G is for Galaxies

If you're wondering what this is all about, visit here to start at the beginning!

G: G is for Galaxies, 10/29/11

This past Saturday night, after putting Kate to bed, we ventured out for our G date. It was my turn to plan, and I went with G is for "galaxies," or "star-gazing." I found the Astronomical Society of East Texas online, and they happened to have a Star Party this past Saturday. Astronomy societies have star parties all over so that they can get the public involved in astronomy and allow them the opportunity to see what it's like to view the skies up-close and personal.

The great thing about this date is that it was free...or, at least it was intended to be free. After leaving our house with Kate all snug in her bed, we both decided we had the munchies, so we drove through McDonald's. Hey, that's what dates are for, right? We headed to Tyler, which is about 45 minutes away, and arrived at the Tyler Junior College about 9PM. We walked right up and the first thing we got to see was Jupiter. They had their telescopes already set up, and we could just walk up and take a look. Jupiter was very clear, and we could see the rings around the planet as well as its four moons in orbit. It looked something like this, except we no color.
We also got to see the Andromeda Galaxy, which was more like a little blur since it's so far away. So cool, though, to imagine what it must be like. And even cooler to know that my God created all this.

Unfortunately there was too much light pollution (yes, that's what it's really called) to be able to see much else, but we did get some lessons on the constellations and different stars. We also talked with the guys about coming to Canton sometime so we could invite our friends, and they are going to come! I absolutely cannot wait. I love astronomy, and it is really dark out here so we should be able to see a whole lot!

It was fun to take a little jaunt out and do something we've never done before together.

Happy Halloween!

2011 Family Vaca: San Antonio!

Well, we survived our first family vacation with a baby. And it was...a blast! We knew but didn't realize just how not relaxing vacation can be with a baby, but we still had a wonderful, refreshing time, and even managed to get some relaxation in here and there :)

Some highlights from our trip include Kate's first visit to the Alamo, the San Antonio Zoo, some really good Mexican food, and Sea World. Oh, and the hotel's hot tub, which we were fully able to enjoy thanks to the pack & play and all of Kate's toys that we lugged up and down the stairs each time. Here are some pics from our trip!

Getting ready to trek out for our first day!

 The following two pics are funny because Kate does not like her stroller. They are pics of 2 very rare occasions: when she is actually smiling and when she is actually sleeping in her stroller. Kate much prefers to be carried, which is what we had to do most of the trip!

 Our first family pic at the Alamo!

 The San Antonio Zoo!

 This picture cracks me up. Kate was so happy being carried around in her daddy's arms, and her little bottom lip stuck out immediately when she realized he was putting her down. I'm sure our Santa picture this year will be pretty similar to this one!

 Enjoying a moment of relaxation while Kate rested in her stroller. We were on a deck above some weird looking crocodile.

 At the end of our very tiring day at the zoo, we let Kate play in her pack & play and we soaked up the relaxation of the pool's hot tub. So nice! We also ordered Chinese takeout this night and watched a movie after we put Kate to bed.

Sea World! We had a coupon that gave us 2 days for the price of 1 kid's ticket, so we got a great deal.

 We fed the sea lions. They were our favorite animals. They have so much personality, plus they reminded us of our dogs :)

Kate watching Shamu swim around.

 Shamu!

 We took turns holding Kate so the other could ride the rides. Here Trey is on the log splash ride (whatever it's called). Those are my favorite rides. Trey enjoyed the roller coasters more.

We enjoyed all the shows we watched, but our absolute favorite was the Sea Lion show. It was so funny and entertaining!

We got to feed and pet the dolphins! That was one of my favorite experiences. They are really soft and slick. As you can tell by the pics, I was a little hesitant and Trey was a natural with the dolphins.

They had lots of cute Halloween mazes that were "haunted." Here we are as we walked through the family friendly maze...that was "not so family friendly" in the evening. I can tell you that I would have been terrified going through this maze in the dark with creepy characters jumping out at you. I'm glad we had a baby so we had an excuse to do the family friendly version :)

 Ok this picture has a funny story behind it. We did one of the "unhaunted" mazes, and this one was the Count's forest. We stood in line forever, only to come up to meet the Count and realize they take your picture with him and you can, of course, buy the picture from Sea World. Well after all that time, we didn't want to have to buy our picture, so we gave our camera to the lady in line behind us to snap our picture. Then we walked up to the Count and I said, "Look a the lady." Obviously I meant the lady with our camera, not the man with Sea World's camera. But my husband, in all his excitement meeting the Count, just thought "Who is the lady?" and didn't look at our camera once for a picture. Then when we walked away Trey realized what I meant and said "OH, I didn't look at our camera!" We had a good laugh at his listening skills!

 Anytime we eat out now we have to get a table big enough that Kate can lay down and play. She just does not like sitting in a bumbo or in her carseat...this baby girl is way too active for that! Here we are eating ice cream at Sea World.

