Texas Fun

After a long full week of VBS we loaded the kids in the car and headed down to Texas.  I don't enjoy the drive down to Texas, but I do LOVE going back home.  Hans and I usually have a list a mile long of places we want to go to eat.

Since we were getting a late start we decided to stop in Springfield, MO for the night.  For those of you who don't know, it is a little harder finding a hotel with a dog.  Especially a big dog.  It isn't like we can hide Fritz in a bag and carry him in.  So, we booked a hotel we thought would be okay...but we were so wrong.  They did indeed take pets, but this place was a dump.  We weren't staying there long so we were fine with the dumpiness, but we were roomed next to a drunk party girl and were up all night listening to her fight with someone on the phone.  NOT a good experience.  No more hotels for us...at least not when we have Fritz.

But, we made it to Texas and packed the week with lots of fun.

 The boys played many, many, many games of Mousetrap.  This produced lots of laughter, tears, yelling, and fighting.

 Of course the boys went to Grandma's art room to paint.  Anders always finds something fun to play with there.

 We went to a fun pool party for the 4th of July.  One of the guys was throwing kids into the pool.  So of course John wanted to get in on the action.  This guy was easily throwing kids high into the air.  You could tell he had to brace himself when he came to my rock of a kid.  He is deceptively heavy, always has been.  So, John gave him a work out and had a great time doing it.

 Gus was not going to let anyone throw him anywhere.  He was content jumping into the pool himself.

 The boys decided they wanted to pack their suits to wear for church down in Texas.  They love dressing up.

 Anders makes it very hard to get a nice picture.  He has attitude.  Can you tell?

 Well, Hans looks nice....

 The boys seemed a little more willing to be "normal" for my picture with them.

 Again, we tried to get a picture of the boys with their Grandparents.

 Again, Anders was a ham.

 At least everyone seems to be having a good time.

The boys loved hanging out with Uncle Mark too.  Never a dull moment with these guys.

Handsome Boys

The boys love dressing up.  They love coordinating.  I love that they love doing this.

They were also so excited because these are actual ties and not just the clip-on ones.

The coat Anders is wearing was actually made by my mother for my brother.  He wore it for Easter when he was about Anders' age.

 Isn't my brother just the cutest?  He still has that same smile.

While I Was in Paris

My mom introduced the boys to water beads.  The boys loved them! 

Water beads starts off as little pellets and when submerged in water they grow.  John had a good time watching them grow by making water dots on paper each hour.

Look at those eyes.

Okay, back to the beads.

The beads come in all different colors.  You can buy them at almost any craft store.  They come in the dried pellet form and in jars with them already about this size.

The cool thing is that if these beads are left out to dry they will go back to in the little tiny pellet forms.

My mom told the boys they could play with them however they wanted.  Apparently this is what Anders thinks is cool.

Gus made a camera and wanted my mom to take a picture of him taking a picture. 

My mom started a book that we still need to finish.  I thank my mother every time I pick up that darn thing.  It is an incredibly boring book.  But somehow this book managed to win a Newberry.  Gus picked this book because it is about a dog.  Go figure.  And because it is about a dog this kid needs to finish it.  I've never been so determine to teach this kid to read to himself.

The boys also enjoyed building puzzles with my dad.  This is actually 3 puzzles in 1.

Grandma lets them eat in the living room.  Grandma is so cool.

The Fiene boys couldn't be in Texas without visiting the Blaschkes. They had fun swimming.

The boys also had fun hanging out with Uncle Mark.  Gus is like Mark's mini-me so I love when they get to see each other.  Mark and Gus "get" each other.

Last Day in Texas

The last day of our trip to Texas was packed full of fun stuff.  We had lunch at the Blaschke's where John and Gus were able to show off some of their new moves learned from swim lessons.  We always have a good time with the Blaschkes.

 That evening we had a little party for John since his birthday was only days away.

 Gus and Anders had to be the first to see the gifts and cards.

