Rainy Saturday Happenings

It was such a rainy, lazy Saturday in our neck of the woods today.  Our friend, Mike, is visiting this weekend.  It's his birthday, so he and Jon planned a pretty busy Ranger weekend, but the rain threw a kink in today's baseball plan, and the game is rescheduled for tomorrow.  And Baylor lost, so that was kind of sad.  It was a good thing we had two birthdays celebrations also on the schedule, our Baylor Bears played a strong game, and we had yummy, dude-approved appetizers to munch on while the boys were watching football.

Let's Celebrate Mike!

Let's Celebrate Lola!
Ellery ate each layer of frosting, and left the cake.  Smart little gal!

 

And here's the recipe for one of my favorite meaty appetizers.  I'm almost embarrassed to post it because it's so bad, but by bad, I also mean soooo good.  I didn't add the crushed pineapple, and the boys did not complain.

Queen of the "Punky Pash"

Marin loved playing in the pumpkin patch, or as she says, "punky pash," on Saturday.  Can't you tell just by looking at these pictures that she was born to climb on pumpkins???

Arboretum, Part 2: Chihuly

Besides the pumpkins, our other reason for visiting the Dallas Arboretum on Saturday was to view the Chihuly instillation.  Nestled among the plants and flowers, it was beautiful!

Arboretum, Part 1: Pumpkins

Hey, Dallas!  Anybody realize that yesterday was the first day of Fall?  Just checking, since the temps reached the high 90's, but that did not stop us from trying to get our Autumn-on at the Dallas Arboretum's pumpkin patch.  It was another stunning harvest display.  Gotta love pumpkin pictures with the girls wearing tank tops and shorts.  We definitely live in Texas!

Early Morning Balloon Surprise

This morning my alarm rang hours before the sun was up, and Liam, thinking it was time to come visit Mama and Daddy's bed for some early morning sleepy cuddles, was surprised to find me up and getting ready.
 "Ready for a surprise?"
"What surprise, Mama?  Chuck E. Cheese?"
"Not Chuck E. Cheese.  Guess again."
"The pumpkin patch?"
"That's later today with Daddy and your sisters."
His third guess was correct.
"The balloon festival?"
Last night while we were watching the news before dinner, a segment about the Plano Balloon Festival aired, and Liam remembered going last year and mentioned that he wanted to go again this year.  And that's when my surprise plan started to brew and take shape.
So that's why we were pulling out of the driveway at 5:15 this morning.  It was totally worth a few less hours of sleep to see how excited Liam was as we entered the gates and saw the glowing, inflated colorful sacks, heard the clapping crowd, and smelled the flames.
It was dark as the first balloons began to glow, and before we knew it, twenty or so joined them.  As the sun rose, so did the balloons.  Over a breakfast consisting of funnel cakes, dippin' dots, and strong coffee (for me), we watched as they floated away.
I believe a new tradition has begun.

Ellery on Day 829

She's our sweet little lady.

The one who finds circles and stars in pictures and calls trains "chuys,"

Who gets excited about eating blueberry yogurt and taking bubble baths,

The animal lover who sits perfectly still when Daddy cuts her nails and Mama brushes her hair,

Who chews on plastic ponytail holders and wears Texas-sized cowboy hats,

Hops to the music of the Fresh Beat Band,

Eagerly picks up toys and takes care of all her favorite possessions,

Smiles for the camera, gives sweet goodbye kisses and warm hello hugs,

And cuddles each larger-than-life character and every stuffed animal she finds.

Our precious Ellery Kate.

 

 

Fall (or Foul) Ball

Every Tuesday and/or Thursday night(s) the Sneeky Kleets are back at it...

 And whether they're playing in the dirt, running after the ball, high-fiving friends, climbing the fence in the dugout, or swinging the bat...

Liam is having lots of fun, and that's what's important.

Yummy Hot Fudge

We had a sick Marin this weekend.  And it was cloudy and rainy.  And we had to clean the house.  And we were pretty exhausted.  And there was also a mountain of laundry to tackle.  But ice cream sundaes always make things better, especially with homemade hot fudge!

 

Totally Yummy and Simple Hot Fudge Sauce

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

Melt butter.  Add sugar and cocoa.  Slowly add the evaporated milk, and mix thoroughly.  (Or you can just dump it all in at the same time, like I usually do).  Boil for 1 minute.  If it doesn't boil, the fudge is grainy--lesson learn!  Add the vanilla.  Let cool a little before pouring over ice cream.  SIMPLE and YUMMY! 

Morning Routine

We're getting back into the swing of this early morning thing that we are required to do nine months out of the year.  It is getting easier as the kids get older.  And by October, we should have it perfected.  So, here's a peek at a typical Bushwar morning...

 

Mama and Daddy are up and (mostly) ready, and breakfast is waiting at the table as the kiddos wake up at 6:30.

This morning we had yogurt and French toast sticks.

Mama does hair while the girls are eating and strapped in their chairs. :)   Marin does NOT like this part.  Sorry, baby.

Liam's ready.  It's picture day at school, so he's sporting a new shirt.  Like all good parents, we let the kid watch a little T.V. as they eat their breakfast.

Marin and Liam are the first to get dressed.  Marin loves putting on her shoes all by herself.

Ellery loves a leisurely breakfast, but we have to cut her off after 30 minutes.  Time to get dressed, little girl!

It's hugs all around as the girls get ready to go with Daddy.

 

And they're off to Ms. Brenda's and school on this rainy Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Liam is getting of his stuff together. It' show and tell  AND picture day!  He's pretty proud of his binder, which includes his behavior calendar, homework, Bible verses to memorize, and parent/teacher communication.  He loves going to school, and tells us all the time how happy he is.  That sure makes dropping him off easier for Mama.

Here's my desk at school.  Made it to work on time, but just barely, because I stopped to grab an iced coffee to celebrate making it through the week, all the way to Friday.  Hooray!