A trip to the coast

We decided to keep the kids out of St. Paul's this week.... gives them a bit of a break before they start back for the summer.  Wes was ready to take a trip to Port O'Conner, so he decided he'd take the kids Sun - Tues.  My vacation days are very limited so I wasn't able to make the trip, but Mimi and Popo went along and by all indications, everyone had a grand time.  

 Not exactly sure what this was all about, but it was a pretty awesome sand castle none the less.

 Boat fishing.  The big news reports I got were that Avery fought a big sting ray for about 30 minutes before it broke the line.  Caleb caught 2 crabs!

 Wes had a little help when seining for bait.

 The lighting is not the best on this, but they were obviously in silly moods.  They loved feeding the fish leftovers to the pelicans.  Wes said they were asking all the people cleaning the fish at the bait dock if they could have the "guts" to feed to the pelicans.

 Filling in his mama on the days events.

 Wonder if she had the Old Maid?  Not sure, but she sure does look a bit scary.

 The fisherman... this guys has it down.  He'll be shadowing his daddy in no time.

Ahhh.... retired life.  Popo and Mimi were able to make the trip down to POC and provide a little back up in supervision.

Matagorda Fishing

With Thursday being the last day of school and a smooth water forecast in Matagorda for Friday, Wes and grandpa Otto planned a day trip to Matagorda and were game to take A&A&C along.  Wes's day trips to Matagorda require an early rise time so when the alarm went off at 3:00am, we loaded up kids in his truck for the trip and then I headed back to bed.
It was a successful day as you can see above!  They fished off the shore and the kids got to be beach bums for the day.  One of the best parts was the fresh fish for supper paired with fresh veggies from the garden.  Good stuff!

Kindergarten Graduation

A&A had a memorable Kindergarten graduation, one they will forever have to remember as their inaugural year in the educational system.  What a blessed year it has been!

 Ahh... the cake!

 The graduation ceremony kicked off with a short presetation by the kids where they repeated short lines that recapped their school year.  The bands on their head represent a certain gem that was put on the castle in the back ground.

The kids came out in their royal mantles that they were surprised with at the beginning of the year.  After the presentation, they headed for a wardrobe change and the parents were entertained with a slide show of the past year as well as a slide of each child that showed a baby picture and their graduation picture.

 Austin James Maurer... 2012 St. Paul's Kindergarten Graduate

 As the teachers presented the kids with their diploma, they were each described with a characteristic that the teachers said the child had taught them throughout the year.  Austin's word was "gentleness"... so fitting!

 Avery Grace Maurer.... 2012 St. Paul's Kindergarten Graduate

 Avery's word... "nurturing".  She's a little mama at school too!

 After the diplomas, we were entertained by our Kinder graduates with song and dance. 

 Toppe, Gpa, Candice, Steve, Jack and the graduates

 A major highlight of the night was an appearance by Baby Jack.  A&A&C were so excited to have him share this special day with them!

 Doug, Dorothy and Kelcie joined in on the Kindergarten action.  It was so great to have them there!

 Mimi, Popo, A&A&C!  So blessed to have so much family support!

 A&A, our grads.  Each child received a cap and gown, graduation medal, and special chalis.

 In cap and gown.

Maurer Party of 5!

Huskers Tball

Austin finished his first step toward the big leagues...  a season of tball.  It has been quite an entertaining season and one where we've seen some impressive improvement from game 1 to game 12.

 Austin was a very serious batter.  He was much more relaxed in the backyard at home but seemed to tense up a bit and gave a lot of thought before he swung the bat during a game. 

 Showing off his speed!

 Ready to run.

 It always helps to have your dad giving you some support on the field.

 Our Husker, # 10.

 I didn't catch a picture of his most graceful slide.  Sliding became a game highlight for the boys.  They loved challenging their mamas to get white pants clean after each game.

 Austin & Brady Rau enjoying pizza after the last game.

 Austin, Barrett Kohring & Brady Rau - coaches kids

 Trophy time!

 2012 Tball Huskers!

Picture of champions!

Our little Husker had a great season.  He was in his prime at 2nd base.  He had several outs from fielding the ball and touching second base for the force out.  He had 4 outs alone in the last game.  We're proud of him!

A royal trip

If you remember, at the beginning of the school year, Avery & Austin were knighted into Kindergarten Kingdom.  They have spent the year learning to read and solve math problems as only royals should.  Of course it would only be fitting for this group of knights and princesses to end their royal year with a trip to a castle.  So to a castle we went....

 Newman's Castle is located just outside of Bellville, a short  20 minutes from Brenham.  The owner had the dream to build his own castle and has made it a reality.  He took us on a grand tour and showed us ongoing projects as well as the main living quarters that he calls home.

 The kids were given swords and given strict instructions to protect the castle.  They were also warned of a dragon that was on the loose inside.

 Crossing the drawbridge.

 A chandelier inside one of the rooms that is still a work in progress.  The owner does the majority of the work himself.

 The dungeon.

 Now that's a long table!

The dragon!

 A view of the moat from the top deck.

 "The Human Hamster Wheel" - this monstrosity is what raised and lowered the draw bridge.  Two dads climbed in and had to walk the wheel for the bridge to go up and down,

 Court yard

 Avery and Barrett

 Chasidy, Sienna, Avery & Austin

 My Royals A's

St. Paul's Kindergarten Kingdom... the whole crew

The castle was pretty cool to see and it's always cool to be a part of someone's dream, but I can't say I'd ever want to have a castle of my own.  Lots of WORK and DUST.  After the castle we headed to Ms. Lubajosky's  (the other Kinder teacher) house for lunch and games.  There was a little kickball and tug-o-war action.... a great way for celebrate the end of a royal year.
If you're interested in learning more about the castle, check it out: www.newmanscastle.com.  

Momma's Day,

Avery, Austin, & Caleb, Thank you for your hugs, your kisses, your random "I love you's", your beautiful smiles, your request to hold my hand, your sweet spirits. You give me the opportunity to have a title that means more to me than any other - mom. I love you with all of my heart and will forever love you unconditionally. Though I may not always do things that will win me a "mother of the year" award, know that I will always be here for you and do everything I can to help you achieve your dreams. Love, Mom