Shawnee Cowboy Day

Last but not least, we met up with some new friends at Frisco's Heritage Museum for "Shawnee Cowboy Day."

After a quick walk (or run, if you're kids) through the museum, we gathered outside for a gun show. Neither of the boys were a bit frightened by the loud gunshots!

We then took a tour of an old school house, log cabin, church, and 2 story home. After that, both families squeezed into a stagecoach for a bumpy ride around the block.

Our day ended at Babe's Chicken where we all shared a family style meal of biscuits & honey along with chicken fried steak, BBQ chicken, salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn. Mmmm, mmmm!

Happy 30th Jerry!

Jerry finally turned the Big 3-0 on April 19! To celebrate, I made his favorite dessert, Cheesecake. Eli and I also had another surprise in store, and it never did leak out to Daddy :)

The surprise was a 1 hour session in an indoor "flow ride" facility. Jerry gave me a look like "you've got to be kidding me!" (Jerry used to surf when we lived in CA) Nevertheless, Jerry willingly gave it a shot, and ended up enjoying a fun, but exhausting, hour riding the waves. The boys were tickled to see Daddy "surfing." Several times, Eli made sure to tell on-lookers, "That's my dad in there."

April Misc.

Well, Eli would be proud to announce that he has now graduated from the "Little Dragons" to the "Juniors" class! After having mixed emotions about karate, we discovered that Eli wanted to move up with the big kids. His teacher approved, and Eli soon tested for his Juniors green belt. Along with it came a dose of pride, which Eli generously shared with all around him. Thus, we had a much needed talk about the importance of humility :)

We attended another homeschool event, "Family Fun Day" arranged by Frisco HIS (the local group I am a member of). The fun included a bounce house, petting farm, pony ride, and face painting.

We also enjoyed another homeschool day at the Dallas Zoo. For whatever reason, Jerry is turning out to be bird magnet! This was the 2nd time a bird has landed on his shoulder as he is walking past! (I think I'm the only one who finds this hillarious.)

Right at the end of our visit we stopped to see the gorillas. What perfect timing! The male gorilla (pictured above) was separated from 2 new female gorillas, and he was not too happy about it! I was fortunate enough to get video of him beating on the wall in frustration. You can see the video on our picasa web album. It may be a bit lengthy and blurry, but worth watching :)

More Visitors!!!

Just after Easter, Grandpa Mike (Jerry's dad) came with Aunt Carol and Stepha. While Grandpa and Jerry went hunting and fishing, we and the girls went to and indoor fun center called "Amazing Jakes." Activities included arcade games, rides, mini-golf, climbing wall, lazer tag (Eli's favorite), and all you can eat pizza! After 3 hours of non-stop fun, mom was pooped!!!

We also paid a visit to the Stonebriar Mall, took a walk at the park, and enjoyed a 3D Imax of "How To Train Your Dragon." All the activity made for a fun break from our normal daily routine! On the last day, we celebrated Jerry's birthday at his favorite retaurant, Texas Roadhouse.

As always, Grandpa brought the camping trailer, which the boys just love to play in! I was able to get them to sit still just long enough for a picture with Grandpa before they headed back to California.

March Misc.

Our town of Little Elm put together an egg hunt at the park, which turned out to be pretty cheesy. The egg hunt was literally over in 1 minute, followed by a jump house, and free hot dogs. Despite the odd trinkets inside the eggs, the boys had a fun time! I guess it doesn't take much to entertain kids :)

On another day, the 4 of us went "Geocaching" in a nearby wooded area. If you are not familiar with the term "geocache" it is like a treasure hunt of sorts, where you use a GPS to locate hidden items all over world. You would be surprised how many there are around you . We have even found a "treasure" in the Walmart parking lot!

The boys and I met some friends for a homeschool fieldtrip to a small animal park called "Sharkarosa." The park featured kangaroos, monkeys, llamas, and camels to name a few. I even stuffed myself into a barrel for a action packed train ride! (pictures of that on our picasa web album). The day concluded with a tram ride where we got to go hands-on with groups of camels and horses. It was pretty cool :)

At the end of March, we attended another egg hunt with a playgroup we recently joined. This time, the eggs were filled with plenty of candy and stickers! The only things left to do were a few easter traditions: making a bunny cake, dying eggs, ressurrection rolls, and easter baskets (of course)!

Dallas Blooms!

March also marked the opening of "Dallas Blooms" at the Dallas Arboretum. The boys and I had made several visits in the past, but none were quite as breath-taking! I could not get enough of the abundance of colorful flowers. It was a great chance to get some great pictures of the boys.

We were also joined by my friend Debbie, and her 2 sons. The boys enjoyed the flowers, but their favorite part was the Texas Pioneer playhouses. To see more pictures, view our picasa web album.

Grandpa Stan's Visit

In March, Grandpa Stan (Karen's dad) came for a week to visit. We had not seen him since last September, so it was fun to spend some time together.

Our activities included movies at home, playing the Wii, and of bowling, of course (Grandpa's favorite hobby)! Since it was close to St. Patrick's Day, we also drove to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the "Cowtown Goes Green" parade.

Out of both boys, Isaiah was the one who took to Grandpa the most. By the end of his visit, Isaiah was jumping and climbing all over Grandpa. Here they are watching Looney Toones.