Cinco Ranch...Jazz Music = Total Relaxation

Day four: Kevin surprised us with coming in late last night from Huntsville. We definitely had a full house. The kids played with the girls this morning and continued to enjoy the tractor rides. We went to Rocket City Play Station and had a blast. Dylan went bowling and played air hockey with Gabriella. He also liked driving the car games. Lennett came over for a visit and to pick up the girls. It was great to see her.
We met Little Grandpa for Mexican food again. If we continue eating Mexican food at this rate, I will have to change my name to Garcia. Ally is quite fond of it, but Dylan told me he would really just like a hot dog. After dinner, we went to Cinco Ranch and listened to the jazz music. The kids played in the water fountains and had a great time. Despite being a July night, there was a cool, moist breeze. Such a relaxing scene...If only Maryland had anything like this, let alone in your neighborhood. I guess it is true, there really is no place like home.

Cousins, Cousins...Let's Play Play Play

Day three: There are so many things we love to do when we come to Texas. One of our favorite things is to play with our cousins Gabriella and Isabel. Thank you Darryl and Lennett for having these adorable girls, because no one else has stepped up to the plate in the baby having department other than the two of us. Jacob, we love you too, but you are so much bigger than we are that we don't get to play very often.

This morning started with both Dylan and Ally having a chance to drive the tractor with Papa. They had the time of their lives! We then went to story hour at the library. We went for story hour and had a great time until Dylan decided to meltdown. Being out of town and having all of routines thrown off can be hard, but we survived.

When we got home, Gabriella and Isabel were here with Uncle Darryl, Uncle Billy, and Uncle Scot. These kids love to play together. It is unfortunate that we live so far away because they have a great time together. We had a great lunch and then Mimi had a cooking project for us. Mimi decided that we needed banana pudding for dessert tonight so all four kids put their cooking hands together and made this delicious dish. Next time Mom, I will have to find a low fat recipe for all of us who are watching what we eat.

Papa's Tractor

Day two: If going to Texas is fabulous enough, how about getting to ride in Papa's wagon pulled behind his tractor. This morning I woke up after sleeping in until 9:00 Texas time, or 10:00 Maryland time to see my kids riding behind Papa's tractor in a wagon, with grins ear to ear. I could read both of their minds to see that they both thought, this is the life.

If this wasn't fun enough, we hit on of my favorite shopping spots, Prime Outlets on 290 to meet up with Gayla, Riley, Ryan , and Evan. I wasn't able to power shop like I normally do when my mom is around, but it was a great chance to see the boys and spend some quality time with Gayla doing what I do best..spending money (and getting good deals). It was great to see Gayla and her boys are so adorable. It was also nice to see her happily engaged and her beautiful engagement ring. We are so happy for her.

Next we were off to our next stop..to see Aunt Mary and my dad (a.k.a Little Grandpa as Dylan calls him). We combined our visit with a delicious dinner at a Mexican restaurant. This is one thing I truly miss about living in Maryland. It is not common to see Mexican restaurants and when you do find them, they are not nearly as good and they charge $10.95 for a large order of guacamole. After dinner we went to Toll House in Cinco Ranch for ice cream. It was so much fun.

Aunt Mary followed us to Mimi's house to visit with Mimi, Papa, Uncle Chuck, and of course, us. Such a fun day. We will have to rest up for our adventures on Wednesday.

