June 30 - Champ Series 2026

zChamp Series 2026! Jillian qualified for the Reserve meet that was held this past Friday. She had a fantastic backstroke, dropping 2.5 secs. I saw flashes of Julia was she was swimming! While she just missed the champ meet standard, she was "called up" to compete the following day. So exciting! Luke and Jillian both competed Saturday and it was a long but good day. Luke had best times in backstroke and fly and his relays did pretty well too. Orcas came in 2nd place overall as a team. Congrats Orcas!

 

June 25 - Andi the Robot

CCISD Robotics Camp! This week Jillian has been at the LSC (Learning Support Center) for robotics camp. The LSC used to be the 9th grade center for the high school but is now home to a VEX robotics field (main VEX hub for the school district and large enough to host regional competitions) as well as the Robonauts lab and a culinary school. The VEX camp is divided into lower elementary (2nd-3rd) and upper elementary (4th-5th). Jillian was excited to be in the upper level this year. She did the camp with her friend Charlie (also an Orca and HEAT swimmer) and they had a fun week. They build and programmed a robot along with another boy in their group with a Robonaut mentor. The girls named the robot Andi. So fun!  

Jillian and Charlie

Showing dad the robot

She was proud her big brother was working in the lab next door to her

June 23 - Explorer Camp

It's Jillian's favorite camp of the year: Girl Scout Camp Agnes Arnold! Last week she went with 4 girls in her troop: Jillian and Adelyn: year 3. Ella: year 2. Guinevere: year 1. The girls did the Explorer camp which is the traditional camp experience. The last 2 years, the girls had air conditioned cabins. This year, the Explorers were in the non-airconditioned Tree Houses. There were 4 units with 3-4 girls each. Jillian and Adelyn were camp buddies and were in a cabin with one other girl, while Ella and Guinevere were buddies in a separate cabin. The weather was not optimal with TONS of rain. But it did not stop them from having a blast. The camp directors did a fantastic job of getting them outside whenever the weather cleared. They swam in the pool, went swimming in the lake, did crafts, learned songs, danced, had a cookout and more. Another great week of camp and making memories. 

Camp Fun

June 18 - Champ Series!

2026 marks Jillian's 5th year as an Orca and up until now, she's been there primarily for the vibes (socializing and friendship). There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but this season, she set a goal for herself: Make it to the champ series meet. After improving week to week, she qualified for the Reserve meet in 2 events last weekend (backstroke and butterfly). Congratulations Jillian, we are so proud of you!!

June 15 - James and the Giant Peach Jr

Theater camp! Last week, Jillian and Guinevere were back at San Jacinto Community College for theater camp. This year they performed James and the Giant Peach Jr. We weren't familiar with the music but after listening to it in the car and at home every day, we were excited for the performance! 

There were 98 kids in the total production and they all had a wonderful time. 

 

June 3 - Grad Party

Congrats Mia & Julia

Julia and Mia's joint graduation party was this past weekend. Uncle Bryan drove in from New Mexico and Uncle Chris drove in from NJ for the festivities and we were so excited to have them. They were also instrumental in the party set up and we could not have done it without them. Thank you Bryan and Chris!! We appreciate you driving all the way here and all the help. 

Party Details (I'm keeping track of this to help with future planning for Luke)

Location

The party was at our house. Food and desserts were inside. Drinks were in coolers outside. We also rented a tent with tables and chairs for outside and had a few fans blowing. It was a hot and humid day so the fans came in handy!

Decorations

I borrowed a frame from our Lake swim photographer and taped a $9 Amazon floral backdrop to it. And then Bryan, Chris and I did the balloon arch (also an Amazon kit). 

Other than the balloon arch, I ordered some helium balloons (that deflated within 12H but we still used them), 20x30 canvases of the girls, card boxes and hanging flags (Julia's were gold and blue, Mia's were navy 'Navy Bound'). I borrowed all of the other decorations from friends (serving dishes, tablecloths, "2026" yard sign, "2026" decorations for inside the house, decorations for the girls tables). We even shared flowers with Hannah (GS friend) who had her party the day before. Chris even took some misc flowers from Hannah and made several floral arragements. Incredible!

Food

*Canes chicken tenders tailgate (x100)

*Costco mac & cheese (x3 pans)

*platter of chicken salad sandwiches

*fruit platter

*veggie platter

*wheat thins and dip (Mia's mom made the dip, it was delish)

Dessert

*2 dozen Nothin Bundt Cakes buntinis 

*3 dozen custom sugar cookies (1 dozen graduation themed, 1 dozen each with the girls initials)

*cheesecake (Julia's favorite)

*donut bites (Mia's favorite)

*2 dozen cake pops 

Drinks

*Cooler with waters

*2 coolers with mini sodas

One of my friend's did her daughter's party a week before ours and give me a detailed list of food and what was eaten. It is so hard to plan for food as there are multiple parties in one day and the teens just graze a little. I followed her lead and...success! We had a little bit leftover but not much. 

The party was a huge success and thanks to Bryan and Chris again for making the trek out to Houston to celebrate.

Next stops:

Mia: Mia enlisted in the Navy and reports for boot camp in mid-July. She initially planned to be a turbine mechanic but a SEAL scout saw her during Houston workout session (all Houston Navy recuits work out together 2x per month, she is the only female) and recommended her for the rescue swimmer program. 

After boot camp, she heads to Pensacola, FL to start Naval Aircrew Candidate School, the first step in her journey to be an Aviation Rescue Swimmer. She has already passed the rescue swimming fitness test and we wish her the best of luck. 

Julia: next stop, University of California San Diego! Orientation and move in aren't until mid-September so she has awhile at home. Her plans this summer: work, work, work!

After a whirlwind May, it's now time for summer camps and a little relaxation time!