Father's Day 2020

https://youtu.be/bnc4iHcVy-w

Halloween: Twenty Eighteen

 Every year our family does a themed Halloween which everyone LOVES no matter how much they pretend/complain about it. And every year it seems that we all end up taking on the personalities of our Halloween costumes. 

This year was no exception.

Aubrey was the Designated Party Pooper (there's one every year) and decided that she was "too old for this, moooom."  So she gets one picture and hardly even a mention on the blog as punishment.

Bwahaha.

Here she is as "Mal" from Descendants which no one has ever heard of, but she still looked cute even though her purple hair dye didn't work even though we tried it 3 times and ruined several towels and my entire shower.  Worth it.

And then there was.....

The INSIDE OUT Crew!!!  (If you've never seen "Inside Out", #1: You must.  #2: It's a story about a girl named Riley and the emotions that live in her head.  She has 5 main emotions (Joy, Anger, Fear, Sadness, and Disgust) and they interact and try to help Riley deal with life.  

BAILEY (Aka. JOY)

If I had to describe Bailey in one word, it would be... SWEET.  But if I had 2 words, the second would be.... JOY.

She's so joyful.  She's just happy and positive and optimistic (unless you are Cameron and you touch her babies/look at her babies/shoot her babies with Nerf guns/talk about her babies/think about her babies.)  She's always happy and makes everyone around her happy too.  Just like Joy.

CAMERON (Aka. ANGER)

Cameron is the perfect little Anger.  He has a hot temper, (but luckily we only see it 1-2 times per day) and it's pretty easy to put his fire out.  He is passionate and fierce and fiery, but also loveable, dynamic, and hilarious.  Just like Anger.  

 DISGUST (Aka Brooklyn)

Brooklyn played the part of Disgust perfectly.  Though she's always pleasant and delightful, she has hints of a teenager peeking through the cracks and finds lots of things disgusting (boys are at the top of the list, thanfully). She's also perfected the eye roll and the attitude. :)

SADNESS (Aka Ashley)

This one is a bit of a stretch, although as I think about it, I have been feeling sad lately.  Mostly about how fast my kids are growing up, how much time I don't seem to have, and how as much as I want to control the emotions of everyone around me, sadness is sometimes just part of life.  Luckily, she only comes for occasional visits and we never let her stay long. 

FEAR (Aka Luke)

This one's a stretch too since FEAR might be the one emotion Luke doesn't posses.  He's not afraid of anything except (I've been sitting at my computer trying to think of one thing he's afraid of and I got nothing.)  OH!  The Hunger Games.  He's scared of that movie.  So see - totally fits.

BING BONG (Aka Jagger)

Bing Bong is the imaginary friend of the little girl in the movie.  He's her playmate, her protector, her life-long pal.  He makes her laugh, snuggles with her, and is sometimes incredibly annoying, but we like him anyway.  I couldn't describe Jagger any better.  Except the imaginary part. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM OUR INSIDE OUT CREW!

6 Girls and 6 Things to Do When Visiting Texas

 This week I tagged along with 5 babes on a Girl's Trip to Texas.  

1 = my mom.

3 = my aunts.

1 = the funnest lady on the planet.

And here's our official guide to what to do/what not to do on a trip to Waco.

#1: ROUND TOP

If you're lucky enough to visit Texas during the first week of April or October, go to Round Top.  BUT....SKIP THE BIG RED BARN.  I know, I know, you just traveled to Texas and you want to treasure hunt, but in my experience I regretted wasting my time here.  It was cool, yes, but unless you's a millionaire, you aint buying nothin'.  Plus, it was lots of hot bodies and not a lot of AC.

(Fun fact: I almost knocked over a $19,500 crystal vase so that was super fun.)

#2: Instead of the Big Red Tent, hit the 20 mile stretch of Round Top and watch for the coolest places along the road.  

Our favorite shops were (in orderish):

1. McClarens (Swiss design and different, unique pieces)

2. The Compound (Big barns with quaint outdoor fountain and eating area)

3. Market Hill (Indoor + AC.  Enough said.  But for reals this place was cool as heck.)

4. The Arbor (great rugs, pillows, and textiles.)

5. Excess I and II (More architectural pieces and better pricing and deals.)

6. Marburger's (This is #6, because we didn't actually get to see it.  Boo.  Check the times before you go and make sure to hit it, cause it has quite the rep.)

