Wednesday, May 29, 2013

May Catch-Up: Evans Family VACA!!

(Grandmother and others... please note you may have missed previous two posts... make sure you go back to catch up on our May action!)

The week before last, Kk and Albi treated the Evans family extended to a fabulous vaca in San Antonio! Off-season vacations are the best! We were so fortunate to have beautiful, warm, sunny weather and a resort nearly all to ourselves... it was what dreams are made of! 

Before we headed south to one of our very favorite places in this great state of Texas, it was imperative that C and K get some new shades for their fun in the sun. I mean... it's only right... So Target, had a few options... that did not include, glitter, characters and or other obnoxious material...ha! So we went with it... and I think even the glitter and cartoons would look good on these too!! Love it!



SO we headed out Wednesday morning for VACA! The night before, the kids were literally running around screaming... they could not contain their excitement and it was hilarious! We were loving every bit of them firing up their vacation engines! Tuesday morning came fast and we were ready... "whoo, whoo it's time for vacation," C would say. And K would reply with, "CATION!!! Let's go!!"

We met the rest of the crew at our favorite local mexican joint and did it up right... margs and enchiladas were the kick-off to a great week! CHEERS!!!

It was SO great to see Aunt Emily and Uncle Josh... it had been since January... what??!! Could that be right?! Aunt Emily had sprouted nicely and we were excited to give our nephew a few rubs!! We love you Whitters! :) Whitters... that's it... that's my nickname!! Emily? Josh? Okay?! :)


Once we downed our margs and chowed down on the best enchiladas this side of the Rio Grande we headed up the hill to the JW for the week... 

And you can guess where our first stop was???!!

THE POOL, of course!

Before I get much further I just want to say that the JW in SA is a top notch place! They went above and beyond all week to make us feel welcome and special! We had the most fun getting to know all of the great people they employ! The pools were fabulous, the food AWESOME and atmosphere couldn't have been better! What a treat to vacation at the JW... they have got things figured out! :)

Back to the action...

Kiddie pool... awesome slides!!

And boy is was sure a shame that Kaki needed a riding partner... because those slides were absolutely NO fun! :) 

Albi!! Let's go!!


Uncle Josh made it his mission to wear C out... and he did! :)


And vice versa... preppin' him for things to come! :)


Although we laughed all week about how Whitters will be a Southern Gentlemen, prim, proper and always in a bow tie, behaving perfectly in each and every situation! :) Hey, we can dream, right?!! :)

Kaki got acclimated to vacation life in a matter of minutes... it appears that vacation suits her! :) Go figure!


She loved the pool and the SLIDES!! Oh... we all took a turn or TWENTY down the slides!! My back hurts just thinking about getting in and out of the pool! ;) Hehe! BUT... anything for my Kaki-girl!! :)


After the first day, this was the scene at dinner... down. for.the.count.


Both of 'em... and we still had 4 days left!!


Luckily, K and C put on their big boy undies and big girl diaper and were ready for another FUN day by the sun's rise the next morning!

Cutie in her cover up!


We had a cabana to relax by the pool in and they even brought us a pack n play to see if K would take her nap down there... turns out there was WAY too much excitement... but we tried! And a nap was important that day... we had a yummy dinner with some special friends to stay up late for!!


Pool time with Mommy... thanks for snapping this pic Aunt Emily!


Down from the cabana we had four chairs in the water which acted as a make-shift baby pool... it was fabulous and so convenient for young kiddos! :)


Thursday night we got to meet up with some of our dear friends Rachel and Justin for dinner. It was so fun to get to see them and hear all about their life in San Antonio. It had been too long and we were all so glad to get that time to eat yummy food and relax after a hot day by the pool! Perfection!

Kaki was ready for breakfast... hat on and purse packed! :) C and K of course got to take a trip to the gift shop with Albi... :) He's such a sucker!! Haha! And we love him for it!


Friday night we took it easy around the pool all day and then got some grub at the hotel sports bar for dinner... after dinner the fireplace was inviting and so was the game of football taking place on the lawn...

parents to be... 


Caden and Kaki joined in the fun! Kaki actually walked right up to two big boys, grabbed the football and chunked it... hilarious!! I don't think the boys knew what to think!

Caden had so much fun playing even though he didn't really see much action... he was really good at saying, "I'm open!! I'm open!!" Sweet thing!


Fun group of kiddos...


Saturday it was the girls' turn to have a day at the spa. The big boys went and played golf on Thursday... in truth, they said that the golf course actually played them, but nonetheless they enjoyed the beating... I think! :) 

Before we headed to get beautified we got some pool time in... Josh was learning in earnest everything he could about happy children and their sleep habits. Good stuff.


