Sports Weekend

Lincoln is a super sporty little guy!  We enrolled him in gymnastics for over a year, and he loved it.  We switched to baseball lessons for this spring and summer, and he always had lots of fun hitting, batting, catching and running the bases.  He still takes swimming lessons once a week, and he's swimming like a fish!  So for the fall, we decided to try out soccer.  On this rainy Saturday morning, we all geared up for a fun new sport.  Linc had a blast in the practice and loved kicking back and forth with the coach.  He thought Linc's kicks and timing were really good, and he was so encouraging.  Success, right? 

 So the game after the practice wasn't nearly as much fun.  Linc just didn't get in the rhythm of the game, and he was so sad there was only one ball.  Ok, Lesson One was a learning experience!  Beau was prepared with snacks, water and his own ball to kick around on the sidelines.  He wasn't bothered by the drizzle and had a blast!

 After our rainy soccer morning, we helped our buddy Conner celebrate his 4th birthday with a sports theme.  The party was at Kevin's old gymnastics place in the Heights Rec Center.  I'm sure Daddy was reliving tons of old gymnastics memories . . . he said it looks exactly the same!  The kids had so much fun, and Linc didn't let a busted lip slow him down.  He was super excited about the cookies and cupcakes, and he was definitely the loudest "Happy Birthday" singer! 

 I wish I had a picture of Beau eating his cupcake at Conner's party.  He was only interested in the icing, and tried a few times to pick it up and lick the icing off.  He finally decided to just sink his hand on top of the cupcake and suck the icing off his fingers.  YUCK!  His face and hands were a complete mess, but he was a happy boy!  Sweet Beau also posed for a cute picture after dinner on Sunday.  He was making a mess of the movies, but looking so cute doing it!

We had a pretty chill Sunday after a busy Friday and Saturday.  The week ahead is sure to be busy, but I think a lot of fun is planned.  Lincoln's preschool class is moving to the letter N, so there will be lots of new things to learn about.  We try to compliment his studies at home, and we always learn a lot of new words and try a lot of new letter-themed activities during the week.  What yummy foods start with the letter N . . . I'll know soon!

2012 State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas is finally here . . . and we were all so excited!  Of course we headed there right at opening on the first day.  No lines and no germs - who can beat that?!?!  We stopped for a few necessities right away.  Daddy needed a Fletcher's corn dog (which I'm told is actually a "corny-dog" but whatever!), and Lincoln and Beau needed a pretzel.  The got the first official pretzel of the fair!!!  It was yummy and warm and buttery, and we loved it.  I tried one of the "bits" this year that was a Picnic on a Stick.  It wasn't actually as advertised, but it was yummy.  Chicken, tater tots, cheese and pickles on a stick then dipped in batter and fried . . . yep, that was super healthy!  After our snacks, Linc demanded that we head for the rides.  Our yearly measure showed that Linc is up to 38 inches.  He could ride so many rides by himself, and he was definitely excited to get going.

 Linc's first ride choice was his favorite from last year.  He marched right up to the motorcycle and climbed on like a pro!  He gave us a few cool waves as he passed by.

 Beau was pretty happy to take in the action from the stroller.  He was really checking out the midway games and the rides whirling by.  Such a sweetie!

 After a few more solo rides, Lincoln recruited Daddy to ride a roller coaster with him.  They were all smiles before it started . . .

 . . . but Daddy wasn't all smiles after it was over.  He said he got thrown around in all of the violent spinning, but Linc had plenty of delightful squeals.  Lincoln had so much fun on the roller coaster, he insisted that I take a turn with him.  It was a blast!  He really loved the parts when we were whirling around, and I loved to hold him tight and squeal right along!  (Note:  Like Daddy said, it wasn't the smoothest roller coaster ever.)  Fun, no less!

Beau decided to join in the action, and we all climbed in a hot air balloon ride.  He actually enjoyed it.  We all squealed as we spun in circles and swooped up and down.  So proud of Beau!

 Look at these two twins . . . Daddy and Linc waited in line for more tickets, and they are just the same.  Tall and skinny!

 While Daddy and Lincoln hit up the fun house, Beau chilled with Samantha and Eric.  We were so happy they could meet us at the Fair this morning.  Baby Jackson is so soon!  We can't wait to meet him, and Lincoln and Beau will have a new buddy to love.  They definitely needed one last Fair without a baby, and Beau was happy to have them for entertainment.  (Or at least to have people to pick up the cups that he had so much fun throwing from the stroller!)

 It was a beautiful day for Opening Day.  We were a little warm, but the rain held off.  A few clouds and a little breeze made it a perfect morning to ride lots of fun rides, eat totally fattening foods and stroll around for a few hours.  One day we will actually get to the giant Ferris wheel . . . well some of us will get to the giant Ferris wheel.  Daddy says no way!

We didn't hear anything from Big Tex as we entered the Fair, so we had to check him out before we left.  Luckily he was ready to announce, "Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!"  Linc loves to mimic his super-deep voice.  He's been saying all day!

