First Dance Costume

Ridley's recital is coming up in December, and she received her costume today at class.  It is absolutely precious.  I can't wait to see my little Snow Princess Angel.

Outside Fun

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had to get outside to enjoy.  We played in the yard and acted silly.  The boys were pretty dirty, so they thought a splash in the pool was in order.  The heater wasn't on, so the swim was very quick.  Pool season is over.

Snow day

The snow came down all day, and it was so beautiful. The ground was too warm, so it never accumulated. We couldn't go outside and play in it, but we did go out for a bit to talk about snow flakes with Ryland. Even though there wasn't enough to play in, it was nice to stay indoors with warm food and a cozy fire.

Artfest

Ryland's MDO has an annual fundraiser called Artfest. All the kids work on special art projects that are put on display for the parents to come admire. It is like a kiddos art exhibit. Ryland was telling us all about the art, and what the art was "saying".

He couldn't quite figure out why we wouldn't let him touch the pictures. Well, let us think about this. He tried repeatedly to pull off the butterfly body and antennas.

What an artist! Isn't this piece amazing?

Another one of Ryland's priceless pieces of art.

Typical boy. He thought is was so funny to play in the decorative ferns. So very silly!

Yummy! A few Chick-fil-A nuggets, Cheetos, and a bottle of milk. The perfect dinner.

We had a great night. Of course we purchased our child's priceless artwork, and we also won 2 of the silent auction prizes. We will soon be going the Dallas Museum of Art and the Ft. Worth Zoo.

Butterflies in the garden

Does this face say happy?

We headed to the Botanical Gardens to check out the butterfly exhibit. The exhibit features over 12,000 tropical butterflies. I caught a quick shot of Ryland watching a low flying butterfly flutter around.

Both Ryland and Harker were in awe of the conservatory. They were more interested in their surrounds than the butterflies. The conservatory is a little enclosed rain forest that feels very tropical and very warm. It felt like it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity.

Checking out the fish and waterfall.

I have no idea what species this blue butterfly is, but it was one of the many brightly colored beauties.

Ryland turned into a butterfly hunter. He inched his way down the rock trying to get a closer look at the butterfly. I very quickly jumped in to make sure he didn't slap it. How would I talk our way out of that one? Your son killed a super rare species that keeps the ecosystem balanced. Um, how much should I write the check for?

One of two large moths that came out of their cocoons the day of our visit.

After admiring the butterflies and sweating off at least two pounds, we took a stroll around the gardens. It was a gorgeous day and perfect for a little outing. Ryland and Harker posed for a photo by one of the fountains.

You all know how I am about flowers, and I thought these vibrant poppies were so cheerful and bright. I immediately thought about how perfect they would be in an upcoming wedding.

Snow

It is snowing! It is really snowing!

I just heard on the news that this is the first white Christmas Eve in 80 years in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area.

It is absolutely beautiful!

We had about 2 inches on the back patio at this point. The ground was still a little warm, so the brick hasn't frozen yet. The roads are still drivable, but it doesn't look like it is letting up.