NOLA

It took us 18 months to find a weekend that would work, but we made it to New Orleans. 

Well worth the wait!

This cracked us up.

Can you smell it?

I regret not picking up one of these CDs.  Or at least taking a clearer photo so I could read their name.  Anyone?  Know these guys?

We were a day early for the Treme Fest (whoops) but we can say we stood on the street where Jazz was born. 

Being in NOLA, we figured we should sign up for the Drunk History tour.  Not sure we learned much but it was an entertaining walk around the French Quarter. 

Some strong cafe au lait, a muffaletta and live Jazz helped soothe the after effects of Friday night. 

We've officially aged out of the peak demographic for Bourbon Street. 

Our mule's name was Lestat. 

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, the oldest building in the U.S. housing a bar. 

The famous Cornstalk Fence Hotel. 

St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square

Michael Turned Nine.

Whaaaaa???

We can't believe it either.

His birthday wish was to have hibachi for dinner and go to an FC Dallas game with his best bud. 

I'm kinda stubborn about putting together homemade birthday cakes for the kids.  Unfortunately, Michael's cake was an epic Pinterest #fail this year. 

You'll need to use your imagination, but this was supposed to be a three-layer gooey chocolate-chip cookie cake, with vanilla buttercream between the layers. 

Oh well, the one layer that turned out was tasty and it was a Happy Michael Day after all. 

Freebie pistachios! 

And a skateboard!  Best birthday ever, according to this kid. 

One Day, We'll Be Caught Up to Present-Day

But for now, it's July on the blog.  Of course, it hit 96 degrees in Texas this week, so maybe it's not such a mental stretch. 

The first stop on our trip back in time is to Puerto Rico.  The kids were either at camp or the farm (having the time of their lives and not missing us a bit) and we took off to use up some hotel points and escape responsibility for a couple of days.

We visited the only rain forest managed by the US Forest and Parks Service.  Our guide made that seem like a big deal.  We mostly just enjoyed the views and hiking in the pouring rain. 

View from atop an observation tower in El Yunque rain forest. 

Definitely my favorite part of the trip (not including those 20 minutes when I took an actual nap on the beach), we kayaked 2.4 miles through a mangrove forest to reach this bio-luminescent bay.

Our morning in Old San Juan was a hot, muggy mess but we were glad to see the city and explore El Morro. 

This big guy hung with us at the pool on the morning we were flying home to Texas.  He sure could swim quickly for a lizard that spent the previous hour only moving his eyeballs.

Although we spent just a short time in Puerto Rico, we fell in love with it. 

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

As we watch the weather news, with Hurricane Maria set on the same path as HurricanesHarvey and Irma which passed over Puerto Rico a few short weeks ago, we picture the places we visited and the people we met, enduring yet another catastrophic storm.  Our hearts go out to them and we are reminded of the power of travel and understanding people and places that are unfamiliar to your own. 

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you'll know that we have been matching donations made to JDRF with donations for hurricane relief organizations. 

We look forward to doing even more. 

Back at home in Texas...we are taking solace in the fact that Kate is not yet a senior.  These photos were made for her adventures in theater.

I grabbed a few photos of our handsome nephew that same evening.  His shirt was definitely the right color!

With such busy months in June and July, we also made time to head out to the lake a few times in August. 

Kitchen Duty

Uno

Suddenly, it was the first day of school. 

"I'm not sleepy at all," she said. 

The first day of school collided with the solar eclipse. 

Possibly more exciting than the eclipse to the kids, we had a few deliveries that left us with big cardboard boxes to decorate and re-imagine as planes and rockets. 

With the start of school, comes the start of fall sports!

With the Minions largely heading their separate ways, several of the boys have joined an Evolution team for the year.

Back at the lake for the weekend, Henry's always the first to tucker out. 

Deciphering a recipe for scones.

That gleeful look of a cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater. 

Oh it was funny.  For a minute. 

Then Kate got her revenge.

And Ella couldn't let her brother escape the same fate. 

Friends again.

It took a while, but we finally had a return drive to the city where we had time to stop at this mural for a photo. 

It was a little sunny.  But I'll take it. 

Drew is playing baseball for the high school now and his debut pitching effort was fun to watch. 

Gator rides at the farm!

Followed by a little swing practice.

It was Roland's, Sandy's and my turn for our quarterly family birthday celebration.  Any excuse to get together for THAT CAKE. 

Fall ball!

Sometimes, things get a little slow when playing in the out-...well, no, he was playing in-field.  Same difference in U7 ball, I think. 

Batters up! 

One of Henry's favorite parts about playing baseball is getting to use Drew's batting helmet. 

When Ella decides she wants it, she gets it!

We're looking forward to many more (cooler!) games as the fall goes on. 

Go Hurricanes!  Go Evo!  Go Red Sox!

Not Everyone Looks This Fabulous at Ninety

July 4 is always cause for celebration, but this year set the bar awfully high!  The matriarch of my father's family turned 90 fabulous years old on Independence Day and we all high-tailed it to Fort Wayne to celebrate in person with the birthday girl herself. 

She goes by many names--Mom, Grandma, Granny, Ella Lue--but is loved equally and deeply by everyone who is blessed to know her. 

With all of our extended family in town, we did our best to get together a few times over the holiday weekend.  Saturday night, everyone came by the house Rocket rented downtown so that all of the Texas crew could be together.  It was wonderful to catch up with cousins, aunts and uncles and meet many little ones who joined the family since the last time we all saw each other!

Sunday, we headed to the greatest zoo in the U.S.A.

Somewhere at the farm, there's a photo of me at this age with my head stuck inside the same lion's head. 

Monday!  Party day!

These girls looked a little too grown up sitting at the bar, working on cards for the party.  

