Grateful for Great Family

This will be the final post about our recent lake vacation. I just wanted to post the family photos that we took on our trip. Considering the squirmies in the photos, the shots are pretty great! We had a great vacation and we really appreciate all of the time and effort (and money) that went into planning our vacation...Thanks Emmie and DV! The memories we make every year help create a wonderful and magical childhood for the kids and we all have fun along the way! Thanks so much!!

DuBroc family photo

DuBroc, Voss, Covington Family Photo

Life Long Friends

While we were at Lake LBJ, our friend Morgan and her two kiddos came to spend some time with us. I have known Morgan literally since I was born--our parents have been great friends for years and years and years. It is so cool to see our kids together. Jack and Carter were fast friends. They had a blast throwing rocks into the lake and playing with swords at the house. They had a camp out under the covers on the bed and swam in the lake. Charlotte and Bryn played together a little, but the girls were a little shier than the boys. I love that no matter how long it has been, Morgan and I can pick up like we saw each other last week. If only we could do it more often!

Charlotte, Carter, Sloan, Jack and Brynn

Safari Zoo

Every year while we are at Lake LBJ we have visited the safari zoo in Johnson City. It was very hot this year and very dry. The animals were not as plentiful, but the kids were amazed. We rode around in a trailer and fed animals including zebras, ostriches, buffalo, deer, goats and a camel. The exciting moment of the trip occurred when a llama spit on us (mostly Vaughn). It was brown and stinky! My cousin Aubrey warned everyone that llamas spit, but we did not understand until that moment exactly what she meant. Here are some photos:

Llamas...they spit

The Dubs at the Zoo

Vaughn and Charlotte at the zoo (she said the buffalo was "scary")

Carter LOVES this place...can you tell?

Lake LBJ Vacation

So, summer school has ended and I survived! After finishing my classes and taking a few days to pack and prepare...we headed to the lake! Our family, the Covingtons (my sister's family) and my parents, aunt and cousin all stayed in a lake house on Lake LBJ for a week. What a great way to spend my break from school and to beat the heat (a little). It was so much fun to be on the water and to stay up talking after the kids went to bed. The kids all thought that they were in heaven when so many people that they love were there every morning when they woke up. The kids had so much fun playing with noisy bowls and spoons from the kitchen and just running around. Here are some photos from our trip.

Cousin Jam Session

Vaughn, Carter and Charlotte on the boat...She is not a natural!

Carter and Sloan playing trucks

Sloan: Post playing trucks with Carter...check out the dress

Busy Weekend!

This weekend was busy...but I must say that I prefer busy to stuck in the house any day! On Saturday morning, Carter and I went to Will Hayward's birthday party. Carter had so much fun and the boys played so well together. They were both filthy and swampy by the end of it--evidence of a great time! After the party, we went home to regroup and rest a little....then all four of us headed to a little Baylor reunion. There are six of us girls who were great friends in college and so we try to keep in touch with at least one get together a year. All together now with husbands and kids, there are over 20 of us. Amanda and Paul invited everyone over for dinner and it was a lot of fun. It is so cool to see all of our kids play together. We got to meet three new baby boys and see how much the older kids have grown. Paul's barbeque was amazing--a highlight of the night for sure. One of my other favorite moments...I went to check on Carter who was playing with Hudson (5) and they were on the bed reading a Toy Story book. I asked if they were okay and Hudson said "We are having a boys' night" and implied that I needed to leave as I am a girl. It was so cute! It was great to see the girls. It is so natural for us to just be together without having to completely catch up or stay in touch all year. It was great to have such fun things to do all weekend...but I must admit, it made it harder to want to spend time studying! Here are a few photos!

Carter and Will on the slide

Carter and Will--Pool Toy Hoarders

The girls trying to get the kids to cooperate...classic!

Success...sort of!

