When I Was Little. . .

this was my favorite thing to do.

Balloon Fest!

This afternoon/evening we went to check out the Plano Balloon Fest with Jeff, Stacey & Bennett Parker. I had never been before and thus didn't know what to expect. It was a fun, new experience. Those balloons are amazing. Here's a few pics from tonight. . .
Bounce Houses


strollers


Corn Dogs


Funnel Cakes

Balloons



Poor Ridge. His cheddar bunnies spilled. And yes, we ate them still.

Stacey, kids, and me


Charly is combing Bennett's hair with a corn dog stick. He doesn't seem to mind. . .

Making Play Dough

After rest time, we needed something to do. Cobb suggested play dough, but unfortunately we didn't have any. So we made some homemade play dough. Charly wanted pink, and Cobb wanted blue so we made both. Luckily I had some cream of tartar on hand from last time.

Balloons, Stray dogs & Soccer

This morning we woke up, got dressed, and jumped into the car for a balloon adventure. It's Plano's Balloon Festival this weekend, and I had no idea until about 8ish when most were on their way down. But the kids and I managed to track down 3 different balloons and watch them land. REALLY COOL! They loved it.

On our way home we saw a stray dog running down the middle of the road. Ridge shouts, "puppy! puppy!" It had a collar, and therefore, someone is sad their dog ran away. So of course, we had to follow it and try to capture it. The kids helped me watch where he went, and we kept pulling over and attempting to draw the dog near. That didn't work. A policeman saw our efforts and started helping. Then another couple in a jeep joined the pursuit. Finally the dog was captured because the man in the jeep ran after it through a construction site and captured it with a rope. Here's the precious dog. The policeman assured me that they would try to find it's owners.

We celebrated saving the dog by going to Chic Fil A for a late breakfast.

This afternoon was Cobb's 2nd soccer game. Look at him try to race past that kid!

Here's Charly & her friend Bella watching from the stroller.

And Ridge got a great view from the Coach's shoulders.

Tonight we watched the balloons again as we went on a family walk. Yeah Balloons!

Crazy Day Turned GREAT!

Today really did turn out to be a great day. We had an awesome time at the park with Stacey & Bennett and Laura & Olivia Lindstrom. Feeding the ducks was a true highlight.





Tonight, we celebrated RT productions 5 year anniversary with all the RT staff & spouses. I was so excited for Rob, and it was so amazing to see how the Lord has grown the company through all the incredible people working for RT Productions.

Here's a pic of Rob talking to his team.

Here's his team & spouses listening.

And here's me with my hubby. I'm so proud.

Rob gave everyone iPhoto books that detail the company's last 5 years. It's an incredible memoir that we'll treasure forever. Can't wait to see what happens in the next 5 years.

well. . .

Other than Charly getting her foot stuck in the treadmill, the car seat breaking, and gum found on the seatbelt, it's been a great day. More details later.

Do-Over Please

I think my sweet, angel 3rd child is beginning to ruin his reputation! This morning he didn't start off too great by losing his temper because I couldn't prepare his chocolate milk fast enough. He worked himself up so much that when it was ready, he was face planted on the floor screaming into his own drool, unable to appreciate the milk sitting right next to his hand. Yes, it was a pretty picture, but unfortunately, I did not have camera in hand.

I thought we might be getting better. I gave him a second breakfast because sometimes food is a perfect bandaid for fussy boy. Nature called so I had to slip out for a moment. Cobb came and got me with, "Mom! Ridge threw his juice all over your kitchen and his breakfast is in the rug and the floor!" Well, he was right. Total, complete mess. I took Ridge out of his chair, got the mop out of the store closet/pantry, and began clean up. I forgot to close the door to the pantry so sticky little Ridge wanders in there to play with the spice rack. Not a good idea. I hear, "CRASH!" He had broken my rosemary container & glass shattered.

Oh my. Lord can we start over??? Let's go to the park.

This Past Week

My parents left this morning. They originally came in to take care of the kiddos while we were in Boston, but they ended up having to stay because they had no power in Houston due to Ike. So we had a blast hanging with Mimi & Papeaux M-Th. Mimi went to feed the ducks with us at a park nearby. Ridge loved to chase them back into the water.