Eleven great-grand children (+ one on the way!), eight grandchildren, three children, several (very!) significant others and one amazing woman. 

The great-grands

The grands

The kids

The Tidwells

The Indiana Feighners

The Texas Feighners

Happy 90th Birthday Granny Lue!  We love you!

Our (New) Annual Manning Beach Adventure

We're all about adding family traditions -- especially if they involve getting to spend some down time with our most favorite people.  We're already starting a countdown to next June. 

Ah, the good ol' fashioned family road trip. 

With lots of bridges.

Toward dusk, the kids began to spy water.  The noise level increased exponentially inside the car. 

While the Florida weather didn't want to cooperate for our whole trip, we were lucky to have a great hotel pool complex with lots of activities for the kids to enjoy, rain or shine.  In this photo, baby Jen had just enjoyed a (watermelon?) treat! 

And because I know some of you are probably thinking it, I didn't use "Iris Enhance" even a smidge on this little beauty.  Her eyes, not unlike her mama's and her brother's, are just crystal clear and gorgeous. 

Half-price pool-side smoothies = yes.

These two were inseparable.

Training for early retirement. 

Boy vs. Ocean

These three. <3

Jen had the right plan for beach time. 

When dinner service is taking a little while, Uncle Wes entertains with dock views. 

When the beach day was a complete wash-out...we headed to the (super-overcrowded) skating rink and arcade. 

Michael is working on his short game.

Shish-ke-bab Duty

Rosy Cheeks

Gigi Time

Bingo!  We won. Twice.

More rosy cheeks.

After taking family photos during the wait for our table, I'd say our group was super gracious in agreeing to a Pineapple Willy's shot.  Sunburnt, tired and hungry...this turned out pretty well!

Sun!  Beach!

(Double Red Flag Day...shhhh.)

It would be so much cooler if I captured the water gun Henry was weilding in this shot.

Trump hair, what?  This girlie makes it look good.

Kite success!

Is there a name for how things along a coast look much closer to you than they actually are? 

We thought it would take us 20 minutes to walk down to the break-water and back...it only took about three times that long. 

While technically a terrible photo, this one really cracks me up.  Jen looks like she's posing for a magazine shot and Henry is so dang tickled with himself. 

We'll take what we can get in order to get these five into one frame!  Love having them altogether. 

Cowgirl Up!

What is happily turning into a long-time tradition (we won't talk about how long, exactly), a group of us ladies like to gather in Texas for a little girl-time.  This was back in June, but I can't bring myself to skip ahead to August. 

Who wants to pretend it's the beginning of summer again?

Group swag!

Between the eight of us on the trip this year, we have 18 kids. 

This is what it looks like at the beginning of 48 hours of dads being in charge. 

They wanted "wild" rides, they said.   I should have known better...

Next year, we're going to start a friendly scoring system to determine who's meal really was the best.  For now, it's a friendly 5-way tie. 

There were a few outtakes on the journey to this orderly group shot.  (See below.)  Or maybe it was the first shot that was orderly and we lost it from there?

Until next June!!

Our English Adventure: Part Four

This one will be shorter than Parts One, Two or Three -- promise!

On the final day of our trip, we explored a bit more of Bath, including Bath's Abbey and the Roman Baths, then headed back to London for our flight home the next day with a quick stop along the way. 

Day Seven: Bath Abbey, Roman Baths and Avebury

Here is Bath Abbey.  Well, not the one on the left, that's just another church in Bath.  But the two on the right are definitely the Abbey.  On the far right, you can see angels climbing their way to Heaven.

From the Abbey, we went to the Roman Baths.  This area felt so much like Italy, it was a little eerie.  I asked Sue how long the Romans were settled in this area, after seeing the elaborateness of the architecture and engineering involved.  She said, "Oh not that long.  500 years give or take?"

America isn't even half that old yet. 

In this corner, the water flows directly from underground out into the main baths.  Its heavy mineral content produces some very intense colors. 

While fairly crowded on this particular day, the museum was wonderful to see.  Apparently tossing coins into a fountain isn't such a new thing. 

These small, metal tablets represent a sort of ancient Roman justice system.  If someone was wronged by another, they would pay money to a scribe, assuming they didn't have the necessary skills themselves, who would then produce one of these tablets.  The lines would often include the names and deeds of the guilty parties and a requested punishment from the person who would toss it into the water. 

Steamy.

In case you're wondering, yes, you can taste some of the healing waters from the Baths.  Heavily filtered of metals that might kill tourists, of course.

Wandering around the city of Bath a bit more before lunch.

No. 15, Avebury.

Similar to Stonehenge, this is another ancient site of standing stones.  Unlike Stonehenge, this site is far larger (nearly 30 acres) and you are free to walk right up to the stones.  And pet the sheep. 

Just don't tell the officer at customs that you pet the sheep. 

Peek-a-boo.

Our stop was brief, but I was thoroughly awed. 

Also in Avebury, we found Silbury Hill.  Made largely of chalk, this Neolithic mound is the largest man-made of its kind in Europe.  Its breadth and height compare to the contemporary Egyptian pyramids; its purpose is still a mystery to modern researchers. 

After leaving Avebury, we mostly sat in traffic to get back into the city on a Friday afternoon.  St. Ermin's was a familiar, welcome sight. 

We said our thank yous and reluctant good-byes to Sue, dropped our bags and ventured out to a restaurant that was thankfully a short walk from the hotel.

Exhausted, happy, heads spinning with all of the beautiful things we got to see and the wonderful weather luck we had, we enjoyed one last Mother-Daughter dinner together.

Mom and Molly got busy repacking and organizing for our early morning departure.  Maybe I was already done?  Little did we expect the next day's adventures.

