A Little Game of Catch!

Kade is really into playing baseball. He can finally play t-ball this next Spring. Dane has been working with him out in the yard in the evenings on his hitting, throwing, and catching. He is really doing well; he gets better each day that they practice. Whatever Kade does, little brother Brady thinks he can do also, because he wants to be just like big brother. He gets out his hitting tee, balls, bats, and glove and plays right along side Daddy and Kade. For a two year old, he can hit and throw pretty good. I think we have two future athletes on our hands, and we can't wait for all those nights that we will be spending at the ballpark.

The Car Wash!

Part of our road is being repaved and they decided to turn the dirt into mud today, so my car got a little dirty. I decided to wash it this afternoon when the boys and I got home while the mud was still wet and would be easy to get off. I never knew what a chore washing a car could be. The equation is pretty simple; bucket of water + soap + rag = clean car, right? Wrong. Add a two and four year old into that equation and the results don't add up. Kade wanted to be in charge of the water hose, but he sprayed everyone and everything except the car. Even the guineas got in on a little of the bath time fun. Brady wanted to help wash the car. He felt he needed his own rag, not the one Mommy provided for him. It wasn't hard to find him. You just had to follow the wet footprints and water drops all through the house that eventually led to the bathroom where he was getting out our good wash cloths. I managed to finish washing and drying one side of the car when I turned around and saw Brady soaping down my finished side. He informed me that "It still dirty. I jus helpin Mama wash da tar." Once they were both drenched, I managed to convince them go in the house and play so Mommy could finish. After about three rewashes, I finally finished what should have been a simple and easy chore. Moral of the lesson learned: It is worth dropping your car off for the day and paying someone else to wash it for you.

Quick Update!

I haven't posted in about a week, but there hasn't been too much going on. Last Wednesday Kade spent the night with Nana and Papa Rau. He's been asking all summer to stay over night with them. He and Papa rode around in the gator catching grasshoppers for all his chickens and guineas, while Nana read bedtime stories to him before settling down for the night. Thursday, cousin Leah came over to Nana and Papa's to play with Kade all day. I took my niece, Jenna, to College Station shopping. We went last summer, and that is something I would like to keep doing with her. I enjoy spending time with her. She will be starting public school this year as a first grader, so she was in need of a new school wardrobe. I can't believe how much she has grown over the years. Before I know it, I will blink, and she will be walking down my hallway at Brenham Junior High well on her way to becoming a teenager. Scary! Friday night we went to College Station with Popo Loewe, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Lolo. Popo needed a new pair of boots and a hat, and then we went out to eat some mexican food. Saturday evening, Dane and I took the boys fishing here at home. They enjoy going down to the tank and messing around. It was a catch and release day. Sunday, our nephew, Luke, was baptized. Dane was a sponsor to Luke. After church, the Hardy's had a nice lunch for Luke at Fireman's Park. We have a big weekend coming up; we're headed to San Antonio to the PBR. This was Popo Loewe's Father's Day gift and a special treat for Brady since he is all about bull riding. This will be our last little summer getaway before I have to return to work:(

Great Wolf Lodge & Resort Vacation!

If all family vacations go as well as this one did, then I am looking forward to many more future vacations. We just returned home yesterday from a 4 day, 3 night vacation at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. Jamie and Buck Odom, along with their three kids Maddie, Markie, and Mia, made the trip with us, and we had a blast! Kade and Maddie are very close in age, as well as Brady and Markie, so they had a buddy system going with one another. After a four hour road trip, we arrived at the the lodge last Thursday afternoon shortly after lunch. We got settled in and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon checking out the outdoor waterpark.

It was alot of fun. Kade loved riding down the big slides and Brady had fun just splashing in the water. The Dallas Fort Worth Airport is very close to the lodge, so the planes are super close when they are coming in to land. Kade and Brady thought that was so cool to see all the big airplanes. That night we went to Saltwater Willie's to eat and came back to the rooms to crash for the night. It had been a long day. We slept in Friday morning and headed down to the Loose Moose Cafe for some breakfast before heading down to explore the indoor waterpark.

The kids couldn't get enough of the indoor waterpark. There was so much to do that there wasn't anytime to get bored with anything. Kade and Maddie really enjoyed the big wave pool, while Brady, Markie and Mia had fun playing in the kiddie pool splashing, sitting on the jet skis shooting water at people, and going down the slides.





We spent the entire morning there before heading back to the rooms for a late lunch. While the kids and husbands napped, Jamie and I decided to go back down to the waterpark and ride some of the big rides. We deserve a little kid fun as well. After naps we got ready, went out to eat, and got back just in time for "Wiley Under the Stars." The kids got to go outside with Wiley the Wolf, look and learn about the stars, sing campfire songs, and eat smores. They thought that was so neat, but Brady wasn't so crazy about Wiley.
Saturday morning we went down to the lobby so the kids could watch the Clock Tower show, and then it was back to the indoor waterpark to explore the second half of the park that we didn't get to the day before. We also gave our husbands a chance to ride the big rides. After naptime, we took the kids down to "The Cub Club" where they could play, read, and make crafts. They all colored a napsack that Wiley the Wolf had given them the night before. After a dinner of pizza and coke, the kids raced down to the lobby for storytime by the fire place with Wiley the Wolf.

When story time ended we went by the sweet shop for some ice cream that we enjoyed out by the pool before calling it a night. All in all, the kids did great. They behaved and played so well together. That alone makes any vacation enjoyable for Mom and Dad. It was a fun place for everyone. Thank you Odom Family and Great Wolf Lodge for a wonderfully funfilled vacationing experience.

Brady's 2nd Birthday!!

Brady turned 2 back on April 9,2009. We celebrated his birthday at our home with all of our closest friends and family. He is growing up so fast. He isn't my little baby anymore. He is such an independent little man; definately not a follower. He does his own thing, and he does it his own way. He is also becoming quite the talker. Dane and I are always saying that Kade talks way too much, but Brady just might win over that title. The one thing that he is infatuated with right now is bull riding. He loves it. We have to record it on our DVR because he watches it everyday before naptime and bedtime. We are actually taking the boys to San Antonio in August to watch the PBR. It is never a dull moment with Brady. He keeps us on our toes because we have to watch his every move. He is gone and out of site in the blink of an eye. Although he can be a mess, we wouldn't trade for anything in the world. He's our little guy. We love you Brady Lee!

Boys will be boys!

I have to admit that living out in the country is the most fitting place to raise our boys. They love the country and all that comes with it. They are both 100% country boy. They enjoy having so many different activities to choose from. Kade and Brady both love catching bugs and frogs, fishing and dove hunting with Dad, riding in the mule to go check and feed the cows, picking the eggs out of the chicken house, raising baby guineas, playing in the water puddles out in the driveway after a rain, and so much more. This is truly where they belong, and we look so forward to watching them grow up here on the Rau Homestead. What never ceases to amaze me though, as a mom, is how quickly young boys pick up those lifelong male habits.

Fishing Buddies!

Dane and Kade entered a fishing tournament with Cody Stelter and his son Ian earlier this summer. Kade and Ian go to school together and have become really good friends. The boys had a fabulous day of fishing. The day started early and ended late. They each caught a stringer of bass and perch. Even though these two boys are best buddies, they are also quite the competitors with each other. All in all they had fun fishing day, and came home completely exhausted.