Hooray for the best day at the State Fair of Texas.  We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

Little Helpers

Two little boys were thrilled when they saw Mommy get out the broom and dust pan tonight.  Then ran to get their own cleaning tools as fast as they could! 

 Working so hard!

Beau was so proud to have his own mop!

 Linc was thrilled to "mop" with Mommy!

I usually sweep and mop after the boys go to bed, so it was a treat for them to help clean.  I hope I'm training them for later . . . when they are actually old enough to have sweeping and mopping on their chore list.  Love these guys!

Low Key Weekend

There wasn't much on the agenda for our weekend . . . except playing and having fun!  We started out at the park on Saturday morning before it warmed up.  Lincoln definitely loves to visit any playground, and he's a slide-master!  Beau was determined to do just as much as Linc, and that meant a lot of work for Mommy!  He belly-climbed up the steps, raced over the bridge, and sat at the top of the slide in a flash.  I won't let Beau slide by himself on the big slides yet, so I did a lot of sliding myself! 

After about an hour, we took a water break in the shade.  We did so much climbing, sliding, running, swinging and laughing, so we needed a break.  What a pair of happy boys!

We went to Mia's for dinner on Saturday night, and we were all excited.  It's a little farther than we usually go, but it's so yummy!  The plan was for Beau to have taquitos (which he loves) and for Linc to have the kids cheese quesadillas meal (which he loves).  Ummm . . . Mia's doesn't have cheese quesadillas on the kids menu.  We had to choose from a taco, an enchilada or a burrito for Linc.  We decided that a burrito is just like a wrap, and Linc loves when I pack a wrap in his lunch.  He excitedly waited on his wrap - until it arrived.  It was gooey and surrounded by rice and beans (which he hates).  Daddy and I did our best to reassure him that his wrap was still plain with a cheeseburger inside.  (OK, maybe there was a little fibbing going on!).  His first bite was a bit intrepid, but he liked it!  The second bite was pretty careless and all of the insides spilled out on the plate.  Soooooo he ate the "cheeseburger" with a spoon and left the wrap.  Whatever!  By the way, we were not in the ghetto even though we were surrounded by bars and cars.  Mia's is super cool and in Uptown, but we backed up to the valet line on the patio.  It turned out to be a yummy dinner for all!

Daddy went to the Cowboys game on Sunday morning with Casey, Eric and Dan.  Lincoln, Beau and I went to church, played on the playground for a bit, met Nana and Pops for brunch, did our grocery shopping at Tom Tom and Central Market, and finally came home for much needed naps.  After lots of playing this afternoon and a yummy rotini dinner, Daddy and Linc went to order some new kitchen appliances.  Home Depot is sooooo fun!

While Daddy and Lincoln were shopping, Beau and I made brownies.  Well, Mommy made brownies and Beau went to his "station" and "cooked".  He came into the kitchen with a fake tomato slice topped with a fake eggplant and sang Happy Birthday To You.  It was the sweetest thing!  He decided that my real food was way better than his fake food and commenced to beg for chocolate chips.  He stood at my feet chanting "choco chips" for ever!  How could I turn this sweet face down?

Our weekend was full of playgrounds, giggles, yummy food, and lots of fun.  I can't imagine a better weekend.  I might have had a few crazy moments of brother hugs gone bad, giant messes in the playroom and 10 loads of laundry, but it was super fun. 

Morning at the Dallas Arboretum

I've been wanting to go back to the Dallas Arboretum for a while now . . . to take the boys for fun and especially to see the Chihuly exhibit.  We just couldn't bear it during the summer heat, so we are celebrating the cool down with outdoor fun!  On Friday morning, we grabbed Nana and headed down to the beautiful Arboretum.  The first Chihuly piece we saw was right up front.  Lincoln looked at for a second and decidedly said, "Spaghetti!!!!"  I'm pretty sure that is not what the famous glass artist was going for, but art is all about interpretation, right? 

 We didn't have to walk far to see our next super cool piece.  These blue rods were sticking up from the beds as they were getting their morning mist.  It looked so neat!

 Linc ran up to take a closer look.  Beau stayed in stroller for most of the Chihuly portion of our tour.  He had pretzels and water, so he was cool to just admire from his comfy seat!

 The entrance to the water feature area was stunning!  "More spaghetti!" declared Linc.

 The pieces in the pools were really great.  I love the green and purple!

 These glass balls filling up the boat were fun.  The other boat is wild!

 Linc noticed a big lake next to the pools, and he and Nana went to check it out.  They came back with a serious report.  Lincoln said if were gonna cross that lake, we would definitely need a boat.  (Later in the evening, he was telling me that he would just call Mickey Mouse and borrow his boat.  He and Mickey would be the wheel turners and Beau and I could be strapped in the back of the boat and just have fun.  He assured me that he and Mickey would not get lost!!  Crazy imagination!)

