The House that Jerry Built

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Last Friday, Gina and I headed to Cowboys Stadium with my parents and her parents to watch TCU play BYU in football. I was very excited to watch the Horned Frogs play against my all-time most hated team ever, the Cougars from Provo. Having grown up in Wyoming, going to USU and CSU for college/grad. school and now cheering for TCU, I have always had a legitimate reason to cheer against BYU.

But beyond the actual game was the fact that this competition was taking place in probably the most modern, fanciest and definitely most expensive stadium in the world ... Cowboy Stadium. I have wanted to see a game here since it opened, and I have to say Jerry did not disappoint me. Every aspect of this stadium was amazing and totally over the top. From the luxurious lounges and eating areas to the massive screen hanging over the field, this place was just awesome.

What made it more awesome was the fact that we beat BYU! The only thing more entertaining than seeing your team beat the Cougars is listening to scores of dejected BYU fans grumble about losing. This was especially gratifying to me after they came back and beat my beloved USU Aggies a few weeks back. Of course, it's the converse when they win. But we won this one, and that's all that matters.

Trick or Treat

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Well, another Halloween has come and gone. This is always a fun time of year for us as we watch the boys get excited for wearing their costumes and getting LOTS of candy. As you can see from the pictures, GiGi makes the most amazing costumes and they love wearing them. For the first time this year, we asked Sam and Nate what they wanted to be for Trick or Treating. Sam was inspired by Ella's princess and prince dolls this summer, and he wanted to be a prince. We asked him if he was Prince Charming or Prince Valiant, and he replied, "I'm Prince Sam." It's hard to argue with that. Nate drew his inspiration from the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, where they have a full grown Great Horned Owl. The costumes were spot on, and they drew quite a few comments from the people in our neighborhood. We also have a boat load of candy in our house, which is always bad news for me. PaPa made sure all of the neighborhood kids had plenty of treats while we were out making the rounds with the boys, which probably helped keep the tricks at a minimum. I'm sure these costumes will get used plenty of times in the next few months, so it will really be like Halloween never ended. Keep an eye out for more owl and prince pictures!

Fall (is no time for a) Break

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One of the benefits of working at a university is that we get breaks when the students do. That doesn't mean we don't always have things that need to be done over a break, but if the students are given time off so are we. About a week ago, TCU was on fall break, which means Gina got a 4-day weekend. UNT does not have a fall break, so I still had to work on Monday and Tuesday. No bitterness here. None. Really.

The first two days were spent at Granny and Granddad's house. Gina took them over on Friday afternoon and they all stayed until Saturday night. I spent the weekend doing mini-makeovers on some homes in Haltom City through the Building Community event at our church. While Gina, Sam and Nate went to a farm and played with Granny and Granddad, I scraped, painted, trimmed bushes and carried trash to a dumpster.But it was actually fun and helped some families out tremendously.

On Sunday, we relaxed and I recovered from all the manual labor on Friday and Saturday. I honestly don't remember what we did on that day because I was so tired, and so was Gina from two busy days in Garland.

On Monday, I had to go to work at UNT, so Gina took the boys to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. They had a great time playing at all the different exhibits, and then Gina pulled the old "lets-eat-lunch-on-the-way-home" trick so the boys wouldn't fall asleep in the car. We have found that if the boys fall asleep in the car, even for a few minutes, they won't take a nap. And trust me, we want to ride the nap train as long as Sam and Nate are willing to keep it going. Later that afternoon, after I got home, we made Star Wars cookies with the cookie cutters Aunt Katie got the boys for their birthday.

On Tuesday, we decided to end fall break in style. Gina was still on break, and the boys and I played hookey from school to go to the State Fair of Texas. We went last year on a Friday afternoon, and we knew that we wanted to spend more time this year now that the boys are older and have a little more stamina. Emphasis on the word "little." The day at the fair was magical from beginning to end. Well, I will admit that we were all pretty cranky by the end of the day, and Sam did fall and smack his head pretty good right before the parade. So, that was a bummer, but other than some human error, the day was awesome. We started the day with a ride on the massive Texas Star ferris wheel, which is something I was very glad we did. We also let the boys ride some rides, and that was met with mixed results. Sam loved it, but Nate was not quite prepared for how fast these rides went. You can see him screaming in some of the pictures. Who is that cruel daddy who took pictures of his screaming child?!? We also got to see a dog show, stunt BMX riders, some cool model trains in the green house and of course we stuffed ourselves with a variety of fried foods. It should come as no surprise that the boys slept all the way home. By the time we got them to bed, Gina and I were spent. We pretty much went straight to bed and didn't move until the next morning.

