Star Spangled Pretzels

A national meet at UT coincided with the Fourth of July this year. So, I decided to tackle both events and make patriotic treats for our friends/neighbors that could also be treats for the swimmers. Who doesn't love pretzels, white chocolate and sprinkles?! I thought so.

B Meet

Abigail qualified for her first regional meet this year. She qualified for five races, which meant she had to swim all three days of the meet because of when those events were scheduled. Unfortunately, the meet was scheduled at the worst pool in our region. Ugh... I met my complaining max this weekend and you're about to hear all about it.

The pool was 45 minutes from us and we had to be there by 7 a.m. for prelims Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Abigail was awesome and made it to finals every day. It was not awesome to get back in the car after a nap and drive back to the pool by 4 p.m. all three days. I tried to get a hotel close to the pool, but they didn't exist.

Even worse, the pool was outdoors. It's the only outdoor pool Abigail has ever swam at, and we found out why. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot and it's hot. Backstroke is almost impossible when staring at the sky. And, it's hot.

The meet was set up terribly and the swimmers had to swim in a short course pool for prelims and a long course pool for finals. It just wasn't fair for anyone.

There were no electronic timing systems so they relied on human timers. There were many errors. Our swimmers usually swim at UT, so that just wasn't good enough for them.

If you're still reading this, you're a glutton for punishment, which is how I felt every time we drove back to the pool this weekend. Thankfully, Gran came to show her support and helped out through the weekend. Although the meet was not enjoyable, the kids still found a way to have some fun.


Now, we're looking forward to next season. Short course meets begin in October!

Father's Day

Our annual Father's Day tradition is in full force this year. Since we were going to be gone during the weekend, the kids made these a few weeks ago. We make them every year for Daniel, Grandad and PaBear. The grandparents especially love having them in their gardens. The kids always love making them.


Since we make six stepping stones, I am especially happy the kids are now helpful. These are much easier to make than they were when the kids were babies. They weren't as helpful. If you've never tried to keep a baby from grabbing wet cement, I don't recommend it.

Just Beachy

We traveled to Corpus Christi this weekend for a big swim meet. It was nice to take four days away from home and spend with our closest friends, the swim team. Most of all, Abigail had a great meet. She made four more qualifying times for regional championship meet. Her 200 IM, 100 Fly and 200 Free were her best swims of the meet. She won five ribbons, and we were so proud!


She had a lot of fun cheering on her friends.


She especially had fun cheering on her teammates in a relay. Of course, the girls were a first place team.


Of course, we were excited to be on the coast and back to seafood. But, we were disappointed to find out that the Texas coastal version of seafood isn't the same as what we've been accustomed to. Apparantly, fried shrimp is considered a delicacy in Texas. Oh, well. The kids had fun eating on the pier.


On our way out of town, we made one vital stop. The kids wouldn't let us leave the coast without a few hours at the beach. We were pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had!

Carter, the Model

KellyAnn brought Carter to Round Rock this weekend for a little photo shoot. He wasn't very happy about it, so it didn't last long. There's just no fighting it when a baby doesn't want to join the party. But, we got a few pretty shots.






See, I told you he wasn't happy with me.

We've Gone to the Birds

One of Abigail's swim coaches, Megan, works in a salon during the day. The girls look up to her and want to do everything she does. So, it didn't take long before Abigail wanted to join Megan in the latest fashion trend, hair feathers. They seem fun and benign, so I was happy to oblige.


School was still in session, so she had to choose brunette colors that blended into her hair. I wasn't about to chance the school's strict dress code and force them to create a no-feather policy. Still, they were too cute!


I'm not in school, so I opted for some fun, bright colors. It's silly, but I think they are too fun! I at least had them put in the bottom of my hair so they are easily hidden if needed.


Now that school's out, Abigail wanted to spice up her feathers. I love the new look!

Girls Just to Have Fun... And Race!

Cooper and Daniel are out of town for a boys' fishing weekend, so Abigail and I are doing all things girly. You know, shopping, chick flicks, painting our nails and racing!


Abigail joined me at the Pink Flamingo 5K in Cedar Park this morning, and we had a blast. She did have to walk a few times so she finished after me, but I was so proud her her awesome time. I finished in 28 minutes...


I then went back on the race path and headed to the finish line again with Abigail. She finished in 38 minutes!


It was a blast! Chic-fil-a was waiting with yummy breakfast sandwiches at the finish line, and Abigail enjoyed the face painting.



I can't wait to run another race with my favorite girl!