Summer comes to an end . . .

Summer is coming to an end, sadly. I've worked way more than I meant to (also sadly). We took a short vacation to New Braunfels at the end of July. Bill's Uncle Ben's family has a ranch in Hunt, Texas (about 2 hours west of San Antonio) so we took a day to drive out there and explore. We arrived in time to have lunch on the patio where we meet a deer the girls named Sweetie. At first we were afraid we'd spook her, but we soon learned she was pretty tame:





After feeding Sweetie, we took Uncle Ben's tricked-out four-wheel-drive golf cart out for a cruise on the 300+ acres of land. We let Brady get some practice driving:

Then we went down to the Guadalupe for some swimming:

I actually decided not to swim out to that float. I did get into the water, and had someone needed rescuing I would have swam out there, but thankfully no one needed me because there were a lot of fish there and I'm not big on swimming with fish. Oh, well.

We also shopped at the San Marcos outlet stores, walked the Riverwalk in San Antonio, and went tubing on the Comal River in New Braunfels:

That was really relaxing (aside from the bus ride there and back, oh well).

It was a nice end to the summer. Now everyone is getting back in the swing of things. Abby will be in 5th grade (last year in elementary school - wow). KC will be starting 7th grade, and Brady will be a freshman in high school. He had Freshman Orientation last week:

We have to be sneaky and take pictures only when he's not looking. He is playing football this year, for the first time ever. They had 2-a-days last week, and this week they just have evening practices. He's working hard and trying to learn all the plays and positions. He'll wear number 83 (we think) and will play mostly receiver and defensive back. Please say a prayer that he makes it through the fall without any serious injuries. This hitting thing sure looks scary when you are the mom . . .

Bill and I are back at work full time again and the kids start next Monday. Tomorrow is Brady's 15th birthday, so it's the 15th anniversary of the day my entire life changed and I began this journey known as "mom." It's so much harder than I ever imagined, but rewarding beyond what I could have ever dreamed. And I am so very proud of all three of them! Abby makes me laugh like no one else does, and she is the most loving and loyal child I could have ever wished for. KC can make friends absolutely anywhere and even though I know she has her insecure moments, she carries herself with such self-assurance that I am in awe of her sometimes. Brady is fiercely loyal, kind, and loving. He thinks he has a terrible temper, but he really is very even-keeled (like his dad, thankfully), athletic (like his dad) and very smart (like . . . well, you see where this is going). He's a terrific young man and I feel very blessed to have three wonderful children!

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all this I turned 42. This getting older stuff really isn't that bad. Sure as heck beats the alternative!

Wishing you all blessings for a wonderful 2009-2010 school year!!