Brazos Bend State Park

It's exciting that our big kids are now getting old enough that we can plan a day that includes a bit of walking, so we decided to venture outside of our normal spots and enjoy one of Texas's many state parks. 

Brazos Bend State Park is approximately 50 miles southwest of the city of Houston. This makes it an hour and a half drive from us - this hour and a half is so packed full of mega-highways that you can barely believe that the trip will end in a park. But it does. And it's awesome!

There are miles and miles of hiking trails to explore, we opted to stay on the paved path for the sake of our stroller. The park is jam packed with wildlife; birds, deer, woodland animals and...... alligators!! We saw some in the water at a distance, but we were able to get up close and personal at the nature center. The people working in the nature center were knowledgeable and patient, and there were all kinds of nature exhibit items. Both Gretchen and Alex got to hold a baby alligator! 

We saw a hummingbird nest, the bones of alligators from the park, all kinds of plant and vegetation information and a big ol' snake! These brave chicos had lots of hands-on experience with reptiles during this visit!

This was a great day trip for a beautiful spring day in Houston. Someday we'll come back with bikes and and tent to experience the full glory of Brazos Bend!

Ted & Kyra Get Married!

We waited years and years for Ted to marry the woman of his dreams - and when it happened, once again, we had a little baby. This time, we were not traveling from an international location, but we were headed to an international location. Graham enjoyed his first trip outside of the US to Cancun, Mexico to watch his uncle get married. 

The destination didn't disappoint! This lovely resort was all for wedding VIPs, and we were given a cabana all our own. Graham didn't hesitate to sleep in his own crib, though he didn't do it often. He was much more interested in hanging out with family on the beach than sleeping through the night - or any of that baby stuff.

But what a sweet little non-sleeper he is

The wedding was executed to perfection, we were made to feel like royalty and fed like kings. The tuna ceviche from this resort was one of the most memorable dishes of my life.

I had not one, but TWO handsome wedding dates. Both dapper, blue eyed hunks who could party all night long.

The couple of honor - who made it all possible - Mr. & Mrs. Ted Gill

Weddings should happen all the time - they are so much fun!

Christmas 2016

We have been spoiled by the incredibly mild winters we experience in Houston. This, coupled with the joy of waking up in our own home on Christmas morning and having a brand new baby kept us home this Christmas. Though we missed celebrating with family, our community makes sure that there are plenty of celebrations to attend. 

First things first, we need to assemble and decorate the tree. I adore our very fake, pre-lit, tall and full tree from Costco. It assembles in minutes and is incredibly easy to fluff up with ornaments.

We attended many Christmas events. And took lots of photo booth pictures. 

Graham's first visit to Daddy's office was a fun holiday excursion. He didn't get to eat at the cafeteria, or put his food tray on the fun conveyor belt into the dish room, but he was a hit with all of Jon's coworkers. We even got to see the cool specialty Christmas trees that ExxonMobil puts up each year. 

Gretchen and Alex both had the same favorite Christmas tree: LEGOS!!

The adventure of an office-visit lunch was exhausting

Our neighborhood is another source of holiday cheer, we made gingerbread houses!!!

And visited Santa! we didn't even have to wait in line at the mall - he comes to our local grocery store!

Three little monkeys ready for bed

And the littlest monkey doesn't want to sleep at all

We are thankful for friends who become family when we need each other most. Happy Christmas Eve!

And thankful for the restaurants who save us from cooking on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!!

Family of 5 Acclimation

It did not take us long to realize that the biggest adjustment to being a family of five is how little down time we have. We had lots of visitors after Graham was born, however we have very little photographic evidence of any of these visits.

We did get to the pediatrician to make sure this little nugget was as healthy and perfect as we believed him to be. He was. This child is a healthy, solid, alert little guy with a strong set of pipes and a determination that I didn't think a one-month-old could possess.

Sometimes, he sleeps. Not often, but sometimes.

And sometimes you get that perfect moment of combined exhaustion

I thank goodness for cell phone cameras during these times. I'm not sure we would have any pictures of infant Graham without them!

His first little smile face, staring right at Gran

His smooshy little cheeks are irresistible, and there are teeny baby traits that I notice and appreciate so much more as our older kids grow out of them. The small, directionless hands of a baby, not quite sure where to go or how exactly to use them is fun to watch and remember from our no-longer babies.

Gretchen and Alex are adjusting to their new life too. They do their best at being helpful with an infant, bringing their guys to help make Graham comfortable and giving a little extra umph to the bouncy chair when he gets bored. 

There is a balance between letting the kids be "helpful" and asking them to just leave the baby alone that is different this time around. Perhaps it's just the beginnings of being unable to control the movements of three little ones at once. It has taken some adjustment time for this Type-A personality.

Watching a mini-person start to figure it out will always be an amazing thing. Watching his eyes focus increasingly far away and starting to move his little limbs with more purpose is a welcome respite from the exhausting nights and chaotic-feeling days. Make no mistake about it, 3 kids is a test of all of our time and patience. 

We adore him, even if he doesn't want to match jammies

Halloween 2016

Halloween is always an exciting time of year, especially with children, es-super-specially with a new baby in the house! 

Gretchen is giving baby Graham some pre-Halloween snuggles

And with that new baby in the house, we were not focused on costumes for the big kids - which is where Costco come to save the day (again!). We rolled into Halloween with an adorable Rainbow Dash (who is a My Little Pony character, which is back from the graveyard of 1980s cartoons) and small, super-buff Batman. They pull off these looks pretty perfectly! 

As with most holidays, there were many Halloween celebrations to be had. The first was the Halloween parade at Alex's preschool. A great event that is as cute as it is hysterical as you watch these tiny people get dressed up, parade around the common room at school, and (about 50% of the time) burst into tears and hysteria at the notion of NOT going home with their parents at the conclusion of the parade. 

Batman played it cool. 

These teacher are saints! So many screamers and she's sporting a 10-point-smile!

And then, there's the main course of Halloween, and our neighborhood makes it a really great night! Here is the (almost) full Trick-or-Treating crew of our little neighborhood. 

For the 3rd Halloween in a row, we were happy to have our friends, James, Lauren and their son join us for the festivities. This super-family fit right into the theme!

I adore these women and the neighborhood that brought us together

Our neighborhood mom-crew!! They make bus stop fun, we save each other in virtually any kind of pinch and some are cool enough to even get dressed up for Halloween! But not me. Having a newborn means that I wear my baby wrap as an accessory but don't have any kind of time to think of a costume. Someday....

So here we are - a family of 5, out enjoying the beautiful, warm weather Octobers that Texas promises us, and swatting mosquitos off of our brand new infant. Happy Halloween!!!