Dance Camp

 The girls went to Dance Discovery's week camp in August.  The theme was Peter Pan's Tinkerbell (I don't think they tried to kill human girls but I wasn't there....)  They did build fairy houses during the outside playground time with huge blocks.  

 Show offs!  Caleb got to come and they wore their last year's recital outfits again.  Gloria is growing up and really enjoyed it this time!

Faking Grace

Faking Grace, by Tamara Leigh

I normally avoid Christian fiction especially of the romantic kind.  Faking Grace, in many ways was exactly what I expected but there was some good to it too.

First of all, after the first couple of chapters, you could map out the plot.  But it all turned out in a fun, quick-read, feel-good way.  I liked the characters.  I also like laughing at Christianese and though it was done in predicable ways, it was still humorous.  Even though it was a light read, there were some really deep and serious subjects dealt with-drug use, eating disorders and shockingly how old Christians turn people off faith by being grippy and mean (Billy Graham addresses this in his Coming Home book as well).  All these are dealt with showing how Christians are human yet can be full of grace; and though serious issues are addressed its not depressing to read them.  I am glad all it all worked out for Maizy Grace and (SPOILERS) she got the cute British guy and her friend is working on her problem and her grandma realized she needs to show grace and most importantly her faith became real to her again. 

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction or anyone who wants to give a light hearted faith filled book a try. 

I got this book for free by agreeing to review it on my blog from Multnomah’s Blogging for Books.  

Jesus, My Father, the CIA and me...

I really need to blog our trip to Mexico, but next best thing, I read this book while in Mexico :)
Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts
by Ian Cron
This book made me laugh and made me cry.  I love memoirs, even memoirs of sorts.  I love someone telling their story with the ups and downs and heartaches and joys and in these types with redemption weaved it.  Unlike (most) Christian fiction, you can't map the plot after reading a chapter.  And even with the redemption, it doesn't always wrap up nicely.  So in the same vein as Anne Lamott and Donald Miller, Ian Cron adds his story of finding faith and the struggles and triumphs before and after.
He tells about his childhood with an alcoholic father (many of the tears) and growing up and leaving his faith and coming back to it.
One of my favorite parts was when he was talking about his divided life in college of drinking too much too often and going to the Christian fellowship as well and he described the interactions he had with those Christians: "A few of them were overzealous.  Some were gloomy, and others were way to nice...but not one was insincere.  They were fine souls who sensed the anguish of my dividedness and wanted to help."
Though this might be a spoiler, the book ends with Ian helping others in the same way and overcoming many of the issues of his past.  I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading some of his others.  
I received this book for free by agreeing to review it on my blog from Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze.

Art Days

 The Austin Symphony hosts Children's Art Days in the Park.  We took Kylie to see the Teddy Bear Picnic.  For kids who are easily sensitivity overloaded this place is a nightmare.  People walking around playing instruments, clowns, balloons, huge crowds, $.10 lemonade (there isn't even a cent sign anymore on computer!).  Its wild.  We got there early and got balloon animals.

 Then sat and enjoyed the storyteller, clown, woodwind quartet and Teddy Bear Music.  There was a contest about the bears the kids brought and Lydia got one of the cutest bears!

 Then across the street was a tent with crafts (we skipped it), face (and arm) painting, more lemonade and a creek they played along.

 A few weeks later we met some friends for the Singing Zoologist.  There is an 'instrument petting zoo' I used my clarinet skills to replace a reed!  And the girls LOVED the violins.  Gloria played it for about 10 minutes and kept saying it was her favorite.  More balloon animals and fun music.

 This time we wore water shoes and they got soaked!

 On a Thursday when its free we went to the Blanton, the art museum on UT.  It was crowded (I had gone on a weekday before with an international friend while the girls were in MDO and it was so calm and quiet) which is good for taking kids.  We quickly went through the rooms with a scavenger hunt (great idea Carrie) of colors, shapes and pictures.

Besides the gift shop, this was their favorite because you could touch the pennies.  Gloria also enjoyed going around the statue room saying-he is wearing a leaf, he is not wearing a leaf!  As we left Lydia remarked-I am surprised they didn't have the Mona Lisa!  Though they did have a Picasso drawing.

