March 2016

3/30 - Kasey had to go back to dentist to get sealants.   Here front two top teeth have been loose for a while so they decided to pull both of them.  She looks so different but did great!

I had previously tried to motivate her to get them out so they didn't pull them at the dentist with pliers.   She told the grandmothers last night that she was a little afraid they would do that.  

3/29 - Landon had a late football game.  The boys lost, but Landon pulled a flag when on defense.

3/27 - We slept in again.  Then went to get kiddos before lunch.  Landon enjoyed church on Easter and got to see the Organ and sing Halleluiah.   We stopped at Zorbas on the way home for yummy lunch.

then we headed home for kids to do easter egg hunt and see what the Easter Bunny brought.   Just a few things.  The easter bunny left a note telling Kasey and Landon to clean up.

That afternoon we all went up to baseball field.   Greg and Landon practiced hitting.   Kasey rode her scooter.  Patch and I were getting baseballs.   Then Landon and Patch started playing a little soccer.  Patch is pretty good and keeping the ball away from the kids.

Greg headed to the last Dallas Cup game and kids and I got Torchy Tacos for dinner and chilled out at home until bedtime.

3/26 - Landon had a soccer game at 8:30am.  We got up.  Kasey and I went to Starbucks on our way to the game.  The boys didn't win and Landon had a tough time running.   We all showered and headed to lunch.  We went to Elke's for the first time in a few weeks then we went to try and find some different soccer shoes for Landon.  We somehow ended up with 3 shirts from the soccer store as well.

Then we decided on Greg's idea to go bowling.  The kids love bowling.   Both Landon and I got strikes with the red pin at top so at Splitsville that means you get a free game to play during the week :)   

From there we went home.  The boys went to get the dog some exercise.  Kasey and I stayed and did a puzzle and then started doing some hip hop.   Landon did some with us as well when they got home

got the kids packed and took them to the Grandparents.   Greg and I had early reservations at Houstons and we left late so we basically dropped the kids off.  They were ok with it.

We had a nice dinner.  Good drinks, Spinach Artichoke dip.  Greg got fish special and I got prime rib french dip that friends on facebook recommended.  Then we got a brownie and key lime pie for dessert.  Yum.

I really wanted to go see Batman vs Superman.  Greg didn't really but decided to go with me anyway.  I really enjoyed it.   Don't think Greg was thrilled

3/25 - We didn't do a whole lot.  Greg and I slept in.  Landon even slept in til 8.   We got up and went to lunch for some cheesesteak.   We came home and kids went to play with friends down the street.  Then Greg headed hout for Dallas cup and to watch US soccer with the boys.   Kids and I got dinner and watched Castle together.

Landon and I still talk about what we are thankful for during prayers and then telling a story to each other.

3/24. Started out not so fun.   Kasey came down at 5am with bad stomach ache.   Laid on the bathroom floor and ended up getting sick.  Poor thing.  She stayed home from school but ended up feeling better later in the day.  

Landon got knight of the week for the 2nd time this year.

I left a little early so Kasey and I could go see Little Mermaid musical.  We were going to go to dinner, but since she had gotten sick we weren't going to do that.   We went down.  Kasey decided that she wanted a little Mermaid doll.  We got a drink and went to sit down.  We had brought pillows for Kasey to sit on.  We both enjoyed the musical.  It was fun and good singing.   Kasey fell asleep on the way down and on the way home.

3/20 - We had another busy day.   We started with having lunch celebration for Nanny and Pops at Abuelos.   Then Landon and Greg went bird watching with cub scout den.   Then we all got dressed up.  Landon was wearing his suit with yellow colored shirt. Kasey wore her nice minnie mouse dress.

We would went to piano recital.  It was Kasey's 2nd recital and Landon's first.   They both did really well.  We were all very proud of them.  Landon has really struggling with his Harry potter piece.  But in the end he did really well.   They both had big smiles on their faces.

After we brought Greg home so he could go to Dallas Cup game.  Kids and I went to pick up dinner and some ice cream to take home and have dinner and chill out.

3/19 - Its been in the 60s and 70s for a few weeks.  Of course the morning we have an 8am baseball game it feels like its 31 degrees. Not quite baseball weather.   the team was down 6 runs and came back to tie the game.  Last inning we went up 2 runs but they were home team and came back to win.  Landon was playing catcher most of the game.  He caught a foul tip ball for an out.   Then we went to lunch at Freebirds.   We had a fun Daisy Scout meeting.  Girls took a Yoga class and then we had a meetings.  Kasey really enjoyed it and asked about taking yoga classes.   After class and meeting several girls wanted to go get yogurt so we did.  Then we went back home to get ready for Landon's football game.    during the game Landon caught a touchdown pass, 2 other passes, pulled 2 flags.  The boys won the game and had fun.

After football I took Landon to Top Golf for a friend BDay party and Kasey and I went to dinner.  We went to Patrizios and sat in the bar.  Of course the bartender was very nice to us.  He made Kasey a virgin strawberry daquiri.  We had a good dinner.   We had to pick up Landon's suit from Men's warehouse.  Then we headed home so Kasey could get to sleep . Greg was at FC Dallas game then went to pick up Landon on the way home.  With multiple activities on Sunday we decided he couldn't spend the night.   He had been arguing all week but ended up being ok to sleep in his own bed.

3/13 - We slept in a bit then went to brunch with Grammy and Gramps.  Helped them some with iphones and kids showed Grammy pictures from our trip.

We came home so kids could read and clean up some.  Landon went to play paintball and have dinner with Colin.  Kasey and I worked on reading some, I painted her toenails and she decorated my big toenails, we played Candyland and watched some more of Grease Live.  We had a fun afternoon then we went to dinner with Greg at Mi Cocina.

