Disney World!
Our first major adventure took place over Spring Break in March. We had our first family trip to Disney World in Orlando! I am not sure who was more excited about the trip...the kids or us! Jen and I both love the magical world of Disney. That is where we went for our honeymoon. It was great to get back.
We were lucky enough to have Grandma Judy and Aunt Jackie join us. They met us there as Mom was visiting Jackie in Florida already. That made the trip that much more special. To see all of us enjoying it together is a memory that will never be lost. The only bad part about the entire trip was the fact that it had to end.
Spring
The spring time brought about bluebonnets, sports, and a birthday! April was a busy month! Jen was asked to take bluebonnet pictures for 7 or 8 families...all in the same day! We traveled west about 100 miles to a friend's family farm and set up her equipment for her busy day. Of course we had to take pictures as well so we were sure we found all the good spots!
Sports season brought another round of soccer for Alayna and Brayden's first season of baseball. Both of them had a great time playing and both were quite successful. Alayna has been playing with the same core group of girls for a few seasons now. It is always exciting to watch them mature as players together. Brayden tried T-ball at the YMCA and did very well. I particularly enjoyed it, as it brought back memories of my first years playing baseball. Hopefully he will have a bit more talent than his old man did!
Brayden turned 6, and I believe he is ready for college! He is a smart little kid with a very good sense of humor...almost too good. He wants to be everyone's friend and loves to make people laugh. We are constantly working on knowing when to NOT try to make people laugh, however. You really have to watch what you say around him because he catches everything and REALLY understands sarcasm. Wonder where he gets that from?!? (Jen of course ;o))
Inks Lake State Park
The beginning of May brought our second trip to Inks Lake, located northwest of Austin. We took the trip on our own this year. It was just as beautiful as last year! We spent the entire time at the park this year and enjoyed hiking, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and jumping off the rock at the Devil's Waterhole. We really took the time to explore the entire park this year and there were many things we missed. We are already planning our next trip there in May again. Anyone want to join us?!?
Bring on May!
We thought April was busy...
May started with our trip to Inks Lake, then proceeded to batter us each and every week! Programs and wrapping up the school year, along with CCE, dance, and sports practices filled our weekdays. Our weekends saw Alayna have her First Communion, games, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Peterson, and a crawfish boil or two. Alayna's end of the year dance recital and Brayden's Kindergarten graduation came in early June along with the end of another school. year. We didn't find much time to sit down!
A SD Summer
In mid-June we headed north for our SD summer trip. We all enjoyed once again glorious days on the farm. It was tough to get the kids to come inside! They were in the playhouse, exploring in the trees, or spending time with the animals. We all took in Czech Days, visited with long-time friends, and also celebrated Jill and Kenton's wedding during our 2-week stay in Tabor.
We were soon heading up to Woonsocket to spend a couple weeks with the Peterson clan. We snuck out for some fishing once or twice. Brayden learned to ride a bike without training wheels (thanks to Grandpa). We were also able to enjoy the town's Fourth of July celebration, topped off by an amazing fireworks display. Last, but not least, the entire family met in Sioux Falls for a mini vacation! We went to the zoo, did some shooting at the range, and enjoyed an evening in the pool at the hotel. It was a blast getting all the kids together. We even found time to stop at Falls Park the next day before heading back to Woonsocket.
As is the case every year, we can never believe we get the chance to spend a solid month with family and friends...then cannot believe that it goes by so quickly. We are blessed to have that time, and we do our best not to take it for granted.
September
September was another month full of activities. School was in full swing, fall sports started up, a birthday was once again upon us, and we took our annual Fair weekend trip.
Alayna turned 9 this year. Next year is double-digits! Hard to believe it has been that long...time flies. She is still growing like a weed. At this rate she will be taller than Jen by middle school. She is an amazing girl. She enjoys dance and soccer. She is so talented artistically. She paints, draws, sings (sang at Jill and Kenton's wedding for her public debut...even sang with Billy's band on stage), and is a friend to anyone who needs it. I don't know how Jen and I are so blessed to have the two wonderful children we do, but I am not giving them back...ever!
For Alayna's birthday, we spent the day at the Aquarium in downtown Houston. It is a restaurant that has an enormous fish tank right through it! It is big enough hold sharks! There is also a discovery area to go through and a midway with carnival rides. It was a fun day!
We get a day off in late September for fair day. We took advantage of that and head out of town for a mini-vacation. We went to Galveston again this year. We spent the day at the beach and then swimming some more in the pool at the hotel. It has a swim-up bar, which makes it very enjoyable for all of the family! In the evening we ate at our favorite restaurant, Fish Tales, and then walked across the street to the new Pleasure Pier. It has a boardwalk feel, with a bunch of carnival games and rides. There was also a live band playing. It wasn't very crowded that evening, so we bought an all access pass and the kids rode on the rides until they could ride no more! They must have gone on the bumper cars at least 12 times. I hope that is not a sneak peek at how they will drive when they are older...
October/November
October and November proved to be just as busy as all other months. Tuesday both kids had CCE, Wednesday Alayna had dance, and Alayna had soccer practices on Thursday with a game on Saturday. Brayden had an average of 2 games and 1 practice for baseball each week...only the schedule would change. There were numerous days we had to split up...Jen taking one child one place while I took one another. I can't believe it is starting already!
With the weather cooling off a bit we were able to get away for a couple camping trips. We went to Yogi Bear in early October with the Cantu's. The weather was perfect! It was warm enough during the day to enjoy the pool and cool enough at night for a fire. The kids were able to go trick-or-treating around the campground on Saturday night. The rest of the time was spent riding bikes and running around!
We were also able to sneak over to Stephen F. Austin State Park in mid-November. It was cooler this time. We woke up to 38 degrees one morning, but the temperature rose into the low 70s during the day. That was perfect weather for us to hike the 6-7 miles of primitive trails they have there. Very beautiful area...we had a ball!
The sports seasons ended mid-November as well. Alayna once again played with her soccer team at the YMCA. They had a very successful season. Brayden moved to play baseball with the Lamar Little League. It is much more competitive. He was playing with 6-8 year olds and was by far the smallest on the team. The others also had much more experience than he did. It was machine pitch and to start the year he was very frustrated. He kept at it though, and we spent a bit more time at the park on our own practicing and talking about each position and what to do. I give his coaches and his teammates a lot of credit as well. They all rooted for him and gave him a lot of support. We could not believe how much he improved. He was making plays in the field...knowing what to do each time. His hitting improved. We started the year with him upset that he had to go to baseball and ended it with him mad that they didn't have practice anymore! He had a lot of fun.
Well, that about wraps up the year in review for the Wagner household. We plan on a holiday trip to SD once again this year. We hope we are able to cross paths with many of you while we are back. If that does not happen, however, we would like to take the time to wish you a Happy Holidays. May your holiday season be the beginning of a wonderful 2013!
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