The Baylor Girls...Lauren, Amanda, Kat, Me, Tifani and Jessica

A Fun (and Very Hot) Afternoon at the Zoo

My cousin Aubrey and I took the kids to the zoo this afternoon. It was HOT! Aubrey and I were sweating as soon as we got there and of course Carter was a sweat ball immediately. Our first priority was visiting the rhinos as Carter missed them on our last trip. I took a photo, but since the rhino was settled in the shade, my photo is a big shadow with a blurry horn. We saw other large mammals like the camels and the llamas. Aubrey taught Carter that llamas spit and how to make a llama with his hand. We saw the tigers and some of the monkeys. Aubrey hadn't seen the new Wilds of Africa exhibit so we walked through the tunnel (a highlight for Carter) to see the giraffes, elephants, zebras and then the lions. We had given up on seeing them when a lady told us to come into the restaurant because the lions were laying against the windows. It was so cool--there were four lions cuddling in the window at the level of both kiddos. Charlotte roared at them from the stroller. After all of our walking and sweating, we headed to the Children's zoo for some water time. What a relief for all of us! For the record, I conceded to let Carter ride a pony and then discovered that Tuesday is the designated rest day for the ponies...broke his little heart! I had to be the bad guy just because I tried to be the good guy! Here are some photos from our day.

So...this is what I got out of my kiddos when I asked them to pose together...Awesome!

Charlotte in the water at the Children's Zoo--
Yes, I have tucked up her dress to show-off the swim diaper!

Carter the Dinosaur in the water--ROAR!

Aubrey is playing with the kids in the water--Charlotte thinks Aubrey is FUNNY!

Carter the Turtle...What A Face!

Red, White, Black and Blue

Hello All! I hope that all four of you who may read this had a great holiday weekend. We had a busy and super fun weekend with family and friends. I think that my kids ate hotdogs for at least three days straight!! On Sunday we went to my cousin's house and had a great time with the Vosses, but alas I took no photos! On Monday, we watched the neighborhood parade and hung out at the picnic at the park for a while. Carter was so excited about the bounce houses. Everyone came back to our house for lunch and some baby swimming time. Here are some photos from the day. We had such a great day!

Charlotte with MamaDu and PapaDu--watching the parade and trying to keep Char happy!

Carter and Pumpkin (Beau and Jessica's dog) at the parade...Carter has a "rocket" taped to his back ala Buzz Lightyear if you are questioning the blue tape.

Sloan, Stella and Charlotte...sitting still, but not so smiley (especially Charlotte)!!! What patriotic outfits and accessories!

Charlotte insisted on wearing her necklace in the pool--such a girlie!

As for the "black" in our Red, White, Black and Blue" weekend...Here is a photo of Charlotte's first real injury. It is not really a black eye, but scab is not a very poetic word. All by her self without any help or major accident, Charlotte simply tripped while walking in the den and caught the corner of the coffee table with her face. I must say that I am relieved that this happened on my second child, as I was much more relaxed than I would have been with Carter. Not to mention that Charlotte is TOUGH and recovered quickly...I am not sure the recovery would have been so swift with Carter. Charlotte makes a sad face when I try to treat her wound, but other than that, she is not bothered by it at all! I am so thankful for both of my little ones...they are so different from each other and so wonderful to get to know each day!

Imagination and New Things

Well, it has only been a few days or so and I am already posting again. This is what I call progress. Life around here has been progressing as well, in it's own new way. It is starting to feel like this new schedule and set of responsibilities, challenges and motivators is our real life. I am working on finding a balance between school work, household stuff, being a mom, being a wife and being a Whitney. "Book Club" was this week which always help to balance me and give me some time with the girls. I am starting to make cooking a priority so that Vaughn's work day can be more defined, not to mention a little longer (in hopes that he won't have to work so many nights). I have cooked two great dinners this week already with little help, but a lot of encouragement from Vaughn! These were completely new recipes to our household and we have really liked them so far. I have enjoyed cooking and having a goal to meet by the end of the day. I have done some of my prep. work during Charlotte's nap times which makes it a little more peaceful. The kids and I have not done any major activities this week. We have played at the house and enjoyed our newly repaired and painted sunroom/playroom. Here are some photos of the kiddos with the tunnels and cubes which Carter pretends are dinosaur decoys (Dino Dan on Nick Jr. has inspired a lot of dinosaur imaginative play in our house).

