Surfing in Dallas!!!

A new house??

We sold our "old" house in January and have been living in a rental while we look for something new. We think we might have found a good fit!! Will this be our new home??? Stay tuned.....

Happy Dino Turkey Day!!!

We've been trying to go to Glen Rose and Dinosaur Valley all year. Between the weather and us being under the weather, we didn't get to take the trip until this past Thanksgiving. We headed out on Wednesday afternoon and spent four nights exploring the area.

We stayed at America's Best Value Inn. Not a 5 star hotel, but it was comfortable and the boys were treated like VIP's all weekend long. They swam, stayed up late watching Wipe Out, got their art work hung on the walls at the front desk, ate Texas shaped waffles every morning adorned with jelly and fruit loops while watching cartoons they aren't allowed to watch at home.

We explored Big Rocks Park three times (the boys FAVORITE), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (twice), and Dino World. We ate at the Loco Coyote and Hammond's BBQ, which were both good in their own way. They are two MUST visit eating establishments when visiting Glen Rose.

We saw genuine dinosaur tracks, hiked at least 5 miles, and had a scenic picnic lunch at the State Park. The boys got to drive my car though the Wildlife Park and thought that was almost better than feeding the giraffes from our car. We learned about dinosaurs and sifted for fossils at Dino World, and the boys each took home a shark's tooth and a couple other random fossils of their choosing.

We had a great weekend even though we ended up having Sonic for Thanksgiving, as it was the only reasonably priced joint open in town that day.

Glen Rose is a nice little place. We would totally head back for Big Rocks Park, Fossil Rim, and camping at Dinosaur Valley. If we go in the summer I think we will add in some canoeing or kayaking on the river, and possibly even some horseback riding. The boys certainly had a blast and are already asking for a return trip.

What we did this Fall

Since the boys birthday we have been busy with the ordinary and not so ordinary.

The boys played soccer for the Fire Dragons and Jaime coached. They took tennis lessons and started going to gymnastics again. We attended the Plano Balloon Festival, we hung out around the house, carved pumpkins, went to the Dallas Symphony, explored the Dallas zoo with friends, and went to carnivals and festivals. My dad visited in October and we got to go to the Texas State Fair twice as well as many other entertaining things. My cousin Kim and aunt Janice arrived in November and we all had tons of fun together being tourists in Dallas. We enjoyed an Uptown food tour, the Dallas Arboretum and Chihuly exhibit, the Sixth Floor Museum, the Gaylord Texan Hotel, the city of Grapevine, and the Historic District. We hung out at home, made Indian headdresses, ate, drank, and played.

Once again, here is a video catch up:

Look Who's 5!!

This year, in the interest of time and sanity, we decided to "outsource" the birthday festivities instead of having it at our house like last year.

On the day of their birth, we had a pancake and sprinkle breakfast followed by 4 hours of games and fun at Chuck E. Cheese. Then we had a Monster celebration with a few friends and family at a place called Bounce U over the weekend. There they bounced, played, glowed in the dark, and ate. We spent tons of time the next day assembling all the Legos they got for presents and then finished out the party weekend at Hawaiian Falls water park. It wasn't totally homemade, but I think the boys still had a blast!!

Happy 5th Birthday Boys!!!

Tenerife Summer 2012

We were lucky enough to go and visit Jaime's family this summer in Tenerife. Of course Lela had our apartment ready for us and filled with the touches of Love only a Grandma can do. As always, she made us feel right at home, and the boys loved being able to run upstairs anytime to visit with her and Lelo and to see if she might be making some bizcocho.

Another cool thing was the fact that a family reunion was also scheduled for this Summer. Cousins, Second Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles all came in from wherever they lived to meet up with all the family in Tenerife. There was quite a crowd. The largest cousin gathering ever assembled from what I'm told. Two weeks flew by faster than one could have imagined. We had a great time hanging out, sight seeing, and visiting with family......and the boys had a blast!! See you again next year!

Almost 5!!!

So, we only have one more week until the boys are officially 5 years old!! Where does the time go?? It seems I just posted a catch up, and here we are 6 months later already.....We've been up to nothing and lots of things. Mostly playing, hanging out, and enjoying. I thought I'd post some of the pictures that jumped out at me from the past 6 months before it's time for a birthday post. So here it is...what we've been up to (more or less) since February.

House Update

We finally put together a little "then and now" video of the house. We envisioned we'd have a few more changes and updates complete after a year of living here, but, well, this is what we managed to do so far.....still plenty of plans in the works - so enjoy and check back again next year!!

 

2011 Dallas Ft. Worth 3-Day - Susan G. Komen

Hard to believe it's almost been 6 years since Mom died of Breast Cancer.......

