Basking with a Good Book

With Mason gone all day, Brody and I are having our own version of fun.

While I was cleaning Mason's room the other day, he wanted to be close to me, yet didn't want to clean (uhhh, blame him??), so here was his compromise.

He emptied the laundry basket, grabbed a few books and his blankie, and made a little "nest" for himself.

Ah, yes, he also grabbed my leopard bandana for a bit of flair.  There's NEVER a dull moment around here.  The key is for me to enjoy each of these silly, sweet moments,  rather than get so busy or irritated that I ignore these precious snippets.  For I know that I'll blink, and my two sweet boys will be horrified to have anything to do with Snoopy blankies, board books, and certainly, my clothing.  (But that's probably a good thing!!)

A WIN for the Silverhawks!

Yes, a year is a long time for a blogging "break."  I have a jillion excuses, and a few stories to accompany those excuses.  But for today, I'll jump back in with a normal update.  Excuses to follow soon.

With summer fading to fall, I'm trying desperately to check off all the "summer to-dos" on the list we assembled at the beginning of the summer.  Yesterday's activity?  Our first South Bend Silverhawks baseball game!

On SUCH a gorgeous day, a trip to the ball field almost screamed our name.  Seventy degrees, blue skies, and a slight breeze.  Aaaaah. . .a little slice of Heaven.  Thanks to Rip (as always!), we had great seats behind home plate.  Mason kept asking me to catch any home runs that came our way.  Ummmmm, okay, buddy.  Maybe I should have put "explain fair balls vs. foul balls" on our summer to-do list!!!!!

With beers and Cracker Jacks in hand, we settled in for a perfect family afternoon.

Mason was beyond excited to talk to Swoop the mascot. . .

And of course, the EVER exciting "running of the bases."  After the big Silverhawks' win, all kiddos are invited to run the bases.  Mason was OFF like a lightning bolt!

Brody Ray was a different story.  He started off strong, even making the big screen (in the way background!)

But as he rounded second base, he suddenly stopped, panicked about the tar balls in his Crocs, and refused to go further.   Rip saw this happening while I was photographing Mason crossing home plate. . .Daddy to the rescue!

What a perfect family afternoon for me and my boys.

And it's worth noting that Mason said I was "boy trapped" as I stood between him and Brody.  Yes, baby, such is my life.  I'm ALWAYS boy trapped with these three!!!

The Hoosier State

By day nine of the Great Road Trip Adventure of 2010, we were in my home state of Indiana.  It had been two years since I'd visited, and I was SO EXCITED.  And I think it's safe to say that the kiddos were excited to get out of the car!

Once we got to my parents' house, the real fun began!  "Grammie and Grandpa" were ready to play all weekend, and we had BIG plans!  First thing on the list?  A trip to Arni's, the BEST pizza joint ever, then to my dad's high school for a Friday night football game.

Next, a relaxing day swimming and playing in the pool.  To be out of the ridiculous Texas heat and instead in "normal" heat (90 instead of 105) was a great change!  I'm proud to report that Mason finally learned to swim by himself over the weekend, which was awesome!  Go, Mason!

Of course, we couldn't imagine leaving Indiana without a stop by the Frozen Custard for a fruit drink.  I'm sure that place also has delicious custard, but I can never bring myself to order anything other than a good ole' fruit drink.  Yum!  While we drank the refreshing delights, we walked around the little zoo at Columbian Park, which was free, clean, and a great way to end our day!  Although Brody Boo wasn't too thrilled about the petting zoo. . .

The last thing we HAD to do before leaving Indiana was go to Barb and Eric's.  They have been family friends for 25 years, and Barb has always been a special person to me. . .kind of like a bonus mom.  They live on a farm, so there's a ton of fun stuff for the kiddos to do there.  Eric took us all for a ride on the Ranger, and Barb made her "famous" Cowboy Cookies.  MMMMMMMmmmm.  My favorite for the last 25 years. 



At the end of our first four days in Indiana, we started thinking about leaving on our return trip.  Ugh.  We were almost two weeks into our big road trip adventure, and the next leg of the trip was all about getting back to Texas.  Via Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and then home to Dallas.  I hated the idea, and kind of dreaded returning to an empty "husband-less" home, but Mason needed to start Kindergarten, so we had to get on the road soon.  



According to the State of Tennessee. . .

