Tea Party

A few weekends ago, we were invited to a mother/daughter tea party at a friend's house. Her daughter and all daughter's participating were fourth grade and older so I was very excited that we were asked to attend. I was a little nervous how Anna would do, but like always, she was a model child. Here are the pictures to prove it.

Linda's house. It is awesome on the water with the master bedroom on the first floor, and two bedrooms, living and kitchen on the second floor.

Anna enjoying her tea.

Anna showing off her craft ( that Linda provided special for her) to the big girls. She was very proud of her Christmas Tree.

Girls pouring tea.

The lovely spread, cherries and chocolate, strawberries and cream. It was wonderful.

My friend Linda's handy work. Yep, that super awesome mosaic live oak tree in the background...the whole backsplash...she did that. I told you she was wonderful.

The ladies at the tea. That is Linda in white next to me, and then Tisha, Jenny, and America.

That same weekend we had a very nice Sunday with great weather and we decided it was time for Anna to see "The Big Tree". For those of you who don't know, the biggest live oak tree in the world rests like ten minutes from my house. So, we went and took some pics down by the water and then went to see the big tree. I will post pics from that event later. Time gets away from you when you are living your life!

It may have taken a while....but it will NOT disappoint.

So, here is the latest with Anna. She continues to boggle our minds with the things she picks up. From school, from tv, from us. So here is her latest thing that we have never heard until this very day when Stephen brought her home a present. The present was a pirate eye patch. Enjoy.

Victory is mine!.....And I guess we will talk about Halloween too...

So I won the pumpkin decorating contest!! YEAH!!....well not to get too excited...I was only competing with one other person and well, I won. I was in the teacher/faculty category and apparently the other teachers got lazy this year. There were not as many pumpkins this year as last. I really meant to take some pictures of all of them and kept forgetting my camera at home. Sorry about that.
Anyhow, on to more recent issues, Halloween was tonight, and Anna and I were going to head over to Calallen to hang out with my parents. Their neighborhood has had a hayride for the little kids for as long as I can remember and Mom and Dad have wanted Anna to come since she has been big enough to go. Last year she had just had her stupid ear tubes put in...that stayed in for only like a month ( sorry, I am a little bitter ) So we were out for the count last year ( even though I had a super cute outfit for her to wear and was so sad that she could'nt wear it, we put her in it days later and took pictures. ) This year, I refused to buy a new one, so we recycled. : ) It still fit, so why not? Anyway, this year, Anna and I were headed to the hay ride...then Dad got sick. DANGIT! So then Mom was going tocome up and visit and go with Anna and I to our church Pumpkin Patch, and then she called and was hold up with a massive headache. MAN! Well, maybe one year we will be able to make Halloween work. Anna and I got ready and headed up to the pumpkin patch. She had a blast. This was before we left, she was showing the camera
( daddy ) her tail and how she meows. It was hilarious.When we got there, we were told that there was a place set up specifically for the little ones. At the toddler station there were tons of prizes that were not candy based....it really was awesome. Here she is in action. She threw a ball in the frogs mouth....And won a toy...she liked that....A LOT. Then she got the idea...

Play a game....

Win a prize. And again...and again...and again.She won some pretzels....And ate them...

Then she won some more prizes.....Then she just played and had fun...and I enjoyed watching her have fun.

How hysterical is that tail??

Waving bye to some people as we were getting ready to leave. It was a great evening, and the only thing that could have made it better is if the rest of our family was there. : )

Tootin my own horn....

So at school we have a pumpkin decorating contest, where you can paint or decorate a pumpkin. I will take pics of the ones I compete against tomorrow, but I thought I would post pics of mine so I can show everyone what I have been working on. It was loads of fun. The best faculty pumpkin wins a 50 $ gift card to Walmart....so you know I am hoping! : ) Have a great day and I will post pics of my competitors and the results tomorrow! It was an Art theme....famous artists through time. Features artists are Salvidor Dali, Piet Mondrian, Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, Edvard Munch, Andy Warhol, Leonardo Da Vinci and Jackson Pollock.

Seventeen years later....

Sorry it has been a while since we posted. Unfortunately the blog thing has to take a back seat to all the craziness of life. So here is a quick update on the happenings in the Summers household.
Things have been great.
Anna and I went to see my grandmother (Granny) in East Texas a few weekends ago, we try to do this at least twice a year...and Anna really loves spending time with her. This makes me really happy and I always seem to get a great video clip from their time together, check last years post for proof. : ) So this year, I was hoping, and man did I hit the jackpot. Four of my favorite things together in one video, my Granny, Anna, Jesus and the piano.. in no particular order : ) And Jesus does not make an appearance per say, He is sung about for those of you out there that are thinking otherwise. : ) We had a fun time with Parker and Holly as well that weekend...see her blog for those details.

Anna has been taking a liking to Stephen playing his guitar in the evenings. So I also filmed a little of that. She really likes to strum the guitar and LOVES to dance to his playing. So, enjoy her little dance scenes.

Things really are going along nicely, nothing really amazing to report. I shall share some thoughts soon though. Since Stephen got his new job at the Country Club, he is home on Sunday night thru Wednesday night....so by the time Thursday comes around, I have way more stuff to do...like laundry and stuff. Sometimes it stinks to be responsible. Anyway, have a great week!

As of late...

We have been a wee bit busy lately with the arrival of Ike on the gulf coast and feeling better about the fact that it missed us. Obviously we are not feeling better about the poor people who have lost everything or are without electricity. I was reminded how wonderful our God is that in the midst of all of this, He would allow a cold front to move in to give some relief to those without shelter, or those who are trapped inside their homes without air conditioning. It is really very hot in South Texas this time of year. Anyhow, this is what we have been up to. We went to go visit my College Roommate Kristy Dupree (Stridde) and had a great time with her and her husband Chris and their two kids Kayna and Noah. Noah and Anna were born two weeks apart. Pretty cool. Anyhow, they had a blast together and she can't wait to see him again. Kayna was so precious and beautiful and Anna loved to hug her and kiss her and wanted to play with her always. We had a great time. Friendship like that is always a breath of fresh air.

Then when Ike threatened to come right to Rockport, we decided to head out of town and go to my parents house south of here in Calallen. Once we were out of danger, there was lots of time to play. Judd came down to help board up and have a mini-vaca and hung out with Anna a lot. She loves her Uncle Judd a bunch. She has prayed for him twice this week. When we get ready for bed, we ask her who she wants to pray for and she normally lists off the people she sees everyday, but sometimes she comes up with a few extras. He has been on her mind lately. : ) Last but not least, the other night before bedtime, Franklin was on the floor and Anna wanted him to sit next to her. She slid over and said, "Uh Heer Franlin" and then he jumped up on the chair. She was very proud of herself and was very happy to have Franklin next to her on the chair. Well, hope you all have a great week and thanks to all who called or checked on us. It is nice to know that you are important to others in your life. Until next time......

Labor Day Weekend and Farewell Hemingway's

Stephen's sister Karen came in this weekend and we got to hang out over at Stephen's parents vacation house a lot. They have a place in Rockport, which is very convenient I must say. I really enjoy having them this close, especially when Karen comes in, cause we don't have to travel. : ) Anyhow, we decided to go crabbing on Sunday afternoon but came up short. Anna and Kaylee had a good time playing in the "sea shell sand" as I call it. We went crabbing off the pier at Goose Island State Park and down at the end of the pier there is a little island (really it is just a low spot that has collected a TON of old shells) and we took the girls down there to liven the day (Anna was not entertained with looking at empty crab nets). Stephen was working that afternoon, which now knowing that we caught nothing and just sat in the heat, he was the one that came out on top. : ) After the girls had played awhile, we decided it was time to head back and see if Granny and Grandpa had any luck with the crabs. We have gone crabbing or at least tried to go at least once a year since Stephen and I started dating. It is probably one of my favorite things to do...it really is fun and I was hoping Anna could experience it that day. Oh well, better luck next time I guess!

