Sweet Summertime!

Our last hoorah of the summer was an overnight trip to Possum Kingdom Lake. It was the best overnight mini-vacation our family could have asked for. We all spent the entire day in the water playing on floats and jumping over the big waves made by the enormous boats out on the lake. Cameron and Goldie played until the sun went down. We were treated to a fireworks show that was going on at the marina. Afterwards we laid on the pier and stared at the vast number of stars that we don't get to see here in the city. What a relaxing weekend with the ones we love.

Waterbug

We saw a hummingbird sitting on her eggs. Amazing!

Girl power!

The best friend a girl could ever have.

Swimming with Daddy

Fearlessly jumping off of dock.

Tubing behind sharkboat.

She loved tubing!

Out on the pier until the sun went down.

She did it!!!

Swimming lessons went fantastic this year. Cameron actually learned how to swim. Last summer was a cry-fest, but something magical happened in just a few short weeks. I think the water fairy came and sprinkled her with brave dust because the girl is swimming (full fledged, face-in-the-water swimming).

Cameron & Hannah BFFs

It's time for the girls annual picture to commemorate how they've grown and changed since they first became friends in the summer of 2005. They were each only about 8 months old when they met but they've been great friends ever since. This year the girls will be starting kindergarten together at Chisholm Ridge Elementary. Oh, how quickly the time has passed. I can only imagine what this picture will look like in 2024 when the girls are graduating from high school.

Hannah & Cameron - Summer 2005

Hannah & Cameron - Summer 2010

Feeling Crafty

Cameron and I decided to be a little crafty today. We took an empty paint can from Home Depot and used Mod Podge to adhere scrapbook paper. We decorated it with craft flowers and letter stickers for a personal touch. It is for her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Sandoval who happens to be a dear friend of mine. She's wild about animal print so we hope she will love it. We are planning to fill it with chocolate and other treats to help her survive the long 7 hour days with a room full of 5 year olds. I'd need mine full of booze if I was going to make it as a kindergarten teacher. By the way, it was super easy. We started it and finished it in a matter of about an hour. I bought an extra paint can so I may be making another soon!!!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Grating zucchini

Oooooh-La-La

Our finished product.

We thought this would be a good way to get some extra servings of veggies!!!

1 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour

3/4 c. Sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 c. veg. oil

1/4 c. milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. shredded zucchini

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (we used 1/2 c.)

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Combine egg, oil, milk, lemon juice & vanilla. Stir dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes.

Carnival

Cameron has discovered her inner dare-devil. We decided to try out the traveling carnival that came to town & what do ya know, she loved it. I think she would have gone on every ride if we hadn't run out of tickets. Which is a total rip off, by the way! Daddy has found him a rollercoaster buddy.

Mad because we didn't ride in the front of the roller coaster.

Riding in the twisty Jeff Gordon bear w/Daddy.

This one looked scary, but she said it was so cool.

Hard to tell, but that is Cameron.

Silly girls

Blue hair that Nana bought Cameron from the beauty supply.

Clowning around

Cameron and Nana had a good time together acting silly. Don't you love the clown nose that Nana got for her. Cameron always has such a good time with my mom. They are both lovey-dovey girls and are always cutting up!

Family

Here are few pictures of the newest addition to the Jostes family. Our sweet nephew and Cameron's cousin, John Lee. He is a great baby. He slept most of the time we were there to see them. Clay and Erin seem to be adjusting well to becoming parents. They looked like old pros changing diapers & warming bottles. Sorry there isn't a picture of John Lee with his momma she kept getting the baby snatched out of her hands by one of us.

Papa with his grandkids.

Papa and John Lee

The doting dad

Great-grandbaby & Memaw

We bribed her with icecream in order to get a picture of them together.

Beach Bums

For the last 3 years, Eric and I swore we were never taking Cameron back to the beach. Our first experience was less than pleasant with tons of whining, crying, and complaining from a 2 1/2 year old. Well, we have eaten our words and we tried it again. A trip to Port Aransas was on the agenda for our worldwind tour of Texas. All I can say is SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!! Cameron loved every minute of it. We started our adventure on the ferry that takes you from Aransas Pass to Port A. We collected shells, built sandcastles, jumped in the waves, and were swarmed by seagulls after our Nilla Wafers. The day ended with only one of us getting sunburned (me). My trusty sunscreen man let me down and left me with lovely red tiger stripes on my back. Just glad it wasn't my little ghostly white girl.

A great view for the ferry ride!

Sandcastle architect

Warning: Don't feed the seagulls!!!!

Testing the water

Graduation 2010

Graduation 2010 went off without a hitch. Cameron's class had a cute ceremony where they showed some of the things they'd learned this year. She and Isabel recited a poem and then she and Amani showed off their terrific reading skills. Cameron received her diploma along with awards for reading, writing, and citizenship. She could not have had a better year or a better teacher. Mrs. Clark was so patient and so loving to our sweet girl.

We were so proud of her. Now it's off to big school with Mommy.

Bluebonnets

Cameron and I went to have our pictures made in the bluebonnets this morning. We took a few candids of our own until the professional arrived to do our shoot. It rained last night so the ground was MUDDY! My cute new cowboy boots were caked with mud. Miss Priss managed to get a piggy back ride to and from the field and stayed clean as a whistle. I'll post the other pictures when I get them back from my wonderful photog, Audra.

Hammin' it up.


Huddling to stay warm. It was a chilly 58 this morning after the rain.

School Picture

This is the first of many school pictures to come. I love looking back at my old school pictures and I hope Cameron will have the same fond memories. She'll probably look back and say "Why did my mother make me wear that?"

Stockyard Station

Here they come!

Hannah on her pony named Ariel.

Billy Bob's Cadillac

My sweet cowgirl on her horse with the sparkly saddle.

Cameron and I spent some time with Hannah and her mom down at the stockyards. We've lived in Fort Worth for 5 years now and have yet to go down there when they are actually moving the cattle through the streets. Our experience started as we took a shortcut through the alley behind Billy Bob's to get to E. Exchange. The whole time we're dodging cow patties and trying to not get run over by the beer trucks making their daily deliveries. As we almost make it to where we need to be, we come to a road block because there are cattle trailors unloading the bulls used for the rodeo. She was pumped. She wanted to get closer so we could see them come out of the trailor. Cameron got the full experience by riding a sad old pony, but she thought it was great. Just glad she didn't ask for one for her birthday. I was so proud of her, no not for riding the horse, but for yelling "saw 'em off" when I told her how the longhorn cattle would come down the street like a real cattle drive. I want to take her back some evening for the rodeo.

February Snow

Sledding at Highland Hill

After our early release from school, we all bundled up and trudged up to Highland Hill with our trashcan lid. We weren't the only ones with this bright idea. The hill was packed with kids and adults taking advantage of the record amounts of snowfall. We're hoping to go back again today now that another 6 inches has fallen since we were there on Thursday.

I'm Ready for my Close-up

We were lucky enough to get a mini-session done w/my favorite photographer, Audra. She always manages to capture Cameron and her personality. This time she asked us to do a shoot rather than us asking her. Well this made Cameron think that she was going to be in magazines and newspapers. She was such a ham, but the pictures turned out great. These are only a few of the pictures that I love. I'll have to post my favorite one later.