Waiting for a taxi that was booked for an hour later than we needed to get to the airport.  Whoopsie-daisies.

After commandeering someone else's taxi (with insistence from the concierge), we made it to Terminal 5 in record time.  So that we could wait for more than two hours to check our bags since British Airways was evidently experiencing a massive, world-wide technology failure that day. 

One by one, all of the flights around us were cancelled. Thousands of passengers filtered back out to (possibly) claim luggage and wait in more lines to make alternate arrangements.  We thought surely we'd be next, and lucky us, we'd be at the end of the lines of irritated travelers.

But for some wonderful reason, our crew was extremely motivated to get our flight to DFW, home of American Airlines which is a major partner of British Airways.  It took a few more hours, but after each piece of luggage, catered meal, passenger and hand towel was manually manifested and we got a physical signature from air traffic control in the tower, we were green-lighted to take off. 

A few final iPhone memories are all that's left!  Our luggage may have taken a week to find us at home, but I suppose the universe has to balance things out somehow.

xoxo

Our English Adventure: Part Three

If you're just jumping in, and need to kill some time, here are links to Part One and Part Two.

At the start of Part Three, we head out for another day of exploring smaller villages, most of which I can't name, on the Western-most side of Cornwall.

Hm, I think we may have messed up the map a bit. Oh well, we'll go with it.

Day Five: Charlestown, Mousehole, Bottalack's Tin Mines and St. Ives

Our first stop on Day 5 was to Charlestown.  I think No. 10 is supposed to represent it on the map, but it's actually one bay to the East, before you get to Fowey.  Oops.

This area has also been used as a frequent filming location for Poldark. 

A few of my photos are reminiscent of Where's Waldo cartoons. 

We met a few characters along the way.  This gentleman gave us his dog's Facebook profile address before we parted ways.

Next we went to Mousehole (pronounced "Mouz-uhl") for lunch.  A cornish pastie, for tradition's sake, and the best sparkling water I can remember having.  I need to do some research on where to buy Folkington's in Texas. 

Next!  One of our absolute favorite stops.  No. 11, the tin mines in Bottalack. 

This view serves as the cover art for more than one edition of the Poldark books. 

Back on the road, we got back to St. Ives, No. 12 on the map, in the late afternoon.  There wasn't quite enough time to see the Tate St. Ives (connected to the Tate Modern in London) so we had to make do with shopping and browsing menus for a dinner spot. 

Vacation is so taxing sometimes. 

I fell short of my desired scone intake.  Guess I'll need to go back. 

Day Six: Tintagel Castle and Wells Cathedral

Packing up, we headed East, back toward London, stopping first at No. 13, Tintagel Castle.

On the walk out to the castle ruins, which were once the legendary home of King Arthur, built in the 12th century. 

What goes down...

Trust us, it was quite a climb.

In the photo on the right, there are the foundation remains of the most ancient dwellings on this site, dating back to the Dark Ages. 

Within the remains of a walled garden on the highest point, you can find a brief telling of the story of the lovers Tristan and Iseult. 

King Arthur, is he fact or fiction?

Not having taken enough steps yet that day, I went down to the sea-level where there's a small waterfall. 

And Merlin's Cave.

A nice, light English lunch. 

No. 13.5, Wells Cathedral. 

We sort of missed making a dot for Wells, so imagine there's a No. 13.5 just to the Southwest of Bath (No. 14.)

What I would call a quad, surrounding the cathedral.  It was a popular spot for kids just out of school that afternoon. 

The dates on this particular tomb caused both Mom and me to pause.

Wells Cathedral turned out to be my favorite of all we visited.  Actually, my favorite would be to mix the facade of Salisbury Cathedral, with the interior of Wells Cathedral. But if I had to choose just one, Wells wins.

Back on the road for our final leg of the day, we ended up in Bath where we stayed at the Royal Crescent Hotel. 

It gets it's name from being part of the Royal Crescent, a near semi-circle of historic residences.  The hotel was recently renovated and spans both No. 16 and No. 17 of the original buildings.

The view of Bath out the back of the hotel.

Off to dinner. 

Italian this time. 

After dinner, we wandered around a bit.  We found the Circus and peeked in a few real estate office windows to see what the going rate would be for one of these beauties. 

(The kids can get scholarships, right?)

Back at the hotel, we stopped in the garden for a glass (or two) of wine. 

And tried not to think about going back to our regular lives of work, housecleaning, eating the kids' leftover lunches as our meals and opening a week's worth of bills would feel like.

Our English Adventure: Part Two

If you missed Part One, you can find it here.

Where I left off, we were in Wareham for the night.  The following morning, we hit the road bright and early.

Day Three: Durdle Door and Dartmoor National Park

No. 5: Durdle Door

Arriving early has it's perks.  We had Lullworth Cove all to ourselves. 

Okay.  If Sue would have said, "This is it!"  I would have been completely happy, snapped about 100 photos and trotted back up to the van.  But instead, she laughed at how long I was lingering on this side of the peninsula and said, "You realize we haven't even gotten to the Durdle Door part yet, right?"

Still lingering. 

And finally, we moved on to see the 'door.'

It was windy, y'all.  We didn't want to make a phone call to Dad describing how we lost Mom over a cliff in a stiff breeze. 

Walking barefoot on these large pebbles felt like a foot massage. 

At first.  Then I was mad at myself for walking so far away from my shoes. 

On the road again.  Leaving Durdle Door, we set out on the longest stretch of our trip, from Lullworth, through Exeter and the Dartmoor National Park, all the way to the North side of the coast.

