Tim and Linsey Were Here

Tim and Linsey and the boys visited us over Spring Break. The trip ended up being a bust, but hopefully they didn't have too terrible of a time. They got here on Saturday afternoon and left Tuesday morning. We had planned on going to the rodeo on Sunday, but between their long day of travel, the time change, three kids under 2.5 and it being Go Tejano Day (which I hear is one of the busiest days of the rodeo), I just wasn't feeling it. I had a feeling it could be a long, very miserable day for all of those involved.

Saturday night we had Potatoe Patch for dinner and then headed to Market Street to walk around for a little while. I made the mistake of introducing Linsey to Charming Charlie (a jewelry and accessory store) and we ended up waiting for her to inspect every single thing in the store. Sunday we decided to take it easy and had BBQ for lunch and then went to the mall for just a bit after the kids woke from their naps. Brody was sampling some of Daddy's ribs here. Mmm mmmm, good!

We had decided to do the zoo on Monday. We have a membership, so it would be free and easier to manage the kids than the rodeo. Plus, it would be Brody and Cooper's first visit to the zoo. It was a perfect plan. Chris had to leave for Rome that morning, so he wouldn't be able to join us though. Well, we woke Monday morning to thunder and lightening and rain expected through the early afternoon. I was so bummed that we ended up doing nothing fun while they were here. I did let Tim and Linsey go do a little shopping and eat out while the kids napped on Monday so hopefully the trip wasn't a total loss for them.

"They're cousins, identical cousins all the way." Ok, maybe not.

I hope you guys haven't completely written off Houston. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Some (Not Very Good) Bluebonnet Pics

I had a few errands to run the other day so I figured I'd throw some bluebonnet coordinated clothes on the kids and stop for a picnic at the park with the bluebonnets afterward. (For those non-Texan readers, yes, you are required to put your children in clothing that will compliment the patch of bluebonnets that you force them to sit in. Non-coordinated clothing is unacceptable.) Another thing to know about bluebonnets is they are wildflowers and can mostly be seen growing on the sides of highways. I really don't like pulling over to the side of the road with a quick little toddler just to get a cute picture though and am pretty lazy about finding a good, non-busy, off the beaten path spot.

This park has a nice big patch of them, but they keep them roped off for the better part of the season. That's why I don't have very good ones this year. If you remember last year, I sat them just on the other side of the rope. Since Robert was only 4 months old, I knew we weren't going to trample the flowers at all so I felt fine with my rule-breaking. Now back to the present. Clara stood on this side of the rope and I got a few good ones of her. Robert, well, Robert was being a perfect little 16 month old boy. He just wanted to pull on the rope and I had to snatch him from the other side a couple of times. And then he just ran around on the grass, mocking me and my camera.

You can just see it in his eyes, "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"

The boy just refuses to sit still!

They played on the playground for a few minutes and then we had lunch. I shared my apple with Robert but he eventually wasn't happy with just sharing, so I relinquished the apple. Oh, the cheesy grin is back. I've missed it these last couple of months.

Birthday Surprise

Most of you probably already know this, but I got a BIG surprise for my birthday earlier this month. We went out to eat at an Italian restaurant for dinner. Chris handed me three envelopes with Option 1, 2 and 3 written on them and told me to pick my birthday present.

I chose Option 1 and to my great surprise, in it was a map of Paris, Brussels and London! I sat puzzled for a moment not quite sure if it meant what I thought it meant and at the same time thinking "Of course that's what it means", but then thinking "Surely not." While all of this is swirling in my head, we look over just in time to see Robert throw up his milk all over the floor.

I then, of course, have to know what was in the other two envelopes. He finally let me look and it was two other trips, to Italy or Brazil. He said I could choose, but I decided to stick with Paris and London because he hasn't been to either of them. He has been planning this for months now, getting child care and dog care all arranged and he took care of making all of our reservations once the surprise was out.

I'm so excited about this trip. I've never been out of the U.S. and this is Chris and my first trip without kids in about 4 years. And that one hardly counts because we were working at a conference for his work the entire time. It will be hard to leave Robert for the first time, but he and Clara will be in good hands and I know they'll have a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. I just hope Robert goes easy on Grandma. I'm so grateful for everyone that's helping make this trip possible for us.

As for details, Clara and Robert will fly to Albuquerque to stay with Chris' parents. We fly to Paris and will be there for two full days, then take the train to London, stopping off in Brussels for one night. After 4 days in London, it's back to Albuquerque for a couple of days and then home. I'm tired just thinking about it, but sooo excited. There will be plenty of time to rest when we get home. I'm sure I'll be plopping the kids in front of the TV for a week while I try to re-acclimate.