SUMMER IS HERE ...

We went boating this afternoon with Nana and Papa on their boat. I don't think Kate's smile faded the entire time, or at least not until she passed out on the way home. Papa let her drive the boat "all by herself" and she was in heaven. Taylor could not be found without her sunglasses- she had the rockstar personality to go with the look too. She was not intimidated one bit to hop on the tube with Daddy, even after Kate was too scared to go first. After the girls rode the tube, then Brian and I got to go together- a little alone time!! Looking forward to lots of boat trips this summer!

BIKE RIDE TO FAIRVIEW ...

We decided to go on a family bike ride out in Fairview on Saturday morning. Brian loaded the girls up in the Burley (the "carriage") and we rode out to a beautiful neighborhood nearby. On the way there, we stopped to feed the horses some carrots. Mommy did most of the feeding though- I think the idea of the girls coming in such close contact with a horses' mouth was just a bit intimidating- uh, and gross.

Later that day, we went out for ice-cream and made a fun stop at a pet store to see the animals. We had to drag Taylor out of there, kicking and screaming! She did not want to leave. Then, we came home and broke out the sprinklers for the girls to run around in. Afterwards, we made cookies and watched a movie together on our new (hooray!) couch.

Too cute to photoshop ...

the "ADRIATICA"

This afternoon I took the girls out to lunch while Rachel attended a baby shower. After lunch, we explored a new place across the street from the McDonald's we ate at (always a healthy choice w/ dad) ... it appears to be a Croatian/ Mediterranean-inspired development complete w/ a hotel, shopping, living, etc. It was fun to photograph ... off from the future hotel was the beginnings of a small vineyard that the girls named "the secret garden" (3rd picture down).

About 30 minutes into our self-guided tour (and blocks from our car) the girls decided they couldn't walk any further and that they needed their mom. The trip to ADRIATICA (McKinney, TX) was a little short-changed, but we'll be back--and next time it will be legal (we had to hop over a couple of fences to get in some parts). Enjoy.




The "secret garden", or the only "hill" in Texas, right off the freeway.

Kate is embracing her calling as my model ... either that or she's itching her legs from the grass we trail blazed.

Trip to the Ft. Worth Zoo

Saturday was the perfect day for a trip to the Zoo- only because rain threatened all day so there were no crowds. We had SO much fun...they had every animal you could think of, including gorillas, giraffes, White Bengal Tigers, Jaguars, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Sharks...everything.

Kate and Taylor had a blast and so did Mom and Dad. It was totally worth the drive and if you live in this area, it's a must.

Kate's favorite part was probably the elephants and feeding the birds and Taylor loved all of the fish and cows. They kept asking, "What's your favorite animal?" and thought for sure that the Zoo would have unicorns.

Old Man Winter...

... paid us a visit last night. For little kids, there is something so magical about waking up to snow in the morning, especially if you live in Texas. This was Kate and Taylor's first experience with snow, but Kate knew just what to do...build a snowman, make snow angels, and throw snowballs. The snow only lasted a few hours...a perfect winter.

a cool 80 degrees ...

We went exploring after church on Sunday...it was such a beautiful day here. The girls loved every minute of their adventure and could have spent all day throwing rocks in the stream and running up to the top of this big hill and back...they thought they were "at the top of the world"- think big kids, think big....

CAN WE GO SEE "SPIRIT?"

Our girls LOVE the movie, "Spirit" and so they beg to go and see the horses.

ALL ABOARD!!

Tonight we went with some great friends, the Shumways to "The Polar Express"

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

We made the annual family trip to the pumpkin patch- the very fancy (as pumpkin patches go), very popular, Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina. We had a great time- on account of the amazing weather (wind excluded), beautiful drive, fun farm animals, the ever-popular hayride, and of course, picking out our prize pumpkins (or "punkins" as Taylor adorably refers to them). Brian couldn't get enough pictures and the girls couldn't get enough of the cows, goats, donkeys, and sheep that were corralled all over the place. The best part of the day was when the girls got to pick out their very own pumpkins to take home. Here's a peek into our day at the "punkin catch" (Taylor's words- again).








Kate loved feeding the goats- but it was a delicate process. If you let the goats get a good grip on your cup, they'd rip it right out of your hands. Fun nonetheless!














Daddy and his girls on the hayride.



Taylor would have taken every pumpkin home, if only she could have lifted them all- you gotta admire her for trying. She hefted this one up just long enough to say, "Momma, its heavy" and then dropped it altogether with a big thud.











Needless to say, we took two of the smallest we could find. The girls had a blast painting them right after we got home.



I apologize for the over-abundance of pictures- if you know Brian, then you know why...'nuff said.