Charlotte screaming "ball"

Charlotte in the sunlight

Carter is spying something with his "big eye" and Charlotte looks a little grossed out!

Carter dressed himself up as a cowboy...Dino-rain boots, no shorts, and a western belt with an empty gun holster...He totally thinks he looks like Sheriff Woody from Toy Story (at least I got him to trade in the Fedora for a cowboy hat this time)!

A Great (sort of new) life

Life in the DuBroc house has been doing a lot of changing lately and the changes have mostly been happening in my life. I have left my job as a Case Manager for a foster care agency to return to graduate school. I will be officially starting the Occupational Therapy program at Texas Woman's University in the fall. This summer, I am taking two classes though to get a bit ahead and get my feet wet. It is amazing that I no longer have to worry about my work phone ringing in the middle of the night. I really thought that it would take awhile for the stress of my job to wear off, but this has simply not been the case. I have not even really thought about it much. I am so thankful to get to be with my kids so much more and to be more "with them" when I am here. All of these changes have made me think more about enjoying everyday and appreciating all that I have. Now that my situation has given me more time to appreciate my family, I see how much I was letting the stress of work cloud my perceptions of my life. I. have. a. great. life. One of the major thoughts that keeps rolling around in my head is..."what if today is the last day of my life??? and then...what if it isn't?". I want to somehow find the balance of living each day with some sense of abandonment and joy, but also I want to wake up the next day proud of what I have accomplished the day before. I want to smile through whatever work I have to do and to find joy in whatever my day holds...whether it be laundry or a midterm...playdates or nick jr. shows. It has been so nice that though I am busy with school assignments and readings, my time is mine to schedule and so I am feeling so much freer to do fun things with the kids during the week. To be honest, I took the kids on outings while I was still working, but I felt guilty about it (really!). So, my new goal is to use this blog as a record of the lives of my awesome kiddos, but also as place of (shallow) reflection for me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I will not get too deep on the internet...I am way to skiddish for that! We did take a fun trip to the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park today, but my photos are less than shareable, so I will post photos of our next great adventure!

If someone actually reads this and then is utterly disappointed that there is nothing about the kids in my post...here you go. They are amazing! Carter is almost 3 1/2 and is too smart for my own good. He is negotiating with us constantly and is learning how to control his emotions. Carter is obsessed with Toy Story and acts like Buzz Lightyear about 70% of the time. You must speak Toy Story to communicate sometimes. Charlotte is a tough and happy kid. She is very physical and has the cutest pigtails in the world. She is a little stubborn, but smiles all day long. She loves Carter so much. She calls for him in the morning when she wakes up. She is talking more and more everyday. She knows a lot of words, but I cannot get her to say her own name. I am so happy to have the kids that I have...they are strong and funny and loving.

DuBroc Update 2011

Well, I have not updated the blog in months...in fact it was 2010 when I last posted anything. I should be embarassed, but well, I am just proud that I am finally doing a post now. The kids have been keeping us very busy and entertained. Since my last post, Carter has turned 3 years old and Charlotte had her first birthday. Charlotte is walking...practically running and Carter is such a "kid". Carter is a three year old without a doubt and has given us a run for our money lately. Carter has fallen in love with Toy Story and he has no idea that he is a decade later than the world on this trend. He has no idea that there are several Toy Story movies. Carter is also very into dinosaurs. He knows more dinosaurs at 3 years old than I had ever heard of before this year. Charlotte is funny and she is very entertained by Carter and games in which people pop out at her. Charlotte has a few words, but she is definitely more physical than verbal. Charlotte loves to see herself with her hair up, but will NOT sit for it to be done. Charlotte has quite a little temper and will stand up for herself without hesitation. She is climbing onto the furniture, but unfortunately she has no concept of gravity and so we have to follow her around to prevent a nosedive from the couch. So, life is busy and exciting and frustrating and overwhelming and funny. We are looking forward to spring and some major time outdoors. Happy March to all!