August

August was really busy but really fun. My girl started the month by going to church camp. In Colorado. In fact, it was an adventure camp so she camped, kayaked, white water rafted and even did some rock climbing. She was nervous about going but had THE BEST TIME.

When she came back she headed straight to the DMV to get her driver's license because she'd passed the driving test the day before she left for camp. She. Was. So. Excited.

She picked up her junior year (how is that possible?) schedule the next day and went straight into training for MPACT, which is the group at the high school that puts on Fish Camp and welcomes new students to the district. She even donned a Hawaiian-themed hat. So proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone continually and trying new things.

Later that week we headed to Fredericksburg for the final show of the summer. Coop was excited. Clearly.

The horse races were held at the same venue on the same weekend so we had some entertainment while waiting around for the show.

This was also the weekend my grandmother's world changed forever as her home in Louisiana flooded for the first time ever. The one she'd lived in for 50+ years. It's basically a loss and she has temporarily moved into the church parsonage. We were very thankful for family that took care of her - moving from house to house as new ones took on water - and made sure she had everything she needed until my parents could get there. Closed roads made it challenging for a few days.

The girl showed Coop for the last time and he acted a total fool. I'd never seen him actually run but - on this day - he hopped, skipped, jumped and ran. I'm relatively certain I've never seen her more angry in a show ring. But they made it through.

We left Fredericksburg and headed to Jamaica Beach for our long-planned vacation. There was a subdued quality about this year's trip because my parents were in Louisiana with my grandmother instead of being with us. And, though I knew adding five more people (including a toddler) to the mix in a flood-ravaged area was not a good idea, we certainly never stopped thinking about all of them.

For the most part, we spent lazy days on the beach, dodging rainstorms, taking naps and watching a whole lot of the Olympics. But we also headed to the aquarium one day, took a dolphin/harbor tour and ate out several times. These two hit a bunch of souvenir shops. I have to say it was nice for the girl to have her own wheels on this trip and she and Hal def enjoyed having some time away from the babe.

Tiny LOOOOOOVED the beach. She played for hours every day in the sand. Toward the end of the trip she also decided to like the water and waves as well.

The one day we convinced the older girls to come to the beach. They've always enjoyed gazing at it from a hammock more than actually being on the sand. :)

After returning home, we hit the local water park one last time before it closed for the season...

...and Cherry FINALLY started walking a bit...

...and we wrapped up the first week of school with the first football game of the high school season. Tiny is a natural born cheerleaders. She absolutely loves the games. And cheers constantly. Mostly for the right team. Sometimes not.

And these two. They've been living it up in the student section. I'm in awe that Taylor is a junior and Hal is a senior. I am constantly aware of exactly how much time I have left with both of my girls at home - which isn't NEARLY ENOUGH - and we are truly trying to make the most of every single day.