Some forgotten summer pics

GARDEN:  My yellow rose of Texas

WINDOWS:  These next three are to show one of our old windows, the craziest contraptions that ever were.  WERE being the important word in that sentence.  We finally had all of them replaced.  The guys sent to do the demo had never seen windows like them, and had to bust them out one by one.  They did a fast job, which we appreciated, but left behind alot of glass shards that they really should have picked up.  The third picture is an example of the average size of glass pieces I was finding all over the house.  Pez dispensers make great points of reference!  But regardless of the glass carpet we had to watch out for, we LOVE our new windows.  

THE BALLPARK:  This picture is very special to me because we have a similar one of me carrying Gabriel to his first game when he had just turned one.  

Jav and his dad enjoying a game.

BATH TIME!!!!!

NEIGHBORS - We finally got to go out on the town with our great neighbor, Tim...

... and the next morning was the 4th of July parade.  We've walked down to see it with Tim two years in a row now.  The parade has become a bit disappointing now that the fire truck doesn't participate anymore.  

NATURE - One member of our hawk couple that summered with us, and may have had a chick (I thought I heard one more than once coming from across the street where they were nesting.)  The couple took over this bird bath in the front yard.  They were so tame and used to us that we could go in and out of our garage, in and out of the car, back in and out of the driveway and they would still sit on the birdbath.  

The male in flight...

...and sitting up on on the phone wire behind our house.

BIRTHDAYS - my mom's.  Could you guess?

SWIMMING!  A really sad thing that happened this summer having to do with Gabriel's swim teacher, Mr. Bryan.  My sister-in-law found out he had taken a leave of absence from Nolan (he teaches science  and coaches the swim team there) in May because his wife had been diagnosed with brain cancer.  We decided to sign both boys up at Emler Swim School just in case poor Mr. Bryan had to back out of his swim teaching commitments also.  Then we heard he was still teaching his 2 week sessions during the week and visiting his wife in Houston on the weekends.  We kept Gabriel in the classes at Emler, because we figured it couldn't hurt - the more time in the water, the better.  The Friday before his session was supposed to start, Mr. Bryan called Jav and told him he'd have to cancel on us, because his wife had been put in hospice.  She passed away three weeks later.  How very sad.  I cried when Jav called me at work,  I cried for Gabriel, who had been looking forward to those two weeks all summer, but I mostly cried for Mr. Bryan, one of the nicest people we know, that he had to go through such a sad time.  We've heard he plans to try and teach next summer, and we are hoping he is able to heal throughout the year and find some peace.

The boys had fun at Emler, even though Gabriel never really had a good teacher that pushed him until the end of the summer.  The  substitute was finally tough on him and had him swimming like a fish the entire class.  Joel's class was interesting, in that the mommies weren't aloud in the pool for his class.  Poor Mr. Andrew (who was about 22 years old - maybe), had to handle four crying 2-year-olds at times, and should really have won some type of medal.  Joel LOVED Mr. Andrew and still talks about him even though it's been two months since their last lesson.  By the end of the summer session Joel was being pulled by Mr. Andrew underwater for 10 seconds and loivng it.  

Joel's classmates were Jack, (Joel), Marissa and Maddie.  I love the picture below - it's great of both of them!

Here's Gabriel with one of his classmates, Addy.

Our conclusion for the summer:  Nobody, and I mean nobody, can teach kids swimming as wonderfully as Mr. Bryan.  He pushes them but they have so much fun they don't even know it.  Our summer just wasn't the same without him.

HOUSE:  We needed something on the playroom walls.  I decided to take these old, mismatched frames and put some of the boys' artwork inside.  Look at me, acting like I'm on Pinterest or something!  But I love the way it looks.

BROTHERS:  No explanation needed.  Just my cuties.