And Caden was continuing to tell himself, "it is shallow here, I will not drown..." and loving every minute of that realization! :) And NO DIVING... 


And the fam pic... I was a bone head and got completely TORCHED the first day we were there, which meant I got to wear a fancy t-shirt in the water for the next few days... :( But hey... I've got a good base coat now... and no peeling... just the pain and itch of a good burn! 



As I mentioned earlier the staff went ABOVE AND BEYOND for us the entire time we were there. The last day... after Caden had voiced his love for all things Batman, they brought him his very own FANCY Batman mask... can you believe it? Brand spankin' new! He did not take it off all day... literally! And since we've been home it's made it to HEB at least twice and he wears it all over the house. Kaki says, "Caden... BATMAN!!" She likes it too! :)


The last night we were there was probably one of my favorites!! Our sweet friends Rachel and Justin agreed to take on the Cox kids for the evening while the bigger kids got to celebrate two very special boys' birthdays at one of the best steakhouses in the nation!! :) What could be better than that? We are so thankful to Rach and Justin for taking care of our two! This Mama does not take the babysitter thing lightly and it was SO nice to know they were in such great hands and equally as nice to enjoy a dinner out with my original fam! Plus a few extras... :)

We were trying to take some table shots... my arms were obviously not long enough... HA!


And again... nice face JOSH!!


Okay, we'll go side by side...

My and my sweet rents... I HEART HIS PICTURE!! This picture is proof positive that I did come from both of them... a lovely combination, I'd say! :)


And those three... trouble! Especially that guy on the end... and the little Whitters to be! 

It was a fabulous night!! We had such fun and ate SUCH amazing food!! And we may have also had some really great wine!! :)


It was a great way to celebrate both Justin and Josh for their 31 and 28 years of life! What a treat!

The kids had a fabulous time at Rachel and Justin's and by the time we picked them up they had gotten a second wind and were able to tell us all about the fun they had on the way back from the hotel! Caden was in a pool of sweat because, of course he was STILL wearing his Batman mask! God bless him!

The next morning was sad... it was over... and it had only just begun! After breakfast we took the opportunity to snap a few pics before we left!

Plus, we were working on getting some ammo for the Instagram contest they were hosting which would grant the winning person TWO FREE NIGHTS at the hotel! Whaaaaa-hooooo! I'm in for the win!

Happy family shot...


Super sad family shot... we don't wanna leave!!


Happy new parents...


Happy OLD grandparents! :) And I mean old as in, they've already been grandparents before... so they aren't new... although they may be both be 57 by the end of the summer... ahem!


Happy kids... all 7 of us...


Sad... I look particularly rough... not sure if I look sad or sick... but either way!


And then the off-balance HAPPY WHIT IS COMING shot!! Poor Emily... she was a good sport to let us all point and stare, open-mouthed! :)


I'm calling it... JW SA 2014... I'm ready! Are y'all??

THANK YOU KK and Albi for treating YET AGAIN to another fabulous vacation... I've said it before and I'll say it again... there really is NO REASON to ever leave Texas! And that's why we all live here! Texas Forever! 

And family forever!

We love each you to the moon and back!

And I'll leave this with our trip inside joke.... D-R-U-N-C-K... that's all! ;) 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

May Catch-Up: Mama's/Mommy's Day

Next up in May was Uncle Josh's birthday... 28!! Hard to believe it... and even harder to believe that that little munchkin of a brother in the pictures below is going to be a Daddy in September!  A Daddy! In September! I can hardly believe it! We are going to have another nephew... Whit! We are over the moon excited for Josh and Emily and canNOT wait for him to join the family... out of utero... he is clearly already very MUCH an Evans! :)




Next up... let's head on into Mother's Day... or as I like to call it Mama's Day... that's what Kaki calls me and Mommy's Day, that's what Caden calls me. Funny that they call me two different things isn't it? I kind of like it... :)

So in true Mother's Day (homemade gift fashion) we did some crafting for all of our favorite mamas! :)


As you can see in the picture, I was in the middle of a decorating mess... quite literally. I had pulled out all sorts of things from the garage... old pieces I didn't use, trying to figure out if I could cost-effectively decorate my new buffet table... thank you, Ikea! I love that place!

It wasn't really workin' for me... but thankfully, I had three really thoughtful people who were going to help a mama/mommy out! :)

I would have been completely fine with this lovely portrait painted by my firstborn for my Mother's Day loot, but... they decided to do a bit more! ;)


He painted my shirt green for Baylor of course... and I say "he" very loosely... my child is NOT INTO arts and crafts... by the looks of this his teachers did all of it... except for pick the colors! :)

AND she also gave us a set of four BEAUTIFUL coasters for Mother's and Father's Day!! So thoughtful and so treasured! And Caden loves that we get to use them for our drinks EVERY DAY! And you can bet he asks us if we use them EVERY DAY!


