Girls Getaway

3 of us girls got to get away in late October to visit our good friend Tracy who moved to North Carolina. We had such a fantastic time! Thanks for hosting us, Tracy. It was so good be together, relax, catch up, and be girly. Thanks to our guys for letting us steal away for a few days....yall rock!

Dinner out our first night....the weather was amazing so we frequented the patio at the restaurants we visited.

Amy and I

Kara and Amy

Tracy and I

This was our last night....we found this fun little Mexican place that had live music on the patio. This guy was so good....we had to take our picture with him before we left. It was one of those magical kind of nights where everything is just perfect....

Loving on my Hayley before we left...

Such fun....good memories....great friends!

One decade old...

Logan has officially entered the world of "double digits". He'd been waiting for this auspicious birthday for some time now....and was so excited at the end of October when it finally arrived. Luke and I had really been talking it up for awhile...how this was one of the first milestones in becoming a man. Well, needless to say....he was pumped! On his birthday eve, I took him out on a mom-son date, and we had a ball. I told him it was only fitting to celebrate his big day on the day I was supposed to deliver him....but instead spent those 23 hours in labor, and had him at 6am the next morning. We both laughed and thought it was the perfect night to celebrate. (Plus I was going on a girls weekend on his actual birthday and didn't want for him to feel slighted. :) Worked out great!) Our date was his choice....dinner at Mi Cocina with a whole combination fajita nacho plate for just him...and Sprite to drink of course. Then off to Adventure Landing where we raced Go-Karts and played Putt-putt. Lastly to the Lego Store to buy some long-awaited Lego men. And on the way home, a drive-thru stop for a chocolate shake to share. I honestly can't remember a recent time when it was just the two of us....we had a total blast! Logan is just plain fun to hang out with. He has grown into a confident, determined young man, who still has a very tender side. I love that he can be athletic and "all boy" too, but has a sensitive side that is always striving to do what's right, to protect and look out for the weaker ones, and is truthful to a fault almost. He always wants good to prevail and can't understand why someone would want to do wrong. He wants everyone to know Jesus and talks often about "being salt and light to others". He still gives me big hugs, but turns his face when I go to kiss him so that my kisses now land on his cheek. :( He is growing up....but it's good. It's what is supposed to be happening....and I'm choosing to embrace it. I love you, Logan. Happy Double Digits!

Big 10 breakfast cinnamon rolls...

Luke got to take Logan out to the land on his actual birthday to spend some good guy time together. He gave Logan his first real pocket knife....and told him that he has earned the right and status to keep it in a special place and use it on his own....with discretion. He felt so big!!

He was well-celebrated that weekend! After my date with him and Luke's time with him, Boo took him to a movie and dinner....Leonard and Liz took him to Medieval Times... Good stuff.

The following weekend, he wanted to have 6 of his good guy friends over to celebrate. We basically had pizza and cupcakes...and these 7 boys ran non-stop round and round our house til their parents came to get them 2 hours later. Hilarious.

His cousin Peter, Jackson, Max, John, Logan, John, and Daniel

Silly.

Even sillier with Luke jumping in on the fun.

Birthday hug from Max. What a great time you guys had!

Big Blue Birthday Bash

Tag turned three this past October. He got to watch both of his sisters have birthdays in August and knew that "his was next". He must have asked us everyday from August until October 15th, "Is it my birthday yet?" He is such a fun little guy. When I think of the joy he's added to our family, I can't believe there was ever even a debate between Luke and I as to whether we should have a 4th. I'm so glad God saw fit to put this little man in our family! Tag is "all boy"- rough and tumble, likes to shoot guns and fight with swords, light sabers, and anything else he can swing around and make boy noises with. He loves to race cars, ride his scooter, his new bike that he got for his birthday, throw the football, baseball, frisbee. But he also loves to snuggle, sit in my lap, have me read him books and tell him stories. Underneath all that rough and tumble, he is still a mama's boy. And I am so glad! They grow up too quick. So I'll take the rough-housing anyday....cause I know in return I get "big smackers". :) Happy 3rd Birthday, Tag Wyatt!

Tag at the donut store on his birthday morning. Daddy had to work, so instead of our traditional birthday cinnamon rolls, we did donuts for breakfast....and waited on Daddy to have the cinnamon rolls at dinner! He loved having a candle in his chocolate donut. :)

Tag got that blue birthday crown at preschool the day before. And he wore that thing non-stop for the next week! He loved being the birthday boy. And WOW....notice Logan's short hair??? After a couple years of long locks, he finally got sick of it and asked Luke to whack it off. I think it was getting hot under that football helmet. :) Cute either way....

Luke and I with Tag at his "Blue Birthday Bash". He wanted everything blue for his big party. So we asked all our guests to wear blue! And of course we had blue cupcakes, blue ice cream, drank blue gatorade, decorated with blue balloons and streamers, jumped in a blue bounce house (well that was just coincidental....but hey!)....you get the picture. It was a lot of fun.

"I'm three! I've gotta figure out how to hold this third finger up there. That's tricky..."

Tag and Luke found this bike at WalMart on one of their many grocery runs together months ago. He never stopped talking about the "black and orange bike that I want for my birthday". So Luke snuck back and got it a few weeks ago. He can already ride it really well!

Thanks Daddy!

Love my Sweet T!

Finn, Jes, Nat, and Caroline- all in beautiful shades of blue.

Grandad and Faith Anna

Princess Claire....who also had on blue. But who can blame a girl for wanting to get gussied up in pink tulle and high heels??

Playing with his new racetrack from Granny Boo and Papa Dude

Peter and Logan...best buds.

Here is our new friend Jin and her husband Sang. We were delighted to have them at Tag's party. We loved introducing them to our family....and to an American birthday party!

The cupcakes turned out great. Yummy blue frosting....thanks for the recipe Mary Jane!

Gotta lick the candles.....

Bouncing with Claire

Cute boy! Love you forever....

Fall Fun!

Logan really enjoyed playing his first season of tackle football this fall. He played on the Mustangs team....and here on the home gameroom team with Tag. :)

Then Tag had his turn wearing Logan's pads and helmet. There's something about all that gear that sure fires up a boy!

Bathing beauties. This is a common, almost nightly, sight in our bathtub. Cutie girls.

I had really been wanting to capture Tag's "morning hair"....so one morning, I just grabbed my camera and went for it. Isn't he cute??

Love that boy. Morning hair, big dimples, belly poking out, batman muscles in effect. What more could you want?

My bigs walked downstairs in all this garb the other day. They had been rehearsing a skit and got all dressed up to perform it for me. I love the silliness! It's so much fun.

Happy Fall!

Big Tex and Jin

Fall brought a trip to see Big Tex! The State Fair has become one of our family's favorite annual outings. This year we had a party of 8....joining us were Logan's best buddy, Max, and our newly adopted International Friendship Partner, Jin, from South Korea. We had a great time!

At the top of the Texas Star...

Jin and Faith Anna. We met Jin and her husband, Sang, just the day before at UTD's International Friendship Partner matching program. Several local churches partner with UTD to match these students with an American family while they are here studying. Sang is in the Electrical Engineering Ph.D. program, so he is busy studying and teaching every day. Jin signed up for a family so that she could meet new friends and learn the American culture while Sang is busy at school. We have so enjoyed getting to know them both!

Log ride

Tag loved the blue airplane...

Faith Anna did not like the Mousetrap roller coaster...

...but she loved the swings. So did Beth!

Daddy and Tag....ice cream at the Bird Show.

Max and Logan

Jin and the ladies

Until next year!