No. 6 Dartmoor National Park

You might be thinking, that photo doesn't look like it's from a national park. And you'd be right.  We drove for a lot of hours that day but never did see much that resembled the park we expected.  We did, however, stop to wander around this little village.  We enjoyed it, but I cannot remember the name. 

To add to our mountain of largely useless knowledge, we learned that there is a significance to whether or not and how the legs of Crusader's memorial statue are crossed. 

Crossed at the ankles = Survived 1 Crusade

Crossed at the knees = Survived 2 Crusades

Crossed at the groin = Survived 3 Crusades, perhaps working as a career accountant

At any rate, this gentleman was clearly skilled at dodging swords. 

All of the detail and columns inside each arch was hand-carved from a single block of wood.

We stopped for the first of three nights in the Boskerris Hotel in St. Ives (No. 12 on the map).  Well, it's not actually in St. Ives but in nearby Carbis Bay but I suppose they get more bookings with the St. Ives ruse. 

Sminings.

While a little out of the way, it was a lovely, friendly hotel and we enjoyed the quiet view.

Once again, waiting in a comfy sitting room where they serve appetizers and take pre-dinner drink orders while your table is being prepared.  Someone seriously needs to make this a trend in the States. 

Day Four: St. Michael's Mount, The Minack Theater and Another Village or Two I Can't Name

No. 7: Saint Michael's Mount

Beautifully colored lichens cover pretty much anything that will stand still for a century or so.

When we arrived at St. Michael's Mount, the tide was out and so we could walk across to the island.   Four hours after this photo was taken, all of the moss and rocks were back under several feet of the English Channel. 

The variety of flora across the island was unexpected.  Who knew so many tropical-looking plants grew in Western England?

There's a fable about a giant who was defeated on top of the mountain and ultimately fell down into the well on the left.  I apparently didn't listen closely enough to the story; I photographed the large rock on the right assuming that was the giant's heart.  Instead, it's a heart-shaped pebble in the walk to the left of the sign (not pictured). 

Maybe our definitions of Giant differ somewhat. 

Mom and Sue taking a rest on the climb up to the castle.

The people of Cornwall often see themselves as being separate from England; this is their Cornish flag. 

Being from Texas, we could relate.

After walking back to the mainland, we were off to lunch.

And then to No. 8 on the map, The Minack Theater.

On what was our only drizzly day of our trip, we saw Under the Milk Wood in this gorgeous outdoor theater.  To be honest, it was hard to focus on the plot rather than the scenery. 

From there, we drove to a little village and this cove, which fans from the current PBS series of Poldark might recognize.  It's been used on several occasions.  We were hoping to have a cream tea in a nearby cafe but they were closed for the day.  Wandering around was a treat all the same.

Not to be completely skunked, we stopped in another seaside town to take a break, have some hot tea, watch the surfers and laugh about how well our hair was handling the humid day. 

Finally back at the Boskerris Hotel, nursing our sore feet, calves and backs after so many steps and so much climbing, we walked down to a waterfront restaurant for dinner.  And then hired an Uber to take us back up to the hotel.  It might have been the smartest decision we made all day.

That's it for days three and four!  With a few more iPhone shots, I'll close out this post and get started on the next. 

Our English Adventure: Part One

This trip was an amazing trip.  Inspired by the Poldark books, authored by Winston Graham, and the 1975 BBC mini-series that followed, Mom has been talking about seeing Cornwall, England for as long as Molly and I can remember.  The books are currently being filmed again as a miniseries on PBS (Season 3 coming soon to the U.S. and now airing in the U.K.)  If you're a fan, you might recognize some of the places we visited later in the trip. 

Due to a little Vacation Research Scope Creep, we ended up seeing much more than just Cornwall, packing a heck of a lot into eight days.  This first post covers days one and two...so maybe there will be four parts in all? Can you stand the suspense?

Rather than try to remember all that we learned and surely get something (eh, most things) wrong along the way, I'll link to all of the historical site websites throughout each post for anyone interested in knowing more. 

Thank you, Mom, for dreaming up this adventure and bringing me and Molly along for the ride.  xoxo

This map is an overview of our major stops.  Basically, we started in London, meandered out to the furthest West coast and then meandered back to London to fly home. 

Departure day.  Something was up. 

And Brisket could tell his leash wasn't going to fit in that suitcase.

DAY ONE: DFW>LGW, Westminster Abbey, The River Thames and the Tower of London

A close-up of the first couple of legs of our journey (plus the last leg...more on that later).

St. Ermin's Hotel

No. 1 on the map: Jet lag be d*mned, we were off to explore London.

But first, some carbs and caffeine.

First official stop: Westminster Abbey

Taking a cruise up the River Thames to the Tower Bridge let us see a lot of the city in the short amount of time we had to spend that first afternoon.

We were the very first people to ever think of taking this photo at The Tower of London. 

Traitor's Gate

If you're a bride in public, I'm going to sneak a photo of you.  I can't help myself.

After a tasty, but slow, dinner at The Blue Boar, we settled back in at St. Ermin's Hotel (where they apparently raise their own bees).  Taking up temporary residence on the porch, we eavesdropped on a wedding party that was out for a smoke.  They later showed off their headstands and somersaults, bride included, but sadly my flash didn't reach far enough. 

DAY TWO: Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Old Wardour Castle and Wareham

No. 2: Stonehenge

Stonehenge took our breath away to see in person. 

Near the small museum that accompanies the historical site, there are replicas of thatched-roof huts that may be like what the people who built Stonehenge lived in 5,000 years ago. 

While beautiful, I had to wonder...these unknown people could transport, carve and precisely place multi-ton stones in alignment with celestial beings...and this is what they built to live in? 

I wonder if the historians and archeologists might be missing something. 

Saracen ruins on a hill we passed on our way to Salisbury.