An observation I have made about these "breaks" is that I am more tired after them than I was before. But at this stage in life I am OK with that. I guess the alternative is staying at home and taking it easy. But I know that these days with the boys won't last forever. They won't always look at every new experience with big eyes and wide smiles. They won't always be fascinated with the simple things I have learned to take for granted. I won't always be able to pull them around in a red wagon, and the day will come when they want to go off and explore the world without the company of mom and dad. They won't always fall asleep in the car the second it starts moving then let us carry them to bed without ever waking up. They won't always wake up early the next morning completely revived and talking about Big Tex and every other detail as if it were their favorite thing in the world. But they do that now, which is why "now" is the most important time in our lives. And it's also why "now" is my favorite time. Pretty soon "now" will be a memory and a new "now" will take its place and sweep us off our feet with more unexpected gifts that we never saw coming.

You can see more pictures of "now" in our photo album.

Unexpected visitor

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Today I was playing with Sam and Nate in the backyard when out of nowhere I noticed a small, white tornado swirling around my feet. Suddenly, Sydney is freaking out and growling, and Sam and Nate both look like a deer in the headlights. After a couple of seconds I was able to figure out what was going on, which was that our neighbor's Jack Russell terrier puppy managed to crawl under the fence and was now in our backyard. I stood there for a minute and watched her run from Sydney, and I realized she was a little freaked out herself. I don't think she could tell from the other side of the fence exactly how much bigger than her Sydney is. Of course, the puppy was not interested in Sydney. She was more interested in the boys. She immediately began jumping all over then, and they both lost it. I found this to be kind of funny. They both live with a 40+ lb. dog and think nothing of it. But the second a 10-pound puppy starts jumping on their chests and licking them on the mouth, they become terrified. Sam was hiding in our little soccer goal, and Nate just rolled on the ground crying. I let both boys back inside, and I had to figure out what to do with this puppy.

I took her back over to her house, but the owners were gone. So, we officially became dog sitters for about an hour. This is only fair, considering how much we have asked others to watch our dog. After a few minutes, she and Sydney got used to each other and they actually had a good time playing with each other. It took me about 5 minutes to make the following observations about Jack Russell terriers:

  1. Their legs are spring loaded and they can jump about 5x their height, seemingly without bending their legs.
  2. They never stop moving. Ever.
  3. They are very, very cute, which may mask the previous two points.
  4. They are extremely agile and seem to have no hesitation bounding up and down chairs, tables, children and other dogs.
  5. They are really fast and hard to catch, even in a small backyard with very few places to go.

Gina had put a note on the neighbor's front door, and they came to get the puppy (who we found out is named Jackie) right as we were starting dinner. It was a nice chance to visit with Fong (the dad) and the two oldest daughters for a minute. It was also a nice chance for Fong to put up a barricade at the spot in the fence that Jackie used to make her great escape. This added a little fun drama to the day, but I have a sneaky suspicion we haven't seen the last of Jackie.

Dear Old UVa

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One of the benefits that potentially came with my job at the University of North Texas was the opportunity to travel to Charlottesville. My boss had just written a big grant with my former advisor at UVa, and I knew there would eventually be some site visits to the various schools involved in the project. After a full year at UNT, I had begun to think that the possibility to visit Virginia was just talk and I sort of forgot about it. Then out of nowhere, my boss told me he was going to be visiting Virginia and wanted me to come. I ran this by Gina, and she was OK with it. So, the trip was on and I was getting to visit dear old UVa once again.

