Dallas - Part Two

Well, we have finally returned home to Midland! The boys and I have been gone for ten days. It was great to be at my parents and the four extra hands were fabulous. It was nice that my parents were so excited to see them when they woke up, therefore I got to sleep in ALOT! Grandparents are the best. I know we will definitely miss Nana and Papa. Owen has asked for them a couple of times. I have a feeling their house is quiet tonight. (They probably went to bed early!) In the middle of our visit, they went to Austin to check on my sweet nephew, Jacob. He had his tonsils out. Luckily Vicky and Katie K kept me and the boys company.

I will pick up in Dallas with the boys' haircut. Marsha, who does my parents hair, gave the boys their best haircut to date! Thanks so much Marsha! She even managed to cut the forward fade action Brody had going on.

Brody, true to form, was not a happy customer. Notice the lip.

Nana gave him Fritos as a bribe, but he only enjoyed shoving them in my mouth.

Have you ever? Yes, Owen is asleep.

We stopped by to see our very special friend, Rita. The boys did not want to pose. Can you tell?

Notice Brody's third eye. This is minutes before we leave to go pick up Daddy at the airport. This is before the swelling...CPS!

Owen....no idea what he is doing, but was totally entertained

We had a shower for Sam and Suzanne. This is Todd and his high school buds. Fun times!

Nana and Papa D took the boys to the Arboretum on Sunday. Todd and I joined after brunch with the Easters, but it was insane hot and we didn't stay long.

Owen found the perfect pumpkin

Brody just couldn't decide

We met Lauren at Freebirds. So fun!

Owen's first Freebirds Burrito

This is how Brody enjoyed his Freebirds

This is where we ended our trip...Monday Night Football with the Cowboys!

Tailgating before the game

Chris and Myndi kept us company

Look how huge the TV is!!!! It was hard to watch the real players with that monster so clear right in front of you.

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We had a great time and I have just now noticed no pics with Nana and Papa. I will have to work on that when we go back in October.

Dallas - Part One

Todd and I loaded up the boys and headed to Dallas last Friday. We had a great dinner with Bear and Blaire in Ft. Worth before we continued our journey to see Nana and Papa D. Saturday Todd and I got to escape to the hotel early and relax before we went to our friend Meredith's wedding. (wish I had pix, but my camera was dead, so I'm waiting on Chris...) We had a great time and I know my parents loved having the boys all to themselves. Todd headed back to Midland Sunday and the boys and I stayed behind for a little visit.

The boys loved the shopping carts at Nana's grocery store

They loved the yummy chocolate chip cookies even more

Papa D leading Brody into his worst nightmare (little did he know)

Owen clutching on for dear life...

Oh, maybe it's not too bad (now that Papa D took Brody out and there was no more screaming). Where are we?

Rain forest Cafe! Not so much fun. We order appetizers and the boys food and scarfed it down so we could get out before the animals went wild again. This picture was difficult even though it had been an hour since we left dinner. Brody kept an eye out for an wild animal that might attack. Maybe we'll try again in a year?

Bath time at Nana's is more fun with color tabs

Brody looks like he's on a Caribbean vacation

Owen loves his bath

We had a great play date with Emily & Travis and Candace and Miles today. Thanks so much to Travis for sharing all his toys and slide with us!

Fast Rides and Wild Animals

Last week on a trip to the mall, I gave in...

First we rode together. A buck a ride get pricey!

Brody insisted on having his beverage at all times. Strange.

Owen thought he was the coolest guy in the place

We went to the petting zoo at Septemberfest. Owen thought if he just put his little hand in the bucket the ducks and chicks would just jump on.

I would like to introduce you to Brody's new best friend. He became rather possessive of this little guy.

Owen bahhh-ed at the sheep and told him "NO" over and over again.

Brody took his goat to meet his buddy Hannah

Brody was trying to convince Lillian to pick up the chicken

Lillian thought Brody might like the pig. It was no goat.

Grammie came out and joined us in the rain. She sat with ALL the kiddos while Jennifer and I waited for the Elmo balloons. Aren't they cute?

Two seconds after receiving Elmo, Owen removed his eyes and nose (notice they are in the cup holder while he goes to town removing a leg). Wow!

First Day of Mother's Day Out

Are we going on a road trip??????

Nope. Just Mother's Day Out. That's right. Two nap mats, two lunch boxes, four sippy cups, one diaper bag, one double stroller, two sweet boys, and one nervous Mom!

Brody woke up bright and early and was ready to go

Dad had to go wake Owen up, but he was ready to go once he had his waffles

When I say let's go, the boys head for the door

Owen double checked to make sure the lunch box was packed correctly

Owen is upset they have mixed up their stuff

Such the big brother

Brody went right in and found a seat

Owen found his teacher and a buddy

The boys started Mother's Day Out at First United Methodist this morning. They did so good (so did I) and did not shed any tears when I left. Miss Dana was great and just grabbed them out of the stroller before they ever saw it coming. Apparently, they had a tough morning. My friend, Kenye Kay, was dropping her little boy next door and she said both boys were clinging to the gate with tears. She had a good point, "at least they have each other". Dana said when she pulled out those nap mats, Owen was like "FINALLY" and he crashed. Brody needed a little cuddle time, but who can blame him. They were funny when I picked them up. Owen flashed me a huge smile and ran away. Brody was very engrossed in his teacher singing Itsy Bitsy Spider, but when he saw me he whimpered and ran. I'm such a sucker and I snatched him up. Overall, they did great. Such a big day! I am so proud of all of us and looking forward to trying again Thursday.

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend we headed to Dallas for our friend Ray's 30th birthday! It was a great weekend. We got to visit with my parents (they got to babysit), see lots of friends, and even managed to squeeze in a trip to the Dallas Aquarium. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.

My boys strolling through the Aquarium

the penguins greeted us at the door

Dad and Owen checking our some birds

the boys absolutely LOVED the otters. There were two of them wrestling in the water with a ball. The water level was perfect for the boys because the could watch them under water and then stand up real quick to see them jump out of the water.

The sting ray tank was also a hit. I love when they crouch down. Why is this so cute?

There are these concave windows in one of the tanks, and I was trying to get a pic of Owen. Dad went around and stood in the tunnel behind Owen. I wish this pic had sound! Owen squealed when he saw dad in the tank!

Then we headed to the park with our Great Outdoors yummy sandwiches. I have to tell this funny story. There was a 4 or 5 year old little boys playing at the park. Owen starts walking toward him (I assume he want the ball) and Owen freezes, points, and grabs his hair. This is funny because the little boy had Owen's exact hair! Did Owen recognize the great hair?

This is from last week but I had to throw it in. I had brought the skillet over to the table to refill the boys plates. While we were clearing the dishes, Owen crawled up in the chair and finished off the rice. He can also climb in and out of his highchair by himself. Great!

We got our new nap mats from Nana this weekend. Didn't she do a great job!?!?

Daddy was showing Owen how it works

Daddy making sure the nap mat was safe for our first day of Mother's Day Out tomorrow!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Tonight the Oei's invited us to the Rockhounds baseball game. So much fun! We were in a box and this is totally the way to go. The kiddos ran around inside with their toys watching Disney and the grown ups got to sit outside and enjoy the wonderful West Texas night.

They were so into the game

Owen kept escaping to the box next door. Betsy's nephew, Owen, kept going to retrieve my Owen

Brody thought the mascots were very cool

You have to enlarge the pic, but Owen is on the Jumbo-Tron.

Dad and B boy at their first baseball game

Dad explaining to Owen why we should not be in the neighbors box

Reagan loved playing with her boys

Night Night. Rockhounds win!