No. 3: Salisbury Cathedral

Having read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, a heavily researched fictional novel based on this cathedral, it was especially interesting to wander around. 

We found modern art installations in a few of the churches we visited.  Which was equally surprising and awesome. 

No. 4: Old Wardour Castle

I've not mentioned her yet, but we had an incredible guide, Sue, who we found through Luxury Vacations UK.  Hint: Sue is the one holding the large pink bag above on the left. 

She has stellar driving skills in tight spaces, an encyclopedic knowledge of English history, a quick wit and endless patience for all of the times I wanted to stop and photograph something. 

We thoroughly enjoyed spending the week in her company. 

Sue planned a surprise picnic on the lawn for us.  It was a gorgeous spot, a welcome breather, and provided a great excuse for Mom and I to polish off the half-bottle of wine we had brought along in the van from our evening at St. Ermin's.  

Our long day of touring came to an end as we checked into The Priory Hotel in Wareham, England.

Before dinner began -- we had to wait until seven o'clock -- we went out to explore the hotel's gardens.  And we were more than surprised by what we found.  The gardens are clearly a labor of love for someone, and The Priory should charge admission for visiting guests.  They're worth it.

I believe we were giggling as we began piecing together the dinner that was in store for us.  While we sat there in our jeans and comfy walking shoes, covered in a slight layer of road grit, we noticed that everyone around us was dressed to the nines in the sitting room where we were asked to make ourselves comfortable.  We ordered drinks and enjoyed some complimentary appetizers before a waiter, neatly dressed in a tuxedo, led us to our dinner table.

There's feeling out of place, and then there's...feeling out of place.  Ha!  But the meal was so melt-in-your-mouth good, we forgot all about that and focused on our dark chocolate terrines.  (Yes, plural.)  To the credit of The Priory staff, they treated us just like we had recently showered and dressed appropriately for dinner.  This hotel is worth detouring to Wareham to stay for the night.

With a few goofy iPhone photos from days one and two, I'm going to call it quits on Part One. 

Whew!

Spring No. 2

While I've clearly given up on monthly posts -- and laugh at myself remembering I used to manage weekly ones -- I'm fully committed to seasonal posts.  And hey, this is number two for Spring alone!  I'm winning. 

The Cardinals take warming up very seriously. 

Third is officially the High-Five Base in 5U ball.

Playing the actual game?  Eh, not always so serious.

The Minions finished up another great season!  At this age, there are no trophies for teams that don't finish 1st or 2nd, but thankfully, Michael hasn't noticed yet.  Please enjoy his retro jersey (it was clean!) and inside-out socks (no annoying seams rubbing in his shoes!)

These boys keep a close eye on each other, playing a heated game of Dawgopoly. 

Rise and shine!

Henry was excited to be the first player to show up.

Ella played in a Spring tournament with her Fever team. 

There was a decent fence between the soccer field and the inmates taking air at the minimum security prison next door, so that was comforting. 

Easter!  Time to find what the Bunny hid at the farm. 

Okay Wes is right.  Not the best haircut Henry's ever gotten.  But that smile!

It was a good thing this photo turned out.  While setting it up, I dropped a wooden board on my pinkie toe. 

Henry asked, "Mommy, why are you blooding?"

Nobody believes they're sisters.   *cough*

Easter + celebrating three birthdays calls for cake + cupcakes, of course. 

Happiness is...sitting, chatting and passing the day sitting on the porch at the farm.  Pairing it with a slice of cake just makes it obnoxiously good.

Calling the cows over for treat time.

It started off a little tense, but we got a loving sibling portrait in the end.

Then the kids declared the tree swing seat needed to be replaced. 

Rocket picked up the board that annihilated my toe and headed for the wood shop.

Prest-o, change-o, a new swing seat was born in less than 8 minutes. 

It works!

Poppa and Gigi came to visit!!  And were total troopers.  Henry's 8 a.m. T-ball game was freezing.  And windy.  Not a bueno combination. 

The big kids pretend it's embarrassing when twelve people show up to cheer for them. 

But Henry basks in the limelight, waving to his many (frozen) fans as he runs the T-ball bases.  

We followed up T-ball with a (freezing) soccer game, sorry no photos...my fingers wouldn't bend...then on to Michael's flag football game. 

This is where I admit the embarrassing mom/photographer truth that my camera was stuck in a manual focus mode for the whole weekend that Poppa and Gigi visited.  Any photos that are in focus were purely lucky ones.  :(  Good thing the season isn't over and we get to hang with the Mannings again in June!

Poppa held catching practice and LEGO building play-times with the kiddos.

Hibachi for dinner!  The kids' pick, of course. (Pardon Ella's blurry face.)

Sunday evening, Ella and her team played a heck of a game. 

Here she is, advancing one (of three!) goals up the field.

It's hard to see, but the ball is going right past the post, avoiding both defenders and the keeper, on it's way to the net.  Gooooaaaaaaallllll! 

Yes we are obnoxious parents. (She also had two assists.)  Like, really obnoxious. 

Heading out for some hard-earned ice cream. 

Spring

With April showers and all of that, we have enjoyed a couple of nice, lazy days so far this spring.

Despite our best efforts to ward it off, the horse lovebug has bitten Ella.  Hard. 

The Minions are back at it this season. 

I'm happy to announce Henry knows how to make more than guns with LEGOs now. 

Ella thought I was so weird for taking this photo.  BUT. 

1. I loved the light. 

2. There aren't many Mom Chores that I dread more than clipping nails.  It makes me so happy to see she's taken over this task, and without any nagging.  Two more kiddos to go...

Ella is loving being on the soccer field again.  Go Hurricanes!

I need to step up my flag football photo game. 