Most of my visit was filled with meetings and site visits to different schools in Crozet and Charlottesville, but I did manage to visit some old haunts and see some great friends. The list includes my former advisor and some other colleagues and students from UVa, our old neighbor and his wife, and several great friends from Christ Community Church and ISI. I have included some pictures so you can see for yourself. I was not in Las Vegas spending the family fortune on gummy bears and pixie sticks.

As I expected, I experienced a lot of emotions during my 2 days in Charlottesville. Not really teary emotions, but mainly gratitude and amazement. The gratitude came from knowing none of this would have ever happened if Gina hadn't encouraged me to apply to UVa, then visit after I'd been accepted, then accept the fellowship that was offered after that visit. Our time in Virginia required quite a sacrifice on our part, and there were more than several times when we questioned whether or not we should be, or stay, there. It wasn't cheap, it wasn't easy, it wasn't lucrative, and it wasn't always certain. But then again, life can be like that no matter where you are. I learned that having each other, a strong community of believers, and faith that God was more faithful than our ability to predict the future went a long way in sustaining us through our 4 years there. Oh, and there's that little detail called "Sam and Nate." We met them in Virginia. So, I was very grateful to have Gina, and I wished at every turn that she and the boys could have been there with me.

The sense of amazement came from walking around Grounds at UVa and driving from place to place in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It seemed like every time I looked up, I was hit with "Wow! This place is beautiful!" Not only was it beautiful, but because we took a leap of faith to go there, it is also inextricably woven into our story. I drove around town and walked all over Grounds like I was on autopilot, and it felt as if it were more than just knowing Charlottesville. I felt like Charlottesville knew me. I didn't hear any applause or feel any pats on the back, but it did my heart good to be somewhere familiar, a place that housed some of my most life-changing events.

I will end with that. My hope is that everyone has a place that is forever part of their heart and story. God created the Earth, then He placed us in it, and I think He knew that the places we occupy would help to shape us. Charlottesville and UVa definitely did that to me.

Grandparents Weekend

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This past weekend was very big for Sam and Nate. Not only did they get to spend time with both sets of grandparents, but they actually had their first sleepover away from Gina and I. We were invited to go see TCU v. Baylor down in Waco, and since it was a night game we knew we would be getting back very late. Too late, in fact, to try to take them home once we got back to DFW. So, Granny and Granddad agreed to let the boys try their first sleepover at their house. We prepped them for a couple of days and talked about how to behave, go to bed on time, all the usual sermons parents give their children. When the day finally arrived, the boys were very excited to go to Garland. We dropped them off and headed to Waco, and neither of us was totally sure how the night would play out. Well, everything went off without a hitch! The boys loved playing in the backyard and with the train set Granny has at her house. In fact, when I picked the boys up from school, Nate asked me, "Do you think Granny will let me play with her train set?" I think it is safe to say they got more than their fill of the train set.

After getting back to our house, we had to get everything ready for the arrival of GiGi and PaPa. They were in Shreveport picking up MaMa for a visit to Casper, and they stopped off in Fort Worth for a couple of days. The visit was a lot of fun, and the boys had a great time showing off for the grandparents and great-grandparent. It was very special for us to have everyone together in our home. The boys even got to show off two of their favorite things: the neighborhood pool and Kincaid's Market. Kincaid's has perhaps the best hamburgers in Fort Worth, and it is one of our favorite places to go. I think GiGi, PaPa and MaMa would agree.

Things definitely got quiet around here after all of our visits with the grandparents were over, and we already looking forward to when we get to see them again. One thing that still eludes me is how the grandfathers managed to stay out of most of the pictures.

Last Blast of Summer

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A few weeks ago (I feel shame even as I type this for taking so long to keep the world updated on our family) we met cousins Jean, Carrie, Max and Wes at Schlitterbahn for a fun day of water slides, wave pools and lazy rivers. I have always wanted to go to there, and I have to say we weren't disappointed. The only thing I had to learn the hard way was that the lines for the really cool slides (which aren't really that cool, in my opinion) are VERY long. I wasted some valuable time standing in a line that I would rather have spent with the rest of the group. Oh well, some lessons you just have to learn from experience. I am pretty sure we will make this trip again, and next time we won't waste our time in any lines. You can see more pictures of the adventure on John and Carrie's blog.

