Roman Nose State Park

Last weekend we met the Myers at Roman Nose State Park.  Our kids LOVE and adore the 4 Myer girls.  Kate is William's age and they are the best of friends.  Kate's a country girl and she can hang with the boys!  We hiked and played outside while enjoying the awesome weather. 

At night, the dads played a challenging gave of Twister while the kids laughed their hearts out watching their dads fall all over the place.  We ate s'mores by the fire and pizza at the playground.  The kids frolicked in the creek and road the paddle boats.  Adeline LOVED the paddle boats.  Oh my goodness, she was shouting, "this is awesome!  I love my life jacket!" Dada had to be really careful to make sure Adeline didn't fall in the water because she was having so much fun on "the big boat."

We had such fun.  My kids are so sad when we say good-bye to the Myer girls.  William thinks they are the most fun kids on the planet.  We've already planned our next adventure!

The Baylor Bears and Sea World

Dan and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary in August.  One day Dan asked me, "What do you want for your 10 year anniversary?"  I told him, "I want to go to Hawaii."  He looked at me in shock, "You do? seriously?"  I said, "Ummm, yeah.  I tell you every year that I want to go to Hawaii for my 10 year anniversary."  Obviously, someone doesn't turn their ears on.

So here we are 10 years later and no Hawaii.  BUT, don't think for one second that our 10 years would go uncelebrated.  No sir.  We decided the most romantic way to ring in 10 years would be to drive 9 hours with 3 kids to Sea World San Antonio.  Now that's the way to PARTY! with a 6 year old, a toddler and an infant.  Shamu is jealous.

And so, the second week in October was fall break for William.  We pulled the girls out of Mother's Day Out and took a family vacation to Sea World.  I didn't take one picture of our Sea World adventure.  Shocking, I know.  But, it was pouring rain the entire day we chose to go to the park, and I was not going to mess with my camera.  So I have nothing to document our adventures with Shamu other than my little write up on the blog. 

I do, however, have pictures from our road trip!  We started the drive on Thursday evening with the goal of driving through Dallas before stopping for the night.  It worked out great.  We ended up in Hillsboro, just 30 minutes shy of Waco.  The kids woke up in the hotel room the next morning.  Adeline and William were thrilled to be on a trip and SO excited to be in a hotel.  Oh the things that thrill my little people!

We loaded up and headed for Waco on Friday morning.  We went to Baylor to see the campus and let Dan visit his Alma mater.  He had not been there in 20 years.  It was so much fun to walk the campus and listen to the excitement in his voice.  He showed us his dorm, his dorm room window, the dining hall, student center and pieces of his past.  The kids ran around the campus and William thought it was really cool to finally see Baylor in person.  He has heard Dan talk about his college but to be on Baylor soil was a real thrill for both of my boys.  William wanted a t-shirt and Adeline was hoping to see the Baylor bear who lives on the campus grounds.  We got the shirt, but the bear was off site at an event.

After soaking up Baylor and having lunch at Dan's favorite place, we loaded the car and headed for San Antonio.  3 hours later, we pulled up to the Hyatt Hill Country.  This was a great hotel.  It was small and friendly.  The amenities were perfect for our kids.  They have a lazy river, 2 pools, a beach, movies on the lawn at night, bingo, kid camp, water slides, s'mores at the fire pit, bounce house time, and a host of other fun activities.  We stayed 3 nights.  The weather was lovely and the kids spent most of their time in the water.  Even Anna had a great time on vacation.  She was a real trooper and truly LOVED her time in the swimming pools.  All the activity made her super tired by bedtime and she crashed in her crib without a problem.

We took advantage of the sunny days and chose to spend them at the hotel where the kids had so much to do.  We chose to go to Sea World on Sunday (instead of a sunny, hot Saturday) when the weather was cloudy.  The second we pulled up Sea World, the skies turned black and it started POURING down rain.  We had no umbrellas but luckily, the kids were wearing swimsuits and I had packed 4 beach towels.  I had the stroller for the girls and they huddled under the canopies.  William was a real trooper but by the time we left, he was ready for dry clothes and a heater.

