Crazy, busy times!

It has been the most crazy 2 weeks. With TAKS testing in the state of Texas, everything else seems to stop - at least if you work in public schools. The boys' schedule did not slow down, so I was trying to juggle all that they do with all that I needed to do. My hat is truly off to those of you who do this all the time. Wow! Here is a conversation with sweet Lu and B that will give you an idea of how it was going:

Lu (in a very angry voice): Mom, it is ridiculous that my Taylor jersey is not clean. It has been in my basket at least 3 days - why hasn't it gotten washed??

B (in a much gentler voice): Um, mom, um...I only have 2 clean pair of shots left so if you don't mind, could you please do some laundry and wash some shorts. I checked the driver this morning and there weren't any in there either...

Lesson learned: my kids are spoiled rotten and like having me around - which actually made me feel really good!

We did have an amazing Saturday as we went to an Aggie Baseball game. The #5 (ranked in the country) Aggies finished out a 3 game series by beating Dallas Baptist 3-2. After the game the players did a clinic for some kids and we got to go. It was so fun. They divided the boys by age group and then rotated them through a series of drills. The players and coaches were so nice! I was amazed at how engaging they were with the boys. They really took their time and offered them pointers in a way that showed true care. They are an overall awesome team and I am proud they are representing the Aggies! Here are some pictures from our fun!

The boys with #44 - first baseman and really tall guy - Luke Anders. They were waiting to get his autograph!

Lu playing pitcher and having a great conversation with one of the Aggie players.

Lu waiting to bat - and when he hit it, it was a good one!

B doing one of the drills where you catch the ball and then throw it into a bucket that was against the fence.

He made a great play and was very happy!

Finally, the party...

Lu is blessed to have some really amazing friends! 8 of the very best ones showed up for his party! There were some wild and woolly moments as we waited in a small room with 10 boys for the pizza to show up. The ways in which they entertained themselves was interesting to say the least...however, we survived and had a lot of fun in the process!

Lu and ZacAttack! They have known each other since birth and are in the same class this year - FUN!!!

Glow-in-the-dark mini golf was a blast - and the pictures turned out really cool as well!

Presents! Of course, one of the best parts!

At the end of the day - trying to get a good picture with Grandma Bitsy!

Notice the fabulous new landscaping as they pose with Mimi and Papa!!

Great weekend - Great party - Great family!!
Happy Birthday Lu - we love you so much!

More birthday fun!

So all the grandparents arrived to watch the boys play ball. The game was good, but we did not come away with a win!

Fortunately we played against one of our best friend's team and had a great time! Add in the popcorn and snow cones and everyone is a winner!


The grandparents had a great time watching the boys play!

Happy Birthday Lu!

My precious baby turned 7 on April 15th - what an amazing 7 years it has been. I am so proud of the young man he is turning into! He is certainly the life of our family and feels all emotions very strongly!!

The day of his birthday was crazy busy! He got a cool new basketball goal from me and G


and a surprise visit from Papa!


He also had a baseball game to play in and then we went and watched the Aggies play - whoop! It was a great day, but the real celebration will be this weekend when all grandparents arrive and we have the party with friends. More to come...

The best surprise of all...

was the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. What an amazing experience we had! This hotel has it all and there is no reason to ever leave. As one of the boys said, "This is the best vacation we have ever had!" (I was slightly offended by this as I feel like they have been on some really fun vacations, but...)

We checked in early and headed straight to the indoor water park were we spent about 5 hours exploring, playing, and having a great time! We ate dinner and explored the hotel that evening in a quest to become a Magi! Then the next day we did it all over again. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend filled with family and fun!




This giant bucket dumps about 1,000 gallons of water every few minutes!

Needless to say, that was on of B's favorite things in the entire park!

The wave pool was another favorite as the boys thought they were back at the beach!

Dallas, Part II

So, Lu's birthday is coming up and he wanted to have his party at Texas Stadium with the Dallas Cowboys. We told him that would not be possible. He insisted it was possible and I should have listened to him! Uncle Clark was just going to do a drive by of Texas stadium as he was being the best tour guide ever - but it turned out there was an event going on so we did get to go in and look around and even wonder onto the field. Wow! I wish I would have had some cupcakes for Lu - we could have sang happy birthday and called it a day! We had to drag him out...even though our most fun adventure was still to come!

Dallas

The boys showing off the rocks that Uncle Clark gave them. He has an amazing collection of stones that he uses to make rings and belt buckles. The boys were each allowed to pick an individual stone and a belt buckle!

Going to a cattle drive in down-town Dallas! In the old Dallas cemetery - right in the heart of downtown - there are bronze sculptures - bigger than life - depicting a cattle drive. The boys (and us) were amazed!


So we spent the weekend in Dallas with family and had a great time! My Uncle Clark was the perfect tour guide as we went to eat in down town at this fabulous Mexican food place and then went exploring! It was the great beginning to a fabulous adventure...I will post the rest ASAP!! In the meantime I have to get ready for my company that is a-coming!