Welcome to Wonderful Wyoming

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It's hard to believe I have taken a month off from blogging. I intended to take a break while we were in Wyoming, but I didn't realize it would continue for another two weeks. Of course, the reason I have not been posting to the blog is because my time has been consumed with other activities like course planning, meetings, etc. Trivial stuff, I know, but I do like to think I do my part in helping pay the bills. :)

Another reason I have been reluctant to post is that we took so many pictures that it would take me forever to decide which ones to include in the slide show. As you may have noticed, I have started creating these little Flash slideshows to put in each post rather than filling up the page with pictures. Well, that isn't a big deal when we take 20 or so photos from an event. Even 100 photos isn't bad, but we took almost 500 pictures in Wyoming. That is way too many to sort through, so I will just give you the link to the whole album, and you can look through them yourself.

Now, about the trip. It was awesome! What isn't there to like about spending all day with GiGi and PaPa, Ella and Katie? What can be bad about days where the high temperature is 82 degrees? Or where the low temperature is in the low 50's? This trip was definitely a nice break from the hot weather we've been having in Texas.

We started our vacation by visiting the Peterson family in Denver, some friends of mine from Casper. I have known them since I was a little kid, and they are pretty much like family to me. Sam and Nate loved playing in the basement with Courtney and Kylie, Matt and Shana's daughters. They had all kinds of toys the boys had never seen, and most importantly, they had cars to play with. Cars are a must. Matt's parents, Wayne and Kathy, came over for dinner that evening, and we had a great time visiting and enjoying the cool night air. Sam and Nate also tried their hand at volleyball, but they still have a bit to learn before they can participate in an actual game. After a restful night, we headed off to Casper to see GiGi and PaPa.

About an hour north of Denver, we got a call from my mom saying Katie and Ella's flight had been cancelled and they were renting a car to drive to Casper. So, we were all on the road at the same time (though separated by about 3 hours). When we arrived in Casper, the boys went through their ritual of finding the toys and began to take inventory. We ate a nice dinner, then my parents had to leave to get ready for Titanic, the summer musical they did this summer. Katie arrived a few hours later, and we had fun catching up with she and Ella. They were both pretty road weary from the day they had. You can read her account of the vacation here. The next couple of days were all about Titanic. Katie, Ella, Gina and I went to see it on Saturday night, then we all went back for the closing matinee with Sam and Nate to watch GiGi and PaPa sing, as well as the finale. I had seen the traveling Broadway cast do this show before, and it was quite the stage spectacle, but I have to say this little show held its own. The singing and acting were both pretty good, and my parents stole the show. My mom does quite a mean German accent, I must say.

The next week was all about having fun. You can actually see from the pictures some of the things we did. We stayed at the cabin one night and had all kinds of adventures, we went fishing, spent a day at Alcova lake, the ladies went shopping and had tea parties, and most of all we got to spend a lot of quality time together. GiGi even took the grandkids to see Barney's Birthday Bash at the Casper Events Center. I wasn't there, but the rumor is that Ella was best dancer in the joint. For one of the last nights in Casper, we met some of my high school soccer buddies at a park and played and visited until the sun went down. Each of these families has girls between the ages of 8 and 12, and one pattern I am starting to notice is that Nate really likes the attention he gets from older girls. :-) He started his vacation with Courtney and Kylie, and he ended it by entertaining Mackenzie, Emma and Marin. This should prove to be very interesting as he gets older.

The trip home had its own set of misadventures, but we made it home safely and in one piece. As all trips do, it ended way too soon, and I have found myself pining for the cool temps and familiar faces on more than one occasion. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Casper.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

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Last weekend, we had the privilege of celebrating Gina's birthday. No seriously, it turned out to be a celebration that lasted Saturday through Monday. But we all know that she deserves it, and more. So, the boys and I wanted to make the weekend very fun and special for Gina.

