TWENTY-SIX

V is really leaning into her cute teenage era and we seem to be at the skating rink constantly. 

2026 week twenty-six

Happy Halfway through 2026! 

Theo left on Monday for scout camp at Lake Texoma. 

He went canoeing. 

He shot projectiles. 

He got seconds at every meal. 

He held reptiles. 

He came home smelly and happy. 

While he was gone, V went to day camp at St. Ann's all week. I scoured through the 100+ photos from the week and found two of her. 

In the background during the color war. She had a great time even though she knew no one really. She's so good at enjoying herself in new situations. 

There's a story behind this photo of Theo feeling embarrassed in a lobby. When he was really little, the town of Flower Mound was building a new Town Hall. We would pass the construction site almost every day and from his car seat, Theo would tell us what the crew was doing working on the "New Town Hall." It must always be called the "New Town Hall." He would wistfully tell me about how fun it will be to visit once the "New Town Hall" was finished. For months (maybe even over a year) he would ask how long before we could visit the "New Town Hall." Covid hit and our visit was delayed indefinitely. We realized about a year ago that we never did take him to visit the New Town Hall. So after a doctor's appointment (he came home from Scout camp with an ear infection) I drove him straight to the New Town Hall. He was groaning about how this was the cheesiest thing we've ever done and he couldn't possibly go in. I cheerfully forced him to go in anyway. The lady at the welcome desk wanted to know if we needed any help and so much to Theo's despair, I told her the story. She, naturally, thought it was delightful and told us all about the building and to make sure we checked out the duck pond in the back. We had a great time even though Theo was thoroughly embarrassed. He'll never forget the time we finally got to visit the New Town Hall. 

On Saturday, a big group of us went to Repticon in Grapevine to look at all the unique reptile pets. 

Grandpa, Veronica, and Ollie each got themselves a tortoise. 

Grandpa and Veronica's Marginated Tortoises. Meet Machiavelli and Demetrius. 

The temporary tortoise terrarium. 

Matt helped his dad and brother-in-law build tortoise covers to take home. 

We tried a new Venezuelan restaurant close to our house. Everything was delicious. I would recommend Super Sandy's if you want to try some tasty and interesting Venezuelan food.