 These lily pads were so fun and really shined bright.  Beau was kind of getting into the hang of things and really liked this one. 

 Linc spotted a few fish swimming under the lily pads.  A penny tossed into the water put the fish in a frenzy.  I guess they thought it was food and all went diving for it . . . sorry!

 "Spaghetti again!!"

 We had pretty much finished the Chihuly stuff, and the guys were ready to check out the more kid-friendly stuff.  Linc looked at the giant book that described the first little house. 

 He loved roaming around the Picasso house.  He kept peek-a-booing us from the door!

 The frog fountains are always a favorite!  I have a few sweet pictures of Linc from his last visit to the Arboretum sneaking around the frogs.  Beau was ready to get out of the stroller at this point, but not ready to follow Linc under the shooting water. 

 Much to everyone's excitement, we found the pumpkins!!  Beau was yelling "munkin-munkin-munkin"!  (Pumpkin sounds exactly like Monkey according to Beau.  Luckily I knew he meant pumpkin today!)

 There was a lot of counting going on.  Beau can count to three, so he kept going over and over . . . un, too, fee!  Linc can count forever, and I'm not sure what he was up to when I made him turn around and come back.

We were so hopeful that we could tour the pumpkin houses and headed that way.  It turns out the houses don't open to the public until Saturday, so we didn't get to check them out up close.  Beau wasn't happy about this situation.  He decided that he could just push his way (head first!) through the barrier!  Sorry buddy! 

 We were able to see the houses from a short distance, and they were really cool! 

I guess we'll just need to make another field trip to explore in the pumpkin area!

Even though touring the pumpkin houses was what Lincoln was most excited about to begin the day, he was surprisingly not at all bothered that we couldn't get in.  He was too busy booty-shakin'!

 The Monet house was definitely Beau's favorite!  He and Lincoln chased each other around forever.  He also loved the art closet.

 Lincoln would "surprise" him through the window often.  They LOVED that game!  They took turns "surprising" each other for quite awhile.

 Beau strolled along the pumpkin-lined walkway singing us many songs.  He seemed like such a big boy once he was done snacking in the stroller.  Of course he wanted to do everything Linc did!

 A brief visit to the garden area brought out the not-so-great in Beau!  At first he was happy to chase Linc around . . . until he decided to trample the beds.  No, no!  I had to drag him out of the forbidden area, but not before I snapped a picture of him beaming at his rule-breaking! 

We all had so much fun at the Arboretum!  The boys were both so good and just had fun.  They got lots of exercise and saw super cool things.  I'm so glad Nana could join us for our fun today.  The Arboretum is not that close to our house, so we don't get there often.  That might change after Friday!  The cooler temps and my new found confidence in driving directions may meant more trips to the super neat Arboretum. 

Ouch and a Fun Afternoon

Lincoln, Beau and I were all so excited that Mommy was picking them up early from school today!  Unfortunately, I was picking them up for a not-quite-so-fun reason . . . flu shots!  We headed to Dr. K's office by school to get our vaccination for the year.  Of course I had remembered to bring along reinforcements in the form of snacks and books.  Is is any surprise which kid chose which?!?!

 These little guys were being so silly while waiting on the nurse!  She opened the door and asked what all of this giggling was about!

 Lincoln went first with no drama.  He climbed in my lap and told the nurse he was ready to get the medicine to make him feel good.  He watched as she cleaned his thigh then winced a little when she stuck him.  All he said was "oh!"  I think he was surprised, but he didn't cry.  I held him for a few minutes to be sure he was over it.  Beau didn't even want to be held!  He cried for about a minute then grabbed his sticker and off we went!

Since we finished our shots early, we headed to the Halloween store to check out the costumes.  Lincoln picked his out right away, and he's totally bouncing off the walls about it!  They didn't have the right size for Beau, but we can order it from their website.  I think there is a super secret rule that you can't post pictures of your kid in their Halloween costume before Halloween, but trust me . . . the pictures will be the best EVER!

After our shopping trip, we decided to go for ice cream.  Actually we had frozen yogurt, and the boys loved it.  There is a place by our house that we almost never go to, but it's super yummy.  Lincoln got chocolate with sprinkles, marshmallows and jelly beans - gross! 

 Beau got vanilla with sprinkles and marshmallows.  He kept trying to say fro-yo! 

 It was a little difficult for Beau to spoon out the fro-yo that was pretty frozen.  He tried the spoon for a bit then decided to go about it another way! 

Fro-yo was so fun!  We should definitely go there more often.  I think they have crazy-big bowls - that's as big as Beau's head!  But it's self serve and you only get charged for what you put in.  I barely line the bottom with yogurt and give half scoops of toppings.  Our bill was just $2!!  I caught the boys in Lincoln's bed this evening being sweet.  Beau handed Lincoln the 5 Little Monkeys book, and Linc happily read it to Beau.  My heart was breaking with joy standing at the door watching them.  Oh, they got into a major pinch-fight later, but that one moment was super sweet!