Trevor and I walked the 3-Day again back in November in her memory. It's our third walk together, and I plan on walking every 5th anniversary of her death until I can't walk anymore.

This year's walk began on a chilly Friday morning at Collin Creek Mall in Plano. The 18-mile route started with an great send off from the kids at Aldridge Elementary, the first of many schools that came out to support the walkers. The day was filled with cheering stations and lots of amazing support from the community, lunch in the park, and a final walk into camp at Brookhaven College where the school baseball team helped walkers carry their gear and set up tents. We enjoyed hot showers, an Italian dinner, a foot massage, and a little fun in camp before heading to bed.

Saturday’s 21-mile route started a little cold but the sun came out and it was perfect walking weather. Again, amazing cheering stations and support (including hot cocoa, wine and cheese, mimosas, candy, stickers, Advil, etc.) from the community. There were nearly two miles of continuous cheering stations after we had lunch with our families at the Hockaday Academy. We walked a little slower, but still made it to camp for dinner, more foot massages, and chatting with fellow walkers.

Our final day of walking began with a quick bus ride to Ursuline Academy. We started our 15-mile walk through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Dallas. Then it was onto the Katy Trail and through Historic Downtown Dallas past the American Airlines Center and Pioneer Plaza with the bronze steer. Lunch was at Main Street Garden – what a view of downtown Dallas! The final miles of the route wound through the Deep Ellum Arts District and into the Fair Grounds. Since we were running a little "early," we made a pit stop (along with many walkers) for a snack and some relaxing before heading to closing ceremonies.

The day ended with a celebratory and inspirational Closing Ceremony. All the participants danced and finally raised their shoes to salute the survivors bringing the ceremony to a close. There were 2,800 walkers and 450 crew and volunteers this year who raised $7.1 million for breast cancer research and community-based educational health programming.

After the ceremonies, we joined our families and headed out to enjoy a dinner together before going home to rest and soak our tired feet and bodies.

THANK YOU TO ALL MY SPONSORS!!! I couldn't have done it without you!!

So, until next time........

Anyone out there??

Not really sure if anyone is still reading our blog, especially since we haven't posted since the end of October!!! Geesh!! I guess since a couple of family members have made comments about no updates, there must be a reader or two out there still checking. Funny because I used to make fun of my friends for "never" posting.......

So, what have we been up to since October? Lots of the same old same old and lots of other fun stuff. Of course, my brother and I walked in the 3-Day (but that's a post in and of itself), we celebrated Turkey Day, we geared up for Christmas and a visit from Lela (Jaime's mom), the boys started gymnastics, we did a few touristy things (Sealife Aquarium, The DMA, Dallas Zoo, Texas Discovery Gardens, The Dallas Symphony, ICE! @ The Gaylord Texan, Medieval Times), celebrated Christmas, rang in the New Year, and had lots of fun around the house - and that's just November and December! So, here's the shortest November/December catch up I could manage...........

The Month of Pumpkins!!

October was a busy month and full of fall fun and pumpkins as can be expected.

We enjoyed some welcome rain, spent time with family, visited a few pumpkin patches, enjoyed a Halloween concert at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center, spent a day with friends at the Dallas Arboretum, played at home, carved pumpkins, went to the farmers market, celebrated fire safety month, attended a workshop at the Dallas Museum of Art, celebrated my 40th birthday, attended a community festival, enjoyed cooler weather, and, of course, went trick-or-treating. So, as has become usual, here is a recap of our October - hope you enjoy!!

Ft. Worth Alliance Air Show

Whenever we have the chance, and our schedule allows, we like to attend the Ft. Worth Alliance Air Show. We were able to attend the show a couple years ago, and wanted to head back again this year. It was neat to see how much more the boys enjoyed it now that they are a little older (and we brought along proper ear protection). It's technically a "free" event, except that you have to pay for parking and any refreshments you want on-site. I think it's a wonderful way to spend the day with my family, and I think we are already planning to attend next year.

The State Fair of Texas!!

We lucked out and got to attend the State Fair of Texas with some of our family this year. The Fair is a totally different experience when visiting with young people, but it's still one of my favorites.

This year was the 125th anniversary the Texas State Fair, and it seems to get better and more expensive every time we attend. Despite having to take out a second mortgage to pay for everything, we still managed to have loads of fun, stay up too late, see KC & the Sunshine Band, and eat plenty State Fair food. The boys LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.

September

A look back at our September........

Ahoy Mateys!! Our Pirate Party!!

Here it is, the long awaited pirate birthday party video!!