St. Michaels, Maryland

On Friday, we finally made our journey across the Bay Bridge to the eastern shore of Maryland to the quaint little town of St. Michaels. Melissa and the kids invited us to be part of their Friday adventure. Hard to believe we have been here two years and we haven't been to the eastern shore, but we've had an ambitious schedule and we've yet to stop...new jobs, new house, new baby and a husband who navigates the globe as frequently as some CEOs play a game of golf. St. Michaels is a quiet town. The movie Wedding Crashers was filmed there and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld both own property there (of course, as a republican, I would know that). Not to mention, there is a Prime Outlets on the way. Now, I don't have to wait for our trips to Texas to boost the economy. The town is also known as the town who fooled the British in an important battle when the British were making their way up the Chesapeake Bay and the shipyards were preserved. We went to the Chesapeake Maritime Museum where the kids were able to climb up into one of the oldest lighthouses in Maryland and see various boats. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Ava's Pizzeria and Wine Bar. It was almost perfect, but Allyson gave us a scare as she was scarfing down her lunch. My beautiful girl is an eager eater and began choking on her lunch. Then she proceeded to take a good fall from one level of a replica of a boat to the next on the playground. They also had a great coffee house where I highly recommend the St. Michaels mocha. Dylan and Ally enjoyed hanging out with their buddies Gunnar and Phylicia and I had a great time with Melissa. It is amazing how different the eastern shore of Maryland is compared to Anne Arundel County. I loved seeing the farmland, the bay, and just a different pace of life. On the way home, we stopped and had ice cream at Maggie Moos. Hopefully we will make our way over the bridge soon to see the beaches of Delaware. Thanks Melissa for a great day!

Happy Fourth of July

Today we went to the Fourth of July parade in Annapolis. Last year we were invited by our friends and we had such a great time we decided to go again this year. We had dinner at Ram's Head tavern and it was yummy! We had great seats on Main Street for the parade. Dylan and Ally were captivated by the parade. They really enjoyed what they saw. Dylan was quite funny as the horses came by. He thought they were stinky big dogs. I know that we seriously need to take Dylan to Kinder Farm to see horses up close. He has seen them before in person and in books. After the parade, we went and ate ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. If I could not find Blue Bell ice cream, Ben and Jerry's would be my favorite. Dylan was funny. I told him that he had done such a great job at the parade, he could have any kind of ice cream he wanted. We went through the flavors and he finally told me he wanted plain ice cream with nothing on it. Not even vanilla, just white ice cream. The poor little one needs to go out for ice cream more often. We did not stay for the fireworks. Kevin was out of town and I thought it was best to get the kids home at a decent time. We really enjoyed our time out with friends. The Fourth of July parade in Annapolis is festive. It was a great night!

Summer Fun With The Slocums

Today we had a summer playdate with the Slocums. They have a small swimming pool in the backyard and a great swingset that the kids love playing on. The weather was cloudy and a cool 80 degrees. It was fun to watch Allyson try to hang with the big kids. She thinks that she is able to do anything that anyone else is able to do. Nothing is going to stop this 17 month old. Heck, she even used the potty yesterday. Dylan and Gunnar had a great time playing together. These two miss each other since they don't go to school together anymore. Thank goodness for playdates.

Melissa and I had a chance to visit and catch up with each other. I have a lot of friends, but I don't have many friends that have children that are comparable ages or that live near us. And it probably doesn't help that I am a self proclaimed workaholic that doesn't allow herself much time other than to hit the gym five days a week. It is nice to find friends that have kids that are the same age as your children. I don't know who needed the playdate more...the kids or Melissa and me. Melissa, thanks for always being so hospitable. Thanks for ALWAYS being available ever when I don't accept your help. I am so blessed to have you as a friend.

Time With Mom (Mimi)

It seems like time flies by so quickly when my mom comes to visit. It is probably because we are having such fun that the time gets away from us. Mimi comes about once a season on a regular year, or more often when there are special occasions like having a new baby. Mimi coming to see us is more exciting than having Santa Claus come to our house. Mimi also bears gifts, but she also shares her time with us and makes all of our lives easier. I can never tell who the most excited person is about her visit, probably me, but I guess it depends on who you ask. I'm sure each of us would have the same answer, me.

This visit was spent shopping, cooking, and having fun. We went to the Chesapeake Children's Museum and the kids had so much fun. Mimi made her fabulous meals and we are set for the next month. Mimi also spent time cooking with the kids. They made special cupcakes for fathers day and yummy oatmeal cookies with raisins and chocolate chips. Mimi also babysat the kids while Kevin and I went out on two dates. Mimi and I took Dylan on a lunch date after he asked me to go on a date with him.

Mimi, We enjoy your visits so much. Thank you for coming for a visit. We can't wait to see you in Texas.