Owling....

because planking is SOOOOOO last week!

This is part one of a two part post in which we mockingly embrace the current "trend" of owling. For those of you unfamiliar with this fad, it has come just after the hype of planking...planking was the fad in which people would lie face down with their hands by their sides in a completely stiff and straight position and photograph and post the pictures. However, that is so old, and now the "cool" kids are owling. Same principal....but you squat/perch in various places like and owl and photograph yourself. We find these trends to be completely absurd but lacking free/fun activities we decided to embrace the trend! So here is part one of our OWLING experience!

OWLING AT KATY'S HOUSE

Rockstar Owl

TV Owl

Owl Owl

Caged Owl

Hood Ornament Owl

Trashy Owl

Stump Owl

OWLING AT JAMIE'S HOUSE -- SSSHHHHH! DON'T TELL HER! SHE DOESN'T KNOW WE WERE THERE!



Owling with Gabby



Emily is a good owl...Gabby is not...but she is a good spy cat!

Peace Owl with Peace Frog

Spy Owl

OWLING AROUND TOWN

BEVO Owl

OWLING AT THE TOWNHOUSE

Framed Owl

Chapel Owl and Gargoyle Owl

Wall Owl

Pool Owls

Sardine Owls

Our next installment of OWLING will incorporate lots of fun new pictures and special guest appearances...however...that's for another blogging day! Hope you have enjoyed part one and maybe, just maybe, you might be inspired to do a little owling yourself!

Jr. High headed to San Antonio

The past few days Olivia and i have had a chance to go to san antonio for the yearly jr. high mission trip.

on the way we stopped at the WHOOP stop-- a total aggie gas station. behind us is a replica of the aggie bonfire at the whoop stop.





WHOOP stop!



we stayed at alamo heights umc which if you've never been before is HUGE! we stayed in the youth area part of the church.

 we worked at the methodist mission home in san antonio. the methodist mission home does adoption services and schi-- southwest center for higher independence. we helped with their new outdoor area. we pick axed, dug, and successfully tore out a huge tree stump that looked like seven trees had grown together.

we had a lot of interaction with the schi students which was awesome! on monday we got to meet the the special olympic usa championship softball team!! only a few of them are in the picture though.

Each day at lunch we ate with the schi students. a majority of the students were deaf so the first day it was kind of hard to communicate. but it turned out that on tuesday we took a sign language class before lunch so we were able to communicate better. it is a tradition to get a sign name but a deaf person has to give it to you. i got one and i learned my name in sign language.


This trip was an amazing experience and i will surely go on lots more mission trips!!!

Em's Birthday Celebration!

sorry this post is really late and with no pictures but I did have a birthday party for my friends on wednesday july 13. the day before we went to the newly opened and delicious restaurant, BJs and i had the whole treatment. that includes my sisters, and katy singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs and then a very tasty free kids pizzokie. if you dont know what a pizzokie is at BJs it is a yummy cookie with a plop of vanilla ice cream on top. to start the party my friends and i had a chick-fil-a chicken nugget tray then headed to the movies to see monte carlo. after monte carlo, we had a nice refreshing swim. overall, i had an awesome birthday!!
~ Emily

Good times in CS!

What a busy and fun weekend we had! friday is house cleaning day around these parts, but this week it was done with more purpose than just because it needs to be done. the benolkens and pilgreens were coming to town and, with baby wyatt in tow, the house needed to be baby ready!

kid table at wings n more

baby wyatt serving as a buffer between kids table and adult table....

Everyone arrived just in time for dinner. after a little visiting and oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing over baby wyatt we all loaded up and headed to wings n more for dinner. Table for 13, please...that's 7 adults, 5 kids, and a baby sling, please. Oddly enough, even with our large number we were seated almost instantly! after dinner we headed back home (to the garrett house where the benolkens would be staying) for some more visiting and hanging out until late into the night. we played outside, had scooter races, and held an intense game of four square!