Tomorrow morning is going to come really early with daylight savings and a week of vacation.

3/11-12 - We didn't do a whole lot for a few days.  Some Laundry, had a few meals, and mainly hung out.  Kasey had a little bit of fever and had an upset stomach.  She still wanted to eat and play.   We had to tell a friend she couldn't come to her party Sunday just in case.  

Landon was having a hard time with his piano recital piece so we took him to Grandma's. She was able to get him to slow down some and count which we have all told him, but somehow its starting to stick.  :-)  We had lunch with Grandma and got to walk the dog a little with the ground so wet we can't let her outside on her own.

I got messages Saturday that Grammy and Gramps had gotten iphones 

3/5 - Landon played his first outdoor soccer game.  The boys won like 7 to 1.  It was an exciting game.  Landon had an assist and played pretty well.

Disneyland - Spring Break 2016 - March 6-10

Greg had the idea to go to Disneyland for Spring break based on being able to find some reasonable flights out to California.  This was about a month before spring break so we didn’t have a lot of head notice.  We decided we were going to make it a surprise for the kids.  After a little while we told them we were going somewhere but didn’t tell them where.

Last summer we went to Disney World.  There you have to book dinner reservations and basically determine your high level schedule including fast passes at various parks months in advance.  I guess it’s a good thing that this isn’t required at Disneyland.  You do fastpasses the day of, we only made 2 meal reservations and we thought we were pretty set.

We had a flow planned out for what parks to go to each day.  Then they expected some weather so that sort of went up in the air.   I’m used to having several things planned but this trip we are kind of flying by the seat of our pants.  We’ll see how it goes.

3/6 

We had an early flight to get to California.  The kids had been asking where we are going for a few weeks.   We almost gave it away a few times, but kept the secret.  Greg mentioned something about park not allowing umbrellas and kids asked if we were going to Disneyland and I smiled a little to much trying to not tell them.

At any rate.  Greg and I were up about 4:50am.  Showered and got the kids up before to long.  We left the house just after 5:30 which was the plan, though maybe a bit late.

Greg dropped kids and I off with luggage and went to park.  We checked our bags and headed into airport.  By the time we went potty we barely had time to walk to our gate and get on the plane.  We said a little prayer that our luggage would make it.   We turned luggage in with about 45 minutes to spare.

Our tickets said we were going to Orange County – kids didn’t know where that was and we woulnd’t tell them the state.  Landon figured out from magazine in plane that we were going to California.  He was thinking beach since its close to the water

On the plane lady sitting behind Landon had a medical issue – not sure what.  Sort of scary.  We had drinks on the plane.  Kasey watched a movie, Greg played Candy Crush, I read and Landon played mindcraft most of the time.

It was raining when we landed but it was supposed to clear up the rest of the day.  Greg and I talking in code decided we’d go to Disneyland today.  Its supposed to rain all day Monday.  We took a Taxi to our hotel.  Kids were looking around trying to figure out where we were.  Getting closer started seeing signs and buses for Disneyland and they figured it out.  I got a good picture of their smiles as they figured it out.

We checked into hotel, checked luggage in and walked to Disneyland.  It was basically across the street.   You walk to a center area and Disneyland is on one side, California Adventure is on the other and Downtown Disney is on the 3^rd side.

We went to Tomorrowland first and got our Fastpass Star Tours.  It was only 5-10 minute wait for Buzz light year so we all did that.  Landon, Kasey and Greg all got level 3, and I only got level 2 (it’s an electronic game where you are shooting bad guys).  Then it kind of became a competition with Greg and the kids.  Then Landon and I went to Superhero Headquarters – saw several ironman suits, other cool movie props from Ironman, Antman, Thor and we got to meet Spiderman and take a picture with him.  

We got up early Dallas time so we were hungry early.   I went to wait for fast passes for Hyperspace Moutain (you can’t get them until a certain time), and Greg and kids went to get food.  We had some really expensive not great pizza but we were having fun so its ok.

Then we went to use our Fast Passes for Star Tours.   We’d done this at Disney world and loved it but now they had some parts from the new Star Wars Movie.  To bad we couldn’t do it several times (wait is to long).  It was very cool with BB-8, Millennium Falcon, Gungan city on Naboo with some of the big sea monstors.  Also go to see Fin from Force awakens.

Next we went to Star Wars Launch Bay and to see Star Wars: Path of the Jedi.  The Path of the Jedi was a very cool 10 minute movie talking through Jedi of all the Movies.  Made all of us smile.  Launch Bay is a cool set up showing several mock ups from movies – different ships, there was an assumed full size BB-8 and the speeder that Rey drove.   Then there was an area that was decorated like the bar Mos Eisley in earlier Star Wars.  Greg got his picture by the bar.  Then the kids played some Disney infinity and we got to see and get picture with unexpected guest.  BoBo Fett – pretty cool.

From there we got in line for the Matterhorn bobsled.   Getting up closer in line people were getting pretty wet so Landon and I decided not to go.  Of course Greg and Kasey barely got wet at all.  Landon and I went to get a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.    The fastpasses were the same time as our Star Tours and the wait time was 15 minutes.  We waited for Greg and Kasey and got in line  which of course was 25 minutes by then.    Very fun ride, probably one of our favorites.  Faster roller coaster.

Kasey wanted to go on Casey Junior Train.  The boys didn’t want to so they went to compete at Buzz light year.   Kasey and I waited a lot for the little train ride.   We got to ride in the Monkey  cage which Kasey really wanted and the scenery was nice.

