Seven

My firstborn and baby boy turned 7 earlier this month!

A surprising spring cold front blew in on Connor's birthday. It was freezing!! As I took this picture on our backyard deck, Connor exclaimed, "I feel like I'm in Anarctica!" Ha!

Poor Connor, we've had such a busy spring that his birthday was almost altogether overlooked. Not to mention the fact that he came down with a terrible stomach bug the night before his big day. (Boo!) But as it turned out, he had a relaxing day (once he recovered) with Mom and enjoyed some down time without having the long commute to Katy for school. We dropped Kaitlynn off at preschool and went to Target to pick out a special birthday gift: Super Mario Brothers for his Wii U. And then we spent many hours that weekend playing the new game. Man, did that take me back to my high school days. I used to LOVE that game on the old Nintendo console!

A simple birthday lunch with Mom. Not sure who enjoyed it more :-)

Since Jeff was out of town for Kevin's water polo tournament, he left Connor a special birthday message. They love to write coded messages back and forth using symbols.

A special birthday message from Dad.

After it was decoded.

After Connor recovered from the stomach bug, he returned to school with some special Texans cookies to celebrate with his classmates.

Texans cookies for Connor's birthday celebration at school.

Taking his birthday cookies to school.

It was a heavy load!

And even though we didn't have a party or a family celebration for Connor's big day, we managed to squeeze in a little WAC-ky fun with Connor's best friends. They played, swam, and enjoyed some birthday cookie cake together since their birthdays are all a few weeks apart. I think that made up for our lack of celebrations!

Look at those excited faces!

This blog probably has hundreds of these jump shots -- can't get enough of them! :-)

Blowing out their 7 birthday candles.

All the sweet WAC-ky kiddos.

Kevin's Senior Prom

Kevin had his senior prom a couple of weekends ago. It feels like yesterday that Collin was off to his, and now it was Kevin's turn. Man, it goes by quickly! Kevin took his girlfriend Helen to prom, and he was thrilled to be able to drive his Mom's Corvette for the special occasion. Helen said Kevin was so nervous driving the entire night, ha! As is usual for the seniors these days, they attended the school's after prom event and then headed out of town to New Bransfels to celebrate all weekend at Schlitterbahn. I tell you, I'm still having trouble understanding how prom night has now become prom weekend. Ha! Before they headed off for their big night, I was able to snap some pictures. What a great looking couple!

Kevin and Helen -- love this one!

The group posed for pics at a friend's house.

Kevin and Jeff.

Kevin and Helen.

Posing in front of the Corvette. 

And they're off for a great night!

Mother's Day and Mom's Munch

As usual, I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year thanks to Jeff and the kids!

It began on Saturday when Jeff took over with the kids and let me go "off duty" all day long! I ran some errands (so much easier without kids in tow), had a nice quiet lunch alone, got my nails done, ran some more errands, and just enjoyed some alone time without any pressing matters to attend to. The kids had a blast with Dad -- they went to Chuck E. Cheese and CiCi's Pizza -- so I'd say we ALL enjoyed the day!

The next day on Mother's Day, Connor presented me with some very special crafts he had made himself at school. I had to laugh at some of his adjectives he used to describe me, including organized and stressed, ha! And I love that the "Good Mom Checklist" includes a bonus math question! That kid really cracks me up (and melts my heart)!

At Kaitlynn's preschool, we had our annual Mom's Munch which is a little party that the kids throw for their parents. It's one of my favorite events, such a special time for the Moms. When we arrived for the party, the sweet kids greeted us at the door with a homemade corsage and then we sat in the "photo booth" for a picture with our little ones.

After the photos, we sat together at the kids' tables to enjoy cookies and lemonade. Kaitlynn was SO excited to have me at her table!

One of the cutest activities that the kids do at Mom's Munch is display their interview questions about their Moms. Oh my, these sweet answers always fill me with such joy and delight! Kaitlynn's comments about me made me smile so big. No one has any idea where she came up with "Mamasita" or what in the world it means to play "purple turtles!" Ha!!

Kaitlynn with 3 of her sweet girlfriends from preschool. We are going to miss them SO much!

Kaitlynn's class showing off their crafts for Mom's Munch

I am definitely one blessed Mama! So thankful for my family!!

Kevin and Jersey Village Water Polo

It has been an exciting senior year for Kevin and his varsity water polo team!

Individual pic taken by a fellow parent.

We knew the team was going to be great this year and poised to compete well, but they have exceeded everyone's expectations. After many weekends of tournaments and matches, both the boys and girls teams of Jersey Village High School placed 1st place at the regional tournament! They were on their way to State!! Here are some pics from the Regional Tournament.