Despite my reservations about hosting a party with 35 guests in 106 degree weather at our house, it actually turned out pretty well (at least that's what I think). We had loads of activities and games, many of which we never even had time for, and plenty of food. We got to dress like pirates, create telescopes, engage in sword fights, walk the plank, earn gold doubloons, pop cannonballs, hunt for treasure, eat cake, make messes, and have lots of other fun.We even got to eat a delicious and beautiful strawberry treasure chest cake and plenty of yummy pirate banana cupcakes all lovingly baked and designed by my good friend Erin. Thank you Aunt Erin!!!!

I think the kiddos and even a few adults had a good time. Happy 4th Boys! Enjoy the video:

Other bits and pieces

Yep, still working my way through all those birthday photos and video clips!!! The good and the bad of digital photography I guess. In the meantime, here is our video of all the other miscellaneous stuff we did during the month of August.

Rainforest Cafe and Legoland Discovery Center

While I wade through the 447 files from the boys party, I thought I'd post on a couple other things.....

Back in January I bought pre-opening tickets to the Legoland Discovery Center that they were opening in Grapevine this year. I chose the day after the boys party because I thought it would be a fun addition to the party weekend, and because I thought they might enjoy it more if they were closer to four instead of three.

My friend Cass bought tickets for herself and her son Lucas, and we all went together deciding to eat at the Rainforest Cafe (in the same mall) beforehand. I bought leftover birthday cupcakes to lunch and the waitstaff sang to the boys while making them stand and beat on their chests like gorillas. It's very dark in the restaurant so it's hard to see much in the video.

We then headed to Legoland and had a great time. The kids could "do" everything they had available there. We saved the princess, rode on a "flying" thing-a-ma-jig, saw a couple 4D movies, and played with tons of Legos. It was pretty busy, but the kids didn't seem to mind one bit. Connor spent a lot of time in the climbing structure building with big Legos, and Alex spent a bunch of time designing and testing Lego cars. We ended up spending six hours in the mall between the two places, and everyone was VERY tired by the end of the day. Here is a small peek at our day:

Happy 4th Birthday Boys!!!

I have a "rest of August" post, a Rainforest Cafe & Lego Discovery Center post, and, of course, a 4th birthday post to catch up on here.....

I just don't think I am going to get them all in before the end of the month. So, here is a big Happy 4th Birthday wish to our boys on their special day, and a sneak peek at the theme of this year's party!!!

Happy Birthday to our boys!!!!!!

Highland Village Balloon Festival

So, there was this small balloon festival that we weren't sure we wanted to go to. The thought of waking up the boys on purpose didn't sound especially appealing for a Saturday morning. So we told the boys that, if they happened to wake up early, we would go and see some hot air balloons.....

Little did I realize that Alex would wake up at 2:00 in the morning asking to sleep with me so that he wouldn't miss the balloons!! Then it was Connor's turn. He work up sometime between 2:00 and 6:00am concerned about the same thing. I told them I would set my alarm and make sure everyone was awake.

6:00 in the morning came much too quickly for my taste and I remained unconvinced that waking my sleeping children was a good idea. I decided that I would sneak into their room and whisper that anyone who wanted to see balloons needed to wake up. Alex immediately hopped out of bed and ran down the hallway with Connor not far behind. And so it was decided that we would attend the Highland Village Balloon Festival.

We dressed and grabbed a few bananas and headed out. When we arrived, we found a good spot for our picnic blanket and then enjoyed a pancake and burrito breakfast while watching the balloons. After they all took off, it was time to play with our free Smoky Bear Frisbees for a bit before checking out the car "show" and then some of the vendors. Once it started to get too hot and there wasn't much going on, we headed toward the house stopping along the way for some homemade ice cream, lunch, and a little shopping.

It turned out to be a great Saturday morning and everyone even took an afternoon nap!! Guess that's the bonus of waking your kids up before the sun.

A Day with Trev & Family

My brother Trevor is in transition from one job to another and found himself with a few days off. He mentioned wanting to stop by and see our house before he starts training next week, and somehow that quickly turned into all of us going to Hawaiian Falls together. What Fun!!

Molly, Trev and the kids are season ticket holders and wanted to check out a different location as a little day-stay-cation before Trev starts working again and the kids head back to school. How lucky that they not only invited us, but they had free buddy passes as well. They picked the Roanoke location which is the newest park and looked like it had some pretty cool rides. It was a compact and totally fun place. We spent the day sliding, climbing, riding the waves, floating (flying) around the lazy river, getting soaked, eating, and mostly staying cool.

Even though the days are still over 100 degree mark, most of the places to cool off are closing down during the weekdays and will be closed for the season after Labor Day weekend.  How nice that we got to finish out the "Summer" with some of the Schreier's. They never did get to come by and see the house, but I guess that's okay since they'll be here next weekend for the boys 4th birthday party ;o)

Because of all the water, I wasn't able to get many photos or videos, but here's a compilation of what we did get: