Lola's Visit

On Sunday, August 28, Brent drove to Dallas for a football draft and we picked up Wendy after the kids woke up from their afternoon nap. We ate dinner at Cowboy Chicken which has the BEST chicken and the BEST mac n cheese! I know about this restaurant because it was located near the old la Madeleine office. After we ate, we stopped by Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping then headed home. On our way home, Kiki called to tell me she wanted to stop by and show me something. As we unloaded the grocery's, Kiki drove up and when she opened her door I saw Lola sitting in the car seat. Beck lit up like a Christmas tree and they had so much fun playing.

The next day, we all went to Kiki's house to hang out and play. We talked about getting in the pool but it was misting and Wendy didn't have a bathing suit so we just stayed inside. Kinsey enjoyed wearing Lola's boots...

Beck and Lola had fun playing and they really enjoyed eating cookies for lunch...

I took Wendy back home tonight since we had a play date scheduled for tomorrow with Lidia and MacKinzie.

Bloomers

After church, we immediately strip off our dressy clothes and put on our comfy clothes to enjoy our day of rest. Beck loves giving his sister lots of Beck Lovin' but sometimes she gets a bit frustrated as you can see...

We love to tell Beck that he's a Hoot because he gets so worked up and tells us that he's not a hoot then tells us that we are a hoot...it's so funny!

This is what happens when Daddy puts Kinsey's church clothes on...I never knew he put the bloomers on backwards until we got home! I can't complain because he does help get the kids ready for church in the hectic mornings.

Kinsey is obviously teething because she is always chewing on her fingers...

Silly girl!

Kids Station

On Saturday morning, August 20, we took Beck and Kinsey to a place called Kids Station located in Longview. They are open Thursday - Sunday and it only cost us $3 for both kids to play (Kinsey was free)! There are many arcade games, climbing tubes/slides and an enclosed play area for toddlers. Beck was not suppose to be in this area but nobody said anything and he enjoyed being there with Kinsey. I would say that Beck's favorite thing to do at this place is play the arcade games. He actually got some candy from one of them and he would have kept playing this one particular game if we had let him. This place is big which makes it difficult to watch both kids at the same time so I doubt I will go there alone. They had a lot of fun and it was nice for them to play in an air conditioned building versus being in this blistering hot weather!

Then, we headed to a restaurant that Brent and I have not been to since we've been together...The Butcher Shop. They have the best burgers and are well-known for their pastries/vienn items. When Neena would come up to visit us, she would always bring us treats from The Butcher Shop such as cookies, cupcakes and one time she brought an Italian Cream Cheese cake. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area!

Hiding and Sleeping

Kinsey loves Nanny's large cabinets because she's discovered that she can fit in them! Luckily, she can't shut the door behind her so I can always find her.

There's nothing sweeter than a sleeping child...she was in such a deep sleep that the flash and snap of this picture didn't wake her up!

Road Trip to Gladewater

There are many days that I look for something to do and on this particular day, I decided to drive to Gladewater since I had not been in that direction in many years. Kiki bought a few outfits for Kinsey from a cute boutique there so I thought I would try and find it...can't be that hard since Gladewater is a small town. Once I got there, I found a store that looked like might be the place but the name did not give it justice. I can't remember the name but I do remember the word "ribbons" was part of the name. After walking in this store, I realized this had to be the place because I recognized a few outfits. They had just received a shipment of a couple of Halloween outfits and a few Christmas outfits...of course I fell in love with them but didn't buy them. I also some some really cute tutu's that I want to go back and get but I'm going to Canton soon and want to see if I can find some there that are cheaper. Kinsey found a cute bench to sit on so I whipped out my camera...poor thing has a runny nose.

There was a railroad track that was located right in front of this store and while shopping, we heard the train honking his horn. Beck screamed, "TRAIN"! So, we ran out of the store and watched the train roll by while standing on the sidewalk. He was so excited that when we went back in the store, he told the lady sitting at the cash register, "I saw a BIG train!" He usually never talks to strangers so that cracked me up when he said that to her.

I would love to go back to this store!!!

Beck's Blue Chair

I know I've posted pictures of Beck and Kinsey playing in this blue chair before but it amazes me how much they love it. They both play in it almost every night! On this particular night, Kinsey played peek-a-boo with her favorite blanket...so cute! Looks like I need to put this on Kinsey's Christmas with list but what color should I get? Pink or Red?

300 Forks

Some of my friends/family have said that I'm a food snob but that's because I've worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years. I feel like I have the knowledge to be able to critique food and let me tell you that this restaurant is fantastic! 300 Forks is located off Gilmer Road (aka Highway 300) in between Gilmer and Longview. We ordered french fries for Beck since he was on an eating strike, Brent ordered a hamburger and he said it was delicious, Wes and Kath ordered the Chicken Alfredo and I ordered the Shrimp Alfredo which was so yummy that I drool every time I pass this place because I want that dish again! We all ordered lemonade and it was obviously handmade because they didn't have enough for our table and we kept having to wait for them to make more but it was SO worth it! I couldn't get enough of it...I sucked it down every time the waitress filled my glass! Most lemonades have a biter/sour taste but this version was sweet like they added honey to it. I wish I had some right now!

The patio has a relaxing feel to it which overlooks the pond with a water fountain in the middle of it.

This is Beck being silly...

Kiki bought a sucker for both kids and they both loved it!

I'm surprised they sell salsa since this is not a Mexican restaurant...doesn't fit the brand if you ask me. (I wish I could edit menus and offer advice to the local restaurants for some extra cash!)

I give this restaurant two thumbs up and I can't wait to go back! They are open four days per week and mainly during dinner hours so be sure to visit this place if you are in the area.