A "Beary" Fun Day

Over the weekend, we got to actually celebrate Aidan's birthday as a family, with a few good friends too. We had a party at Paws N Claws Bear Factory (Wichita Falls version of Build A Bear) and all the kids (plus Jeff & Ronnie - Aidan's Godparents) got to choose whatever animal they wanted to make. We had everything from Ellie the Elephant (Aidan's choice) to Fifi the Poodle. It was a lot of fun! Also, my friend Kelly went with me to Lucy Park for a 2 year old photo shoot. She got a lot of great shots of Aidan, despite his longing to run away from the camera! Thanks Kelly! It was a whole lot better than the typical photos we get from JC Penneys, and cheaper too!

My sweet son

In this busy week with birthdays (Aidan's), campus evacuation (strange power problems at MSU) and the impending hurricane - my son Luke did the sweetest thing. He came home from school today after having Western Day, and had 2 toys. He showed them both to me, was all proud of them, and then he said, "Mommy, you know how that hurricane might come and some kids will have to leave their houses without their toys and stuff? Can you give this toy (holds one of them out) to them so they can have something to play with? I don't need that many toys and they might really need one." I was SOO proud of him - he is so sweet!

Red River trip

By now many of you have heard that we had a fabulous trip to Red River last weekend. We stayed in a cute little lodge that had a perfect swingset just outside the doors - like it was made for Aidan & Luke. We hiked in Taos, saw Native American dancing one evening, walked down the cute little strip of the town, and of course Ronnie & Dail rode their bikes 100 miles!!! It was nice to have her along, not only for the companionship and help with the boys, but also because I actually got to be IN some of our photos! :) It was a great trip - and I would recommend New Mexico to anyone who hasn't been there. I've been to Red River, Taos, and Santa Fe, and like them all for different reasons. It's beautiful.

Labor Day Weekend - DMB and Mom visit

We have had a GREAT Labor Day weekend! My Mom came in on Friday night to visit...which was so exciting for the kids. They woke up Saturday morning and she was there - and they were so excited! Then on Saturday night, I surprised Dail and took him to Dallas to see Dave Matthews Band for our anniversary. He didn't even know where we were going when we left...and he was shocked when we drove out of town. It was a great night, and worked out perfectly that my Mom was here so she could keep the boys. I have to admit I am quite naive about outdoor concerts though - we were surrounded by marijuana - I think the air filled with the fumes as soon as the lights went out! At first I couldn't figure out why everyone around us (who did't seem to know each other) suddenly was sharing cigarettes...then I finally figured it out! I cannot believe that they can get away with that! So, it temporarily dampered my experience, but they ran out of their stash, and I was able to breathe a bit clearer, and enjoy the music. There are only 2 bands that Dail would ever want to see in concert: U2 and DMB. So, I'm glad I got to take him! We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out - My Mom and I shopped when the kids napped, and we took lots of walks with the boys. It was wonderful!