Hanging Out

Beck enjoying the iPad...

And Kinsey hanging out...This is how we spend most of our nights.

Friday Night Family Fun Night

On Friday, January 14th, we met Brian, Katherine, Ava, Lola, Jeff and Marcus (Jill was not feeling well) at Gatti Town in Frisco. We started in the theater room so the kids could enjoy watching Beauty and the Beast while we bribed them to eat. I think they enjoyed the whole experience! We gave them pizza, green beans, mac n cheese, pears, peaches, pudding and the all-time favorite kids drink...blue slushy!

It was hard keeping up with Beck and every once in a while we would run into Ava and Lola...

Then, we headed to the best part of Gatti Town...all of the games! I'm not sure why we purchase the card to play games because Beck is quite content going from game to game...he thinks he's playing but he's not.

Kinsey pretty much hung out while we chased Beck all over this place...

The train is usually outside but it was inside on this particular night. I can only assume they brought it in because of the cold weather.

At the end of the night, Ava treated herself to a Dip n Stick which turned her tongue green...

The kids had a blast and we enjoyed spending time with the family. Making memories makes me happy!

Going for a ride in the snow...

During Beck's nap, we charged the Jeep and thought it would be fun to get it out in the snow. However, it was SUPER cold the second time we played in the snow. I put a blanket over the stroller to keep Kisney warm...

It was way too cold for all of us! We took the Jeep to the green belt and quickly went back home! Hopefully, we'll get some more snow this year!

Snow!!!

The day after we toured the Cowboys stadium, we watched the news and the weatherman predicted snow and I prayed that we would get some snow! On Sunday, January 9th, we woke up to a frigid chilly day. It first started raining which turned into sleet then Texas-sized snowflakes! I was filled with joy especially since it snowed while Brent was at home to help Beck build a snowman. Approximately 5" of snow fell in Plano and we heard 10" fell in McKinney.

Beck had the best time building Frosty the Snowman!

Kinsey did not enjoy the snow as much as Beck...she was cold and hated the snow falling on her face when I laid her in it. At one time, Beck didn't mind taking pictures but he's going thru a phase where he hates it.

It was a winter wonderland outside!

Oh how Beck loved throwing snowballs! In fact, it was so cold all week long that the snow lasted for five days. Beck and I would go outside while Kinsey took her morning nap and throw snowballs. As I was plugging in the monitor by the front door, Beck threw the biggest snowball at me and yelled, "Snowballs" as it hit me! I also gave him an icicle from our roof and he stabbed Frosty several times...poor Frosty was destroyed by the second day due to Beck begging Brent to crush him.

It was almost impossible to get this kid to go inside...

Brent and Kinsey got too cold and went inside where it was really warm since we built a fire in our fireplace before we went outside to play...Kinsey enjoyed putting her face on the window!

Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour

It's hard to buy Christmas gifts for Brent so the best option is to try and find unique things. This year, I bought tickets to tour the brand new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. I was really hoping to get tickets the weekend before Super Bowl but the tickets for that Saturday, January 29th sold out in 15 minutes! So, we went on the afternoon of January 8th at 2:00pm.

When I bought these tickets, I had no idea that we would see the field after the Cotton Bowl game. As part of the tour, we were able to play on the field so we bought a small Cotton Bowl football for Beck and tossed it to each other a few times then we had fun posing! And, it was really neat to see Manuel Johnson's name in the locker room. He's one of the few football players from Gilmer, Texas to go pro. The sign in the football players bathroom cracked me up...it talked about never share a razor, always dispose a razor and never leave a razor in the bathroom.

It was really neat to see all of the details of this building...the blue specks in the tile, light fixtures shaped like a football, Jerry's own special elevator to his suite surrounded by tiny silver tile squares and all of the artwork displayed throughout the stadium.

Our tickets included a 6x8 picture standing on the 50-yard line. However, I was totally bummed that we were not standing on the big star that's usually on the 50-yard line...we stood on the Cotton Bowl logo instead. This picture was taken in the football players locker room.

I can't remember the year I tried out to hopefully become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and ironically Brent's sister tried out that very same year. I was shocked and surprised to see her in line that fateful morning. She wore a solid white jog suit and looked stunningly beautiful. It was a year or two after I moved to Dallas from College Station (around 1997?) and I was working as a manicurist at Steven Maxx Salon in Richardson. I also started modeling and the first photographer I went to claimed he knew how to cut hair. He said I would never get work with my long locks so I let him do his thing. After he was done, I looked like Uma Thurman in the Pulp Fiction movie...short bob with super short bangs! Of course I started growing it out because I hated the hair cut. I remember hearing about the try-outs and thought, "that sounds fun!" I quickly learned that you don't decide to try-out at the last minute...girls train for many years to get on the squad. Oh well, at least I can say I tried and it was something that I'll never forget. I do remember Kidd Kraddick was one of the judges and I was SO nervous. Needless to say, I didn't make it past the first cut. I seriously doubt my long locks would have made a difference but I would have felt more glamorous if I had them. After Brent and I started dating, I discovered that he was at the try-outs. Kathleen (aka Kiki) said he needed to be there to support his sister. Who would have thought that we would cross paths again many years later? Seeing the cheerleaders locker room brought back memories of my adventure.

The giant screen expands from the 20-yard line to the 20-yard line...it is incredible to see!

I absolutely love giant sofas/benches...

Memorabilia is all over the place...there's even a picture in the elevator!

Our tour guide said they normally don't allow people in the press box but for some reason we were able to see it. It had glass walls to prevent all of the loose papers the press writes on from flying on the field. Surprisingly, it was the worst seat in the house! We also sat in a suite and the tour guide said it was the worst view but we all agreed that it wasn't bad at all.

At the end of the tour, we were able to sit at the press conference table to see what it's like to be on stage and face the press. And, we saw the Cotton Bowl trophy sitting in a Tahoe as we were walking thru the hallway under the stadium.

After our tour, we ate dinner at On the Border then headed home to relieve Pops and Kiki from baby-sitting duty. They had to drive back to Gilmer since church starts at 9:00am for them this year.

Friday Family Fun Night

I really enjoy being at home with the kids but the downfall of watching kids during the week is not being able to leave the house. By the time the kids are picked up (close to 6pm), it's time for dinner, clean up, bath time, Kinsey gets one last bottle until the next morning and I'm completely wiped out to do anything else. By the end of the week, I am dying to do anything! With that being said, I told Brent that I didn't care what we did just as long as we got out of the house. It was fun getting dressed up and seeing the outside world! We ended up going to Stonebriar mall and ate dinner in the food court area. Beck's hair was CRAZY after he took off his hat! Right next to the food court is a carousel that Beck wanted to ride so he and Brent rode it twice. Once on a horse and once sitting on the carriage while Kinsey and I watched.

Kinsey is doing what Beck did when he was a baby by putting her feet on the stroller! I think that is so funny! She is wearing a Ralph Lauren outfit given to her from Pops and Kiki.

Happy New!!!

Hello 2011!

Beck is starting the year off kicking it in style wearing his new jammies...he kind of resembles Hugh Hefner.

Kinsey absolutely loves her big brother no matter what he wears.

This is something that I'm not happy about...Beck is addicted to watching movies from Netflix on the iPad. It's my goal to make Family Fun Night more than just once per week...I would be happy if Family Fun Night could be every night but I know that's not possible. Doesn't hurt to dream!