Dewberry Farms

Saturday afternoon we had a great time as a family at Dewberry Farms (a "pumpkin patch" in Houston... well an hour away). The kids had a great time!!

They had all kinds of fun things to do and see... petting/seeing animals in the barn, feeding the goats, duck races (water pump with rubber duck), a corn crib, trikes to ride, slides, rope swings, a hay ride, and pumpkins too. We spent about 4 hours there... and the kids could have still play hard for another hour at least.

John and I were discussing pumpkin patches the other day. You just can't seem to find a traditional farm anymore with pumpkins growing in a field. Although this farm was definitely commercialized... it was still lots of fun.

Yes, that is Connor chewing on a turkey leg.. he lOVED it!!! I couldn't get it away from him :).

Park Time

We love the park!

We really need "park time" everyday.

So that is exactly what we are going to do (weather permitting).

At least that is the new goal... we will see how long it lasts :).

** Thanks Papa for the new fun toy!! Connor loves it!!!

FUN FUN FUN!

We had tons of fun going back to San Antonio this past weekend. Why did we go back?? A funny story for another day... regarding Fudge :). But we are so glad that we went back! It was great to see old friends, celebrate Calias Birthday, and just hang out in family territory :).

BIG THANKS to Nic and Cristina for being our hosts for the weekend! We feel so lucky to have friends like you! The weekend was packed full - with Super Saturday, a school Carnival, a birthday party, and attending our old ward. Here are just a few of the pics from the trip.

[I never take enough pictures when I am having fun... But this is what we got.]

Dallin and Calais

Alcott and Ella Weathers

Tire Swing Fun with Friends

Happy Birthday, Calais!

After a long and fun filled Saturday these kids were filthy...

poor Dallin had to take a tub alone... sorry Dallin... boys in one tub and girls in another.

Soon enough Connor and William with be in the tub, too.

Connor's FIRST Birthday!

Can you believe it?? My baby is 1!!!! I still can't get over the fact that this year has just flown by ... and now my sweet little Connor will no longer be my baby. Crazy!

I was relieved that "first" birthdays at our house are a little more "low-key." More time just playing with family ... hanging out and enjoying the moment together.

We got up early so we could spend some birthday time in the morning before Dad headed off to school. Connor was enthralled with his balloons. He just kept pointing and saying... "AWWWWWW." Too cute!

Abby made sure Connor had a chance to run through his streamers... what a great big sister :).

The first present of the day ... a dump truck. Connor loves to push things around and put things in other things... so were figured this was the best of the two worlds combined. He loved it!

The day began, of course, with "Birthday Breakfast." Connor's (or really Mom's choice) was scrambled eggs and french toast. Connor was even allowed to have a little syrup this time :). Lucky boy :)

After a sticky breakfast ... a bath! Connor loves bath time... and Dallin does too! (He is there... just cropped out of the pic :)) Dallin chose the bath color for the day... red :).

The rest of the day was pretty easy going... after lunch we went to the park. It was again HOT today... so after sweating for about an hour in the sun the kids were done with the park. So we headed home for otter-pops :). Yes, we are still loving otter-pops in October :). Connor really loved having his very own for the first time.

One of Connor's favorite things to do.... sneak up the stairs and play in the playroom ... all by himself. I snuck this pic when he wasn't looking :).

The Birthday Boy... Connor!

After a fun dinner at Red Robin .... and some tears over the "birthday song" there... we headed home for cake. Connor really wanted to grab the candle flame :).

Wondering .... Who blew out my candle???

Loving the cake... He dug right in :). So fun!

Yes... blue and black frosting are really messy! So the day ended the same way it began... with a bath :).

We love you, Connor!

We are so lucky to have such a sweet, cuddly, curious boy in our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLIN!!!!!

I just can't believe my little man is already THREE!!! He was so excited for his birthday. All day he just kept saying ... "I am three now, right? Not two anymore. I'm big! Today I am Three!"

We sure do love this little man. He is always full of excitement and keeps us on our toes. If there is something to jump on, jump over, jump from... you can find Dallin. But this tough, sport- loving boy... also has such a sweet heart. He can just melt my heart. We are so grateful our Heavenly Father blessed us with such a fun-loving sweetheart. Love you millions Dallin!

We started off the birthday nice and early in our traditional way... special breakfast :). Dallin's choice: scrambled cheesy eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. His wish was my command :).

After opening a couple of presents ... what kid doesn't love to run through their birthday streamers. Notice his Spiderman T-shirt (the theme of the day). He kept asking me... "This is my shirt right MOm ... not Connor's ... and you can wash it again, right. It will always be mine...right, Mom?" ... Hilarious!

After some birthday dancing and playing with toys... we finally did a little school (for Abby) and headed to the Jumpin' Jungle. It was great! Can you believe the kids and I were the only ones there!?!?!?!? We had the entire thing to ourselves. We were loving it... well... we meaning Abby, Dallin, and I. Connor did not like it at all :). But it wasn't his birthday so I wasn't too worried. :)

Jumpin Jungle was a huge success! We continued our day with monsoon rainfall... so it was Chik-fil-a for us from the drive through (it was raining way to hard to go in.. I could barely get the food in the window... I was drenched!) We had a nice quiet afternoon playing GeoTrax, legos, spiderman... you know boy stuff.... and finally Daddy came home so we could continue the festivities.

The best moment for a mom is when your three-year-old little boy looks at you with his big blue eyes... his chocolate/blue frosting face stuffed with cake... and says "Thanks Mom and Dad ... this birthday was great!" We just love this little man!

Thank you Dallin for sharing the joys of life with us! We love you!

Conference Weekend

I LOVE General Conference!

It was a nice, quiet weekend spent with family (and even quiet children). We had some coloring and different activities for the kids - All of which led to a pretty enjoyable conference for Mom and Dad. The kids were actually quiet for most (if not all) of the sessions.

However, as most mom's know.. quiet isn't always good :). Dallin received a haircut from Abby while Mom and Dad were a little preoccupied with listening. Hoping it grows back quickly. And yes... scissors privileges were lost for a week.

Natural History Museum

A gal in our ward gave me this tip ... Tuesday nights at the Museum ... FREE!!!

So we packed up our picnic dinner, picked up our Dad from school (the school is right next to the museum district), and headed to the Natural History Museum. It was great! Complete with jewels ("for princesses" as Abby informed us) and animals in habitats to Dinosaurs and Sea shells. It was lots of fun. We will definitely have to go again.

Science Experiments...

Abigail and Dad learning about the "elements."

Dallin - Find a penny pick it up! (He was so excited.)

Abby and Dallin were enthralled by the videos explaining about all the animals and their habitats.

Connor ... so excited to be free from the stroller for a little bit.