Then we went to use our Fastpasses at Hyperspace Mountain.  They have turned Space Mountain into Star Wars Theme.  Star Wars Music playing the whole time, slow and fast parts in the dark trying to fight bad buys.   We got done and Landon and I both said That was AWESOME!

After that we decided to go do Finding Nemo submarine.  It was a bit of a wait, but cool to see pretend underwater then mini version of Finding Nemo story.  It was cute.

By this time the kids were about done.  Landon really wanted a double Kylor Ren light saber at build your own lightsaber.  Kasey really wanted an Anna/Elsa reversible doll (after we talked her out of a $60 BB-8 purse).  So we did a little shopping.  Kasey and I walked through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.   Then we met up again.  How do you get your children to stay for the Disney Parade – buy them a toy.   I really wanted to stay and watch it and we did.  Landon thought it was really cool, and Kasey got waived to by several princesses and characters.   Each float came out with dancers in theme appropriate costumes and then character from key movies like Aladdin, Lion King, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, several princesses, Mickey Minney Donald, Pluto and Goofy.   I loved it too!  So fun.  I even saw Chip and Dale who I remember as some of first characters I met as a child at Disney.

After the parade we headed to dinner.   We settled on a Cajun place where we could sit on patio.  Good food, good weather and enjoyed it.  We even had Beignets for dessert.

Then we walked back.  Still on Dallas time the kids were in bed by about 7 (9pm Dallas time).   I went to the roof to watch fireworks which are quite loud when you are across the street from the park, but I don’t think it woke the kids up.  They delivered our breakfast food right before the fireworks.

What a fun day!  Kids were really excited and we all had fun.

3/7 

We had planned to make it an “off” day and it was supposed to rain all day.   We didn’t really sleep in but got to be lazy in our room.  We had breakfast in our room and chilled out in the morning.  

We all got showers and headed out maybe 10ish.  Tons of people getting to the park and lines to get in were long.  We walked around Downtown Disney.  We did a little shopping. I got a magnet and ornament.  Kasey got a charm bracelet and a ring (some of which she will pay for herself).  We walked all the way down going into stores here and there.  We stopped to get move tickets for afternoon showing of Zootopia movie.   Kids were already hungry considering they woke up at 5:15 and couldn’t go back to sleep.   We decided to eat lunch at ESPN Zone.  In theory there was some entertainment and food.   After we ordered, Greg took the kids upstairs to the arcade.  Not sure they played anything but walked around.

We stalled for a bit after lunch and kept walking vs going to play video games like the kids wanted.  We ended up at Disneyland Hotel to get Eggstravaganza sheets.   Kids have to look for eggs at different parts in downtown Disney.   They had fun looking and finding them.   They got them all and then got to get a Disney egg back at world of Disney store.  Kids had fun.   We had a little time so we sat and played around.  Greg was wrestling with kids some and then kept hiding the eggs where they couldn’t find them.  Lots of laughing and fun.

Then it was time to head to the movie.  Cute show.  We had a few snacks to go with our movie.  But somehow as we came out the kids were starving again.  We went to Tiki bar thinking to have a few drinks and dinner.  The kids didn’t want to so we ended up at a Mexican restaurant.   The food was good, Greg and I got to have some pretty good Sangria, and the kids got balloons made.  Landon wanted a blue lightsaber and Kasey wanted a dog so she made Pluto with a pink leash for her.  Very cute.

After that we headed back to the hotel.  Kids got ready for bed, we tried watching a movie but had issues so we just played a few games before going to bed.

We probably ate to much, but we had a fun down day.

3/8

Kids woke up a bit after 6 which was a little later.  They colored for a little while so we could rest then Greg and I got showered.  We headed out around 7:30 to go get in line for Disneyland.  Since we had 3 days of tickets we got in early today.

We headed straight to tomorrow land to ride Hyperspace Mountain again with short wait and Star Tours again.  Hyperspace Mountain was awesome, and that whole area plays Star Wars music all the time which is awesome.  In Star Tours it goes through 3 segments and they can be different each time.  Somehow both days and Disneyland we saw the exact same show.  Oh well.

Then we headed over to Adventure Land.  The Indiana Jones ride wasn’t too long of a wait so we went on the ride.   It was a fun ride, but a bit scary for the kids.  Lots of weird noises mainly.  We were in big jeeps moving around fast and bumpy.

After that Kasey and Greg went on Splash Mountain and Landon and I got fast passes and went on Big Mountain Railroad.   Kasey got to get her picture with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore and Tiger.   Greg and Kasey talked us into all going on Splash Mountain because they didn’t get to wet.  Kasey was telling us all about it all the way in line and even on the ride.  She really liked this one.  We didn’t get to wet, but Landon didn’t want to go again.

Then we went to Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  It was a slower boat ride with a few falls.  It wasn’t to bad, but we didn’t really know the stories so it was just ok.  We did get to see where we were having dinner though which was cool (its inside where the ride is which makes the atmosphere fun).

By this time both kids were starving so we stopped for lunch.  As usual not to much healthy but we had some apples, banana and apple sauce to go with our fish/chips, corn dog and nuggets J

There was a 12:30pm theater princess show.  Kasey was kind of throwing a fit, but I knew she’d like it.    We all went.  Greg and Landon ran to get 1 more Star Tour Fast pass while we waited for it to start.  They got back just in time.  The show was great.  It was Two guys telling the story of Frozen.  They had help with guy playing piano, Anna and Elsa themselves, some prop help and them being every other character.  They had a lot of humor including throwing in a few things from Star Wars and Monty Python.  We laughed a lot. Landon pretended not to like it and sat with the adults, but we caught him a few times with a big smile on his face.   Fun times!