 John got a cool new helmet to match his cool new bike.

 Over the years I have discovered that John is not much of a cake person.  Just like his momma.  So my mom got him an ice cream cake.

 Then the boys enjoyed some quiet time watching a show with Grandma.  Can you see she is trying to soak in every second with these kids?

Of course we had to try to get a group shot.

 Gus isn't interested...

 Now he is even less interested and Anders is wavering...

 Gus is at least trying.  He wants to get this over with.

 I think Anders is trying to tell me this is taking too long.

 Gus was not interested in taking pictures with Uncle Mark either.  What a goof!

Saying Goodbye

In just a few days the sale of my grandparents cottage will be final.  Practically speaking this is a wonderful event and a blessing for my grandparents.  Keeping up with the cottage and what I always called "the winter house" was just getting to be too much.  Emotionally speaking it is a little sad for everyone. This is where I spent my summers as a child.  BUT I have two things to be thankful for.  First and foremost is that I still have my grandparents around to continue making wonderful memories with.  The cottage was nice, but what made it perfect was spending all that time with my loved ones that I still have.  Second is that my children were able to spend a couple of summers there. All of us were actually able to be there this past summer.

This is the view when you drive up.  Lots of soft, green grass to play in.

Many, many years ago my Grandpa built this deck that looks out onto the water.  I couldn't imagine having lake front property and not having a beautiful deck to enjoy the view.

 The boys had a great time this summer running around and being loud.  They also discovered that little things can get lost in ground covering.  They looked for a small Toy Story action figure for a long time.  They even roped my mom, Hans, and I into looking.

Anders grew tired of our incompetence and decided to look for himself.  The boys did end up finding it.  Just shows you what determined little boys can accomplish.

The last time we went to New York Fritz was just 11 weeks old.

This year he was a beast.

More pictures to come from our time at the cottage.

Great Uncle Whitey and Aunt Anne's House

It seems to be the tradition that every time all of the Ruppert kids are in town there is a get-together at the house of my uncle Mark, the guy my kids lovingly referred to as "Uncle Whitey" since the whole Great Uncle Mark and regular Uncle Mark was getting too confusing.  I think my mom came up with the name.  Or my Aunt Diane.  Either way it was the name thought up by one of his sweet older sisters.

When we all arrived a photographer came and took a big family picture. Which reminds me that I actually need to order one of those.  The guys were all ready to change out of their white shirts and jeans.  Just when my cousins thought we were all done and had changed, the ladies made them get dressed again so we could get a picture of my grandparents with the grandkids and great grandkids.

 While we absolutely LOVE our grandparents/great grandparents the only difference between Gus and the rest of the guys is that Gus is not as good at showing his displeasure.  Three of these guys had already changed into comfy clothes and had to dig out the white shirts again.  They were great sports about it though.

 Everyone enjoyed talking to long lost Mark.  Since he hasn't made an appearance in 5 years.  Mark goes for quality, not quantity.

 The boys enjoyed playing with the trains my Aunt Anne keeps around.  My cousin Ben was a big Thomas the train fanatic too.  My Aunt Nancy also brought the boys some new Hess vehicles.  These were a big hit.

 John always gives a hug to show his thanks.  Gus says thank you quietly without looking at you.  And Anders is quick to say thanks but doesn't always want to take the time to stop what he is doing.

 What's a birthday celebration for my grandmother without cheesecake?  My aunt found these cool candles where the fire matched the color of the candle.

 Anders wanted some cake.  He is asking with his eyes.  He usually gets his message across.

 Fritz enjoyed the cool air and the grass that was not filled with thistles or ants.

 Fritz also believes he is a lapdog.  There is no convincing him otherwise.  He isn't always good about giving a clear signal before he plops right in your lap.  If you are on the floor he assumes you are there to pet him.

Gus and my Aunt Nancy had some nice bonding time over Fritz.  I'm pretty sure he told her that Fritz was a comfort dog.  Seems only fitting that I can't convince Gus otherwise.