in the FAMILY

The Dollersons all came for a visit in September/October so we took advantage of having all the cousins together and got some group pictures. I was priding myself on getting Wiley involved early and avoiding any negative attitudes when Brother surprised me and did not want to do pictures. He was easier to recover though and we managed to get some decent shots of everyone not crying. 

In the end, Rogie and Stirling stole the show...

england TO colorado

We've started a tradition of making the drive up to Colorado in August to spend a week with the Tilly's. It's lovely there and horrid here in Texas. But it's especially nice to see them on their turf and let the cousins make Colorado memories. This year I paired it with a trip to see my sister in England to welcome into the world another little cousin, my sweet nephew, Stirling Micah Dollerson! All together I think I was away from home 20 days or something crazy. But I enjoy traveling and getting to see all my people.

Rogie was five months and a breeze on the international flights compared to 12 month old Brother the year before. Look how cute he is in this cap I found at a little shop in Poole!

Meanwhile, Graham and Papa and the big two were road tripping it up to Boulder in the minivan. They have some favorite stops along the way. Graham took the best photograph of his life during the trip at the Garden of the Gods. Here is the proof:

Brother got to fly up with SuSu and skip the craziness altogether. We had a great week in Colorado. Lots of walks. Dinners on the porch. Blue caught a chicken ;). 

brother is TWO

Happy Birthday BG!!! You are two now! You are cautious and observant, sensitive and full of self-control. You love sitting on my lap and reading book after book. You say "read it mama" but then you won't stop asking questions and telling me about all the things you see. We waited what felt like a long time to hear all the things that were in your head so I'll take it. You are our worker, eager and cheerful to lend a hand. Especially if tools are involved. You love to be included in whatever the big two are up to but also frequently let me know that you are still a baby. We will do our best to help you grow and learn in a way that makes you feel safe and loved. You have so much focus and curiosity. I know it will serve you well!

wiley is FOUR

Happy Birthday Wiley! You are a master party planner! We all had such fun at your mermaid splash birthday bash... You planned costumes, jewelry, decor, and snacks - all the little details.

You are friendly, thoughtful, tuned-in, and creative. And a little fussy sometimes but I'm hoping you will grow out of that... Your placement in the middle of the boys makes you the center that everyone comes back to. You are just as comfortable being in charge as you are being quiet and immersed in your own play. You are still a, let's call it "non-adventurous", eater sticking to spaghetti, pizza, and cheesy noodles with a side of fruit and tiny, microscopic nibbles of your vegetables. I'm hoping of all the ways we are similar that you grow out of that one. But we are also equally stubborn so I'm mostly thinking you won't. You know your own mind, Wiley True! Love you my sweet girl. 

grand CAYMAN island

Our annual Davis family trip took us to the Grand Cayman this year. The Austin crew and the Boulder crew (minus Jeb who was overseeing their house remodel) met the Houston crew in Houston to all fly down together. We had man on man coverage (five kids, five adults) which makes everything easier. We were greeted at the airport by a momma and her baby chickens which was a lifesaver because we had a rental van to pickup, five car seats to install, and lots of bags to load into a van that had no cargo space. We were off like a herd of turtles...

For the rest of the week, we just sat in our beach chairs eating seafood and drinking pina coladas... Oh wait. Nope. Although we did whip up daiquiris and pina coladas most nights as a pre-dinner cocktail. We stayed at a cute, little house right on the beach and we cooked most of our meals there, eating dinner on the screened porch. Just off the porch was the pool where we took advantage of the afternoon shade most days. The mornings were spent exploring the island by foot and by snorkle. We all enjoyed a nearby beach called Rum Point that had very shallow calm water and good shade. We spent one day in the more commercial area of the island touring a turtle farm that has a water park area.

 

It was definitely the most successful family trip to date and we are all trying to figure out if we should go back and perfect it a bit more or keep searching for something better. This was our last year to enjoy complete scheduling freedom. From now on we will have to work around school schedules as Blue heads off to Kindergarten this fall!