Austin

EJ and I made it to Austin for Nicole's wedding. She is Eric's step-sister (His mom's step daughter). The festivities began Thursday when we got to Austin. Uncle Brian was there and ready to play!



Checking out the wedding hotel with Grandma Carol.



Getting a "happy" cookie from the hotel bakery. We can't wait to see the wedding cake!



Time to rehearse! Here's the bride!



Uncle Brian has to send EJ down the aisle! Wish him luck!




What's a wedding rehersal without tunneling under all the chairs!



Practice makes perfect....we hope!



EJ and the bride, AKA, "The Princess" when she gave him a ring bearer present. He loved it!

Quick Trip

Uncle Andy came through town on a midwest recruiting trip. We got to see him between meetings for some basketball and they got to take the Wildcat out for a test drive--in the snow! We are still teaching EJ how to pedal so Eric and Andy had to do all the work. He's going to have the hottest ride in the neighborhood this summer!

Colorado

EJ and I took a trip to Colorado while Eric was out of town on a long baseball trip. It was great to see friends and family. EJ and Ty had a blast at Little Monkey Business (a company owned by our high school friend--http://www.monkeybizness.com/littlemonkeybizness/index.html). Danni and I got to play with triplets (who are sitting up and full of smiles!) while mom chased after the boys.



Next was our pancake breakfast tradition with Tricia. EJ kept himself busy "washing" his cars in the water glass while Tricia and I got caught up. We happened to be in Denver when the Train show was in town. As you can see, they had a Thomas the Train for toddlers to ride on. EJ loved it and wasn't scared at all.









There was lots of fun to be had, playing and laughing. I loved that I got to get caught up with my sleep!

Love Hurts!

After church today Kelly and I took the kids to McDonalds for a few minutes before naptime. At one point, Sammi gave EJ a hug and he hug put his arms around and swung her around. They fell, both hit their heads on the ground and ended up flat on their backs! Of course, the crying started and the mommies had to take over hugging duties! It was funny to see the whole thing go down!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was so touched when EJ asked me to be his Valentine! He presented me with the card he made at church with the help of the sweet ladies who watch him while I'm in Bible study. He was so proud of his work. I hung it up in our kitchen but have to get it down everyday so he can "tell" me about it.



I also loved the sweet hug I got along with my Valentine. I'm a lucky lady!

Happy Birthday Allie!

Our neighbor, Allie, turned two and we were delighted to celebrate with her and her family. It was a Sesame Street Birthday and E.J. picked an Abby Cadabby cupcake. EJ had fun watching the older boys play Mario Kart on the Wii but had the most fun chasing Allie around to give her a birthday hug. Here they are with cupcakes.

The family jewels

My wedding anniversary is next week so I went to a nearby jewelry store to get information about polishing Eric's wedding band. The ambiance of the store is quiet elegance with champagne-colored upholstery and chandelier lighting. So, not the best place for a two year-old but alas, E.J. was with me. The store did have a "kid cubby" with toys and a TV. EJ made a bee-line for the toys and did great entertaining himself while I asked my questions. That is until he yelled across the store to me these words: "MOMMY, I'M POOPY!!!" Everyone in the store turned and looked at me. I tried to play it off but I'm sure my face was so red. Secretly I thought it was funny and when we left I checked his diaper and sure enough, he was right.

Crackers in my Bed

After a particularly gruesome Tuesday night, I spent much of the week in bed with the flu. Thankfully, Eric stayed home on Wednesday when I was incapable of getting out of bed. I felt terrible about this since baseball season is upon us but I didn't have a choice. I was hoping for the 24-hour variety of flu but wasn't that "lucky" and ended up spending much time in bed this week. Thank God for PBS programming that entertained EJ! Well, PBS and saltine crackers. EJ has become particularly fond of the crackers that sustained me and he likes to have one in each hand as he watches Dinosaur Train or Elmo's World. Needless to say, I've have found these crackers everywhere! We finally got the vacuum out last night to clean it all up...and there will be no more crackers in the bed!

In Memory

Our thoughts and prayers are with Eric's family as they mourn the loss of his step dad's mother. Ruth was a noted artist with a wonderful career in Dallas and New York. Today, many of her modern and impressionistic works grace the homes of her children and extended family. She had a master's degree from NYU and loved the city. She raised her family in Dallas but eventually returned to New York where I was fortunate to visit her with Carol in 2004. The past few years she spent in Austin to be closer to family and that's when EJ got to meet her. He loved the pool table at her retirement home and threw a fit when we had to leave. Having raised four boys, she didn't even bat an eye at his fit! Ruth was 88 years old and she was laid to rest in her beloved New York City yesterday.

Sesame Street Live

We had a super special treat tonight! Kelly, Sammi, E.J. and I went to see Sesame Street Live! Here the kids are on the way. Definitely excited to see Elmo!



The show was great. Just perfect for young ones...except that an Elmo balloon was going for $10. Needless to say, we didn't come home with one!



Lots of singing and dancing!




The "Under the Sea" scene was one of our favorites. The fish looked like they were really swimming!




The kids did great even though they stayed up late! It was super fun to have a night out with Kelly and Sammi!!