Summer Fun in PA

I can't imagine why the boys have returned from our visit home exhausted. In adddition to everything I already mentioned doing, we also took an amazing day trip to the beach, where we spent the day with Jenny's thoughtful and fun family. AND, we went to Dutch Wonderland where we had a great time helping Aunt Jenny overcome her fear of fast rides and log flumes. Factor in the days at friends' pools and visiting family, and we barely caught our breath on the whole trip! We had such a great time, and are still recovering with long naps every afternoon!

Duh-Nuh...duh-nuh, duh-nuh...

If you couldn't tell by my words, the title is actually the theme from jaws. This title is appropriate because we took the boys to the aquarium where they experienced a shark-filled train ride, including a faux shark attack (think pretend JAWS attack in Universal Studios).

Now, let's get to the bumble bee pajama pictures. In October he was the fattest skeleton, but have you ever seen a bee that chubby?! The pictures don't even really do it justice...his little bubble butt looks so funny in these!

Amarillo Christmas Pics and Such

I am a pretty terrible photographer, but I did end up with a few adorable pictures of "the cousins" in their Christmas attire. It was hard to choose which pictures to post!

Over the weekend, we also managed to visit Paladuro Canyon. Brady's uncles helped him to be quite the adventurer.

Oh, and I also have to give a shout-out to my sisters-in-law (and, of course, Lovely Lyvia!)...we had an awesome time at the New Moon movie! I wish we could all get together more often!

A New Sheriff in Town

My kids don't just like to "join in"...they like to dominate, so it was no surprise when Brady became the sheriff of Rusk, Texas the minute the train pulled in to town. If you look closely at the top picture, he even has a badge. Watch our Rusk, Brady's ready to lay down the law.

Excuse Me, I'm a Little Horse

At St. Clare's Monastery in Brenham, Texas the pony that Brady was petting (yes, it's really shorter than him, it's not an illusion) was NOT the smallest one that we saw. They were so neat and tiny...and I can't even express just how happy it makes me to be able to use my "little horse" joke. Ahhh, it's the little things.

By the way, I know that I said I would stop bragging when I found out that people who aren't in our family read this blog, but I can't help myself this time. My kids are so cute I could cry.

Bouncing in the Blue Bonnets

See how I used alliteration there?...um...Anyway, I think that I mentioned before that Brady is in a phase where he makes a constipated face whenever we try to take pictures. In this particular case, I don't really think that it mattered. He looked so cute sitting in a field full of blue bonnets by the side of the road in Chappell Hill, Texas...it didn't really matter what face he was making. We took a lovely day trip that ended in the discovery of an amazing new outlet mall! Sometimes, life is just so good.

The Houston Zoo

Not much more to say here...my kids are cute, that's about it. Wait! I had promised to stop bragging...it's harder than it seemed at first.

Aunt Boo had a great time at the zoo, as well...and later adopted an otter for the boys. Her name is Hope and we have her likeness (a stuffed animal) that Brady is "sharing with Carson".

Adventures in Zoology

So, I found a fancy way to say that we went to the zoo. What an awesome day. The animals actually looked happy and active, and we actually got to show Brady some animals without having to say things like: "Over there...look...behind the brush...you see it?...it just moved...no, right there...".

Time with Friends

Over the holidays, Carson had some very exciting experiences, and obviously was very touched by them. First, he had the opportunity to meet the very intelligent and beautiful Emelyn...his possible/hopeful future girlfriend. Then, he visited Virginia for the first time where several members of Brady's fan club added Carson's name to the fan club letter-head. Aunt Emily spent time cuddling the little guy, while Aunt Elaine let Brady adhere stickers all over her face...and finally, Brady got some cuddle-time as well. Good times were had by all. And for those of you who are wondering, the official name of the fan club is now: Brady and Carson ARE the Party and I Want to be Invited. I know it's lengthy, but it got the most vote in last months meeting of executives.

A Successful Day

Pumpkins: Bought

Energy: Spent

Fun: Had

Kids: Sleeping

Smell: Sweet Success

More from the Farm

The hayride...Brady could have cared less about the pumpkins that were waiting to be picked at the end of the hayride...he didn't want to get off!

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch

I consider myself to be a pretty young mom...you know, on top of the latest things. But I have to admit that so many things have changed since I was a kid. The gal who is babysitting Brady this weekend had to be reminded by her mother not to be texting while she is watching him, we got to choose which background Brady sat in front of for his school pictures (we decided against "Cashmere" and settled on "A Stroll in the Park"), and a day at the pumpkin patch doesn't just involve picking out pumpkins anymore. We actually never made it to the "patch" until after the kids played on a giant playground, jumped in the hay AND on a giant air-filled pillow, rode on a barrel train, ate lunch, sat on a tractor, listened to some singing chickens, then took a hay ride out to where the pumpkins were growing. They had such a great time! There was so much to do, that we finally just had to leave so that the exhausted kids could take a nap on the way home! My friend, Jennifer, was such a trooper, carrying her 6-month-old around while chasing after her 2-year-old, Madeline. I can't wait to go back next year!

More pictures to come!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Geared-up in the Astro's hat that Poppy got for him, Brady had a great time at the final Houston Astro's game of the season. He sat nicely through most of it, cradling his new ball and mini-bat, only dropping the ball once, making his dad climb over 4 rows of chairs to retrieve it. And, we only had to go for one walk, the result of which was a bag of Cracker Jacks. Brady and I got back to our seats just in time to sing God Bless America, Take Me Out to the Ball Game (a new favorite in his repertoire), and, of course, Deep in the Heart of Texas (a new favorite in my repertoire...who can resist all of the clapping?!). We were lucky enough to have seats in the shade, but Brady was still worn out enough to fall asleep right away that night. A total success!

A Rainy Dat at the Railroad

The excitement of being on an old-fashioned train coupled with the exhaustion that a dreary, rainy day brings finally lulled Brady to sleep on the second half of our train ride! Luckily, he didn't seem to notice that he missed much, and he was treated to an engineer's hat (thanks for the cash, G-Non!) at the end of trip. Good times were had by all (did I mention that I was treated to fudge? Thanks, Dad!).