Uh-Oh...

For whom do the kids cheer...? Graydon said Germany! Portia and Mami are wearing the appropriate gear! To be fair, we're teaching Wiley to chant U-S-A. :)

Do you see what I see?

Here, let me give you a close-up!

Tried to get a better photo but the fawn ran away when I got closer. I suppose it didn't help that I was walking Kiwi...

All Smiles

And I finally caught her on camera! :)

Enjoying the poolside

While Graydon had his swim lesson, Portia enjoyed his TMNT towel.

I like piña coladas...

... and getting caught in the rain!

The latter is what we all did on the way home from church on Sunday morning. It was only lightly raining when we left, but luckily one of the folks who had arrived for Sunday school just as we were leaving convinced Mami to take an umbrella for herself and Portia in the Baby Björn. Because right after we left the parking lot, the heavens opened up and treated us to what is quickly becoming the typical Austin-style downpour. Since we were already soaked to the bone, the boys decided to play in the rain a little longer.

Happy Birthday Grossmama

Hero Pose

Portia must be celebrating Germany's win over the Ivory Coast at the World Cup (since they didn't manage to put away the Norwegian women quite as handily). Either way, Grossmama is the real "hero" in this picture since she held Portia for a couple of hours while Mami went for a boat ride.

Ralf and His Boys

And soon there will be a baby girl added to his mix of charges. Good thing he loves kids (and they love him)!

Cracking Pecans

Amongst many other lake activities, Graydon and Granddad had fun "earning" their pecan pie dessert by cracking pecans for the next pie...

Graydon's First Water Skiing Lesson

He didn't get up, but he had fun! They'll try again later this afternoon.

Motorcycle gang member?

No, it's just Neal halfway through his transition from a "wooly monster recent dad look" back to short-haired and clean-shaven normal. He decided to cut the hair first, and the result was funny enough to warrant a photo (and this blog post).

Wet cutie

Wiley is about to outgrow the last of the hooded kiddie towels so I wanted a picture of the cuteness before it goes away...!

Sleepy Smiling

Not quite as breathtaking as the first intentional smile, but the sleepy smiles are pretty cute, too. At this point, I'll take what I can get...

Watchdog

Fun at Bull Creek Park

With all the rain, the water at Bull Creek Park has been a real blast. We've been twice this week, once on the weekend with Mami, Daddy, all three kids, and Kiwi, and a second time with Ralf, Graydon, Portia and Mami (Wiley is at his special week of summer school). Everyone had fun in their own way: Various combinations of Graydon, Ralf, and Daddy explored the creek, rocks and currents, Kiwi loved swimming in the current and splashing around, Wiley had fun playing in the sand and snuggling with Portia, and Portia enjoyed the nice warm days in the shade of big oak trees. When she could get away, Mami also enjoyed the occasional splash in the refreshing water!