Greg wanted to go to It’s a Small World.  The line was fairly long and outside so there was lots of complaining, but we made it through and it was pretty cool to try and figure out what countries they were.

Next we went to Mickey’s area which I think it for younger kids.  Kasey and Landon wanted to ride a little roller coaster.  We waited in line for 30+ minutes for a little 1 minute roller coaster.  It was cute and fun but not sure 30 minute waits fun.  At this point the kids are starting to get on each other’s nerves in line which is always fun for us.

Then we walked through Mickeys house but didn’t want to wait an hour to meet him.  We did however wait to see Minnie which took a while and required lots of whining from the kids (apparently).  One of the ladies there gave us a few tricks for the next day at California Adventure.

Then we tried to get some later fast passes but it didn’t work out.  Landon and I rode the Space orbiter and then we all headed to Star Tours.  We got to see a different one this time YEA!

We had 5:10 dinner reservation so we needed to get there and get off our feet.    Greg and kids went to big railway to get fastpasses for after dinner.  They got finished but the ride shut down when we went back.

Dinner was really good.  We had kinda a set menu  for you.  We had some good Cajun food, good atmosphere, and good dessert.

We tried to go back to Big Mountain to use our fast passes but it was closed.  So we went to walk some shops waiting for the line of the reserved area we had?  Once we got it all figured out it worked out well and get got good seats for the parade. 

WE got to our designated spot and hung out trying to keep the kids from driving us crazy.  Once the parade started we really enjoyed it.  Everything was lit up.  They had themes like monsters inc, Cars, several princesses including Anna/Elsa and Olaf.   Fun music, dancing, lights and fun characters.

Right after the awesome parade (Kasey was super excited to see Olaf) they started fireworks.  They had scenes on the buildings on main street where we were which was really cool.

Unfortunately the fireworks didn’t finish because there was too much wind up high.   We’ll have to try tomorrow!  After that we got through all the people we made it back to the hotel to get kids ready.

Fun Day for all!

3/9

Today we went to California Adventures.  The park opens at 9am, but you can get it to get in line before that.  We headed over about 8:30am and got in line.  First thing there you have to get in line for the fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers.  It’s the big ride in the new Cars area which looks just like Radiator Springs.   We got in line and got Fast passes for 11:05 to 12:05.   We then went into Radiator Springs and got in line for the new Luigi ride that opened 2 days earlier.  It was a bit of a wait, but cute ride.  It was cars that 2 people sat in and the cars danced as music played.  It was pretty cute and interesting to think how they made it work.

Then we decided to go to the big Roller Coaster Screamin.   It even has a loop that goes upside down.   I love roller coasters, but everyone else wasn’t to sure.   We ended up riding it twice.   I love it.  Kasey was super excited and Landon enjoyed it too.

Then we headed back to Radiator Springs to use our Fast Passes on the Racers ride.   When we got there the ride was closed and they didn’t know what time it would open back up.  We stepped into the shade and put on sunscreen.  Then we saw a family we had met the night before at Disneyland.  Kasey and their little girl got along and walked out of Buzz Light Year ride holding hands.   As the line opened back up we got in line with them.    As we got through the line we took their daughter Charlie to ride with us, and Landon went with them.  It was a little weird, but figured it would be ok.   We all met up after the ride and kids had fun hanging out for a bit.

We started going somewhere and it didn’t work out how we thought.  We ended up taking pictures with Goofy and Mickey while Greg got fast passes for Landon and I at Soarin.

Then we headed to lunch.  We had made reservations at Wine country restaurant.  We got to have some wine flights with lunch and mainly Italian food.  It was nice outside and worked out just right

After lunch, Landon and I headed to Soarin and Greg and Kasey went back to Screamin one more time.  We enjoyed the show.  It was fun to see with California landscapes.  They also had some cool pictures of older planes.  Landon and I texted a few pictures to Gramps.

Then we went to Goofy’s fly school with fastpass.  It was a little bumpy but fun.  Then we went to the big swings – one of my favorites.   Flying around.  Landon sat by Kasey so she felt more comfortable.

It was then time for snack – we went to Ghirardelli.  Kasey wanted vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.    Greg got a banana split, and Landon and I split cookie dough Sunday.  Yum!

After that I talked Kasey into going to the Frozen First time in forever show.  They basically played some of the movie showing key scenes and we all got to sing the key songs which was fun.  At the end we walked out and saw Olaf so Kasey got her picture with him.

The boys waited in a very long line for the Toy Storia Mania.  Shooting game.  Line was crazy.

Next we met the boys at a climbing activity.  It was close to daytime parade which I wanted to watch so Greg took the kids, and ended up joining to watch the parade later.

Fun parade with characters from Monsters Inc, Incredibles, Bugs life, etc,  Some of the extra dancers had really cool costumes or some had extended legs that let them jump high in the air (cool).

After that we headed back to Radiator springs.  I had heard it was fun to be there when they lit it up.  They must have just done it because they were playing the music from the movie when they  fixed everything and they were driving down the new road.  So several people were singing and dancing walking down the street.   We found a table at Flo’s diner which was great.  We could see most of the lights and they had a few times a little dance party in the middle of the street with fun music and one of the cars that messed with MAC when he ran off the road in the movie. 

We got a few drinks, then some food from different places and hung out.  Kasey enjoyed doing some dancing during the street dance party.  Then somehow Landon and Kasey started dancing together.  It was quite unusual for them, but it was fun to watch.  They were trying to make up their own moves.