Overall our trip was such a blast, and we look forward to many more family vacations with Kate and any other additions we might have in the future!

F is for Fancy

F: Fancy Date with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 10/16/11

Every now and then, it's good to dress up and go on a fancy date. My husband is very good about making sure we do that occasionally, and that is just what we did for our "F" date. Trey knows how much I love Amy Grant. I grew up on her music, and it brings back so many good memories of home and childhood on into adulthood. When he found out that Amy Grant would be playing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he bought us tickets and arranged for a babysitter!

 Of course, on our way to the Sunday afternoon matinee, my hubby decided he needed a little ice cream pre-concert, so we swung through Wendy's for a Frosty to split.

The concert was a lot of fun. We arrived just a little late, and when we checked in with our tickets we were sent down to the box office to upgrade our tickets for free to the orchestra level. It was so great! We were able to listen to a couple pieces by the DSO, then Amy and her band came out to join the orchestra. They did some songs with the DSO and some just the band. Amy sang some of my favorites, including It Takes a Little Time and my all-time favorite, Children of the World, backed up by the DSO. It was so unbelievable.

Here are a few more pics from the performance

I promise I told Trey to make a funny face for this picture, but he's never been good at following directions :)

After concert pic

After the concert, we drove to Carrabbas for dinner. On our way, though, we had a mini-adventure. I had to pump since I was away from Kate for so long, and when I was finished, I didn't realize the strap from the pump was wrapped around the handle of the truck door. When I moved the pump to put it away, it opened the door...while we driving 70mph on the interstate! It got a little harry there for a minute, but we were fine in the end. I did have my seat belt on, and for that I am thankful. We went on to have a delicious dinner at my favorite restaurant. Overall, I'd give Trey an A+ on planning this fancy date with his wife in mind!

A Tooth? Already???

That's right, you read correctly. My little barely 4 month old has her first tooth coming in! I've been wondering. She has been drooling like crazy, gnawing on anything she can get in her mouth, and has been a little fussy at times. Sure enough, last night I spotted that first little tooth on her bottom gum. It hasn't broken through yet but you can see it on the surface. How do I feel about this, you ask. I feel sad! I mean, it is so much fun watching my little girl grow and learn and explore her first world, but her first tooth? Is she really growing up so quickly? Her fourth month of life seems to have been a big one. Kate learned to roll from her tummy to her back in the beginning and by the end of the month has turned into a rolling machine. She rolls across the room, and it is so much fun watching her get around like this! She is also making different cooing noises and even making funny faces with her mouth as she makes noises. She has become a pro at grasping objects in front of her and putting them in her mouth. Oh, and she is a pro thumb sucker, just like her momma was! We are in Georgia right now. A couple of weeks ago she and I visited Trey's parents in Odessa for the weekend, and we've been in Georgia for a week already. We head back to Texas this Saturday, and next Tuesday Trey, Kate, and I will head to San Antonio for a 5 day family vacation. Needless to say, October has been a fun month filled with traveling and family time. I am so excited about our first family vacation and will be posting pictures once we are back!

Chewy Granola Bars

I LOVE granola bars. I mean, love them. I used to always buy the Fiber One bars because they are really tasty, then I discovered this recipe in a Home Life magazine from Lifeway. It is so yummy and simple, plus it's already saved us a ton of money over buying premade bars at the store. I've made several batches and had to tweak the recipe a little to make them stay together, and I thought I'd share with anyone who happens upon the blog. If you try them out, let me know what you think!

Chewy Granola Bars

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups instant or regular oats

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Line 9X9 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Melt butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in oats and pecans. Let cool slightly, then stir in chocolate chips or raisins. Spread on pan, pat lightly to make sure it’s packed in there, and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut up!  

Today I added about 1 cup of peanut butter when melting the butter and stuff, and I made them with chocolate chips. They turned out delicious! I’m sure you could cut down on the brown sugar to make them even healthier, but they are just so good as is I don’t mess with it. Enjoy!!

I Only Have Eyes For You...

I have that song in my head as I type this post. As I hum this song, I think of our sweet baby girl, who is sleeping soundly in her crib right now, and her daddy. You see, she may be only 3 1/2 months old, but already...she only has eyes for her daddy. It is the sweetest thing to watch! When Trey comes into the room, she lights up with big ol' smiles. Of course, I think the feeling is pretty mutual, because her daddy sure is taken by her, too. I am having so much fun watching their sweet relationship blossom.

The other day, Kate was awake during lunch time. Trey had come home and I'd made us some hot sandwiches. We put Kate in the bumbo to sit with us while we ate. As we sat there and talked, she was content to watch us and listen. She looked at her dad for a while, and all of a sudden Kate started to crack up. I mean, throw your head back, deep belly kinda laughing. We have no idea exactly what set her off, but of course I grabbed the camera and was able to capture some of it. I have a feeling it was something her daddy did, like maybe chuckle, that got her going.