Good Bye Texas!

It has been forever since my last post but I have a good excuse this time!  We are officially residents of Oregon.  It's music to my ears!  Things are far from perfect but we love it here.  Taylor is having a blast with family!  My mother has already come to visit twice!  The weather hasn't been too cold either.  Sean had been incredibly busy, working 12 hour days.  His hard work is paying off because 106 kids signed up for camp!  That is double from last year!  He says there's a lot of talent at Reynolds, even though they were 1-19 in the past two years. They have a scrimmage this Saturday, so we shall see.

Moving went as well as moving can go.  We only ended up with a few scratches and dings on our items.  Sean and his dad drove the moving truck 3,500 miles in three days!  Then, unpacked everything into our storage unit!  By the time Taylor and I flew in everything was done!  We are settling in nicely at Sean's parents.  Grandma Wanda, Grandpa Jean and Great Grandma Me Me love having Taylor around (well, I think...lol).

As with our house in Texas, we haven't had any offers.  Hopefully something happens in the next couple months.  It's a great time to buy here in Oregon, but we couldn't imagine having two house payments.  We are just going to be patient things will fall in to place.

Going Away Party

We have made some of the greatest friends here in Laredo.  This past weekend the neighborhood had a get together for Sean and I.  It was our favorite, a crawfish and shrimp boil with all the fixins'!  Of course it was excellent, my mouth was on fire the entire night.  One great thing about Laredo is everyone here can cook... and I mean cook!  I haven't had a bad dish yet.  And as a going away gift, everyone put their favorite recipes in a cookbook for Sean and I!  I will cherish those recipes forever!  Thank you everyone who took part in this celebration!  Sean and I are so lucky to have such great neighbors!  I took ZERO pictures the entire night.  What was I thinking?!  I pulled these pictures off of a friend's Facebook page to share.

Checking out our new cookbook. 

Our last Toddler Tuesday :(

It has been fun going to the library this past year.  We have meet some great friends and we will miss them dearly.  This past Tuesday was our last time.  They had a graduation for all the kids.  Each child was recognized and given a certificate.  My baby isn't such a baby anymore.  He walked up and received the award on his own. So proud!  I always said I wasn't going to be one of those mothers who boast about their children but look.... how can I not?

Group photo.  lol...I just noticed the security guard had to step in.

  (Grandma and Grandpa..I've been meaning to tell you, lol is an acronym for laugh out loud.)

Baby Eddie and Taylor.  

"The Ranch"

Some friends invited us to a ranch for a spanish celebration called Dia de los ninos or Day of the Kids.  We all had so much fun!  They spoiled the kids.

This is the "so called ranch."

    It was beautiful!

Playing in the sandbox with Josecito's parents.

Loved the tractor!

Now on to the big one! Where's the key?

Gabby took ALL the kids for a few rides!  She was fantastic!

Two peas in a pod!

Our little fish!

It has been getting hot!  We set up the pool in the backyard for Taylor.  He runs around the yard with his trucks and takes a dip to cool off.  

Daddy put the slide in the water!  Fun! Fun!

My cars can go fast too!

Austin, Texas

May 28 is the tentative date for moving.  My sister and Emmy are coming down May 26th to help pack and then us girls and Taylor are headed to San Antonio for a few days. 

We had open house this weekend so we thought it might be a good time to visit neighboring cities around Texas before we left for good.  We left the house on Friday and drove to San Antonio.  There was a Fiesta going on, so downtown was packed.  We went to the carnival thinking Taylor would be able to ride some rides but unfortunately he was too short.  Later we found a kiddie park on the way to the hotel and spent some time there.  Taylor absolutely loved it!  

The next morning we headed to Austin.  I LOVE Austin!  It reminds me of Eugene.  It's real "organic" and they love their Longhorns!  We spent the entire day at Barton Springs Park.  There was so much to do.  We rode a train, became environmentally aware of pollution in our rivers and streams, and Taylor played on the biggest play structure I have ever seen.  Later that evening we went back to the hotel and played in the pool.  Taylor can hold his breath under water!  

We headed home on Sunday, but after visiting the capital building, University of Texas, and eating some Texas BBQ.  The restaurant was called Salt Lick. Sounds weird I know but, if you know me, you know how much I love sauces.  Their BBQ sauce was wonderful.  My mouth is watering as I write this.

We got our food to go so Taylor could run around at the kiddie park in San Antonio again.  Taylor got an unlimited ride band.  We got our money's worth...until.....it happened!  Taylor got kicked of the ride for misbehaving!  He was riding his favorite ride, of course the cars.  He began dragging his hand on the ground as the cars were going around.  It was a very dangerous act that was not tolerated in the park.  The operator, other parents, Sean, and I were asking Taylor to pick his hands up but he refused, with a big grin.  They stopped the ride and Taylor had to get off.  After that event we thought it might be best to just go home.   

Taylor's first ride.  Mommy was scared so Daddy had to ride too.

  

Horse and carriage.  So well behaved.

THE RIDE.  

He looks at this picture and says, "Coo coo."  I don't think he has a clue about safety.

Official University of Texas helmet worn by #6 in 2008.

Misc.

I never know what to do with the random pictures I take between blogs.  So here's what we've been up to...

Our last United High School football banquet on April 21st.

Chocolate cupcakes for Daddy.  He turned 30 on April 22. 

Eating a cupcake that momma brought home from another baby shower.   So many babies are being born!

Now we need two binks?  He's never gonna give them up.

He is getting really good at stacking.  I had to give him guidance but he built this.