Gina started the weekend with a ladies' brunch in Grapevine. She has been meeting regularly with some of her friends from First Baptist Church Euless, and this time they met at a cafe for brunch. If this gathering was like all of the others, there was a lot of smiling and laughing from all the ladies there. Later that afternoon, we all got dressed up and headed to Italianni's, a great Italian restaurant in Hurst where Gina and I had our first quasi-date.  I thought it was a date; she didn't. Well, now we're married, so it was a date. The food was amazing, as usual, and the boys loved eating their pizza and mac & cheese. Considering this was really their first excursion of the day, they behaved beautifully at the restaurant, and we can't wait to go back.

After dinner, I took everyone to Mountasia, a putt-putt/go-kart/video game place that I used to go to when I was living in Bedford. The boys had never played mini-golf, and this was also what Gina and I did for her birthday after moving to Wyoming, right after we got engaged. I thought this would be a nice trip down memory lane. What it ended up being was a trip into the ring of fire. The unofficial temperature on the mini-golf course was a bajillion degrees, and we were all sweating profusely after about two holes. This didn't stop the boys from running all over every square inch of Mountasia. To their credit, it's hard to resist running around a place that looks like a real mountain and has caves and waterfalls. I would have done the same thing at their age. In honor of Gina's birthday eight years ago, she beat me again in putt-putt. Of course, I was distracted trying to keep the boys from doing any cliff diving or rock climbing. At least that's what I tell myself.

On Sunday, we headed to Garland to spend some time on the lake with Granny and Granddad. The boys hadn't been on Granddad's boat in about a year, and we were eager to see how they liked it this time. Both boys were a little scared of the boat last year, especially when it started going fast. Well, this year, the boat couldn't go fast enough for them. They loved it every time Granddad pushed the throttle and started to speed across the water. In addition to getting to swim in the lake, I got to go tubing and Gina water skied. Let me pause here and just say: My wife rocks! She is a great water skier, even though she hasn't done it in several years. I was very impressed. After about 2-3  hours on the lake, we went back to Granny and Granddad's house and had enchiladas for lunch. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and visiting.

On Monday, we drove up to Tommy and Carol's house for some hot dogs, and yes, more cake. We had a great time catching up with everyone, whom we hadn't seen since they got back from their cruise. The boys played hide-and-seek with Kendall and Zach, and this turned out to be a great way to cap off the birthday celebrations.

I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great weekend and that Gina feels loved and appreciated. Now if I can only think of a way to up the ante for her 29th birthday next year! ;-)

Cousin Time

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One of the highlights of this summer for Sam and Nate has been playing with their cousins. The boys got to play with their Roanoke cousins a lot during the past year, an activity they always looked forward to. They also got to know their Austin cousins a little better when we took a trip down there in May. Well, they can say they know all of their cousins even better after July.

Early in July, Tommy and Carol (Gina's brother and his wife) took a cruise in the Caribbean for a week, and Kierra, Kendall and Zach stayed with us for part of the time. The boys were very excited to have all of their Roanoke cousins under one roof for such a long time frame. We started our week with a family reunion in Simpson, Louisiana. The boys got to do a bunch of fun activities: meet some relatives they had never seen, go fishing in Uncle Norwin's new pond, ride the Gator, play with Briana and Shana and explore the farm (including an up-close view of the cows). We stopped by Shreveport to see MaMa Alexander for a couple of days on our way home, then we picked up Kierra, Zach and Kendall from Granny and Granddad's and headed to our house in Fort Worth.  The days were filled with swimming, ice cream, playing in the backyard and even a train ride. Our evenings included watching movies, playing games, relaxing and going to Chuck E. Cheese pizza one night. It was a lot of fun, and Sam and Nate did not want the fun to end. Gina and I, however, after having 5 kids under one roof, were ready for a break. All in all, it was a great time, and we would do it again. Though now that I think about it, maybe Gina and I will take the cruise next time!

