Weekend

Because that Armadillo is so awful to look at I just had to put up new pictures!!

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all the men and women who have made sacrifices for our Nation!

We have been so spoiled to have a steady stream of visitors since November and to our surprise, more friends came in this weekend!!!! We went to some of our favorite spots and of course ate some good ole' tx bbq!

Unfortunately we could not get in the water today due to heavy rainfall and run off concerns but it was still a beautiful hike and made for some fun times!! It is always so refreshing to be outside in the beautiful country side!!

Armadillo

Our neighbor caught an armadillo at the end of our street and brought it to his yard so his kids could see it.....let me tell you, it is the most horrific thing I have ever seen!! Talk about creepy!! This poor creature combines all of the creepiest features of other animals into one sad looking animal!! Scales- it has gross scales, Big Ears- it has ears that look like bald cat ears, Rat tail- nothing else needs said, and to top it off, it has the creepiest face of all animals!! It was very docile, not so smart and not so agile....it just ran around looking for bugs to eat..... There is certainly a lot of wild life in the Texas Hill Country!!! I hope theses wretched pictures dont give y'all nightmares.....

Slpishin' and a Splashin'

A dear friend of mine organized a birthday luncheon so we met at some local shops and the main attraction was the fountains.....the kids loved them!! It was a perfect day! Great friends, great food, & great weather!! It doesn't get better!!

Happy Birthday!! Two Years Old!

I Can not believe it has been two years!! He has grown so fast!

To celebrate we had Banana Creme Pie and opened gifts! A scooter & garden tools!! He LOVED blowing out the candles...the second we lite them he blew them out...not sure how he knew....We had to relight them 5 times!! Just too cute!

He could not wait to play with his new toys and get outside to dig in the dirt and water the flowers!

Flowers

In high school and even a few times in college I found myself as the recipient of flowers....My first thought was always '"that was a lot of money on something that will be dead and gone in a few days".....(maybe that is why Russ has only purchased flowers for me a few times....most of which, I might add, were before we were married....) I typically would have preferred to get something that will be around longer, a good book, a piece of jewelry, perfume, etc.....

One day while reading The Essential Writings Of Ralph Waldo Emerson" I came across this thought:

"Flower and fruits are always fit presents; flower because they are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world."

Since then I have had a different respect and appreciation for flowers! This post is also a tribute to Russell's mom and my mom as they have always loved & cultivated beautiful flower gardens!! Much love to our dear mothers!!! Thanks for your examples of love and respect for nature!

The Little Guy and I went on a scavenger hunt around our yard for flowers! Here is what we found....Enjoy!

Swimmin' Hole

We went to a swimming hole/pool that is just about 20 minutes from our house. It was a beautiful 1/4 mile hike down to this huge rock dome/cliff with a swimming hole and beach entrance.....We saw plenty of wildlife including water turtles, catfish, bass, and even a gigantic snake in a tree. Afterwards we went on a hike along a stream that fed into a huge river....

(this is the pool and russ taking Rylan out to see the water)

(this is the "roof" of the rock overhang, there were ferns growing everywhere it was so cool, pictures don't do it justice)

(Russ brought his snorkel gear and found this little guy & some fish)

(Rylan loved "skipping" rocks and wading in the water)

(I have no idea what is going on in this picture or when it was even taken)

(This is the snake Brad spotted in a tree about face level just about a foot off the trail!)(This is Russ being Russ at the place where the stream merges with the river)

(Shots from the hike) (Brad, our bro-in-law)