Annie Journal

For Annie's 8th birthday, we had a nice family celebration at home, and then Annie's mom setup a cheer party for Annie and her friends at a nearby place in Plano. At the house, we had pizza and cake followed by presents, and Annie got her main surprise of a princess bed canopy and wall decorations in her room. She was really thrilled with the new layout ! We took down some of the posters from when she was younger, and put up new stuff for a quickly growing princess. :) The decorations came out great and she loved showing them to her cousins.

Annie's 8th - Opening Presents

Annie's New Princess Room !

At the cheer party, Annie and her friends got to dance and tumble to some of their favorite songs. They even rehearsed a cheer presentation for the parents to see when they came to pick up the kids at the end. Annie got a good workout before eating cake and ice cream ! It was really fun to see, and it might be a good place for Annie to learn some cheering skills now that she has progressed with her gymnastics.

Annie's Cheer Party

Just before her 8th birthday, Annie has learned how to ride her bicycle ! I'm so proud of her for all the hours she practiced with me on the sidewalks and on the way to the park. I knew that sooner or later it would pay off, and now she can't wait to go on more bike rides! We are gonna hit some of the trails together when the weather is nice again. Great job, Annie !!

Annie with No Training Wheels!

For our summer vacation this year, we decided to visit our cousins in New Jersey! Cheryl and Walt were nice enough to offer their home to us, and so we went for 5 fun days during the 4th of July weekend. Annie and I had a nice time in the DFW airport since grandma dropped us off with plenty of time to get through security and get to our terminal. Our direct flight was on time, and we landed in the Philadelphia airport at about mid-afternoon. After finding our one big bag, we called Cheryl and met her, Walt and McKenzie right outside the airport. And off we went, over the bridge and through the New Jersey burroughs to their house. What a great drive over the big bridge with a perfect view of the Phillies stadium and the Philadelphia skyline!

For our first day, we relaxed and got settled in. Annie got to share a room with McKenzie which she loved since there were lots of toys and was in the upstairs part of the house. I was down in the basement in a very comfortable room complete with foldout bed, flat screen TV, and beer tap ! What more could I need ?!? In the back of the house was a big above-ground pool with a wooden deck on the side for jumping in.. I knew Annie would love it. Next to the pool was a great stone patio with umbrella cover and a large stone firepit nearby. I could already envision sipping a drink as the sun was going down. Soon we got to meet Gavin, MacKenzie's little bro who was all fired up to see us. He had lots of fun toys too including some laser tag guns.

Fun at the Cookout

On the 4th of July, we were all invited to a cookout and the house of Pam and Mike, some very good friends. What a great house they have for entertaining. They had the big pool with wood deck, a hot tub and swing set, and a huge back yard where the kids could run around. Annie could not wait to put her sunscreen on and jump in the pool. Annie also got to meet her other cousins, Brad, Matt, Mikaela, and Brianna, the kids of my cousin Bruce and Emily. Now with about 10 kids in the pool, mostly girls, Annie was really starting to enjoy herself. After swimming, we had an egg tossing contest, and soon after we were stuffing our faces with a delicious BBQ spread prepared for everyone. We had chicken, egg salad, hot dogs, watermelon, desserts, and so much more I cannot remember. By the evening, the adult were all sitting around the fire pit telling stories and playing guitar, and the kids were running around playing hide-n-seek. The older boys were setting off some fireworks and gave us a good show.

Diving Platform and Monkey Bars!

On our second day, we loaded up the car and took a trip out to the lake near Aunt beverly and Uncle Dave's neighbood. What a really great lake this was, with water not too deep and really clear for swimming. The roped off section of lake had a platform for jumping, and Annie went off with all her cousins to play there. She was so entertained with all the kids running around, that she barely was interested in daddy for most of the time! This gave me time to talk with my aunt Lina, aunt Beverly, Uncle Dave, Dave's son Brian, Kristy, Brad and many of the other cousins and family who came out to join us on the lake. I had such a fun time catching up with everyone, it's amazing to see some cousins again from maybe 10 or 15 years ago! Annie never wanted to leave that place, but we finished the day with a visit to aunt Beverly's house since she had popsicles and vodka ! popsicles for the kids... Annie got to see a beautiful back yard patio and trails backing up to the woods. We crossed a small bridge to see the ducks and had a nice time exploring a little bit of the back woods by their house.

Swimming Fun at Uncle Bruce's Place

The following day, we took a trip over to Bruce and Emily's house in Marlton. What a massive back yard they had, with a big in-ground pool, giant wood deck, a half-court basketball zone, and dirt trails for motorcyles and 4-wheelers! We had a great time swimming and enjoying another good meal. The three amigas (Annie, MacKenzie and Mikaela) decided to play "attack Annie's daddy" while we were in the pool before dinner, and it turned into quite a battle. :) Afterwards, we all piled into the car and went to the nearby watching areas for the big fireworks show. We brought blankets and some games and balls for the kids. Once it was dark enough, we all sat back and enjoyed a really nice fireworks display.

