Skating party

Skating!  We went skating to celebrate Harker's fourth birthday.  It was insane!  The minute the skates were tied on our feet, Reed decided he was over it.  Ryland gave it shot with the help of a "walker".  He was a man on a mission to catch his friend, Charlie.

 

 

Reed didn't want to miss out on a thing, so he wanted to push a "walker".  He made some laps acting like he was a big kid.

The fun always ends, and this time it ended ugly.  I think I heard "I don't like this place!  It is bad!  Bad!  Bad!"  I believe it was the physical exhaustion and frustration that finally took over.

Harker's birthday party

Ryland's best buddy, Harker, had her 3rd birthday party today.  Ryland couldn't wait.  He was so excited to pick out her present, and he even helped me wrap it.  Even though plastic snakes, box of bugs, press on nails, and nail polish is a pretty random gift, I was told that she loved it. 

The party was all about gymnastics!  Ryland and Harker ran around with each other like always.

The huge trampolines were a major hit!

What kids don't love a parachute?  They all went nuts the moment it came out.

While the big kids play, Reed also had some fun.  He was completely smitten with Peytra.  They were so entertaining to watch while they flirted with each other.

We all had a great time celebrating Harker.  She is a fun, bright, and active little girl that we just love to pieces!

Ryland & Harker

Ryland's best buddy, Harker, wanted to take him to dinner to celebrate her birthday. Ryland was really excited, and he even agreed to wear his fancy shirt. We talked about it all day, and it was finally time to head to Harker's house. Ryland had a pretty flower to give her, and he couldn't stop talking about it.
Harker's mommy and daddy were pretty brave to take on their two girls and Ryland. They had dinner at Rainforest Cafe and took a picture with the Easter bunny. John Chris and I picked Ryland up later that evening at Harker's house. He went on and on about how much fun they had. Ryland also had 2 rubber snakes and lots of stories about all the animals at Rainforest Cafe. He had a blast!

Playing in the sand

Our play group met at Bicentennial Park to have some fun in the sunny, warmer weather. Ryland was most concerned about the park having a sand box, so he could play with his tractors. When we arrived at the park, we found a huge sand box. It even had a digger. Ryland and Harker took turns digging and scooping the sand. One of them would push sand in the bucket, and the other one would dump it out with the handles. Their friend, Natalie, got in on the fun for a second, but decided it wasn't that great. I was amazed that even though there was a huge wooden play castle with slides, Ryland wasn't interested. He was very much into sand, dirt, and his tractors.

Margaritas

Ryland and Harker wait patiently for their margaritas. After watching the parents have all the fun with the frozen drinks, John Chris made them virgin versions.

Look at those faces. Trouble!

Hanging with Harker

The Woods came over for a laid back pizza dinner. It was so nice to relax and catch up with them before things get crazy. Ryland was so excited to have Harker over to play. They play well together and act like an old married couple. Ryland calls Harker, Dark, and Harker calls Ryland, Ry Ry. So cute.

Main Street Festival

Grapevine was having the annual Main Street Festival this weekend, and we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos out for a look. It was overcast and cloudy when we left the house, but it quickly heated up making outside feel like a sauna. We didn't stay long due to the heat and the lack of vendors that were actually set up. I think we were just a little too early. We will try to come back later this weekend.

This little building was Grapevine's first jail. It is right on Main Street, and we couldn't resist locking up the children.

Ryland, Harker, and Jackson also known as Jailbirds.

Obviously Harker is the smarter one, or both her parents could be attorneys. She bails first.

Trip to the Arboretum

We made a trip to the Arboretum today to play outside before it gets really hot. They were having a Peter Rabbit themed exhibit, and Peter rabbit himself was there to greet the kiddos. Ryland was very leery at first, but he quickly came around. He was giving Peter Rabbit five and would not stop walking over to him.
Ryland checks out one of the flower pot houses.

After a picnic lunch, we headed over the a little animal petting zoo. Of course Ryland went crazy. He was petting and trying to stick his finger up this guy's nose.

Here comes trouble animals! These 3 are crazy. Ryland, Harker, and Jackson decided to try and free the animals by yanking on the fence.

Ryland and Harker have made a new friend. This little goat was a little aggressive with the others. I saw him try to head butt the other goats. He was as sweet as could be with the kids. Maybe he knew they would head butt him back if he tried anything crazy.

OK, enough. We have to go finish looking around.

At this point Ryland has decided he is done riding in the stroller. He is fussy, and I can tell he has a fever.

Sweet boy checking out the water fall wall. Mesmerized.

Jackson and Ryland are scheming on how to get in the water.

We had a great time playing and exploring the Arboretum. It is getting a little hot out to stay very long, but we will definitely go back.

Playing with Miss H

These two crack us up. They are so silly together. Whatever toy one of them has, the other one wants.
Ryland is trying to figure out how to take the truck away and make a fast run with it. He knows that if he doesn't get away fast enough, Harker will take it right back.

We can't figure out if he is amazed with her crawling skills or if he is checking out her bum.

Don't even think about it Cooper! You will never get the balls.

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.

BOUNCE

It's Friday. It's time for BOUNCE!

We met Sarah, Harker, Lindsey, and Jackson at the library for our weekly dose of crazy kid fun. I grabbed a quick shot of the kiddos before they all went nuts.

Jackson's first birthday

Jackson with his grandparents. He is so intense about that icing. He had it all over his face and up his nose.

Dad and Ryland taking a little walk.

Jackson has the best toys! Every time we go visit, Ryland finds something he loves. On this visit Ryland was amazed with the Radio Flyer tricycle. It has blinkers, sound effects, and pedals. It is too big for Ryland to actually pedal, but he loved to be pushed around on it.

He would not get off of the tricycle. He wanted to ride around the furniture when we weren't pushing him.

He tried to give Harker a ride, but she wasn't up for riding. She probably wanted to drive herself.