Posting

Do all of you use Compose or Edit HTML for your posts? I just read something that said the reason I can't click on my pictures to make them bigger is because I use compose mode. I've used it for a while though and used to be able to click on my images to make them bigger. I don't mind using html mode, but when I upload 5 pictures at a time, I don't know which one is which and where to put it because of the coding. If anyone has any tips for me, I'd appreciate it. I just went and added our BIG family picture below in HTML mode and you CAN click on it now to make it bigger.

Adjusting back to life

You know how people always say they need a vacation from their vacation? I find that so true. We had a 6:30am flight yesterday out of California, so that meant we left Michael's parents home at 4:30am. Fortunatley, not a lot of traffic at that time. Amazingly, all 5 of us slept on the direct flight home to Austin, Alyssa slept the whole time. At least we had the afternoon to recover. Michael let me take a nap which turned into 3 hours...I told him to wake me so I wouldn't sleep too long, but he didn't hear that part. While I slept, he helped the kids unpack. My suitcase is still full (Monday night). Then today I had to resume planning meals for my family and shopping for them, executing summer fun activities, and figuring out how to avoid the computer during the day.

We spent 8.5 days on Michael's home turf in Northern California. He was UBER happy to be back. It had been 6 years since we had been there. Sad, but we had family reunion's in Utah, Tahoe, Seattle, and Texas the past few years and just didn't make it to Cali. Michael taught the kids the song, "California, here we come, right back where we started from...." Which we found his brother also taught his kids the song. My 2 year old nephew interpreted that as, "Cabin fornya harry bum..." to which all the kids ended up singing all week long and laughed themselves hysterically silly each time.

When we left Texas it was 100 degree weather and arrived to 67 degree's in the city and down to 50 on the beach. Windy and chilly. Luckily, I packed light jackets because I knew the evenings would be chilly. I didn't realize we'd wear them all day long nearly every day.

Here is the family:

Michael is 2nd of 7 children...the birth order below
David lives in the Ft. Worth area, Michael, Steve lives in the Wash DC area, Joanna in Seattle, Brian in the Navy in Japan (don't you love his cutout?) Karen in Seattle, Julie finishing BYU in Provo.

Saluting Brian in the Navy
Grandma and Grandpa with all of their grandchildren (from just the 3 oldest boys)

The entire family...kids are by their parents here. I'm going to have to do some head swaps later (Jo is in big trouble).

A few of just the kids

Canyon Lake with the Hill Family

***I have a complete inability to narrow down large chunks of pictures. From 150, I picked my favorite, then that was too many, then I picked my favorite favorite and its still too many.

It's hard to beat last summer in Puerto Rico, but we managed to have a pretty great week right here in the heart of Texas. Since everyone was IN Texas except those that reside in PR, we thought it convenient to just stay here. I found a spot online on Canyon Lake and it turned out to be a pretty nice cabin walking distance from a cove on the lake.

Then entire Hill clan. I am the only girl. My brothers are the 3 men that aren't my husband. Russell's friends Phil and Lindsey came up for a day and took this picture for us.

The grandkids: Chai, Alyssa, Tyler, Greyson, Matthew

The Dukes
Around the cabin...it had a hot tub on the outside deck which was really nice on the day that it rained and was a bit chilly. Alyssa looks like she is bargaining with grandpa for something...I'm sure she'll win.

Rachel reading to the kids....

My dad telling stories with all of our riveted attention....

Kimmie reading....

Kim teaching Tyler how to do a cats cradle with the yarn
Look at my helpful little brother...carrying a carseat and taking my child by the hand... Phil, Lindsey, and Addison live in San Antonio near Russell. Phil and Russell are enduring medical school together.

This is the Guadalupe river that myself, Michael, Ryan, Alayna, Russell & Kim tubed down. Grandparents took care of the kids for us and Kirk and Rachel hadn't come up yet. Don't have pictures of us on them, but this is other people on the river. It was quite chilly, but we got to go down a slight bit of rapids that was fun. We were on the river for about 2 hours.

We took the kids back to a different spot later...they really wanted to get all the way in. Lots of people tubing on the 4th of July. We went 2 days before and it wasn't as crowded.
Playing on the party barge. My mom found this big inflatable raft at Sams Club. It was great to have in the center of the cove near our cabin since it was so deep. The kids enjoyed climping on an jumping off...so did the adults.

I love how Kim likes to ham it up for the camera:) A girl after my own heart.
View from the driveway to the cabin.

The centipede: It was a very fast crawler....we were showing things all around to try to catch this little bugger. Finally the men trapped it in a Cinammon Toast Crunch box and took to outside to bury it. You can see next to the tote and the shopping bag how big it was.
Boating on the lake: I loved this shot that Kim took of me...I am on a wave runner about to take off and you can see the reflection of the boat in my sunglasses.

Russ and Michael were the only ones who'd ever driven a boat before, so they took the wheel
We pulled the tube behind the boat

Alyssa had the time of her life riding with Aunt Kimmie (I love her legs up in the air here)
Alyssa is giving us 2 thumbs up

At the end, I rode all by myself on one while Alayna was on another one. We followed Russell and Michael on the boat to return them and she and I interweaved with each others wakes. It was really fun and felt so free-ing.

I need to crop this closer for them
Alayna was home with a sleeping baby for a while, but she got in her fun.
Ryan got up!


Ryan and his son, Chai

Rachel and Kirk...love her peace sign
I love Ryan's face here
Mom and dad having fun
Russell taught everyone how to do it...the experienced one.

There were LOTS of dear in the lake community. Unbelievable how many, and unafraid of people. I snapped these from the car on the drive in. They just chilled on people's front yard in daylight.
Then we found out that our cabin had a big bucket of deer food and they come right up to you. Here are the boys trying to lure the deer. Waiting ever so patiently. Success!
and again!Alyssa just liked to throw deer food at them and that one in the back is looking at her bewildered
my mom, the animal tamer...this one had a hobled leg, something wrong with one of its feet, looked like since birth. I never really thought of deer's having birth defects as all I ever see is them darting past on busy streets, etc. Interesting to see their....not humanity...but their...animality?


On our last day together, we went to the circus in San Antonio. Stuff like this is pretty cool, but so much more fun seen through the eyes of my children. The acrobatics, the clowns, the lights, the noise, the animals, the $12 cotton candy. We saw the zebra's "back stage" before the show, but they never made their appearance during the show which we thought was odd.
This elephant painting was pretty cool
I like Tigers. Maybe b/c we called Tyler that as a baby and he has a big stuffed one, but I thought this looked pretty cool. Had my zoom lense and caught this with enough light in the arena.
Outside, just before cousins had to say farewell to each other after a long, fun week. (My parents got these soccer jerseys in Scotland for the kids). Last cousin picture, Tyler cried when we had to say goodbye, he is so sensitive and loving . Matthew loved trying to hold little Greyson, and Alyssa liked to be a mommy to him. But he was enjoying his newfound walking freedom and didn't want to be hovered by them. Chai, Tyler, and Matthew are great buds....Alyssa became a tease and liked to push Chai's buttons. We gotta work on that one.
Alysssa is always requesting to be carried. Aunt Kimmie is usually happy to do so when she gets turned down by her parents. Farewell Sistahs! We are wearing the necklace that my mom found us in Scotland.
I just really liked this picture of Matthew...we were all walking away from the circus and I stopped to wait for him as he slid down the rail at the Alamodome. It was important to him.

The End.