About 7:30 we headed over to the area for World of Color.  With our lunch we got special tickets and they let us go up front against the fence (we might get wet there).   We made our space and started playing charades on my phone.  Several people were playing this game in line where you showed the other people in your group a word, and they had to describe it so you could guess it.  We downloaded a kids version with several categories so it was fun.  There was another family near us that started playing it too.  That helped us get through 30-45 minute wait.

The World of Color was an amazing show.  Dedicated to Walt Disney and his vision creating Mickey, the  first animated motion picture (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and creating Disneyland.   It was all on water.   Neil Patrick Harris was the narrator and they showed images from many of the movies from Disney, Star Wars and even a little Marvel.   At the end we all sang Let it Go.  It was very cool and I think we all enjoyed it.

3/10

This was our last day of this vacation.   We got up and Kasey wasn’t feeling great.  She had some juice and got dressed.   We headed across to Goofy’s Kitchen for breakfast.  It was a big buffett and we got to meet Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, and Chip and Dale.  We had a good breakfast and had fun meeting the characters.  I got a big hug from Chip when I said that Chip and Dale were the first Disney characters I met.   Fun times.

On our way back we stopped at World of Disney for a few tshirts and a 60 year pin (been 60 years since Disney opened).

It was raining in Dallas so our flight was delayed a bit.   We got packed up and took Uber to the airport.

We decided to have some lunch at the airport even though we had a huge breakfast.

On the plane things were going ok until we started our decent.  Kasey was a bit stuffy and her sinuses started hurting her really bad. She had big tears so I really think she was hurting.   There wasn’t a lot we could do, chewing gum made it worse.   Greg was holding her hand letting her squeeze hard to think about something else.  Poor thing, her tummy hurt, she had tons of sinus pressure, and had fever when we got home.

Overall we had a great little vacation to Disneyland.   I expect our next Disney experience will be after they open the new Star Wars parts of the park.

Some favorites:

Disneyland - hpyerspace mountain, splash mountain (Kasey), Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Fireworks

California Adventure - California Screamin, Radiator Springs Racers, World of Color, Soarin 

February 2016 update

2/28 - We slept in some, then when we were all taking showers the fun began. Landon't toilet overflowed while he was in the shower. There was about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of water in his bathroom, going onto carpet outside of his bathroom and it was coming from the ceiling in my closet and 1/2 bath. It was a mess. We had every towel in the house out, turning water off, etc.

We cleaned up for a while, Greg and kids got some big fans from Grandma and Pops. We both spent some time with steam vac trying to get water up. That afternoon Landon had soccer practice. After we tried to get him in cub scout uniform to see Weeblos II cross over. We got there right as they finished. Greg came home and we had early dinner watching Clue movie before football game.

Tonights Titan football game was different. The boys ended up winning 27 to 7. Landon pulled 2 flags, he caught an extra point and blocked at least 1 pass for the other team. He played some on offense and defense. The boys had fun tonight

2/27 - We got up and Landon spend some good time on his Alamo project. He basically finished it with flags, labels and roof on the cathedral. Overall I think he did a great job.

We went to lunch and then got ready for Landon's football game. The boys played hard, but got beat pretty bad. Landon's feet were hurting but he played offense most of the game.

After the game we came home so boys could change quick. Then we headed to Plano to meet the Dowdy's for dinner on Patio at Katy Trail Outpost. We had a good time chatting, eating and having a few drinks. The kids ran around and got to eat as well. Landon even said he had a ton of fun which he doesn't say to often :)

2/26 - I came home a bit early so I could buy teacher books at the book fair. Only a few teachers had their requests but we got some books. We had our last girl scout cookie booth from 4-6pm. The girls had a tough time getting through 2 hours but we made it with some snacks. Over the weekend we ended up selling or trading the rest of our cookies to other troops. Overall the girls did well.

After that Kasey and I went to get a table at Mi Cocina for dinner. The boys came to join us after first baseball practice. Then we went home to get kids to bed.

2/22 - Landon's basketball team Warhawks had a game at middle school. They played a really tough game, but ended up losing by 3 points. The boys played hard. Coach Ken had a board meeting so Greg had to coach. He did a good job.

2/21 - We worked some more on project, ate later breakfast. We went to freebirds late for lunch since Landon had his first flag football game at 4. The Titans played in Murphy. Unfortunately they lost. Landon pulled 2 flags during the game. He said he wanted to play defense more than office. He played some of both.

We went to Grimaldi's for dinner on the way home. Then we went to Paciugo for some dessert.

2/20 - We had a pretty busy day. Landon had a basketball playoff game. The boys played hard, played 2 overtimes but ended up losing. So close. They still had at least 1 more game to play in the tournament. After the game we went to have some cheesesteaks. We were going to go with all the grandparents but Greg wasn't to happy after the game. We spent a good bit of the afternoon working on Landon's Alamo project. He got several walls up on the compound so it was coming along

that night we had a girl scout event. It was world thinking day. Several troops set up booths to represent different countries like Germany, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Japan etc. At each booth they had info about the country, info about girl guides/girl scouts in that country, they had a stamp for passports, a swap for each girl and a snack from that country. The girls had fun and hopefully learned a few things. I asked several of the girls what was the most interesting thing they learned about the country. One girl told me it was interesting that one of European countries called soccer football. I informed her that the rest of the world calls it football and US is the only country that calls it soccer. Overall it was fun. We will see if the girls want to make a booth next year.