It was a quick lesson, but it's fun to see Henry finally showing some interest in learning to ride a bike.

After a tumble on his tricycle, Henry needed a little time to ponder what went wrong.

Tricks!

A Belated Hello to 2017

It would appear that the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 have swallowed me whole.  It's partially true. 

BUT! While not posting, I have been taking pictures. 

First, December. 

December started off with an incredibly cold soccer tournament on fields in the worst condition we've ever seen.  Parts of the playing field cordoned off with crime scene tape.

But the girls had an amazing time anyway, because they're awesome like that.  There were holiday and birthday celebrations at the hotel.  Giggles and cake, too. 

Back home, it was time to set up the Christmas tree!  Those who know me, know what a complete Christmas Dork I can be. I'm training these three to follow in my footsteps.

Ella's class had their annual field trip...to Cowboys Stadium.  You read that right. 

It was extremely educational. 

And Michael's soccer team celebrated their No. 1 season ranking (playing one year up!)  These boys may look sweet in this photo, but they are a rowdy, hard-playing bunch.  We're very proud of them. 

And then our girl turned 11.  Holy cow.

Aunt Amy scored yet another crucial, quick save. 

Hint: the gift she just opened was a trip to the place in the next photo down. 

Ella wants to grow up and be Joanna Gaines.  With her organizational skills, she's off to a good start.

We had a ridiculously fun day, checking out the Silos. 

Onesie Christmas jammies!  (The boys still haven't figured out that their Christmas Eve gift will always be jammies...they'll come along eventually.)

I promise, Brisket also got to open his own gifts. 

Some gifts require a pirate sword to open. 

Man, it's hard to wait your turn. 

I mean, a book about Farts?  Thanks, Aunt Molly!

When waiting your turn, feel free to turn gift wrap into costuming.  Kate makes it work. 

The main event.  Christmas dinner is ready. 

Wes makes homemade Christmas pickles which are gaining quick fame.  He only had to remake one batch after his sous chef (ahem, me) didn't rinse the cucumbers well enough after their salt bath. 

#nanaknitsAll of the kids got knit hats this year. I've already "borrowed" Ella's on multiple occasions. 

Immediately after Christmas, we went home to pack up the tree, plus a few bags, and headed out to the lake for the best week of the year. 

Of course, we packed up some of the kids' gifts to keep them busy so us grown-ups could sit out on the porch with a blanket and a good book.  

We also discovered the dice game Left/Center/Right. 

Henry cleaned us out, every round. 

Happy New Year!  Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017. 

January

The year started off on a warm, lazy note. 

Like, really lazy. 

Back to home and reality, Ella celebrated her birthday with friends for a sleepover.

Poor boys, they were stuck watching movies in Mom and Dad's room while the girls took over the house. 

This beautiful girl turned sixteen.  Sixteen. 

Aunt Amy with the save!

February

One of the best parts of Pre-K? Lunch.

Another one of my bright ideas...recovering our antique dining chair seats turned into a full weekend project.  But at least I had helpers. 

More birthdays! 

And a trip to the Perot Museum. 

Snack break.

The boys built a pretty impressive "gate" to their hiding place in the backyard.  This was taken on construction day one of three. 

Valentine's Day preparations underway. 

Progress toward the finish line wasn't exactly linear.

Valentine's class parties are rough on boys who don't dig Freeze Dancing. 

Tossing in his Valentine's treats -- score!

The football training has begun.

My beloved XT-1 died a very slow death (following a July 4th lemonade spill) so the time came for an XT-2 replacement.  It came with me to Atlanta for some test shots and a quick manual shooting lesson for a friend. 

T-ball!  After deciding soccer wasn't his bag, Henry is giving baseball a try this spring. 

Bright. Cold. Early. 

Henry's favorite things about t-ball, so far, are dancing in the outfield and hanging with his buddy Drew. 

The Minions are back in action!

A trip to the farm was a great excuse for Ella to try her hand at baking a multi-colored 4-layer cake from scratch. 

My photographer's assistant got a little distracted in Rocket's car barn. 

If you're in the market, this gorgeous girl is up for sale. 

And a touch of March.

Drew's last choir concert.

Watching the boys climb onto the dugout bench is really funny. 

West Side Story was incredible at Casa Manana -- if you're local, try to check it out. 

Ella and Kate wanted to meet Maria, so we stalked her after the show. 

Followed by lunch at the Cork & Pig.

And dessert!

Thankfulness

This first photo pretty much captures how our Thanksgiving trip to meet family at the beach started out. With joy for the days to come and the time spent with those we don't get to see nearly enough. 

While laid over in Atlanta, some of our very favorite people made the trek in to meet us for lunch.  Here the kids are meeting their new 'cousin Will' for the first time -- I loved how Henry had to take a photo, too. 

It was dinnertime when we finally rolled into the beach house and we all made a bee-line to love on sweet baby Jennifer.  One of the biggest surprises of the week?  Discovering Michael is nearly as much of a baby-hog as Ella. 

The temperature stayed in the 60s on Sunday and Monday so we made the kids wait to head out to the beach while it warmed up a little and we could enjoy a leisurely start to the day.  This resulted in a dead-run to the shore when they were finally released from the house.  Which was a nice change from the two hours of whining that preceded heading outside. 

Venice Beach was full of interesting finds.  A month before we arrived, there was a red tide, the remnants of which littered parts of the beach.  Shells were abundant and apparently the beach is also known for sharks' teeth but we didn't luck out with finding any of those. 

What do good parents do to entertain their kids on the beach without sand toys?  Trick them into thinking the find-mama's-toes-in-the-sand game is awesome. 

What do *great* parents do to entertain their kids on the beach without sand toys?  That now-empty Miller Lite can isn't just for the recycle bin, folks. 