This past weekend we got to meet some of our Austin cousins in Bear Country (Waco) to see the Mayborn Children's Museum. The only regret I have about the whole trip is that we told Sam and Nate about it ahead of time because all they asked about for 2 days was when they would get to see Max and Wes. The day finally arrived, and all 4 boys picked up where they left off. We started the day at Rudy's BBQ, then after our delicious lunch we went to the museum for a few hours. This children's museum is unbelievable and it is truly for kids. Every room has an exhibit with fun, hands-on activities for the children, and the boys ate it up. Sam said his favorite part was watching the model trains, and Nate loved playing with Max and Wes. After the museum, we went to John and Carrie's hotel and swam in the pool for an hour or so. We grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to Fort Worth. The boys slept the entire way back, then after a bath and some stories, they went straight to bed. The day was exhausting, but it was the good kind of exhausting where you look back and know you had a great day.

I'm positive there will be more cousin time this summer, and the boys will soak up every minute of it.

Happy 4th of July!

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For the second year in a row, we have gone to the Fort Worth Stockyards for Independence Day. Last year, after having been in Texas for only a couple of weeks, we went to the Stockyards with Don and Karen for some food and other activities. The boys were still a little hard to predict in public places, so I remember spending most of my energy watching after them and making sure they had fresh diapers, had enough water, weren't getting too hot or sunburned, etc. In fact, we didn't even make it to the fireworks last year because they were still used to a 7 p.m. bedtime and were starting to lose their patience while we waited for the fireworks show.

This year, we did things a little differently. First, we watched fireworks in Roanoke with Tommy and his family on Sunday night, so we got that out of the way early. The boys really seemed to like their first real fireworks display, which lasted about 30 minutes or so. Sam actually fell asleep waiting for it to start, then he eventually roused himself for the last half of the show. Nate was awake the whole time, and by the time it was over he could hardly contain himself.

The next day, July 4, we went down to the Stockyards to let the boys see some new things and try some new activities. We started the day at the petting zoo, where we got to hand feed the goats, sheep, calves and llamas. Both boys tried it, which shocked me because the last time we were at a petting zoo Sam wouldn't even go into the area with the animals. From there, we went into the train depot for a restroom break and a cold treat. The boys both chose a cherry Icee, which Gina and I ended up finishing. After that, we went to the pony rides. I was anticipating one or both boys to bail out at the last minute, but they both actually walked right up, allowed a complete stranger to lift them onto their horse and rode the whole time without screaming or getting scared. They even managed to sneak out a smile or two for the camera. The last event of the day was a cattle drive right down the middle of the road. I'm not sure what the boys thought of this part, but I thought this part was pretty cool.

After a couple of very eventful hours at the Stockyards, we went home and watched Despicable Me before having hot dogs for dinner and heading to bed. After a very busy week, this was a great way to celebrate the freedoms and privileges we have from living in the USA. I will have more updates later this week from all of the events leading up to July 4th. A prequel if you will.

Happy Father's Day

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Sam, Nate and Gina took some time (a whole day, in fact) to celebrate Father's Day. Lucky for me, I was the focus of their celebrating! We had a great day of food, fun, family and I even got some awesome presents and cards. I have included a short video of some of the festivities, including an impromptu performance from Sam.

I definitely felt loved and appreciated on this Father's Day, as I do everyday. Now, if I can only think of a way to outdo Gina on her birthday!

Swimming Lessons

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Sam and Nate started swimming lessons last week, and they have really enjoyed it so far. Gina and I have been taking them swimming since they were about 6 months old, and with the help of their floaty swimsuits, they have been swimming by themselves since last summer. They have not been using any floaties or anything for their swimming lessons, but the teacher, Miss Christina, still helps them while they are in the water. The children sit on the edge of the pool until is their turn to swim. It is very cute, as you can see from the pictures.

The  boys' good friend, Ruby, is also taking swimming lessons at the same time, but she is in a different group. The first day was actually a whole group lesson on pool safety, and they evaluated each child (Yes, both of ours screamed at first). Everyday since has just been 4 children with Miss Christina.

We also learned today that Sam made a splash in more than the pool, as one of the girls was quite taken with him. Who could resist such an adorable little guy?

