Last Day At Meme's!

Yesterday was Brady's last day with Mrs. Betty, aka "Meme." Betty Wiesepape was both Kade's and Brady's babysitter when they were little. We couldn't have asked for a better person to leave our boys with. She is such a sweet and loving person. She cared for both of our boys like they were her own grandchildren. Kade and Brady always looked forward to staying at her house while Mommy and Daddy had to work. There were very seldom any tears in the morning when dropping them off; they went to her with open arms. Now we're moving on to another chapter in Brady's life. He will be starting St. Paul's Christian Day School Monday. Thank you Meme for always loving and caring for our boys like they were your own. God knew what he was doing when he put children in your care.

Summer Fun with Friends!

Wow! We can't believe the summer is almost over, and we will be back at school in just one week. It seems like it flew by so fast. Even though we are going to miss Summer (not the summer heat that's for sure), we have to admit that we had alot of fun and made the most of it. Besides the great time we had on all of our mini vacations we took, we had just as much fun right here at home. Back in June, Loralyn and Addison came to over to our house to visit and have dinner with us. We don't get to see the Logan's very often, so it is a treat when we do get a chance to get together. Hopefully, they'll move back to Brenham soon, so our families can spend even more time together.
Kade's buddy, Ian, and his little sister Ella came over to the house this summer to play and take a little dip in the kiddy pool. Kameron brought the kids over, and they had a great playdate. After getting out of the pool and drying off, we loaded up the kids and took them to the Brenham Airport for lunch. Brady, Kade, and Ian got the biggest kick out of watching the airplanes take off and land on the runway.
Cousin Leah turned 4 years old on July 19th. She had her party at the Aquatic Center here in Brenham. Many of Leah and Kade's friends from school were at the party. I think they all had a blast that day splashing in the pool together and playing. Kade and Leah are more like best friends rather than cousins. They have a special relationship; they look out and stick up for one another. I hope that closeness follows them as they grow up together.
Baby Luke was baptized July 26th, and his baptism was celebrated at Fireman's Park. It was a perfect day for some park playtime. Kade was quite the lady's man.
Kade went to St. Paul's two days a week this summer. One day that he was there, they got to go to the movies, and the other day they got to go skating at Silver Wings. I went to watch him his last skating day. He can skate pretty good. I was impressed. It was fun watching him with all his friends.
Friends, Austin and Avery Maurer, celebrated their 3rd Birthday this summer. They had a playscape party at their house. It was tons of fun. I have to say that Kade and Brady are turning on the charm with ladies already. I don't even want to think about all the girls they will be bringing home when they get older. Scary!
We are so lucky to have been blessed with such great friends to spend our time with this summer. Kade and Brady spent alot of bonding time together at home with me this summer as well. They have a brotherly bond between them that can't be broken. Kade loves his "little bro," and Brady looks up to his "Bubba." Brady wants to be just like Kade. Don't get me wrong, they fight like there is no tomorrow, but when they're not together, one is asking for the other because they miss each other. They have their loving moments between each other. They do play well together, especially outside, and they stick up for each other. You can't beat that "Brotherly Love."

Kade's Eye Checkup!

This past Saturday Kade had his yearly checkup for his eye with Dr. Keith Busse in Austin. Dr. Busse is one of the very few pediatric ophthamologists around. Kade has what is called Stoabismus in his right eye. Basically, his right eye doesn't move to the right with his left eye; it stays stationary. There is nothing you can do to fix it, just watch that it doesn't get worse. I noticed a difference in his eyes when I would look at pictures he had taken. One would sometimes look wider than the other. Dane has a lazy eye and can't see much of anything out of his left eye. We were concerned that may have been the case with Kade, but it wasn't. Kade's condition isn't really a vision problem. We do, however, go once a year to check his vision in his eye until the age of 9. His appointment went great. He has perfect vision in both eyes, and the eye hasn't gotten any worse. Dr. Busse doesn't expect it to either, so that is good news. Dr. Busse may seem a little strange, but he is a great doctor and great with kids. I recommend him to anyone needing a pediatric ophthamologist.

PBR Weekend!

We just returned home today from San Antonio where we went to watch the PBR (Professional Bull Riding). My dad, aka Popo Loewe, Aunt Lolo, and Uncle Joe went along with us for the weekend. The PBR took place at the AT&T Center, but before we went there, we headed downtown to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum for some lunch. Everyone, especially the boys, enjoyed looking at all the animals and walking through the museum. Brady wasn't sure what to think of some of the animals at first. Some of them looked so real like they could still be alive, and he wasn't about to take a picture next to them because "they might bite." When we left downtown, we found our hotel and freshened up a bit before going to the PBR. Kade was very excited to go. He dressed up in his cowboy boots, blue jeans, belt and buckle, and cowboy hat just like his Popo. Of course, Brady thought he needed a cowboy hat and boots too, but we managed to talk him out of it. The boys adore their Popo Loewe. He is so good with them and loves them so much. None of us really knew what to expect when we arrived to the arena. It was the first time I had ordered tickets online not really knowing where our seats were for sure. We have all been to rodeos, but nothing this big. It didn't take us long to find our seats, and they were good ones. We were close, but not too close. We could see everything and had a great view of the bulls and the riders coming out of the shoots. The opening to the show was awesome. They did a special tribute to the Air Forces, introduced all the bull riders using a spectacular setup, and even introduced all the bulls. It was really neat. They had a great clown for entertainment throughout the entire show. He did a super job. It was alot of fun watching all the bull riders ride. Remember, I said this is Brady's thing right now, and we have to DVR the PBR when it is on television each week and watch it everyday. We know all the bull riders by heart. Anyway, it was neat to see all these big name bull riders that we have become so familiar with over the last few months; names like Kody Lostroh, J.B. Mauney, Chris Shivers, Brian Canter, and many more. If any of you know my boys very well, you know they don't sit still. This show started a little before 7pm and ended around 9:30pm, and they watched every minute of it. That never happens. I can't wait to buy tickets for next year. Before we left San Antonio, we took the boys through the Natural Bridge Wildlife Park to feed all the animals. When a zebra came up to the car and ate out of Brady's hand, he just laughed and laughed. He couldn't get enough of it. He did the same thing when an ostrich stuck it's head in and took an entire bag of food out of Uncle Joe's hand. You had to be there for that one. Even though it was a short trip, we all had a great time together and can't wait to do it again.

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:(