#3: M.A.G.N.O.L.I.A.

A. Go early.  Like when it opens.

B. Hit the bakery first.  It opens an hour before the store.  Buy everything.  We each got a different item and no one was disappointed.
C. Don't rush Magnolia.  We spent some time shopping, eating, checking out the gardens, swinging, chatting, and just being there.  It's such a cool place, you won't want to rush.

#4: Old Glory Antiques

I've never declared this out loud, but someday I want to open a store. There, I said it.  And I want it to be exactly like Old Glory Antiques.  The second I walked in it was like someone had snooped in my brain and created EXACTLY the store I've dreamed of.  Like exactly.  This place is charming and quaint and classic and darling and absolute perfection.  

#5: Magnolia Table

In case you've been living under a rock and you haven't heard of this place, it's Chip Gaine's restraunt and in one word: YES.  

It's only open for breakfast and lunch, so get there early and be prepared for a 2 hr. + wait time. 

 But it's worth it.  

#6: After a long, hard day of eating, haggling, and laughing till you cry, climb into your jammies, find a good podcast (Thank you, "Dirty John") and stay up waaaaay too late.

It was the best girls' trip ever and I can't wait to do it again. 

Till next year, Texas!

Summer 2018

"The only thing more fleeting than summer

is childhood."

Summer 2018 - Our Video of Awesome

I Survived: Yellowstone

My girls recently discovered the "I Survived" books about all kinds of crazy disasters + attacks + tragedies and the people who survived them.

This is the survival story of a family who took on unicorns + boiling pools of acid + primitive beasts + ancient Volcanos + really terrifying bathrooms...
and lived to tell.


A few weeks ago we were talking as a family and one of the kids asked about volcanoes.  Luke prudently used the opportunity to explain to them that we live super close to Yellowstone, and if it exploded we would all die a horribly painful instant death.  (Thanks for that, babe.)  And then we realized that we should totally go see this super awesome natural phenomenon that can kill us at any given second (Why not, right??).  So we did.  And it was amazing. 

We started by heading to the hotel which just happened to be on the edge of this super private pristine lake that we actually found out was private property and not in fact for hotel guests.  But we made ourselves right at home and besides the part where our giant unicorn got blown out into the middle of the hypothermia-inducing lake and the kids almost drown trying to swim back to us... it was pretty freaking awesome.

After our refreshing swim in the lake we headed to the Imax for a movie and then to the Bear and Wolf Conservatory.  

We spent the night playing games on the edge of the lake, exploring washed-up boats, watching American Ninja Warrior (Aubrey has decided she'll win this show one day), taking mom and kid selfies, and falling asleep fully dressed.

In the morning, we set out for our adventure in Yellowstone.

Our first stop was Old Faithful.  We got there at the exact right moment and got to witness the glory of the earth's most beautiful fart.

It smelled like a fart.  It looked like a fart.  I'm even going to say it tasted a little like a fart.

But we liked it.

And while we're on the topic, the Old Faithful Visitor's Center had these super helpful bathroom signs and the worst part is that you know it's been a serious issue if they have to illustrate how to sit on the toilet.

After Old Faithful, we basically just walked on the trails and tried to keep our children from falling into the steaming pits of acid.

(We literally put the fear 'o satan in them and promised them that one toenail off the path would result in their instant and excruciating death.  You can award me my Parent-of-the-Year trophy whenever you're ready.  Please and thanks.)

I honestly don't know what it is about this place, but even knowing that one drop would melt my flesh off, I still kinda wanted to dive right in.

AmIright?!?

I have a theory that Yellowstone is actually a mermaid and fairy creature sanctuary and they just pretend there are flesh-eating-acid-pools so no one discovers their magical secret.

(Oooooooooooooooh - future book idea....???)

We also got to stalk a buffalo that was just chilling on the side of the road.  

Aubrey was an anxiety-ridden-panic-attacking-space-case and was positive that massive beast that was peacefully grazing in the woods was about to charge and kill. 

Oh wait, that was me.

Despite the on-and-off rain, the no-showing bears, and the total lack of acceptable bathroom facilities, 

we had THE best time surviving Yellowstone.

The End.