Here's Mimi, Ridge, & Charly watching the ducks.

Oh, and I got a new stroller this week!!!! YIPPEEE! I used birthday money from my sweet in-laws and my parents. THANK YOU!!! The old double jogger was SO hard to push, and kept going crooked. It was a true beating.


The best part about putting the stroller together was Ridge playing in the box.

Boston cont. . .

Here's some more pics from our Boston trip. ..

We stopped by the Cheers bar that looks nothing like the show on the inside.

We walked through the Boston Public Gardens and took a picture of the ducks from Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings.

And before leaving for the airport, we ate at Dick's Last Resort where the waitress gave our boys these lovely hats. Caroline & I got balloons tied in our hair.

Boston Trip

While our kids are have had a blast with Trisha and then Mimi & Papeaux (my parents), Rob and I are in Boston visiting my sister Caroline and her husband Nick. We've had the best time, and it's been great to see their world.

Nick is in seminary at Gordon-Conwell in South Hamilton, MA (30 minutes North of Boston). Caroline & Nick introduced us to some of their friends last night. Then this a.m. we slept in (YEAH!) and then went to brunch at the Stone Soup Cafe in Ipswich, MA. Yum!! Then we headed to the beach. It's so beautiful here with all the trees, beach, ocean, hills, and the historical feel. Loving it!

Here's us at the beach:

Rob and Nick.

And then we got to go apple picking at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA. It was so fun to taste all the different kinds of apples. You taste and then just toss what you don't finish. We had McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Gala, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, and Gingergold Apples. Each has a unique taste and texture, but they all sort of blended together by the end. We ate way too many apples, and then helped ourselves to apple crisp ice cream.

Our favorite was the Gingergold Apples.

And we got to see the 1000 lb pig. He was huge! I was fascinated.

Caroline and I went for a run through the woods this afternoon. It was beautiful. I just love being outside surrounded by the beauty of nature. It's fun to feel like your lost within the woods. And I'm constantly amazed at God's creativity.

Tonight we had a really nice seafood dinner at the Black Cow Restaurant in S. Hamilton. It was real tasty.

Here's our reaction to the bill. . .

Then we headed to get more homemade Boston ice-cream, then home for spades & apple wine from the orchard, and now Saturday Night Live. Loving the quality time with my sis.

Cobb's first goal

This is from last Saturday's game:

Cobb's Dinosaur Dinner Prayer

"Dear God, thank you for this blessing. Thank you for this life. I promise to never step in. . ."

Cobb pauses and turns to Rob & me, "What's that thing called again with the long tail?"
Rob says, "an alligator?"
Haley says, "a crocodile?"
Rob says, "a dinosauar?"

"oh yeah, I promise to never step in a dinosaur field. Amen."

Aunt Kiki's dress

Here's a picture of my sister (Aunt Kiki) with her husband Nick and us. She'll be 27 in November.


Here's Charly wearing her Aunt Kiki's dress.

Yes, it is 22 (or more) years old. My mom saved it (not sure why??), but I'm so glad. It looks so cute on Charly. And it brings back sweet memories for me. I remember the dress from when my sister wore it (wish I had a pic of Caroline in it!) My sis is 9 1/2 years younger than me, and I have fond memories of her preschool years. She was the cutest little girl, full of spunk and personality. Sound familiar??


An extra, random pic of the Ridger. . .

Our first Soccer Game!

Cobb had his first socccer game today! It was so much fun, and he did great. He broke away from the pack in the first 5 minutes, and he scored! First goal of the season!

He was so proud. Check out his thumbs up!

The whole team did great, and much better than I expected after only two practices. They all had a wonderful time, scored many times, and all got excited to work together. Also, we like to tell the kids that when one kid scores, they all score.



During the first quarter, I think Cobb got a little tired because he sat down. We encouraged him to keep going, and he did. He loved the whole experience. Cobb also loved having family and friends watch.

The Parkers

Pops, Sam, & Blair

Cobb & Sam


Afterwards, the Parkers celebrated with us at Braums.



And then we stopped by some trails that we wanted to show them.




Bennett and Ridge


It was a really fun Saturday!