On the last day, we swam and played at Cheryl and Walt's place, since we hadn't really spent much time there so far. Everyone came over for the swimming and cookout. I also managed to sneak in a World Cup match (Holland v. Uruguay) and what an incredible match. The best goal of the entire cup was scored in this game by Van Brockhorst. What a left footed screamer from about 35 yards out, the keeper never had a chance. Also, right before the cookout, I went for a quick visit over to Aunt Linda's house nearby just to checkout her pad. Was pretty cool, and very close to some nice baseball fields and good walking grounds. I could see why she liked the location. Once back at the Peins house, we all hopped in the pool and played logic puzzles with the older cousins. Also, I was chasing Annie, MacKenzie and Gavin with beachballs and squirt guns which was quite fun. Shortly after, we had a delicious meal and sipped some wine inside while thanking everyone for the really great visit. I was so proud for Annie to meet all her awesome cousins, aunts and uncles from the northeast. I never saw her have so much fun in so few days. Annie and MacKenzie will become pen pals and write each other once we are back home!

Last Day at Cheryl and Walt's Place

Last Day at Cheryl and Walt's Place

Annie had a good nap on the plane back home the next morning, since I think she'd been staying up late with MacKenzie most of the nights. Nothing like a summertime sleepover to keep your mind active. But on the plane she finally conked out after we played some crazy eights, and I think daddy might have snuck in a few winks also. We arrived on time back in DFW and grandma brought us back home. Mom, Dad and Sis were rewarded with Tasty Cakes from Jersey, a nice treat that always goes down good after dinner with a cup of milk. All in all a really fun summer vacation!

For Spring Break, Annie and I decided to go with my sister and her kids to a fun little place along the Texas Gulf Coast. If you have never been to Kemah Boardwalk just southeast of Houston, you should really check it out! It's has amusement park rides, beautiful views of the water over the boardwalk, great food, music and fun, and a very nice aquarium with seafood restaurant.

We had a blast right from the start by loading up the minivan with games, movies and good snack food to supply us during our 5 hour road trip. For me, the drive down there is some of the best fun. :) The DVD player works great to keep the kids entertained, and we can play music in the front without bothering them. Little Reagan had a whole basket full of interesting playthings to keep him entertained while Charlie and Annie had fun with Nintendo DS and story books in the back. Arriving in Webster, we were happy to find a very spacious and comfortable hotel with a nice swimming pool. Our place was only about a 15-20 minute drive to the boardwalk. So first thing in the morning, we loaded up and went out to enjoy the rides !

Carousel and Airplane Ride

Balloon Wheel and Bouncer Ride

The first day at the boardwalk started a little bit cloudy, but then the sun came out and it was perfect temperature to walk around and enjoy the park. Annie and Charlie started with the double-decker Carousel, and then we worked our way into the Spindle-Top ride and the flying planes for little Reagan. While Janette and Reagan then did the balloon wheel, I took Charlie and Annie along the boardwalk to the games area, so they could try the bottle ring toss and a few other rides. All in all, it was a great morning of rides. Then we settled down for a nice seafood lunch at one of the restaurants. I had a really good bowl of gumbo while the kids enjoyed their fish and chips. The seating was good since the kids could watch the boats go by and play on the boardwalk while we were waiting for the food.

Lunch on the Boardwalk and Baby Stingrays!

Great Food at the Aquarium

On the last day, we had our chance to visit and have lunch in the Kemah Boardwalk aquarium ! This place is amazing - you can actually feed the stingrays which they keep in a giant pool in the bottom level of the aquarium. Then there is a middle level where you can see many of the large fish, sharks, and other creatures. And this giant tube runs up through the middle into the restaurant on the top floor. And the biggest of the fish seem to like to go up there. It opens up to an enormous aquarium tank for everyone in the restaurant to enjoy. We saw so many exotic fish while enjoying a nice meal. Before leaving Kemah to head home, we decided to make a quick pass over to Galveston, since we were so close by. There was a little bit of rain that day, but it slowed down just enough for the kids to play on the beach a bit and I grabbed a few photos. Annie loved that part and collected a good haul of seashells to take back with us. Charlie and Reagan had fun running in and out of the waves and also playing in the sand.

Fun at the Galveston Beach!

Charlie Annie and Reagan at the Beach

The trip home from there was very good without too much traffic. We played the alphabet game most of the way home since Annie has gotten much better at it and its great to pass the time.

For Annie's birthday, we decided to have the party at Boomerangs's Bounce House in Plano! It was loads of fun as the kids got to jump around on inflated houses and slides. There was fun stuff for kids of all ages, even the 16 year olds who snuck into some of the bounce houses ! For lunch we had some Papa Johns pizza (yum!) and of course mom had a really great birthday cake prepared for Annie's special day.

Birthday Friends and Kangaroo Hug

When the big Kangaroo himself came to give Annie her birthday hug, she was super happy and finished her day in the best way. Thanks to all the friends and family who came.