Field Day

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In addition to having an end-of-year program at the school, Sam and Nate got to participate in Field Day. As a kid, I pretty much lived for Field Day and the Christmas party. When I was a teacher, this was one of my favorite days of the year. So, I was pretty fired up when I found out Pebbles also had a Field Day. The boys almost missed it due to sickness, but they were able to rally in time for (what they will eventually learn is) the best day in the history of school. As you will see from the video below, they participated in an obstacle course, then they played with bubbles, and ended by shooting water pistols at each other. They also got a popsicle break in the middle of it. I am sure both boys will look back on this event as the beginning of their love for all things related to sports. Well, probably not, but it was still a lot of fun. We were able to capture some video of the boys doing the obstacle course. It's a little long, and I won't be offended if you choose to skip this one.

Sing Loud, Sing Proud!

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Sam and Nate had their end-of-the-year program a couple of weeks ago. We knew from the Christmas program what we could expect, but what we didn't predict is Sam's singing. I will be the first to tell you that both Sam and Nate are good singers (which makes me very happy), but for some reason Sam decided to scream the songs. My video is not that great because I have a bad angle and can't really see Sam. But trust me, you can hear him. That child who is yelling the words louder than everyone else? He's mine. Thankfully, the Lord just hears praise coming from his children and doesn't judge using the worldly standards people like me are so bound to. Nate, on the other hand, is actually singing the songs, but you can't hear him. I should add, Nate had been sick all week and was quite a trooper for getting up there in the first place. You can watch the video of their performance below.

Austin City (there should be) Limits (on having this much fun)

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This weekend we traveled to Austin to see friends and family. Our visit started when we met our good friends from Charlottesville, Brian and Becca, for dinner in downtown Austin. They were in town for a conference and had some free time to meet with us. Brian is Chief Resident in the ER at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He and Becca decided to make a vacation out of the trip and spent a few days in Austin relaxing. They also have 3 boys who stayed home with the grandparents. That doesn't sound like a bad idea ...

After dinner, we drove to see Jean, Gina's cousin, at her new house. This was a really special treat for us, and we had a great time helping her break in her new digs. The boys especially liked her stairs and the toys she had for Max and Wes. It's funny how someone else's toys always seem more interesting than your own. Anyway, after a good night's sleep, had a huge breakfast then waited for Max to come over to play. He and John got to the house around 10 or so, then we all headed to Zilker Park, an Austin staple. This place has everything 3 three-year olds could ever want. A creek to wade and throw rocks in, a train, a huge playground, a snack bar and a place to sit and eat lunch. Carrie and Wes met us there for lunch, and we all sat by the creek and had sandwiches. Despite the humidity, it was a lot of fun being outside and hanging out together.

We headed from there back to Jean's house for a nap and some rest time before other friends and family came over that night. After nap time, the boys all swam in the little pool in Jean's backyard. Sam and Nate were a little cautious, which is what I expected, but Max jumped right in. After a few minutes, the twins decided to give it a whirl and they had a great time. Some of Jean's relatives from Aunt Carol's side came over for dinner -- and brought more kids with them -- and we all had MORE fun playing, swimming, eating and talking. Oh yeah, and dancing! There was lots of dancing, and I wish I could say that everyone kept their clothes on, but that didn't happen. Thankfully, it was only by people in the 3-and-under crowd. After everyone had dispersed and all 4 boys took a bath together, Sam, Nate, Max and Wes settled in to relax in front of a movie. After all of that activity, they actually stayed awake for the whole movie.

The next day, we drove to Max and Wes' house to go swimming and eat lunch. I have to say, by this time Sam and Nate were starting to feel the effects of two late nights and a whole lot of activity. We had a couple of meltdowns, which was our first cue to start getting ready to head back home. We said our good-byes, got in the car and headed back to Ft. Worth. Both boys were asleep before I was even done filling up with gas, and they slept most of the way back.

This was a great trip and just what we needed after such a long semester. We are looking forward to getting together with the Kelly's again soon, possibly in Waco to see the zoo and children's museum. You can see some more photos on John and Carrie's blog. Of course, I have to share with you my favorite line from the whole weekend. As we came out from dinner at the Iron Cactus with Brian and Becca, we saw a homeless man petting one of the horses in a horse-drawn carriage and talking to the driver. The conversation went something like this:

Homeless Man: Do your horses like marijuana?

Driver: Sir, we don't feed our horses marijuana.

You gotta love 6th St.! Stay weird, Austin!