Our Fun Family

Over the last 5 years or so, we have thoroughly enjoyed the use of an Outback travel trailer. For the first couple of years, we borrowed it from one of the founders of a company I used to work for. We actually used it more than the owners did and a few years ago purchased the trailer for our family. We have used it for tailgate parties, camping, and trips to Gramma and Grampa’s house. Our girls have quite literally grown up with the camper and neither has any memory us NOT having the camper. You should see the way their eyes light up when we get ready for a trip. If we are going camping for the weekend, typically, I would bring the camper home from storage on Thursday night so that we can pack up and be ready to hit the road on Friday. We don’t usually tell the girls when this is going to happen, so often their first indication that we are going camping is when they look out the window and see the camper hitched to my truck at our curb. This always causes jumping a...

Last November, our church hosted a Father/Daughter camping weekend at Camp Penial.  When I was registering for that trip with the church I decided that it should be for Grace and I.  I wasn't sure that there would be much for Hailey to do, since she was only 3.  All in all, it was the right choice.  Grace and I had a blast, and it was a special weekend for just her and I.  We camped in a tent, we rode a zip line and shot a .22, and she also mastered the rock wall.  Truthfully, there really wasn't much that Hailey would have gotten to do.  But it was obvious that her feelings were hurt that she didn't get to go.  I finally appeased her by promising her that she and I would go on our own camping adventure on another weekend. As we got into the holiday season, and the weather got colder, we ran out of weekends to go camping.  Then we had some issues with our camper, and countless other reasons came up that kept me from keeping ...

I am sure it comes as no surprise that I like to make fresh salsas.  I have several recipes that I make on a fairly regular basis.  One of my favorites is a tomatillo salsa, another is a smoked tomato salsa.  And summertime is a natural time to make salsas, I use them for tacos (breakfast and dinner), as a salad dressing, or as a sandwich spread.  The fresh produce I use to make my salsas usually comes from the store or occasionally from a farmers market nearby.  But even during the peak growing season, the best ingredients are often hard to find and can be expensive!    I am not characterized by my green thumbs.  I haven't been known for lush landscapes, but I am getting better.  So far, I haven't been able to kill my roses, and my grass is looking better with each passing week of our early spring.  We still have a house plant we received from a friend when Hailey was born, that qualifies as a minor miracle, I am sure.  Now, my m...

It seems quite natural to spend time during the holidays reflecting on the year, and of course the New Year brings new resolutions for our future.  I don't typically make a list of wishes or tasks that I am going to do (or give up) in the coming year,  I am one of those people who is more likely to start the clock to see how long it takes for me to cave in on my new resolutions.   But I did however come up with a goal for 2013 that I think will be helpful.  My goal is going to be far more intentional in 2013.  I have seen in so many areas of my life, spiritual, physical, and mental where I was swayed by the wind, or beat up by on out-of-control calendar.  So this year, my pledge isn't to lose a bunch of weight, though health will play a big factor in my year.  This year, I won't pledge to shred the credit cards, tackle my reading list, kick my bacon addiction or be a better Daddy, Husband, Brother, Uncle, Friend, etc..  In the Spring of 2012, ...

It’s no secret that we like to do a lot of cooking in our house.  What can I say, we like to eat!  One thing that I am a little sad about is that I have not been very good about keeping the girls in the kitchen with me lately.  We get so busy, and I get in such a rush, that it is just easier to not have them underfoot.  Or, it’s the rare time when Brenda and I are able to talk undisturbed for a few minutes while we are working on making dinner.  I really need to figure out a way to strike that balance better.  While Grace and I were away for the weekend on our Father Daughter Camp Out, Gram gave Brenda a wonderful gift by keeping Hailey overnight on Friday.  This gave Brenda a blissful, kid-free night on Friday and a Saturday morning to sleep in and do whatever her heart desired.  I was so pleased that Gram shared these pictures with me, because it really did make me proud to see Hailey (at the ripe old age of 3) helping Gram make pigs in a blan...

This past weekend, the Men’s Ministry from our church, Hill Country Bible Church – Austin , sponsored the first of 2 weekends that make up the annual Father Daughter Camp Out.  I have been looking forward to Grace reaching the right age for this opportunity and we were both really excited to go this year.  Camp Peniel , in nearby Marble Falls was our host as somewhere around 230-250 men and daughters descended on camp for a fantastic weekend.  We could not have been more blessed.  Everything from the weather to the campsites to the food to the activities were all beyond our expectations.  Our family took a weekend camping trip last weekend, and with a favorable weather forecast for our father daughter campout, I had decided to break out the tent and forego the travel trailer.  Since the camp was providing the food, and it was going to be just Grace and I, I just couldn’t justify all the work of packing, hauling and setting up the trailer.  I am so gl...

We had a busy summer and are settling back into the routine of school.  Grace started back to school as a first grader this week, and Hailey started at Round Rock Christian Academy in their 3 day per week preschool.  The last couple of weeks have been all about meeting teachers, getting the first day outfits ready, getting school supplies labeled and coordinating backpacks and lunchboxes.  We did sneak in one last weekend camping trip before school started, and we will wrap up the summer this weekend celebrating Grace’s 6th birthday!  As has become customary in our family, our summer was filled with Shamu and his SeaWorld friends, and a 4th of July of fireworks and blueberries at Gramma and Grampa’s.  The girls spent their days at Gram and Granddad’s, at various Vacation Bible Schools, Backyard Bible Clubs and swim lessons.  Both girls were enthralled with the Olympics in London, especially swimming, gymnastics and women’s beach volleyball.  By watch...