We stayed at Sea World for 4 hours.  We saw 3 shows - The Pet Talent Show, The Sea Lion show and Shamu "One Ocean."  The 3 shows plus a visit to watch the dolphins pretty much took up the entire 4 hours.  Since it was raining, the amusement park rides were closed, but we didn't even care about that part.  , Our kids were not really interested in the rides, so we didn't miss out or feel disappointed that they were closed.  Adeline and William LOVED the Shamu show.  Adeline yelled, "OH MAN THIS IS AWESOME!" the entire time Shamu was leaping up out of the water.  William was really amazed at the Orca's size and how how they shot out of the water.  Both of them enjoyed seeing the dolphins up close and watching the sea lions do tricks.  Anna was along for the ride.  Bless her heart, she probably had NO idea what to make of the rain pouring down over her stroller much less the animals diving and leaping to loud music.  But, she was delightful and had fun.  I am so thankful she goes with the flow most of the time.

Monday morning we headed back to Tulsa.  It was a long 9 hour drive but the kids were good as gold.  Anna lost her mind 30 minutes before we got home and my heart hurt for her.  She was SUCH a trooper in the car and well entertained.  But the drive was too long to complete in one day for her.  We were all glad to see our driveway Monday evening! 

So that's it.  I could never have predicted 10 years ago that I would be driving to Sea World with my 3 kiddos and my husband.  I am so lucky. I am thankful for Dan.  He is the answer to my dreams.  He has given this girl every single piece of perfect over the last 10 years.  My life couldn't be anymore wonderful.  I am truly blessed and grateful that God led me to Dan.  And 10 years ago, I couldn't begin to taste the overwhelming joy that my children bring to my life.  3.  I have been given 3 little people who are the delight of my heart and the beat of my soul.  These 10 years have been a blessing and I cannot wait for the next 50.

Happy Fall 2013

William 6.5, Adeline 2.5 and Anna 1.

Anna Elizabeth Barron 12 months old professional pics

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2013

Happy Halloween 2013 from Princess Ballerina, The Army Guy and The White Bunny!

 

The kids had a great time on Halloween night.  We went to the Carter's house for dinner and game with several other families.  We went to their house last year and had a great time.  The kids run around and everyone eats dinner before hitting the streets.  This year, the Carter kids requested a piñata for the party and it was a hit with all the little people!

This year, we decided not to trick-o-treat with the group.  Dan and I weren't sure how long Anna would participate trick-o-treating, so we felt more comfortable going at our own pace.  The kids didn't care at all and so after dinner, we headed home to our own neighborhood. 

The girls climbed into the wagon and William suited up in his headlamp.  I asked for a group picture before we headed into the neighborhood, but obviously no one was interested.......


William was so excited.  He wanted to go fast and hit all the houses.  It frustrated him that we were 10 paces behind!  GET THE CANDY! GET THE CANDY!  That's the mission when you are 6! 

Anna was a champ.  She wore her bunny costume the entire night.  She rode in the wagon for a long time and then she wanted to walk.  Since it was SO dark, Dan held her hand and we only let her walk up to doors.  She was not allowed in the streets!  Everyone loved her costume and thought she was darling.  Anna paraded to about 15 houses before Dan took her home.  He said she was SO tired and fell asleep really fast.  Happy First Halloween Anna Baby!

I continued through the neighborhood with William and Adeline.  I kept the wagon with me and made Adeline ride in it since it was so dark and the street were heavy with people.  Since she was dressed like a Princess, she pretended the wagon was her chariot.  Without skipping a beat she said, "Ma'am please open my door and take me to the houses please."  Then I would say, "Ma'am, we are here now.  You can get out of your seat."  Adeline would wave her hands and put her pumpkin tote on her shoulder like a purse and say, "Thank you Ma'am.  I will be right back after I get my candy. Please wait here."  Oh my goodness, Adeline had the time of her life.  Two years old is such a fun age.  I love this phase because it is the age where life experiences begin to "click."  Adeline understood the concept of Halloween and trick-0-treating.  She embraced it completely and knew exactly what to do.  William was so sweet with her.  He held her hand and together they walked up to every single door as a team.  Adeline would proudly shout "TRICK O TREAT!" and William would tell everyone they were siblings.  I stood on the sidewalk and watched them and it was so cute because the only voices I heard say "thank you" were from my little people.  Proud moment for this mom!

William was on fire.  He was thrilled his bucket was bursting with candy and he wanted to go the distance.  Thanks to the wagon, I was able to cover a lot of ground with 2 kids riding along!  After awhile, William's feet began to hurt and he was ready to go home.  Adeline was pleased as punch with the whole night.  So, we headed home to count our loot.

