The Bush Center
It was so much fun to visit The Bush Center this Christmas and see where Uncle Andrew spends his days! We met some of his colleagues, saw his office, and toured both the Holiday exhibit and the main part of the museum. We saw Mrs. Bush's favorite storybooks under the tree (many of which we have, too!), took a picture of Sam sitting at the President's desk in the Oval Office, and found Freedom the Elf hiding in Mrs. Bush's education exhibit. He was a sneaky little elf!
Wait...which lady is Laura Bush? The one in the green or the one in the red? I can't tell!
Gram and Sam had to have a picture in front of the characters of one of their favorite stories, Frog and Toad. I think one of the Billy Goats Gruff photobombed their picture!
There's Freedom the Elf on top of a Library poster. Gotcha!
A Very Hungry Caterpillar for the Bushes, signed by Eric Carle.
Pops took Sam through the 9-11 exhibit. Very powerful.
There's President Straka, hard at work! He said when he's President he would like Uncle Andrew to come work for him! I'd like to see that, too!
Fantastic museum, beautiful center. I can't wait to take Brian through sometime, just the two of us. Thanks Andrew for the experience!
Spritz
Our annual Spritz-making party with Gram went much more smoothly this year with her new cookie-press. Sam helped Gram press the cookies and Evie was in charge of adding sprinkles to the cookies. And the table. And the floors. And her foots.
For me, it isn't the Christmas season until I taste my first Spritz. Happy Holidays!
Denton Square at Night!
After we picked out our Christmas tree this year and got it all set up at home, we headed out to downtown Denton for our favorite pizza and a walk around the square to see the Christmas lights. Our kids sure do love the courthouse steps!
Evie at Three & The Two of Them Together
The kids and I went to Erwin Park for our annual birthday pictures of Evie, but so many of the pictures I took are of Sam and her together, as was the case last year, too. Sam is a really good Evie-wrangler when we're out shooting. She was very fussy when we got there, so he brought out his best funny faces to cheer her up. Then later in the evening he kept himself busy exploring in the field so I could take pictures while Evie twirled, picked grass, and played airplane.
So, here's Evie at three...and Sam at six-and-a-half. And a lot of the two of them together.
I have to give Sam credit for the next two images. He found this awesome location while I was taking pictures of Evie in the field and he insisted we head down that way and try some pictures there. I had to angle myself a bit to avoid there being a bunch of people camping in the shot, but he was right; it was a good spot! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sam has a very artistic eye. I got them to whisper jokes in each other's ear to get them to laugh!
Silhouettes
I tried some silhouettes of the kids while we were at Erwin Park a couple weeks ago. It was almost dark as we were headed toward the car and these were our last shots of the day. As we were driving out of the park, Sam noticed the moon was only a tiny sliver, so of course I had to stop and grab a few moon shots, too! Thanks, Sam, for always noticing the tiniest details in the world around you!
In the Trees
We had a playdate with our photography friends in one of our favorite places. There is a small patch of trees adjacent to an elementary school in McKinney whose leaves have usually turned and started to fall this time of year. Each November our playgroup meets here for an afternoon of pictures while the kids play in the leaves and on the playground. This year the leaves weren't as thick as they've been in the past, but we made it work. What was fun for Sam and Evie this year was climbing in the trees, standing on tree stumps, and dragging branches into a big "nature collection" as Sam described it. Here they are, working hard in the nature, playing in the pretty afternoon light.
In the Leaves
While Sam dragged around branches and sticks to make his nature collection at our annual fall playdate, Evie had some fun with me playing in the leaves. I would make a pile for her to run and jump in and then she would throw the leaves into the air (or into her hair). The light was so pretty and Evie was having so much fun jumping in the tiny little leaf piles that I ended up with a lot of images, so, pardon the overshare. I just love all her little expressions. :)
Afternoon Playground
Sam and Evie and I stopped by the playground on the way home from school on a pretty fall afternoon last week. Sam found some kids his age to play with, so I didn't get many pictures of him. Evie went from the slide to the swings to the slide to the swings. We got to pet a neighbor's puppy dog and watched the ducks in the pond. They came over to us, hoping we had treats, but unfortunately we came to the park empty-handed. Right before we left, Sam climbed one of the big mossy rocks by the duck pond. Evie was determined to do it just like Sam. Her little legs had to work harder to get up there, but when she finally did, she was very proud of herself. "Yes! I did it!", she said!
Super Cute Watercolors
Evie and I love to paint with watercolors. We love liquid watercolors the best, but we pull this watercolor tray out when we only have time for a quick painting or two. She's very into painting people now, usually members of her family. Mommy's saving them all - I think they're "super cute"!
Rehearsal Dinner - Kelly & Andrew
Andrew and Kelly's wedding rehearsal dinner was a fantastic evening. The food was INCREDIBLE, Pops gave a great speech, and we got to know our new family and friends. Even Sam and Evie had fun running around the party room. Congratulations Andrew and Kelly!!
Under a Big Blue Sky
I went outside to check on Sam and Evie and there were some pretty clouds above our house. They looked like the were bursting right out of our roof!
Happy Halloween from Chuck and Tink
Charlie Brown and Tinkerbell had a wonderful Halloween! They both got buckets-full of candy and had fun watching all the other trick-or-treaters. In our neighborhood everyone sits on their porch to pass out candy. We only made it down one side of the street before the kids' buckets were full. Gram and Pops came out for dinner and helped pass out candy while Brian and I took the kids around. Evie asked after every house, "Mom, can we go to anuhver house to get candy?" And when she'd forget to say "thank you" for her candy, good ol' Charlie Brown would say another thank you for her. It was fun to see them walking around the neighborhood together, big brother Chuck and little sister Tink!
Preston Trail Pumpkin Patch
The kids and I visited another pumpkin farm, this time with photography friends. It was the new location of an old favorite, The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm (now called Preston Trail Farm).
They still had the animals, this time in covered pens which was nice on this hot, sunny day. Evie had no fear when it came to feeding the goats and the big longhorn. Sam wanted to feed the animals so badly, and he got really close to doing it, but decided in the end that it just wasn't for him.
After feeding the animals, Sam and Evie ran through a hay maze with their friends and then we all went on a hayride around the farm. By the time we'd done all that, my crew was getting hot and cranky, so we each grabbed a pumpkin and headed home! It's starting to feel like fall!
Grace Avenue Pumpkin Patch
The first pumpkin patch we visited this year had not only a field of pumpkins, but a bounce house, ring toss and beanbag games as well. It was warm and humid, but we still had a great time!
1SE - Our August 2015
August - summertime, staycation, and school!