 Scooter Races and Four Square

on saturday we took it easy and enjoyed breakfast and a relaxing evening. mid-morning katy, lindsey, and lee made their way back over to spend the day. the ladies took care of lunch...baked chicken in cream soups, pasta, sister shubert rolls, green beans, and fruit pizza for dessert! after clean-up it was naptime for the young ones and those young at heart to prepare for an epic afternoon of swimming. in the pool we played games, had races, showed off our diving board skills, and did tricks on the sub skate. tons of fun in the sun...as in about 5 straight hours worth. to fill all of the hungry bellies after all that swimming, the guys grilled burgers and served fruit and chips. then everyone went out for dessert! frozen yogurt for some, and ice cream for others. YUM!

aaron was the master kid launcher...jennings got some wicked air time

Ellie has some sweet diving board skills

tiffany getting ready to land a perfect sub skate maneuver

lee with a board in hand jump

katy pulling off a handstand on the board

baby wyatt kicking it on the fountain edge

Abby and her crazy diving board antics

playing categories

aaron and wyatt chilling with the turtle float

sunday morning everyone did their own thing and then party prep for emily's birthdaybegan. she had a swim party so it was another day full of fun! sadly it was also the day that the benolkens and pilgreens had to head back home.

the weekend was lots of fun and everyone enjoyed spending time together, visiting, and fighting over baby wyatt! he is definitely a cutie and very laid back and happy!

side note: lindsey was indeed here for the weekend and enjoying all the festivities as well...she just also happened to be the weekend photographer so she is absent from the photos...but she was most definitely a part of this wonderfully lovely weekend!

Strikes, Spares, and Lots of Fun!

This year our family signed up for a progam where kids can bowl free all summer! So, a couple of days ago we went for the first time. First, we got our very goofy clown shoes and a 6-pound ball. Our family and Katy have a history of creating silly names. Such as: Jennings: Juicy Fruit, Abby: Apricot, Ellie: Eggplant, Emily: Emu Pie, and Katy our fabulous creator of names, was Kiwi. The first game Ellie, Abby, and Jennings had gutter blockers. But, we still didn't manage to beat Katy after her Turkey (three strikes in a row)!

 

The second game we played there were 4 goofy guys who came to the lane beside us.They thought it was hilarious that we were using 6 and 7-pound balls so, they gave the balls a try. They acted like it was the coolest thing to use our balls. We had a great time bowling!

 

 

As you can see from the pictures...we have some serious bowlers on our hands! Gutter guards or no gutter guards, we come to win!

Happy BIrthday, America! from the Nerd Squad

So, Fridays around here are house cleaning days. And today was no different...except that it apparently made Emily, Ellie, and Abby get in touch with their inner nerds! Mid-cleaning they went from the typical grumpy cleaners to happy-go-lucky Nerd Maids! But hey, I will take playful Nerds over grouchy helpers! They decided to embrace the look and carry it out for the day.



Nerd Abby



Nerd Ellie













Nerd Emily



After house cleaning was done we went to Jennings's school to watch him in the 4th of July Parade. It was as thrilling as it always is...and a total of about 10 minutes. The best part is watching the infant classes be wheeled around in the cribs... they look like prisoners and are probably quite confused as to why they are being wheeled around...and I assume it makes some of them feel a bit dizzy!





Jail Cell Babies















  



Jennings



After the parade we went to eat lunch at McAlisters. While looking for a spot to sit, we spotted Adam Smith. (An Aggie Baseball player.) The girls were still decked out in their nerd gear and caught a smile from him as we walked by. Once we were seated I dared Ellie to ask for his autograph for a dollar in return. But she had to do it in her nerd ensemble and had to address him by name. She gladly accepted the challenge and is now one dollar richer!

While it has been a rather uneventful day, it has been packed with lots of laughs!!! Who knows what kind of fun the afternoon will bring?!?!?





The Nerd Squad