This view is MOST depressing when you are hoping for a crab dinner. Here are the girls in action at "Shell Beach"

Anna had a great time just hanging out with her Granny and having a snack after we played at "shell beach".
I just love this picture.

So after staring at yet another empty net, we cleaned up and headed back to the house. Anna has been getting better at singing songs and has recently taken an interest in "Ring Around the Rosy." She and Kaylee sang it and danced around for quite some time before I got it on video. By this time, Anna was not as energetic and it looks like Kaylee is whipping her around.

In other news, Stephen got a phone call yesterday from a local restaurant manager asking if he was looking for a job. Stephen had applied at this restaurant when we first arrived in Rockport and was offered a job there a day after he accepted a job at Hemingway's. A little confused, Stephen said no. Then the man proceeds to explain that there was a rumor going around that Hemingway's was closing down and if that was true that Stephen had a job with him. After calling his boss, getting his voicemail, getting another call from yet another restaurateur offering him a job (Stephen was popular) his boss called back and first apologized for the way he found out. Apparently he was making his way down the list of employees and the ones already called were already out looking for work. He then explained that they were closing down. Pretty sad because Stephen really enjoyed where he worked. He liked the people, the chef, the restaurant, everything. Fortunately for us all employees got a severance package and Stephen took one of those two job offers and got an increase in pay. He starts next Thursday. Please pray for him in this new job, we are hoping God will use this opportunity to further Stephen in his career. So this has been a busy week. All in all, we are doing good and I am very thankful that God allowed Stephen to be given news like this with the promise of stability in another job. I think the Lord knows I might have exploded had he not provided that information all at once. Below is a video of Anna and her daddy playing before bedtime.
Have a great week!

Growing up is hard to do....

At least for a parent. Peggy, my mother-in-law, kept Anna for me Friday night so that I could stay after school and get a little more organized after my first week of school. It was definitely needed, and I very much appreciated her willingness to watch her. When I got there to pick her up , Peggy said that Anna's teacher had told her that Anna had gone poo-poo in the potty that day. OK, side note, she is not in full blown potty training yet, but we are in the introduction stage and her teacher is REALLY good at knowing Anna's "timing" and just throws her on the potty when it is time...but to Anna's credit, she is doing it...not bucking the system like lots of kids do.

When we got home and after I read her a story, I asked her, "Anna, did you go poo-poo in the potty today?" And she smiled and said "yeah...bih durl" ( aka big girl ) I had to choke back the tears...she IS a big girl now. She is very lovey so I can kind of hang onto the babyness of holding her and she still lets me rock her every now and again....but I look at her and there is no baby left. She is a little girl. And it is SO exciting, but yet, SO sad. The exciting parts are the things like saying prayers with her and having her finish the sentence...I will say, Dear, and she will finish "Jeesahsssss", thank you for, and she will finish "food, or mommy or daddy", or whatever comes to the top of her head, which sometimes makes for great laughs, Then I'll say, help it make us healthy and, and she will finish, "STRONG! "..like, she yells it, every time. In Jesus name we, and she will say "prway, Ahhmen". Everyday with her is the best, I just wish I could remember every single thing....like you remember it moments after it happened.

Today she woke us up with her recent montage of " mah ee, dah ee, pee-pee potty"..so Stephen got up to let her go to the bathroom. I was then summoned into the bathroom because Anna had gone poo-poo in the potty at home for the first time. She was so proud of herself. I give her two weeks and we will no longer be buying diapers...praise the Lord!

I thought I would put this on the blog, Stephen's mom got this little chef hat from a friend, Anna loves it. So does Stephen. ; ) Also, a pic of Stephen and Anna before bedtime. She loves her daddy. Have a great week!

