From Under the Bridge

On the walls in my office building there are some old black and white photos of what the city and the people who lived here used to look like.  Before we know it, a few of these pictures below may be historic images from a long lost time in Corpus Christi.  We went down to take a few photos of the boys with the Harbor Bridge, as it slowly draws nearer to it's end.  The bridge is one of the main symbols of the city, as the gateway to the port, with neon lights that illuminate the night, and it's been the only way to go straight north over the water since 1959.  But it's metal structure doesn't hold up well with the salty sea air anymore, and it's not quite tall enough to allow for the massive ships that need to come in these days.  So over the next couple of years it will get to watch as the state spends $700 million to build its replacement just a little ways inland.  It's a pretty impressive structure, as far as bridges go, and I guess it served it's purpose for more than half a century.  The boys don't think about these things too much now, but maybe someday they'll look back at these old photos and have a glimpse into what this place used to look like.    

So if this post ends up in a book I make for their mother - like most of the posts that have come before this - then maybe someday these boys will look back at what the city used to be, and what they used to look like when we were all younger.

Seven and in Second

The school year is upon us again.  Ok, we're already two weeks into it.  We're sure second grade is going to fly by as fast as first grade seemed to, but we'll do our best to slow things down as much as possible. He's already seven years old, and was excited to get back into the swing of things... so with his backpack loaded, here he was before he headed off!

No matter how old he gets, he still gets annoyed at his mother's constant picture taking of him... get used to it, Paul, you've got a lot of first days of school left!

At least we still have the heat...

The summer is basically over.  School is two weeks in, Labor Day is gone, and the fall sports seasons are starting up.  The weather, of course, will be staying the same down here for at least another month or so.  So I guess we still have that.  But the boys had a great summer this year, got to travel to a variety of states and see a variety of people, and spent plenty of time in the water.  Here's a few of the things they did, courtesy of the iPhone.

 Took a few trips, stayed in a few hotels with swimming pools.

Stopped in Oklahoma City for the first time.

Watched the fireworks on a hot July day in Dallas.

Very patriotic.

Played a little too hard in the sun.

Rode a Komodo Dragon? What?!?

Hung out at the zoo, like a bunch of animals.

Spent whole days in pajamas.

Enjoyed the finer things, like ice cream.

Maybe a little too much.

Acted like lunatics.

Dove into the deep end.

Got bigger.

Took flight.

Visited the families.

Explored the parks.

Cousined it up.

And enjoyed a family tradition.

Thanks for the memories, Summer 2014.  Until the next one comes along...

Birthdays in Missoula

While the boys were in Montana, Grandpa Bill and Cousin Lexi both celebrated birthdays.  There was plenty of cake, ice cream, warm weather, and childish shenanigans to be had.  Here are a few pictures from those events, plus some of the leftovers from all of the other fun things they got to do on their vacation.  As the summer winds down, we're thankful to have gotten to travel around the past few months and get to see so many important people.  For those of you who we missed this summer, hopefully we'll catch you in the near future! Or as the cold weather begins to creep down upon you in the next few months, feel free to fly south for the winter!  

We mustache you to have a wonderful end of the summer!

Another Montana Summer Vacation!

Montana is known for the rocky mountains and the cold winters where the towns get blanketed in snow and ice, but for a couple months of the year you actually get some beautiful summer.  Whether it's wading in the cold rivers, or hiking in the mountains, from June to August it's actually pretty beautiful, and not nearly as hot as say, South Texas.  It's a brief period of time between the cold and slush and the end of summer forest fires that smoke out the sky, but it's a great time to visit.  Becky and the boys spent a couple weeks doing just that, and got their share of the cold Montana waters!

 Toes in the water...

And they brought along the Clayburns

Even Grandpa Bill got in on the water action...

And you can't go near Bozeman without stopping at the Museum of the Rockies. 

 

They see me rollin'... they hatin'... they trying to catch me ridin' dirty.

Crawdaddys, anyone?

And hands down, nothing is better in a Montana summer than the Western Montana Fair.  Carnival rides, sunburns, the smell of dirty animals, and of course, Tater Pigs...

There we go... if only they could have brought one home for me...