Greg and Landon went to dinner and to see Kung Fu Panda 3. After the movie they came home with Braums, but somehow I didn't get any :-(

2/19 - The 4th grade boys decided they didn't want to go to the mother son dance this year. So a few of us decided to do a mother son night. We went bowling at splitzville and had dinner. We had our own two lanes and had a good time. Landon got red pin at top a few times but didn't get a strike (if they see it and you get a strike you get a free game). There were 14 of us so we only got to play 1 game, but it was fun. Moms got to visit and have a few drinks, and boys hung out. We had fun all cheering for each other.

Greg had taken Kasey to Mi Cocina and Paciugo. So fun night for all

2/18 - Kind of a weird day. It started out with one of school teachers giving Greg and heads up that Kasey shouldn't hang out with another child in her class. Then Greg gets a call from the school saying that someone spit in Kasey's face. Greg went to have lunch with her and she seemed ok. She's only in first grade, it will be interesting as she gets older

2/15 - I slept on the couch in case Greg was really sick. Kids and I had to go get more paint and get donuts for breakfast. I took the day off since kids were off school. good thing I did since Greg wasn't feeling great. He was better in the morning but not 100%.

Kasey started wearing a bra today. She doesn't totally need one, but in a few shirts it doesn't hurt. She's been asking for a little while about this so when shopping for Valentines dresses we bought a few. She's very excited to wear them. We'll see how it goes. I hadn't really told Greg yet, wasn't sure he was ready for the news

Kasey told me I needed to tell Daddy so that night I told him. He still wasn't feeling great and when I told him he said his chest was starting to tighten. He'll be ok. Kids are growing up fast.

2/14 - Greg and I tried sleeping in some. Kasey was up making us a valentine book and card. By the time we got up and going it was a little late for breakfast. Landon came home around 9:30 and by the time we got ready it was time for lunch. We ended up going to Uncle Julios and kids got lunch but Greg and I got brunch items. We spent time working on Landon's Alamo project (including some tears, some frustration, and later some reasoning). Kasey and I watched some of Grease while the boys went to football and soccer practice. Then some more Alamo. Greg started feeling sick and ended up getting sick most of the evening. We assume food poisoning. We spent more time on Landon's project and he got to play some of his new Lego Avengers game while paint was drying and Kasey had already gone to bed.

2/13 - We got up and had cookie booth sale for Daisy Scouts. The girls did well and sole 91 boxes of cookies. Got to hear from Grammy to say hi on her birthday. After cookie sale we went to Elke's for lunch. It was Elke's birthday so her special was a chicken schnitzel sandwich. All 4 of us got it and it was really good. After lunch we came home to work on Landon's Alamo project. We cut out a lot of cardboard for walls, then got paint for the walls and ground.

Then we went to Landon's basketball game. The boys won, but it was a tough game. Fun to watch. After the game Landon went home with Colin to spend the night. We took Kasey out to dinner. Things close to home were pretty full and long waits. We headed to Pan Vino. We ate on the patio even though it was a bit chilly outside. We had a good dinner and got to spend some time with just Kasey.

2/12 - Greg and I decided to celebrate Valentines a little early. We decided to go have some Surf and Turf at Del Friscos. We decided to Uber there. We were a few minutes late, but when we got there they sat us at the same table we got engaged at. We joked that when they move to their new location that we wanted to buy the table. We had a good meal, good wine and some laughs. We finished up getting an after dinner drink and going to sit at the piano. We enjoyed some music. He played some Pink Floyd for Greg and we enjoyed the music. We took Uber home. Fun Valentine's night

2/7 - Greg and I tried to sleep in even though the kids were up at 7. We let them play some Xbox and watch 1 short show while eating breakfast. Then we had to get busy. Landon had school projects, we had to clean for housekeepers, and at least the adults needed a shower. We got through piano practice and school projects in time to head to lunch. We decided on burgers. The kids colored their own burgers while we waited. After that Landon and Greg had to pass out food for scouts flyers, go to football and soccer practice. Kasey and i cleaned up, finished her valentines, went to Target to get teacher valentines. We also picked up Pappa Murphy's pizza with Pepperoni in the shape of a football. We came home cleaned up some more. The boys got home. Kasey and I went to get some more cookies and deliver them.

Kids got showers, I did newsletter, Greg cooked pizza and then we were ready for for Super Bowl 50. Somehow we were all on our electroinics during the game, but it was still fun. Patch was even watching with us. It was nice to chill out after a long weekend.

2/6 - What a day! We got up and got ready and headed out to the Girl Scout Pinewood Derby. We left a little early so we went to our favorite donut shop to get some hot chocolate and tea. Then we headed to check Kasey in. 4 girls from my troop were competing. For girl scout pinewood derby they have wooden track that they borrow from a cub scout pack (happens to be from pack that my friend from work is in). The way they run is 2 cars at time. They have a sensor that determines the winner, then 2 dads are at the end and mark who was the winner and who was the loser. A car has to lose 3 times to be disqualified. Kasey lost 1 race and then won several others. She ended up winning the Daisy category in first place. One of my other girls Laney got 3rd place in Daisies. That meant that both of them would be in the final competition from all ages. We stayed around. Kasey and a few of the other kids got to hang out with one of the older girls which helped move the time. It was a little while. Greg had to take Landon to basketball game and left him with Grandparents. He decided to come back to see the final competition. It was first, 2nd and 3rd for Daisies, Brownies, Juniors and older girls. They started competition. Kasey lost her first race, and we figured that some of the cars might be faster. They didn't have times so we didn't really know. After Kasey's first race one of her wheels also came off. We just put it back on. Then after that she didn't lose a race and ended up winning the whole girl scout pinewood derby. Go Kasey. She was so excited and smiling from ear to ear. Greg got to see her win then had to run to get to setup of cubscout pinewood derby.

