Texas-size Fun!

We spent a week with Mom and Dad and it was great...Amy and Avery were there too, so there was lots of kiddo-entertainment and the weather was fabulous so we could be outside!  The kids were usually awake early...like 6:15am...and we laughed one morning because we ate breakfast, played Thomas, did a puzzle, played in the tent, colored pictures, and hid Easter Eggs...and it was only 8:30am!  We tried to a few "posed" pictures of the three kids and that was hilarious...the candid shots are better and no one looks like they are in pain (see above...Eli wants to talk to his agent.) 

Lucy, Eli and Avery had a great time doing all of their normal activities together: meals, snacks, baths, and lots of playtime.  And, Amy, Mom and I chatted about books, watched old episodes of "Glee!" and just enjoyed being together!  Dad and Chris golfed, we ate lots of yummy food and relaxed...a wonderful trip!

It was exciting just to be at home, together; but we did venture out some...we had lunch with my friend Stacy, who I've known since first grade!  And, a visit to the Dallas Arboretum to see the famous tulips!  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for a fun, refreshing trip!

I recently finished the book "Lift" by one of my favorite authors, Kelly Corrigan.  The books is a letter to her daughters and in it she writes, "Most of the pictures taken after you turned four, and became self-conscious, have no character.  You couldn't stand in front of the camera without making a peace sign or bunny ears or baring your teeth like you do for the dentist."  I completely relate to that comment because it is getting harder and harder to take pictures of Lu...and you know how much I like to photograph her.  And, she doesn't usually want to wear a bow anymore...which breaks my heart because I really, really love the bow...but she is quick with other options ("how about a braid or clip, Mommy?") and we've have had 4+ years of good bow-wearing.  I would rather her develop her own sense of style than force her to wear a bow...sniff, sniff. 

In case you're wondering how excited we are about Spring...see the below pictures of Eli.  He loves to be outside and will dig in the dirt if I take my eyes off him for mere seconds...his nails are constantly dirty and his face usually is too!  "Yea!" for warmer weather!

Irish Eyes are Smiling...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In February...

We read Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems, A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, Silverlicious by Victoria Kann, and Crow by Leo Timmers. 

We listened to "Little Miss" by Sugarland, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home" album.

We enjoyed some good fun with Claiborne and Shelby! 

Lucy accessorized Eli with A LOT of stickers!

We smiled at the funny things they say...we overheard Lucy tell Eli "on my next birthday I'll be 5, then all my teeth will fall out."  And, Eli has learned the difference between boys and girls (usually pronounced "grills", "gills", or "gals") 

We sighed at Lu's sweetness...Chris got the 24-hour stomach-bug on Sunday and spent the afternoon in bed...she left notes at the bedroom door that said "I LOVE YOU DADDY!" 

We laughed at the mess a 2-year old boy can create with an innocent marker...

Thanks for reading!  We're excited about some Texas-size fun in March! 

The Big Lion!

While Lucy was in her dance class yesterday, Eli managed to slip off the couch in the waiting area and hit his head...he cried very loudly and the entire room was quiet while I comforted him.  Once he got his breath, I said "What is your name?" and he said "the Big Lion" and I knew he was going to be just fine!  He usually introduces himself as either "Mr. Chuck E. Cheese" or "The Big Lion"...usually following up his introduction with a big ROAR, so his face often looks like this...

 

XOXO

A sweet weekend...dancing at the Family Valentine's Dance benefiting Books From Birth and assembling treats for school Valentine's parties!

Many thanks to Kay and Fred and the Moore Family for joining us for a night of fun!  I'm a new Board Member for Books From Birth and I'm so happy to dedicate some of my time and effort to this great cause...every child is eligible to receive a free book each month until they turn five-years-old!

Lucy and Eli have really enjoyed the books we've received through this program - we've been introduced to many great authors and love to read together!  

Big Orange Country!

The four of us took a road-trip to Knoxville over the weekend!  Chris planned this trip - for ten years he worked every Saturday January-March, so he was excited to be able to travel on a February weekend!  He carefully picked this weekend because the UT basketball game started at 5pm on Saturday.  We thought that was a good time for Lucy and Eli...we were hopeful they would be entertained by eating concession-stand dinners and enjoy the game!  Another important piece of the weekend plans was the hotel with the indoor, heated pool...it was a big hit after weeks of snow and crazy-cold weather! 

Lucy hasn't stayed in a hotel since Amy and Matt's wedding in June 2008.  She was totally baffled...bless her heart, when we travel we're usually with our families, so she kept asking "who is going to meet us here?"  We didn't tell her about the trip much in advance because we were afraid the weather would cancel our plans...so, she didn't have a lot of time to sort her thoughts.  She kept calling our hotel room "the apartment."  On the drive to Knoxville she asked "who is going to pick our room?" and "is our room upstairs or downstairs?"  Of course, they thought the continental breakfast was awesome...they visited with the other guests and thought the elevators were great!  After breakfast, Lucy said "are they going to bring us lunch?"  The funniest comment was Saturday night...after a day of sight-seeing on campus, the basketball game and fun in the hotel room, she said "what time is our flight home tomorrow?" 

They loved window-watching from the hotel room - even though it looked out over a parking garage. We had lunch at Copper Cellar, then Chris and I were excited to visit the newly-remodeled Ayres Hall!  We visited the AOII suite...it still hasn't fallen into the sink-hole or been condemned (do our UT friends remember that rumor?)  It was fun to tell Lucy and Eli about our friends that they know who we met while at UT! 

 The basketball game was a huge success...even though Lucy (with her orange bow and shirt) said "I hope Alabama wins!"  We expected to give them dinner, but they were so exhausted from a day of no naps and general hotel-excitement that they just sat on our laps...like they were sedated...no bathroom requests...no food demands...just chilled out and watched the game, scoreboard, band, dancers, and other 21,000 fans!  We did leave with about 7-minutes left in the game...which made me laugh because my Dad raised us to believe "it is not who wins or loses...it is who gets out of the parking lot first!"  Chris suggested leaving early since it was a close game and everyone else was staying...we made it to a restaurant in time to see overtime! 

Completely unrelated to our trip to Knoxville, I wanted to share these two pictures...

The above picture is from Thursday.  I picked Lucy up from school and she explained that one of her classmates had a birthday and brought muffins to celebrate.  Lucy said "I know you didn't have a muffin for breakfast, so I save you my last bite."  And, indeed, when I looked in her lunchbox, there it was...her last bite.  Oh, that girl just makes me smile!  

Next, I forgot to share this picture back in January.  It is from our trip to Charlotte.  We weren't sure if Eli would be up for walking through the airport with his own suitcase, but he loves to be "big" and do whatever his sister is doing.  Lucy's doll "Baby Rebecca" is on her back and I love how confident they seem as they take these first steps to explore the world.  Of course, I was very close by and we have many fun years before independence, but you have to start somewhere, right?