Jersey Village, regional water polo champs!

Jeff and Kevin after the big regional win.

Kaitlynn wanted a pic with her brother, too.

Jeff and Kaitlynn in the stands watching the regional game.

Kevin, after one of the regional games.

Love these pics of Kevin during the games.

Both the Jersey Village boys and girls water polo teams and their families were overjoyed to travel to Dallas for the state tournament. Our family was no exception, we couldn't wait! Unfortunately, Connor came down with a nasty stomach bug the night before the trip. :-( So we decided that Jeff would go with Kevin to the tournment and the rest of us would stay home. We were sooooo bummed!

At the tournament, both teams did GREAT! The girls team ended up placing 5th, and after an exciting championship game, the boys team lost by 1 point to place 2nd in the entire state. What an amazing accomplishment for both teams!! Jeff had an amazing time watching the games and cheering on the kids, and even my parents (who were also in Dallas for the weekend) were able to attend some games. We were all so proud of the kids! Here are some pics from the state tournament weekend and earlier in the season.

Team photo after winning 2nd place in State.

Jeff and Kevin after the 2nd place win at State.

Kevin's girlfriend Helen was there for the tournament.

Kevin on defense.

Passing the ball to a teammate.

Kevin with the ball.

Another shot of Kevin with the ball.

Some side notes about water polo: When Collin and Kevin first began participating in water polo years ago, it was very confusing for us, even Jeff. The rules are hard to learn, and the games are sometimes difficult to follow. And a LOT happens under the water that spectators can't see. These guys are BIG and ROUGH! They are throwing punches, kicking, holding, etc., all under the water, so you don't know what's going on sometimes!

And another thing, have you seen these big guys in their suits?? Those are TINY little suits for such big guys. Sometimes it's a little disconcerting to be in close contact with these players when the suits are all they are wearing. In fact, after the boys team won the Regional tournament, they were supposed to get a team picture printed in a local newspaper. But one of the press contacts sent an email saying that the picture was "inappropriate" due to the immodest dress of the boys. To which, one of the parents responded, "Butt cracks are just a part of the game." Ha! Very true statement!!

The team all lined up for introductions.

The seniors were presented with their caps and nameplates at the end-of-year party.

What an incredible way for Kevin to finish off his senior year at Jersey Village!!

Michelle's Wedding Day

So finally, the REAL reason for our trip to Fort Worth last weekend...

My sister Michelle got married!!! Doesn't she look so beautiful?!

As I blogged about last spring, I was fortunate enough to be a part of Michelle and Chris's engagement story under the Century Tree at A&M. Since then, they have been enjoying their engagement and trying to find the right time for the wedding based on both families, school, work, etc. So imagine our surprise last month when Michelle sends the family a text message to Save the Date -- April 27. We were all so excited and scrambled to make plans for the special weekend. 

Michelle and Chris were married at the beautiful Fort Worth Water Gardens on a gorgeous-weather day. It was sunny, cool, and breezy...a perfect wedding day! They were joined by close family and friends and they took us all on a journey through the Gardens as they exchanged sentimental thoughts, prayers, and vows. Such a beautiful ceremony and so fitting for the happy couple. I was so honored to be a part of their day and take some pictures that they can hopefully cherish forever. Here's their wedding day in photos.

Michelle with Renee and Ryah, getting ready before the ceremony in her honeymoon suite.

Michelle with Dad and Mom

Full length of Michelle's dress.

She looked so beautiful!

The groom before the wedding.

Love this one. Chris made the rosebud bouquet from his own garden.

Chris with his 3 kids before the wedding: Caleb, Grace, and Ashley.

Michelle walked across the plaza towards her groom. A nearby band was playing the national anthem. It was quite the wedding entrance, ha!

Standing before the minister.

A wedding prayer before the ceremony.

The couple during their wedding journey.

Love this.

Dad read a scripture passage.

The 7 cousins hung out nearby during the scripture readings.

At the next location, Michelle and Chris exchanged vows.

The final location required quite the interesting hike down into the water gardens.

It was tricky getting down to the bottom with the entire group, but it was so beautiful.

Exchanging rings.

Finally, they were pronounced Man and Wife!!

And immediately afterwards, they had to update their Facebook status. It's not official until it's on Facebook!!

The new Warhurst family!

Morgan cousins.

Sneaking in a picture of the Courtright family :-)

The happy couple with Mom and Dad.

Congratulations to Michelle and Chris!!