I love these days....I love that my kids dress up in costumes.  I love their enthusiasm for traditions and their innocence.  I love how much fun it is to pull a 40 pound wagon of love around a dark neighborhood while wearing a headlamp and celebrating chocolate.  These are the days I will remember!  Please stay little forever kids.  That night is stamped in my heart.

Church Halloween Trunk or Treat

Kirk of the Hills hosted their annual Trunk or Treat the weekend before Halloween.  This is another opportunity for kids to trick-o-treat.  However, you walk through the church parking lot and cars have their trunks open and all decorated in a theme.  It's a great way for kids to trick-o-treat in a safe and fun environment.  Some cars go all out and provide games for the kids to play too.

 

 

Background info:  Trunk or Treat was our dress rehearsal for Halloween night.  This was the first time Adeline agreed to wear her costume in public.....she's a funny one about costumes.  Most girls are DYING to wear dress up clothes.  Adeline is hot or cold about dress up.  Some days she just cannot wait to play in the dress up area at school and other days she wants NOTHING AT ALL to do with costumes.  She isn't a shy child, but costumes can sometimes embarrass her.  So knowing this about her, I never made a big deal about her Halloween costume.  After all, she refused to wear a costume last year.  I just casually asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween and she always said, "I don't want to."  I would ask her what Anna and William should wear and the consistent answer was always, "a bunny rabbit and a dragon." I figured if Anna really dressed like a bunny, perhaps Adeline would take the bait and wear a costume too.  William was NEVER going to be a dragon.  He laughed that one off and told Adeline he was going to wear an army guy costume.  Adeline thought that sounded fantastic. 

So for the weeks leading up to Halloween, I continued to ask Adeline what she wanted to wear for a costume and I always got the same answer, "I don't want to."  My reply every single time was always, "ok, you don't have to dress up in a costume.  But, you can wear your ballet clothes because those are comfortable."  I thought worse case scenario, her "costume" could be a ballerina and her ballet uniform is something very familiar and safe for her.

Then two days before Halloween, I saw a pink ballerina/princess costume at Tuesday Morning and bought it.  So glad I did!

Flash forward to Trunk of Treat.  I showed Adeline the beautiful Princess costume I found and her eyes about fell out of her head.  "Oh mama, I go try it now?  I will try it in Adeline's room so I can see it in the mirror and I will get my sparkle shoes!"

  I was pleasantly surprised that she was delighted with the outfit.  She fully embraced the costume and she was COMPLETELY transformed the second she put it on.

I watched her from afar when she first saw herself in the mirror.  She beamed and twirled!  It was so terribly cute!  She asked me to put her in her crib, so I did.  She can see herself better if she's up high in her crib.  I left the room and watched her....I LOVE these pictures.  She had no idea I was there and she was dancing around in her bed.  The innocence of a child's imagination is magical.




Now back to Halloween.  So, we had a great time at the Trunk or Treat.  William "picked a nose" for candy and Adeline played a cute game where you feed an elephant a peanut through his trunk and then he spills out your candy via the trunk.  Adeline could have played this game a million times.  William was on fire.  He was having such a good time and made it through the parking lot trick-o-treating in record time.  Anna was a trooper. She was dressed in her precious bunny costume and never once made a peep about the hat.  She was too busy watching all the people to notice she was dressed up!

As we were leaving, Adeline saw the pony rides.  I specifically avoided the pony area when we first arrived because the line was SO LONG.  But we had to walk by on our way back to the car and that is when Adeline shouted, "Oh I want to ride!  I want to ride the pony, PLEEEEEAAAASEEE!"  Suckers.  I stood in the line (which by then was short) and Dan took William and Anna back to the car.  Adeline was so eager.  She could barely wait her turn for the pony ride.  When we finally had our chance, she chose a pretty little fellow named Thunder.  Adeline climbed on Thunder and patted his mane.  She said, "Mama, this is a sweet little horsey.  Isn't he cute?"  She rode Thunder in a circle 6 times while I walked along beside her.  Oh my goodness, the Princess and her Pony!  Adeline loved it.  She didn't want to get off.  She begged and begged to ride Thunder again but I had to say no.  The line wasn't moving that fast and the family was waiting for us.  Adeline understood and waved to Thunder on our way out.  She blew him a kiss and said, "I see you tomorrow Thunder!"

We had a great time and needless to say, we had 3 tired little tricksters when we got home!