T, U, and V do not exist to our daughter...

Anna let us all know how smart she was today by singing to herself while she was coloring. She just all of a sudden busted out her ABC's. I am fairly certain that they have been reviewing this at school because, we have sang the ABC's like maybe five times in the last few months. She has a few toys that sing them, but it isn't like she is playing with THOSE toys 24/7. So either she has been learning them at daycare or she is a freakin genius. Anyway, here is the video we took of her singing the ABC song today. I love how X and S sound the same, and as the title of the post says, T, U, and V are not in the song. : ) Enjoy...she cracks us up. : )

Puts a new spin on house boat......

Yep that is right. This is where we live, and yes, that is a boat on the front of our house. But I am not above it. I am not. It has a TON of perks that make that silly schooner on the front of the duplex that Stephen and I are renting worth it.

Well, we made it. It took two days of intense work, and it is still in progress but we are getting there. We have lived in Rockport for a week as of today. In case you were wondering where abouts Rockport is located, check google maps so you can see where it is located. We are about 45 minutes east of Victoria and 45 minutes north of Corpus Christi. Stephen is working at "the" place to eat in town, a restaurant called Hemingway's, you should check it out. He is really liking it and learning a ton. It was a miracle and blessing that God was able to get him this job. We really thought it would help his career after school if he had some experience from a place that really taught him what he needed to know once he graduated. I mean, you can't get everything from a 2 year program at any culinary school, which is why they all rely on co-op programs where students work while going to school to get on the job experience. However, some of those jobs don't fully prepare you for what life will be like once you get out into the real world and start working towards becoming an executive chef. Hemingway's is run by Chef James Granger, who teaches periodically when he is needed for the Culinary program at Del Mar, where Stephen is currently enrolled. SO, he has the knowledge of what the program gives you and what the program does not, and he makes up the difference, which is awesome. So it has been a great thing and I am very thankful to the Lord that He has allowed Stephen such a great place to work. I am posting a few pics of our new abode. It is nothing special other than we live in it. : ) It used to be a house that was converted into a duplex and the original owners wanted to rent it out only to seasonal vacationers, hence the schooner on the front of the house. The new owners prefer a more stable income, so they are renting it out on year leases now. Because the duplex used to be a house, our living room and kitchen/dining area are muy grande. Our bedrooms are non-existent though, but that is ok.Giant kitchen and dining area, don't you just love the old dark wood look? So homey.
We are in the works of getting some more lighting and a possible ceiling fan. It is terribly hot in the kitchen/dining in the afternoon and very dark.
Anna's room, bad picture I know, I never got a chance to get another decent pic of her room before she went to sleep.

Our living room. The tiled floor on the far side of the living room leads to the door on the left.

Our room. Pretty small but cozy. The closets make me feel like crying, but I will have my walk in again some day I know it. : ) The view from across the street. That is the bay, yes we live on the water, or at least, across the street from the water. The view at dusk is pretty amazing. We feel very blessed that we have found this home that is close to school and Stephen's work, is much more affordable and saving us the cost of fuel because we will not be driving as much. It has a very nice yard with LOTS of live oak trees so Anna has a place to play. Excuse the clutter in some of the photos, I am still trying to find a place for everything. Other than the house, we are still doing great, Anna started at her new daycare and really likes it. I have started back at school a little and will start back full blown next week with LOADS of staff development. Students come back on the 25th, so I still have two weeks to get my stuff in order for classes which is good, cause I will need it. Hope all our friends and family are doing well and if you would ever like to come to the water and have a vaca, Port Aransas is 15 minutes from here and there are plenty of affordable condos we would love to co-rent with someone and have a fun filled weekend at the beach. You could also crash on our huge living room floor on a blow up mattress if you feel like roughing it! : ) Just give us a call or shoot us an email and we will plan! Have a great weekend!