The Reeds Visit Dallas

We had a great treat last week--the Reed family (sans Bryan) came to Dallas!  We had the best time having Addie and her three sweet little kiddos in the house.  It was crazy and wild, but SO much fun.  Charlie was especially thrilled with his visitors.  I don't know when I've heard him laugh so much and so hard.  It's been interesting to see how much Charlie learned from playing with these guys.  The Reed kids play really well together and have very rich imaginations.  Charlie has been pretending and playing by himself so much more since they left.  It is so cute to hear him talking to himself and giggling while he plays--he is getting lost in his pretend world!  Only negative from the visit: Charlie got huge laughs from using the word "poo poo" while the Reeds were here and as a result, it's the new favorite word.  On the day they left, I think it might have been the only word he used (I became "poo poo Mommy," if that tells you anything).  We were at our block party yesterday, and another mom came over to tell me "Your son keeps saying 'poo poo.'  He must have a dirty diaper."  Unfortunately, no.  He is just cracking himself up. :)

Here are the 5 little hooligans relaxing before bed.  Charlie is still going strong--this guy did not want to go to sleep and miss any fun!

Jack and Julia were so sweet with Evie.  She loves her doting cousins!

While the Reeds were here, we took trips to 2 different parks, the zoo, and the arboretum, and played hard at the house and in the yard.  The zoo was so much fun.  Everyone got to pick an activity, so we ended up having quite a packed, adventurous time, complete with camel rides, giraffe feedings, pony rides, a dip in the water, and a ride on the carousel (or, as Katie calls it, the "carrots wheel" :).

Here are Jack and Julia riding the camel.  They are fearless!

Charlie and I had to take a turn as well.

The kiddos also rode an elephant!

While my mom watched the other kids, Addie, Julia, and I treated ourselves to pedicures.  We had so much fun, but Julia definitely ended up with the best mani/pedi--sparkly fingernails, and pink and green toenails with tiny flowers.  So adorable!

After a trip to the park, we headed out for Mexican food.  Charlie and Katie loved the chips, queso, and salsa.  And margaritas, apparently. :) 

Evie tried rice cereal for the first time while the Reeds were visiting.  Katie and Julia were great helpers!

Can't you tell how much she loves it? ;)

Before the Reeds left, we went to the Arboretum to burn off some energy.  They have an small artists' houses that are pretty cute.  The kids loved the bridge in Monet's garden.

Evie watched them with a slightly skeptical expression.

Katie, the budding Picasso.

The kids running to check out the construction...

Poor Katie had her hands full trying to keep Charlie away from the construction workers.  I can empathize with her!

Evie and Julia really bonded on this trip.  Evie just loves Julia.  She was so good with her!

Evie also adores Jackson.  He is so sweet with babies!

We LOVED having the Reeds visit Dallas and can't wait for them to come back.  Charlie went through a mourning period after they left.  His sadness was alleviated only by the word "poop."

Earth Day 2012

If you know my brother and sister-in-law, you will know that they LOVE festivals.  I think Sam manages to find (and attend) almost every festival and street fair in the DFW area, despite having a veryverybusy resident schedule.  So when Sam and Audra invited the kids and I to join them at an Earth Day festival, we figured we would tag along and see what all the fuss was about.  Verdict?  We love festivals!  We had so much fun, and all 3 of us were completely worn out at the end of the day.  [Quick, easy bedtime = happy mommy :)]

Charlie and I are good at scouting out fun activities.  We immediately noticed the swan boats and Charlie had to give them a go.  Here's the little sailor in his trusty life jacket.

 Waiting for their swan boat to arrive...

 Evie and I watched the fun from shore.  Evie hasn't quite gotten her sea legs yet.

 There they are!

 Uh oh.  Looks like we're losing Charlie... Sam and Audra look surprisingly unconcerned.

 Aside from the swan boats, live music, and organic granola and fruit snacks, Charlie's favorite thing about the Earth Day festival was the water fountain.  He was a little timid at first, but REALLY got into it after watching a few of the bigger kids running around in the water.

 Now he's enjoying himself...

 He was SOAKED!

 Evie watched it all with a bit of a bored expression.

 When we felt that he'd had enough fun, we stripped Charlie down and enticed him into the stroller with the help of a fruit pouch.  His fancy ensemble got lots of attention on the way back to the car.

 When we got home, we relaxed and had some quiet playtime before bed.  Charlie let Evie sit on his lap while they were playing and they were so cute together.

 Sweet brother doling out kisses for the camera...

 Teaching Evie how to play...looks like trouble to me!

Charlie the Outlaw

Clint and I played "outlaws" with Charlie the other night and he was so thrilled with his exciting new game.  There was something so funny about seeing those big, sweet eyes peeking out between his hat and his bandana.  And when he yelled at Clint to "give me more money!" while waving his little fingers (his guns) around, it was just the slightest bit disturbing. :)  Charlie did not want this game to end.  When I finally took off my bandana so that we could get ready for bed, he got very agitated and insisted that I return my bandana to my "nose!" :)

Julia's Pony Party

While we were in Seguin for Easter, we got to attend Julia's 5th birthday party.  Julia LOVES horses--I think maybe as much as I did when I was little. :)  And Julia got my dream birthday party--a pony party!  There were pony rides and horse rides and it was so much fun.  Charlie loved riding, and proudly chattered all weekend about riding both the pony and the BIG horse!

Here's the proud birthday girl. 

My little cowboy...

Here's Evie with Meg.  Evie got a turn up on the horse as well, but I'm not sure if she exactly realized what she was doing. :)

Cowboy Jackson.  He is such a sweet big brother.  I think he enjoyed the party as much as Julia did!

Precious little sister, Katie (only slightly jealous of Julia getting all the attention :).

Cowboy Elec.

Charlie and his Big Piggy.

I think the Skaggs have a horse-lover in their future.  Charlotte really loved riding!

Addie had planned the cutest games for the kids.  They loved bobbing for apples...

...and the pony rides were so cute.  Jackson had to help Charlie finish the race. :)

Julia and her amazing, godfather-esque horse head cake.

And look what we found on the way home!

Thanks for including us in your wonderful party Miss Jules.  I cannot believe you are 5!