Ella took on as many baby care duties as anyone would let her. 

We should have known that things were going too smoothly by Sunday night.  Our flights ran on time, we got a deal on upgrading our rental car, the cousins were all getting along, there was no rain in the forecast. 

For all of this, we were punished with a stomach virus that hit Henry first and kept us up most of the night.  Poor kiddo was feeling a bit better in the morning and so I carried him out to sit and chill on the beach.  (Yes, those are his jammie pants and maybe the second or third shirt I had changed for him since 1 a.m.)

Thankfully, everyone else was still feeling well and I was making use of Lysol wipes on every possible surface of the beach house on a regular rotation. 

Jennifer's first time out on the beach was a hit. 

Joshua proved to be much smarter than our kiddos (not that we were surprised).  He explored the beach thoroughly over the week, but wisely chose to steer clear of the very chilly ocean water. 

Monday evening, the bug took down Michael...then Ella.  Tuesday morning, Wes got hit.  It was another sleepless night but, gratefully, it seemed to be a fast-moving bug and only Henry was still trying to fully recover by Tuesday night. 

Given the amount of clean-up and snuggling duty I took on for a couple of days, it's a wonder I didn't also get sick.  I did try a new trick -- can't say that it's what kept me healthy, but I'll share it in case anyone else wants to give it a try at warding off GI sickness.  Three times a day, I drank a full glass of 100% grape juice with a generous splash of unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  I chose Bragg's ACV that includes the Mother in the vinegar. 

Most of all, we are grateful that neither Joshua -- who has been recovering from a nasty bout with strep and has a weakened immune system -- and Jennifer stayed well.  PHEW. 

Lysol wipes and quarantining strategies for the win!

There's always that one kid...

Flying a kite.

Henry couldn't get the height he wanted for wave-jumping so he enlisted Ella's help. 

My wonderful, goofy girl came out to test some golden hour light for a quick family photo session for the Foldens and Gigi & Poppa. 

The photo session wasn't for us, but heck, we were there, the light was pretty and miraculously, all five us managed to face the camera and smile at the same time while Aunt Kristi took a couple of quick snaps. 

I just love these four people.  Especially when they aren't vomiting.  xoxo

Wednesday night, we started preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Wes began to brine the turkey and us ladies got the apple pie underway. 

With an early wake-up call to get to the airport on Friday morning, we made the most of our Thanksgiving day on the beach.  It was absolutely beautiful and very peaceful with hardly anyone else around. 

I felt a deep thankfulness that day that went beyond my normal sense of daily gratitude.  Life is truly good and we get to share it with the most incredible people.  We will seek to pay forward as much kindness and giving as we can this Christmas season and I look forward to all of the traditions we've begun to build as a family over the years. 

On the hunt for those elusive shark's teeth. 

Henry doesn't look like he was crying and throwing a mega-fit a few seconds before this was taken, right?

Thursday morning, the bird spent a little time smoking on the grill, then got an herb butter bath and headed to the oven.  It was quite tasty, under Wes' careful supervision. 

As for me, it was my first time trying my mom's dressing recipe, and it turns out that I needed to pay a lot closer attention to her cooking skills.  Oh well, the mashed potatoes were edible.  I think. 

Happiest Thanksgiving. 

"Hi there."

I'm playing a bit of catch-up on the blog today, getting ready for our Thanksgiving week trip to the beach.  I have a funny feeling I'm going to come home with one or two shots from vacation...maybe three. 

Ella is quickly beginning to fill some of my odd jobs, directing Halloween house decoration activity seems to be one of them. 

We had a beautiful day for Fort Worth's annual JDRF fundraising walk.  Thank you again to all of our wonderful friends and family who helped us achieve our goal!

It was a sweltering day at the pumpkin farm.  Still today, I'm not sure that Fall has really arrived. 

Kate performed in her high school's adaptation of School of Rock.  I think she practiced that look on the right to perfection with her brother over the years. 

"You're on the same team!" may be heard occasionally during Minion games. 

Finally, Halloween arrived and the costumes could come out to play. 

We picked up a couple of extra Trick-or-Treaters this year. 

"So Dorothy and a hot dog took a walk down the street..."

Since we celebrated Halloween on a crazy busy Saturday, carving our pumpkins waited until Sunday.  Henry took his creative duties quite seriously. 

One of the out-takes from our Christmas Card photo shoot in the back yard. 

We are so proud of Michael and his soccer team!  They finished No. 1 in their age group and have worked so hard these past few months.  Go Mighty Minions!

September

Fall! 

According to the calendar, but maybe not the mid-80 temps we have forecasted all week, it's finally here. Time to start thinking about Christmas lists, chili nights, and chilly nights. 

If we think it, it will come, I'm telling myself...For now, we are happily not sweating into puddles at the soccer fields each weekend. 

We made it to one of Drew's games! 

And Michael turned the big 0-8 with his dream gift -- a Wii U, which has only been forcefully removed from the playroom one time due to bad behavior.  Not a bad track record for our lovable kiddo.

Once again, Aunt Amy comes to the rescue, keeping pesky little brother from big brother's cake.

I love this photo.  Thank you to our crazy family who happily jumped in the frame when I asked for more people to stand behind Michael as he blew out his candles. 

And he's 8! It's official now.

Aunt Kristi wins the Favorite Birthday Card award. 

On the same day as Michael's birthday, we were blessed with a new addition to our family! 

Welcome to the world, baby Jennifer.  May I never forget to send your birthday gift on time with such a wonderful way to remember your special day. 

The Undefeated Minions. 