Being a Mama/Mommy to these two little ones is the best job on earth! I love it so very much! And I am so thankful that I am in a position where I can live my dream as a stay at home mommy! I know this is never something to take for granted and I am grateful!! Truly!


If she likes two pacis how will we ever get it down to NO pacis?? :) I'm not worried... :)

Brother and sister... couldn't get any better than that!! 


Often sweet, sometimes sour but becoming great friends! I love being their mom!


On the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend the kids and Justin "woke" me up with Starbucks and two cute little gift bags each with a light bulb inside... they were taking me LAMP shopping!! WHOO HOO!! I was so excited!

We had a fun morning shopping for lamps and then for other goodies for all of the May celebrations we have in our family... 

Best gifts ever... 

Those three!


My sweet girl!!


Saturday evening we had an event to go to for Justin and so it was a free date night... almost... I guess we have to pay those babysitters huh?! :) It was fun to get dressed up and hit the town... 


Selfie in the car before walking in... we are anything if not spontaneous/never think to ask anyone to take our picture... which is why most of our date night pics are exactly like this one!! :) Ah, well... he's cute anyway! :)


Sunday we celebrated with pancakes, church and a lazy afternoon around the house!

Mother's Day always feels a little funny to me... being a Mama/Mommy is my favorite thing, it feels kind of silly getting celebrated for the things I do when I do what I love, but I am appreciative of the day to receive a bit extra from my kiddos all the same! :)

Kaki walked around all day on Sunday saying, "Happy Birthday Mother's Day!" 

Someone is very excited about her upcoming birthday!! 2!

Sunday afternoon Caden and Justin were having a "slide-off" in the backyard... 


Who won?


I did!! The blessing abound with these two! Love them to the moon and back and back again... and again... and maybe even again!


It was a GREAT Mother's Day weekend!! 

(I am thankful to have written this post well after the fact... lots less tears shed... I think I cried a record number of times leading up to Mother's Day... happy tears... emotional Mama tears! Bless my heart!)


May Catch-Up: Trip to CC

The first weekend in May, Justin had a fun dude weekend planned, so the kids and I headed south for a little fun in the CC sun with KK and Albi! It sure isn't a bad thing when your parents live just minutes from the beach! I think I'd say we are a pretty lucky crew! 

Especially, when KK and Albi treat you to some superb cooking all weekend long!

And some gifts...

BOWS!!

Kaki wanted to wear all three!

Trendsetter....?!



On Saturday after an early nap day we decided to head to the beach! It was a pretty day, a little on the cool side but we are excited. It was a few days after one of those random Spring cold snaps that we kept getting... and are now thankful for as we are soaring well into the 90s this week. 

I took a selfie to show Uncle Josh that we were "reppin" Lone Star at the beach! Nice!!


Once we got to the beach, the sun was still shining, but the wind was also still blowing that North wind so it made it a bit chilly... BUT heck! That didn't stop us! At least Caden and I! I think we were the only two to really venture out into the water that day! And for good reason! It was good while you were in, but once you got out it was a lip turning purple moment! 


Kaki cared more about the sand toys KK and Albi bought for our trips to the beach!


KK obliged Kaki by helping her build a "sandcastle!"


Those girls... so cute!!


And this guy who is TERRIFIED this summer of the POOL, was perfectly carefree in the ocean... does he not know how silly this seems to most people?! :) But let me just say that drains are WAY scarier than sharks, jelly fish and the like to a four year old! God Bless America!


Kaki did her fair share of snack eating while we were there... in fact I would say the way she does it, it becomes more like a hobby... or a sport! 


Caden and I did it all... splashed, swam, dove in the waves, played some catch, played some paddle ball, ate some snacks, got freezing cold... and then it was time to pack it up and head home!

But first we had to stop for some island gelatto...YUM!

Back at the house we had some horse racing to catch up on... Albi was teaching Kaki all about it... she was thrilled... I'm sure! :) Actually, she really does like horses... she in an animal phase right now!

Aren't they cute?!


It was a fun weekend in CC... slow-paced, filled with yummy food and the greatest company around. And when you throw a bit of sand and waves into the mix, it really is not a bad place to spend a weekend! :)

Thanks Kk and Albi for all of the fun in the CC sun!! Next time, we can be assured that it will not be cold in those waves!! :) And we can't wait!!

We love y'all!!