July 2016

The first weekend in July we took a trip to the JW Marriott in San Antonio with the Jacob family.  By far that resort is the best we've stayed at in Texas.  It is such a beautiful, spacious property that has an amazing pool area for kids and the best service.  The food was also pretty good and we had fun just relaxing by the pool and doing smores and other activities in the evening.

On July 4th Liesel, Seth, Caleb, and Joshua came to see us after 8 years.  The last time I saw them was when Caleb was 9 months old and now he's 9 years old!  It was so nice to catch up with my best friend since 9th grade!

On July 16 we celebrated Christian's 3rd birthday in Dallas at a bounce house.  The boys were so excited to celebrate with him.  We went back to Sunil and Julie's house to have cake and open presents.  The cake looked amazing and the boys loved watching Christian open his presents.

That evening we went to Lajipappan's house to celebrate Soju's graduation.  It was great to see our family and Joshua and Noah were able to finally meet Nimmi, Abin's wife.

The following weekend Joshua had his Top Golf tournament and he placed 4th in his age division.  He loved playing and was happy to get quality time with Steve and Grandpa.
That afternoon we went to Bethany and Austin's birthday party and the boys had so much fun at Catch Air!

The next week Joshua went with Steve to work for Bring your Kids to Work Day.  They had so many activities for the kids and he loved every minute of it.  They did a robotics presentation, virtual reality with Pokemon, and a fishing activity.

1st Month of Summer

We had such a fun and relaxing summer!  We didn't do too much but felt like our weeks were filled with visiting family, seeing friends, and just spending quality time with each other.

In June we had our annual visit with our family - the other Samuels!  The kids had been looking forward for them to come for a long time.  We always have lots of adventures and this was no different.  We had a chance to go to the Verghese ranch and visit our family, their livestock, and eat good BBQ.  On Tue, June 22, we were able to go to McKinney Falls State Park.  It's so nice to explore all that Austin has to offer.  The Lower Falls were beautiful and easy to wade in.
The next weekend the John family came to visit and we had a fun sleepover at our house.  We took everyone to Top Golf and watched the kids hit balls.  No trip is complete without a visit to Gourdough's.  You can never go wrong with doughnuts!
On Monday we went to Rock n River and enjoyed the new additions to their water park.  So much fun hanging out with our family the past week and a half.  Each year that goes by it gets easier to just sit and talk without being interrupted.  The kids are getting bigger and can play and entertain themselves and we don't feel we have to watch their every move.
On Tuesday June 27 we took lots of pictures since the next day the Samuels were headed to LA to see the Thomas family.  It's always sad but we always are just able to live in the moment.

                                                               Father's Day

                                                                McKinney Falls State Park

                                                                        Rock N' River

The month of May

In May Mom and I were able to attend Noah's Mother's Day Tea at his preschool.  We always enjoy going to that because it's such a cute time to fellowship with other moms and spend time with our Noah bear.

The next day, May 5, Joshua and Noah helped Mom make Dad his birthday cake.  They were so excited to celebrate with him.

On Mother's Day I was showered with cards, flowers and chocolate covered strawberries.  But most of all, I loved my boys making a big fuss over me and wanting to hug and kiss me and take tons of pics with me after church.  Every day, I thank God he blessed us with the two best boys!!

The next weekend Steve and I went to New Jersey for my cousin Abin's wedding.  We had a great time with family and the wedding itself was amazing and beautiful.  We finally met Nimmi and her family and welcomed her into our family.

On May 22, Noah had his last soccer game for the season and he scored around 7 goals.  I honestly stopped counting since we had to tell him to stop scoring to give the other kids a chance.  Sounds funny, but very true!  Steve loved coaching him and we loved watching him play and it was fun seeing the awards presentation.  I think he's found his sport!

On Memorial Day weekend we went to Cancun with friends.  It was a great trip and we enjoyed relaxing at the beach and spending with everyone.  The boys always have so much fun and there's something about being away and not having any timeline that is so relaxing.
Joshua and Noah missed 2 days of school and Joshua made it back for 2 days left.

While we were in Mexico our handsome little nephew was born on May 29th - Logan Varghese.    We were so sad that we were out of the country but excited that we would be able to see him in a week!  So happy that Christian has a sweet little brother!