alex turns NINE!

my oldest nephew, alex, will be 9 years old this month, on august 31st. while it's hard to believe that he's grown so much,i take comfort in the fact that i'm still only the *aunt* of a nine year old ;)
we celebrated at the local recreation center where there were both indoor and outdoor pools and waterslides. the kids had a great time, and we got the chance to catch up with some family... and do a little swimming too! uncle matt and i actually got the chance to help jonah and liv around in the pool, something they haven't gotten to experience much. we also enjoyed cupcakes and snacks, and the "cool" texas weather (it was *only* like 86 degrees outside!)

for all the pics, click here

family dinner

on sunday, we went to my parent's house for a fajita dinner. usually when we get together we are celebrating a birthday, holiday, graduation or something else, but this time we just got together for dinner! we did give my "little" brother a sort of send off to college by presenting him with a collection of letters from each of us and quotes to inspire and encourage him through the next 4 years of SMU. of course, he had to leave early because he had to be back on campus and ready for band practice the next morning...ahhh, the golden days of college ;)
since the get together was somewhat random....so are the pics...



i also have a little video of liv singing "winnie-the-pooh." unfortunately, at the end she gets distracted, as she sometimes does, and just keeps asking me to "turn this lamp on" so she doesn't entirely finish the song....

lake lavon

my parents had long debated selling their jet skis and buying a speed boat "for the family." the idea was that more of us could ride around together and take advantage of a bigger watercraft than the two jet skis. they finally broke down and sold the jet-skis (*sniff*) and bought a sea ray 21' speed boat. while it's no jet-ski, and my days of spinning 180's are over, i will admit that when matt and i spent thursday night on lake lavon with my parents it was rather enjoyable. i'm sure you'll be able to see from the pictures that i found their purchase to be somewhat acceptable...and my dad seems to enjoy it some too.

schirato wedding

my very good friends from work, ryan and carrie, tied the knot on august 8. they had a beautiful wedding and, afterwards, were off the sandals resort in st. lucia for honeymoon bliss. while i do miss them at work, i know they are great together and will have a wonderful marriage. matt and i both wish them all the best!
congratulations mr. & mrs. ryan schirato!

schirato wedding

ps - i was playing around with some photo editing software, so some of the pics have special effects...