This family day was so so good! It was actually a family weekend for all the kiddos! On Saturday, the kids, my parents, my sister in law, and Shane all went to Family Link (our foster/adoption agency) for a Fall Festival. They had such a fun time with pumpkin painting, training with the fireman, and a lot of fun for the kids!
After all the cousins spent the night together, they spent Sunday together just cherishing the little things. The bond between them is unbreakable and after almost 2 months of not seeing each other, they spent so much time just playing, laughing, sharing (and not sharing so well at times, lol) and telling each other everything. It’s so sweet to watch them grow!!
We started these monthly family visits in honor of our sweet baby Rochelle. After she passed, we knew the thing she loved the most is to be surrounded by those she loved she most. It’s so important to be with those you love as much as possible!
We sadly couldn’t get together in April which has only happened a few times that we absolutely couldn’t all get together for an entire month. It just seemed like one thing kept happening after another.
May came pretty quickly and it was perfect, because we all met up at the hotel my parents were at in Corpus Christi, Texas and it was soo fun!
Brielle hasn’t really been feeling too well lately and I was questioning if we should go, but thankfully she hung in there, and had a fun time! Shane and I got there and the kids really wanted to go to the pool first, so that’s exactly what we did. I cannot believe how much be ALL 3 of the kiddos improved with their swimming skills over the past few months! So proud of them!
We then all changed and went to lunch and went back to the hotel for all 3 kids to take a nap (which is when my brother and Julia arrived and hung out in the hotel a little bit before going and staking our place out at the beach).
We had to wake the kids up from their naps (surprisingly everyone was okay with that) and immediately walked over to the beach and the kids were having SO much fun building sand castles, running in the water and splashing, and getting sand everywhere!
Overall, very fun day and I am so blessed and honored to be able to get together once again for another month, continuing the tradition in Rochelle’s honor. ♥
As we somehow made it happen again, we all got together for another monthly family day!
Since it was taking place in Victoria, TX today, we thought of a few places the kids might like such the zoo, the park, Peter piper pizza, etc. and ultimately decided on going to Peter Piper Pizza first for a couple of hours and eat lunch there, and then head to the park.
First and foremost, the kids are all at the ages now where they can play a lot of the games, without our help, which ultimately makes them happier and more independent. They go through the typical roller coaster of emotions (love, hate, laughter,cry) every time they all hang out, but those moments when they are getting along (more often than not, thank goodness) are oh so sweet!!
We made a quick stop to Target, to look for a princess watch for Emma, and for a coffee stop! Thank goodness!
After that, we made our way to the park, or so we thought. Well on our way, we passed this amazing looking trampoline place (HangTime Trampoline), and knew we had to take the kids there. We make a quick U-turn and decided to check it out and see what it’s all about! It was a bit pricy for only 1 hour, but we had so-much-fun!!
After that hour, we decided to all spend the rest of the time at the park, playing, and just enjoying this beautiful day!
The kids had some meltdowns since they had to skip taking their naps, but overall, pulled through and made it such a great day!! I am so happy to keep honoring Rochelle, the best way we know how, and that is by being together as a family♡.
Every month, since Rochelle has passed away, my family has committed to taking at least one full day a month to get together with all of our kids and make it the best day possible. Traveling somewhere fun is usually included in this day, and I love it when it is somewhere near us! (I travel every week for my job, so I am definitely someone who loves a closer vacation destination!)
These past few months, have been celebrated around our birthdays, since it is just easier fitting everything into one weekend instead of having to try to schedule a separate day, just to celebrate. This month, happens to be my moms birthday month (her birthday is actually tomorrow, October 19), so she got to pick where she wanted all of us to go. She chose Palmetto State Park (which is located between Gonzales and Luling) and you can find out more about it here.
We all chose to meet around noon to be able to spend the rest of the afternoon together, and really just explore some of what the park has to offer. The park itself cost $3 for a day entrance pass, and it is SO worth it. It is everything you would expect in a park, and more. The 2 mile drive to the entrance alone, is beautiful surrounded by big trees and a lot of shade.
We knew all of the kids would love to run around, immediately when we got there, so that is exactly what they did. The first thing my husband saw, was the lake and he was prepared ahead of time, by bringing all of his fishing gear! He and I immediately took to the lake to try to catch some fish, while Brielle played with her cousins Aiden and Emma! After about 30 mins of unsuccessful fishing, we all decided to go try to catch some fish at the river (which is a good little walk from the park). Well, Shane did happen to catch one fish (Go babe!!) but other than that, we definitely lost some stuff as well. Brielle took it upon herself to throw my moms shoes in the river.One at a time. The fast flowing river. Well, I immediately told Shane to cast out his hook to try to catch them! He has great aim, and was successful with one, and I tried and came up short. (sorry mom!) Shortly after, my nephew (Aiden), thought it would be a good idea to throw his in the river… let’s just say, he lost one as well! His shoe flipped over, so we Shane casted out, it wouldn’t hook!
Good thing I was packed to stay at my moms for the night, that I had an extra pair of tennis shoes for her and an extra pair of shoes for Brielle that Aiden could wear for the remaining time at the park. Whew! After that whole fiasco, we all decided it was time to BBQ and eat some good burgers and chips (Thanks Mike!) and for the kids to relax a little. Well, the flies were CRAZY, so that was our main concentration during meal time, but it was delicious and I am glad that all of us got to do that! 🙂
We were thinking about going paddle boarding, but was about 30 mins too late (they close early on Sundays), so that will definitely be a MUST when we go back. Oh, yes, we are definitely going back! After the kids all had a great time, ran around, and played until their hearts were content, it was time for everyone to head their separate ways.
Oh and by the way, my brother and Julia bought my mom an awesome gift called the Echo which is voice controlled to be able to sync with your electrical devices. Can’t wait to see her put that into use! Brielle chose a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a balloon, and we also found the PERFECT gift for both my mom and mike, to go along with their collection of elephants in their house. It was at an antique garage sale, and it was two little elephants facing each other. It will fit perfectly on their mantel and I can’t wait to see it in their living room!
Mom- there have definitely been a LOT of changes that have gone on this past year, so I know that the only way left to go, is up. I love you so much and thank you being the rock for both Nathan and I when we are now 27 and 28. We love you MOM! 🙂
Here are some pictures from the day! 🙂
Swing fun!Emma being like her DaddyJulia and Nathan! So cute!Aiden!Emma! 🙂Me and my love!The “one shoe” club! 🙂Daddy’s catch!Brielle HAD to touch it! 🙂Nana LoveMatching!Apollo a.k.a BearBuddy!Brielle teaching Emma how to fishGo Emma!!Some family loveHappy Birthday, Mom! 🙂
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