After pictures we had to head out. It was 1/2 time of Landons basketball game and they were winning. Kasey was so excited and told the Grandparents that she won it all. It was fun to watch basketball game. The boys were winning and having fun playing. I think Landon played a good game and got to play a few different positions. Go Warhawks.

After basketball Pops took Landon to Cub Scout pinewood derby and Kasey and I went to get lunch for all 4 of us. At cub scout pinewood derby it's a whole different world. They have a metal track. They also have sensors that determine first, second and 3rd and record time to at least hundredth of a second. Winning is really based on time. Cub Scouts has a great group of parents helping. The races were fun. The races were very close - some withing hundredths of seconds. Landon got 3rd place in all Weeblos (I and II) and then he got 3rd place for overall pack. It was really close. At the end Landon and Mike figured out that they were 2nd and 3rd place they hugged each other and jumped up and down. It was cute! Landon has decided that next year his goal is to beat Mike :) The first place guy will be gone next year and Landon has gotten 3rd place overall for 2 years now :)

After all that we came home, practiced piano, Kasey had bit of melt down for being tired. We chilled out a bit. Doug came over to pick up Greg, and we watched the end of the A&M basketball game - they lost. Greg and Doug went to Stars game (they lost too). The kids and I went to dinner with Grammy and Gramps to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We went to BJs which is a hit. We had good drinks, good food, and fun time hanging out together. We always enjoy family time.

Definitely a good day, but was nice to get the kids to bed and relax with a glass of wine.

2/5 - I really needed to leave work early. Somehow I ended up talking to a few people on the way out and was almost late. Greg dropped Landon off with his soccer coach then headed to the school to set up and run Cub Scout pinewood derby. I took Kasey to where her pinewood derby was to weigh her car on their scale and try it out. We started out at the wrong church, but ended up in the right place. We ran Kasey's car next to one of her daisy friends and hers won. From there on out, she was pretty excited. Then Kasey and I drove to Landon's soccer game. Love the FC Knights and the families. The kids won and had a good time doing it. They got a good picture of the team. This is their last game of the season and we aren't sure we'll be able to play again as a team.

After the game we went straight to Norton so Landon and several other team members could check their cars in for Cub Scout pinewood derby.

2/1 - Kasey woke up and made me a little note that said Happy First Day of February and Happy Valentines. The back said Be my Valentine Love Kasey. So sweet.

January 2016

1/31 - We slept in some. By the time we got up for showers etc it was about time for lunch. Somehow while resting kids got breakfast, practiced piano and read for the day.

We went to Freebirds watching some girls set up a cookie booth.

After lunch we worked on painting pinewood derby cars. Then the boys went to soccer and football practice. Kasey and I went to see my friend Marisa and her new baby Aubrey and family. Aubrey is about the size Kasey was when she was born. So little and sweet.

1/30 - We tried to sleep in some, but didn't work very well. The car dealership called at 7:30 to tell us the 4runner was ready. We got up, got ready, took Nanny's car back to Grandma and Pops, then went to get 4runner. The kids and I went to drop off cookies and went to Walgreens for a few things. We all went to lunch. After lunch I was crunching number for girl scout cookies, Greg and Landon went to practice football and Kasey was playing with her toys. Then we got ready for basketball. Landon's team had a tough game and loss, but overall I felt Landon played stronger than he had been.

Landon got to go home with Colin for dinner and some boy time. Kasey and I got to have dinner at Zorbas with Tracy and Elisabeth and then we went to Pacuigo. It was fun, but a little different without some wine. The girls had a good time at Pacuigo drawing on napkins and making a fort with kids tables and chairs.

Greg, Dave and Doug went out for boys night. They tried a new place called Knife.

1/29 - Landon had a soccer game. I barely got home in time to go with them to the game, but I made it. FC Knights won the game. It's fun, but wish we could have dinner with friends on a Friday night. Soon.

1/24 - Greg and I got to sleep in some. Went to get the kids. At my parents house we had some fun playing with Alexa (my parents Echo). Pretty cool. Then we went to get Kasey at Grandma and pops. Kasey had gone to church to sell and distribute girl scout cookies.

We got some lunch and got ready for pinewood derby workshop. We went to lucy's house to work on Kasey's car. Landon got to do some with power sander. Kasey got to help Greg use dremel tool, scroll saw, and hammer nails

At the end we took Landon to football practice, then Kasey and I rode bike/walked to practice with Patch. After practice we let Patch run in practice area - she was going crazy.

1/23 - Greg had all day scout university. He had to get up about 6 and left about 7. He left his wallet so came back for me to meet him at the front door. Of course the dog went crazy barking even though it was just Greg. Needless to say that woke up both kiddos. We all got up. I got showered as the kids played piano and got ready. There was some issue with my plan to go to starbucks for breakfast. Landon didn't want to go, then he didn't want breakfast, then he didn't want to get dressed. We discussed/argued until he got dressed and we went to get simple drink (hot chocolate for kids) and small breakfast. We got home to eat let the kids watch a show. We got ready for Landon to head to cub scouts and Kasey and I ran a few errands. Then we came home. Kasey and I started to play a game til Landon got home. We all played together. Then we decided to head to lunch. After a bit of argument we agreed on La Madeleine. We had a good lunch. In the morning the kids practiced piano, but they still needed to read. So they did. Then it was about time to get ready for soccer and packing for overnight at grandparents.

We left for basketball game with everything for overnight with grandparents. We got everything distributed. The kids went home with grandparents, I went shopping a little from Kohls, and Greg finished up university was mentioned.

