The Only Thing Growin'

One Lonely CucumberAnd a bunch of Serrano PeppersI basically have an herb garden...not a vegetable garden. So, I must admit I was pretty excited to see this cucumber growing! I have high hopes for a strong late summer growth of the zucchini and squash. The watermelon plant is also showing some promise...no fruit, but lots of growing.

Baking and Arts & Crafts Day

Aunt Melissa has been visiting us before her job starts up again. She is the leader of baking day. She picks the recipes and goes shopping with us. These two have become quite a pair! Giggling and yelping everywhere they go! Samantha is really starting to enjoy helping. Her attention span is getting longer and she acts really serious with some tasks. Today we added arts & crafts to our baking day. Melissa researched some fun things for Sammie to make. At the store, we bought a craft bin and a bunch of stuff to fill it with. We should be prepared for future weeks now! Samantha made a monkey puppet. She named it Mickey the Monkey. Melissa made a Ladybug hand puppet. This one was a bit more complicated. Sam put on the eyes and dots.

Too Hot To Do Anything But Swim!

Have I ever mentioned how much Samantha LOVES to swim?Luckily, her friends do too!

We had plans to put Sam in swim lessons this summer. But, somehow she managed to learn all by herself! Seriously! The girl is self-taught!

Sammie is fearless! She jumps off the diving board and goes down all the slides the lifeguards will allow her on.

Baking with Sammie

Once a week, during the day, Sam and I are going to start baking something together. This week since peaches were on sale, we made a peach pie. She usually loses interest in helping me in the kitchen...today was no exception.

First she poked holes in the pie shell (obviously not homemade).Then, she mashed the peaches for the filling.She was supposed to be helping me cook the peaches...but she didn't want to help anymore. Filling the shell with freshly cut peaches.Done!
Now, on to more important things...tennis! She is getting really good at keeping her eye on the ball! Great form!

Samantha's New Bike

So You Think You Can Dance

South Padre Island

South Padre Island, TX

Just a quick 6 hour drive and the water clears up and the sand lightens. We had a great time with family. Luckily, we were not here during the Spring Break!Sand Castles
We set up a canopy right on the beach and spent 3 full days playing. Well, Sam played. The rest of us just sat and read. Everyone but Blake took turns building sand castles, feeding seagulls and splashing in the water. Whatever we built, Sam would destroy. Crash! Deep Sea Fishing
We learned from going to Costa Rica, that going fishing the first day is best...that way, we have something to cook for the rest of the week. Dad, Blake and Ray went fishing for Red Snapper. Unfortunatley, Ray did not enjoy the trip...at all. Fortunately, he survived and cooked up all the fish for us. Too bad there was a 2 fish per person limit.
Feeding the Seagulls
Another favorite activity was feeding the seagulls any food Samantha could get her hands on. I can't imagine why the condo had signs up saying,
"don't feed the seagulls." It's just so fun!

Tennis
Grandma & Pappa bought Sammie a few new toys for the trip: boogie board, kite and a tennis racket. Sam has quite a swing! She practiced all day, every day.

Bombs Away!
This is our attempt at launching water balloons and Sam, Grandma and Pappa while they played tennis.

Shrimpin'

Not quite sure what the proper term for this activity is......but it held Pappa and Sammie's attention for a couple of hours.
First, you find a hole in the sand. Then, you put the sand sucker thingy over the hole and suck out the sand. Hopefully, you find the shrimp that was buried in the sand. Hey, Sammie! You wanna touch it!? "I don't want to!"After collecting about 50, it was time to feed the seagulls once more.

"Melissa, do you like Little People?"
Samantha would wake up every morning asking for a popsicle and Little People (DVD). I think she ate about 5 popsicles a day and watched Little People the entire week...over and over and over. And in the car on the way home....for 6 hours. No wonder Melissa couldn't stand hearing the song.