Fun times in July

 Not many of my creative ideas are originals but they say imitation is the highest form of flattery.  Anyway, this is a PJ run, from the Inspired to Action blog.  We put the girls to bed, and in a couple of minutes threw open their doors and yelled-out of bed, PJ run, get in the car, let's go for a treat!!!  Lydia said for a minute she was scared there was a fire (to be honest the blogger said you know your kids temperaments so you might not be too boisterous the first time, but I thought this is fun, it will be good for them to have a shock-does this make me a bad mom....?)  Anyway again, this is summer in Texas so they go to bed while its still light, but we went to Sonic and got shakes and they had a great time.  We even cruised a little (which as good environmental hipsters we don't do) to go by a field that was growing real wheat.  I told the girls PJ runs are magical so they can't ask for them, they come when they least expect them!

 Austin Public Library is amazing!  They have special events for children at all their branches all through June & July.  We saw Birds of Prey and a harris hawk (above), the Singing Zoologist (below with friends-we didn't really stalk him this summer as we only saw him twice), a young Mozart puppet show, an amazingly funny Tap Dancer (I really can't remember that last time I laughed that hard, it was so therapeutic) and a Latin folk Songstress.  And we also went to same regular story times too.    

Gloria said this is her new look because she is tired of people saying-I love your blonde hair, I love your blue eyes!  We had a nice talk about God making us special and for a reason :)

USA festivities!

 For the first time in a long time we did not have a Boyd picnic for the 4th of July.  But fortunately, Grandpa/Father Jon was able to come to our Friendship 3rd of July party and lead the children in the march of the flags!

 On the actual 4th we went to Longhorn Caverns and enjoyed the cool weather underground.

 The girls did great in the cave, which is a fast water cave instead of a drip cave, so not many stalatites or mites, but lots of cool history of prohibition bars and kidnapped pioneer girls... the geologist who did our tour was a cool old guy.

Then we had a picnic and played around on the CCC tower and old headquarters.  Of course the gift shop was a hit too!  Caleb left town that evening for an event the next day.  I did a very unAmerican thing and put the girls to bed early before dark and fireworks (there is always next year) and watched a British movie!  Love the US of A!

Surfside!

 What seems like many moons ago, but was really just June 23, we took the girls to the Texas Coast.  Every year of Lydia's life we have return to Port A, but this year we did something crazy and went to a new place!  Caleb has LaQuinta points so we searched for the closest one to water and got Lake Jackson & Surfside!  The Sea Center (a Texas Parks & Wildlife place) is there and we began our trip visiting their wetland, touch tank (above) and pretty cool aquarium.

 In a funny turn of events, after we booked our hotel, Caleb's cousins asked him if he wanted go fishing with them in Surfside this same week.  The group of them had a condo on the beach for the whole week.  We enjoyed playing with cousins!  The older sisters were into creating sand art, the younger sisters enjoyed playing with the critters they caught.  They let us borrow their river rafts (floaty with mesh bottom) and I took the girls out one at a time into the waves.  This also showed their personalities, Lydia wanted near the shore but Gloria was thrilled to go out deep (me too it was better on my back than bending over in the shallows) and held her breath when the breaking waves crashed us.  It was fun!

 

 Sweet sissies (most of the time)

 And in Lydia we now have someone to take our picture too!

 As always Caleb brought nets and caught fish, not any big ones or shells here but they still enjoyed making a home for the minnows.

 Most meals we had gourmet treats of pb&j, chips and fruit but we did go out to eat once sitting over the beach at the Pirate's Alley Cafe.   LaQuinta's have great breakfasts!

 We walked to the very end of the jetty!

Another tradition, feeding the sea gulls!
This evening we stayed for dinner at Rex & Beth's.  They did fajitas, on the late drive home, our car went off the edge of the bumpy beach road and we busted two tires.  Didn't get the kids in bed until 11.  Gloria slept the next morning until 10:45 while Caleb got new tires.  The fishing trip got canceled due to rough seas....

but we had one more nice afternoon on the beach with the mermaids before heading home.
One of the funniest moments of the trip was the girls remarking how this hotel was the best ever!  We have stayed in some pretty nice hotels, and even the Omni in Corpus.  This LaQuinta was fine but it was motel style with peeling paint and worn carpets, but I like the girls attitude-whatever we are doing now is the best ever!  Also each time we came back from the beach they swam in the little hotel pool, they liked going underwater better than splashing in the waves.  When asking what was their favorite part-the pool!