We went out that evening to a friends 40th birthday party. It was fun to catch up with friends and be out with just adults. After the party a few of us went to have a drink at Mi Cocina - we had a nightcap and closed down the place.

1/22 - We had another Friday night soccer game. We had dinner at home, I got home from work and ate quick before we left. We were short a few people at the game. During the game, Sutton hit head to head with one of the boys from another team. They hit pretty hard. She was crying, but got right up ready to play. The other kid was down for a bit and walked off the field. Strong girl. She had a pretty good black eye the day after. Needless to say the kids won their game (love this team and families). It was Micah's birthday so his parents brought cupcakes for all the kids. One of 4th grad teachers Ms Wheeler also showed up to cheer on the team.

1/17 - of course kids didn't sleep in. I tried to :) We finally got up and showered so we could have lunch. After lunch Landon had a friend over. Kasey and I went selling some more girls scout cookies. Several people were home so that was good. Greg went to help with pinewood derby and kids and I hung out at the house. We ate dinner at home and just chilled.

1/16 - We tried sleeping in, but kids didn't sleep in to much. We got up and Kasey and I got started selling girl scout cookies in the neighborhood. Most people weren't home, but we still sold several. We came home so we could go to Elke's for lunch. She was making yummy burger special so we all got it. Kasey and I shared one. We went and did a little Kohls shopping to get Landon more sweatpants since he keeps tearing holes in them. After that we went to Grandma and Pops for a bit so Greg and Pops could shop for pinewood derby stuff. Landon worked on lego and Kasey played a game with Grandma while I tried to sort cookie money :)

Then we went home and I took kids to friends house. A family that used to live near us and played sports and scouts with us was visiting from Austin. The kids got to visit and so did the adults. It was fun to catch up some until we had to leave for basketball. The boys played hard and won the game. Go Warhawks. Of course the game started an hour late and we hadn't eaten yet. We settled on Spazo for family Italian dinner. Again we got kids to bed little late.

1/15 - I left the office in Shanghai at 3 to head to the airport. I couldn't get connected at the airport to tell anyone I was leaving, but I did. Almost 13 hour flight on the way back. I got to see a few good movies. I saw the Martian, Ricki and the Flash, Trainwreck, We are your Friends. When I got back a car service picked me up and took me to Landon's indoor soccer game. Our team played good and won. Fun game to watch. After the game most of the families from the team went to a burger wing place. We all ate and then they started karaoke. Landon and Kasey didn't, but several of the kids got up to sing. Landon and Kasey sang too, but from watching. At any rate, we all had a great time. Love the families from our neighborhood and school. Kids went to bed late, but it was fun.

1/11 - I was flying to China. We took the kids to school and Greg took me to the airport. Its almost a 16 hour flight to Shanghai, but its direct. I was on new plane so had lots of good movies I haven't seen, I got to see the Intern, Straight out of Compton, Magic Mike XXL and a few others. I even got some work done.

1/10 - We had a good day. We slept in some. Went to Bonnie Ruth for brunch which we always love. Then we went to do some shopping. Kids bought a few things with Christmas money and got Landon some football gloves. That afternoon the boys had flag football practice. Kasey and I walked/rode bike to the park. We played with patch on the blacktop. I had to fix bike chain for a boy out there. After I fixed it Kasey said, both of my parents are engineers - made me smile :)

Landon and I walked Patch back home. We hung out and ended up just eating left overs at home for dinner.

1/9 - Landon had a basketball game later in the day. Kasey was starving even before the game. We made it through. The boys played hard, but lost this one by a bit. After the game we went to dinner the 4 of us at Cotton Patch Cafe. We had a few laughs and all split chicken fried steak and grilled chicken with sides. It was yummy. We spurged and got chocolate cake for dessert - yum!

1/8 - Landon had a Friday night indoor soccer game. FC Nights won 4 to 0. It got a little rough at times, but kids played hard and had fun. After the game, Landon and I went to dinner at Roman Cocina for dinner. We waited for a while, but had a good dinner and enjoyed it. We had to wait a while and the kids were tired, but it was nice :)

1/4 - We had a busy day. We woke up and Landon and I decided to go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 3D. It was really cool of course. We came home and went to lunch. Then Kasey and I had girl scout meeting with her troop - we practiced selling cookies :) The boys were at basketball. After that we finally went bowling. The kids had been asking all break. We went to Splitsville, bowled a few games and had some dinner. Good times to end holiday vacation!

1/2 - The dog woke me up about 5am. I wasn't sure I could go back to sleep, but then later woke up and it was 9am. Greg had made eggs with the kids. I had a meeting with my co-leader for Daisy scouts. We met at Startbucks and did good planning for the spring. Of course the family was texting for me to come home, but they didn't like that I smelled like Starbucks. Oh well. I picked them up and we went to lunch together. The kids wanted to go bowling, but Kasey didn't have socks on. So we came home and instructed her to always wear socks with closed shoes.

Greg and I spent some time looking at some vacation options for 2016 and the kids got bored. They did spend some time playing, but mainly complaining :). Then we did some bowling in the house and made some dinner. Kids picked okra which I roasted and celery for vegetables (neither of which Greg will eat). But they went well with Greg's chicken enchiladas.  

1/1 - We all slept in. Landon slept til 8:30, Kasey slept til 9:38 and they woke us up after that. We got up and showered and decided to go to lunch out. We watched some football in the afternoon, played some Clue and Greg and I enjoyed some wine. The kids went to play outside some and Greg made his chicken enchiladas since the kids asked him to. We had enchiladas, homemade guacamole, black eyed peas and baked okra. Good dinner and good start to the new year.