According to the slogan of the State of Tennessee, the state represents "America at its Finest."  I think you'd be hard-pressed to argue with that.  We arrived here on the second day of our big road trip adventure, and here's what "they" had that we liked. . .

For one, "they have" Daddy.  AKA Mr. Rip Ray, husband and father extraordinaire.  He had been living in a corporate apartment since June while we were back in Texas. The kiddos were missing him so much by the time we arrived in Nashville, they were literally hanging over the balcony rail, waiting for him to come home from work.

"They" also have the Tennessee Titans!  And because Rip's Aunt Sharon is Jeff Fisher's assistant, the boys got to go to training camp and play around with the players and their kids on the practice field.  Fun stuff!

Because there were four of us in a little corporate apartment designed for just one person, we had to get out and about fairly often to keep ourselves sane.  So here's what else we got into during our week in Nashville:

Krispy Kreme!

family pizza night

the Williamson County Fair

the petting zoo

At the end of our week in Nashville, we were a little sad to leave Rip, but we had a plan:  one week in Indiana visiting my parents, a few days in St. Louis to see our friends The Whites, then BACK to Nashville for a long weekend before heading back to Texas in time for Mason to start Kindergarten.  Oh, how I love a good plan!









The Great Road Trip Adventure of 2010

Wow, it sure has been a long time since I've posted, but life has been CA-RAAAAAY-ZEEEEE for the last few months.  A quick summary of what's been going on:

1.  we were on vacation for 10 days

2. while we were gone, Rip got a job after being unemployed for 7 months

3. a week after returning from vacation, our house was on the market and Rip moved to TN

4. I stopped tutoring and turned my beloved business over to someone else

5. it was like 106 DAILY and I was alone with the kids in TX trying to keep the house clean for showings. OH, AND BY THE WAY, I was losing my mind in the process.

Seriously. No husband around, no adult company, no job, no childcare, no ability to take the kiddos outside because of the heat. Not a lot of fun. So I hatched a plan. . .

THE GREAT ROAD TRIP ADVENTURE OF 2010!!!!!

Since we had nothing else to do, I planned a month long road trip.  People, you have to be a little messed-up-in-the-head (if you know what I mean) to take two small children on a cross-country road trip by yourself.  But I've always been a bit wacko, so it seemed like a great idea. . .and in all honesty, it was a blast.  It was planned meticulously, so that we'd have well-timed and pre-selected places to stop, eat, use the facilities, etc.  Here's what we did on the first few days:
 

  had a picnic lunch at a lovely park in Texarkana, TX,

arrived in Little Rock, AR in time to see the famed March of the Ducks,

trashed hung out in our room at the Peabody Hotel

 stopped by our old house in Little Rock, and even managed to WALK THROUGH the house!

 

 get BACK to the Peabody in time to see the ducks one more time

and stop at the Casey Jones Railway Museum in Jackson, TN for an afternoon

I was so happy we had embarked on the insanity of the trip. . .the time I was spending with my little boys was so priceless.  Up next?  Nashville, Tennessee! 

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!"

Don't be too impressed. . .I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce that! But I DO know that it means "Let the Good Times Roll" in Louisiana-speak. (Okay, it's really French, but that's WAY outside my comfort zone.)



We GOT to EAT 'da CRAWFISH!



Our super cool neighbors, Dameian and Jerry, host a crawfish boil every spring. This is the first time we've ever been able to go, so we had to start with a little lesson. . .



Rip needed NO assistance with the nasty little buggers. He knew precisely the strategy. . .



The kiddos were more fascinated with the live crawfish than the cooked ones. . .they loved getting sticks and trying to get the crawfish to grab on with their claws. Well, all the kids but Mason. Look at the horror on his little face. . .


Admittedly, tearing the heads off crawfish isn't exactly my thing. I have a phobia of any meat "on the bone," and the full skeleton of a crawfish definitely falls into that category. So I stayed close to the table with chips, cookies, and hot dogs. Me and The Boo.



We had a great afternoon hanging out with our neighborhood friends and letting the kids run wild. I may not have loved the main course, but I absolutely loved the party!


"Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!"

Fall is in the Air

How much fun is this? A FREE event at a local nursery . . .complete with a pumpkin decorating station,

sidewalk chalk, "goo," and a flower-planting table,

and an unusually content baby.

I'd vote that's a LOT of fun for all!