Michael took a turn as keeper.  He didn't get too excited about anything until the ball was five feet or less from the goal -- a little nerve-wracking for us parents on the side line but he was completely unconcerned with our anxiety.  They won with another shut-out so I guess we worried for nothing!

Ella's Fever team played a group of girls who thought they were at a tackle football match instead of a soccer game, but they really hung in there. 

#FeverProud!

Labor Day Weekend

But first!  Proof that we've gotten to go to one soccer game since June.  We're still hopeful Ella will get to play in 2016.  Things are looking promising for Tuesday night.

Now, the road to the lake.

Henry did not stop talking for two and a half hours.  Nonstop.  Non. Stop.

Naturally, he fell asleep when we were less than 10 minutes from the house. 

This is so Michael.

Drew built the New Year's Ball Drop out of Contraptions. 

While the big kids threw the football on one end of the boat, this was going on on the other end.

Bye, Lake.  See you on December 26. 

August

We rounded out the summer digging in the dirt, enjoying a visit from Gigi and Poppa, seeking A/C wherever possible, and finally sending off three kiddos to the elementary school down the street.  Kind of wished we hadn't blinked so much. 

This kid is "building an underground house" in our side yard. 

We had a visit from this little cutie (and her big sister and mama) who is just about ready to start running laps. 

Gigi and Poppa came for a visit and while Ella's soccer tournament was canceled that same weekend, the good news is that we didn't spend hours out in the Texas heat on the hottest weekend of the year.  Instead, we explored the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History one day and the Perot Museum the next.  We're happy to report their air conditioning is all working beautifully.

Any of my '94 Fillies friends automatically hear Aretha singing when they see this?

1. We finally discovered Meso Maya.

2. Henry switch-hits quickly between bandit and photographer with ease.

Brisket has officially taken up residence on the couch, even when we're clearly looking. 

Ella's team kicked off the season with new shirts and nicknames.  We've got our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates and they finally get to play a game this coming weekend. 

Goofball.

He really wanted to be in this picture with me.  Promise. 

Treat time for Daisy and pals. 

First day of schooooooool!  I made my sleepyhead pre-Kr, 2nd grader and 5th grader pose for a few photos before walking to school with the rest of the neighborhood kids.  

Too bad they aren't old enough for coffee just yet. 

If Henry sat down with his backpack, he'd never have been able to get back up.  Smart kid. 

Checking out the Cork & Pig down in Fort Worth. 

The food wasn't fast...but it was delicious. 

Love for dinosaur bones?

Hanging Onto Summer

My Facebook feed has been chock full of adorable faces sporting backpacks on their shoulders this week.  It's incredible to think summer is so close to being over for us here in Texas as well.  The weeks have been fun and fleeting -- we'll be squeezing as much as we can out of our remaining three weeks of later bedtimes, not packing weekday lunches, no homework and not dealing with a mountain of school papers that seem to multiply as they escape from the kids' folders.

Aunt Molly held a tablet drawing lesson and I'm not sure that even a plate of chocolate cake would have distracted them. 

One drawback to watching July 4th fireworks from a floating dock deck is not being able to set a timer to capture the actual fireworks.  Maybe next year I can convince everyone to watch from dry land. 

Maybe.  (Note the 15-year old Snap-Chatting her burning sparkler in the foreground.  We know Ella is right behind her!) 

Biscuits and Gravy Morning is serious business.

The collegiate flags are now flying over Pokagon.  Go Dawgs and Hoosiers!

Stretched out, Henry finally outgrew his toddler bed so we made a trip to the furniture store and came home with a new big boy bed for him.  I only cried a little (a lot.)

Aunt Kristi's having a baby girl!!  We are just a little bit (crazy) excited to meet her. 

More lake!

Peek-a-Boo!

Some things never get old. 

Faker.

The tube never even made it into the water this past weekend -- it was knee-boarding and wake-boarding all the way. 

Ella managed a 360 on her second time ever riding on the knee board.  Show-off that she is. 

Nana and Rocket celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary this past weekend. xoxo 46 years!

Henry doesn't really understand why you would have a cake without candles.  And we had no solid argument...so, candles. 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Sliding Into Summer

I'm caught up on the last two months of photographs!  This can only mean one thing -- it must be a holiday weekend. 

Happy 4th y'all. 

The Mighty Minions finished their season strong and competed in a tournament packed with academy teams.  They didn't win, but they kept all of those teams running hard.  We're very proud of this group of boys!

#dallastilidie

4th Grade Field Trip

Memorial Day Weekend -- shouldn't my children be the most cooperative?  Haven't I drilled them on group photo expectations enough over the years?  Turkeys. 

It's not a weekend at the lake without biscuits and gravy.

Sunset Cruise

It's not an award-winner but all three of my babies are in one frame so I'll take it!

Watchin' 'toons.

When you have 26 ears to clean, you enlist all of the help you can find.

Driving out to Tyler to drop the big kids off for their first ever week of sleep-away camp, we stopped in Dallas for brunch at Independent Bar & Kitchen.

Ella ordered the Big Timmy which we assumed was one cinnamon roll.  And then this giant plate of gorgeousness, smothered in a browned butter bacon glaze, showed up.  The good news is that mom was there to help her out when she couldn't finish it off. 

All of kids hung out windows and sun roofs on the slow drive into the camp. 

We spent a couple of hours, making beds, meeting new friends and counselors, and getting the lay of the land.  After both kids passed their swim test and we embarrassed them with final kisses, we headed back to the city to pack.

For Miami!! With no kids!  (Whom we love and missed dearly every moment of our time away.)

By an absolute fluke of using Starwood points, booking at the last minute, and a complimentary upgrade, we ended up in this crazy suite.

Our next hotel stay at the Motor Inn is going to be a real let-down.