weekend getaway: dallas + grapevine

several weekends ago, we had the opportunity to have a date night. it was pretty far away but hey, we pretty much take any opportunity that involves free babysitting. so off to dallas we went. 

after getting our hotel room and getting the kids settled, we headed out the door and wished the grandparents the best. 

our good friend from Cali was in town so we picked him up and headed out. 

our first stop was the Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. the famous spot where JFK was assassinated. i was told by Gary that we had past the place before but i didn't recall. it was a good opportunity to take some photos and read historic plaques, not to mention capture some pretty sweet shots of the cityscape as the sun went down. 

the famous Sixth Floor Museum was already closed when we arrived. too bad because it would have added an amazing feel to the entire visit. the photo below is looking up at the Texas School Book Depository from where JFK was shot at, "allegedly."

below, is a photo of the building from the spot where JFK was shot at. the window which he was shot at is the the far right, one story down, the only true 'square' window. if you stood a little nearer and looked up, you could see a white paper that hangs to indicate where the sniper would have been located.

and of course, we had to take some selfies. 

just as we were leaving, we heard commotion and turned around. we couldn't believe it! we happened to witness a cadillac, much too similar as Kennedy's, just driving by. it made it feel a bit eerie after that, i was shocked and excited that that had actually happened and that i had captured it on my phone. 

definitely a cool experience.

after we made our hike back to the car, we had the perfect place to chow down at: torchy's. torchy's tacos have never failed me. (thank you bro-in-law for introducing me to them) they were amazing. definitely a place to try if you are a fan of tacos. i love tacos so much i could eat them every. meal. and i am not exaggerating. read my bio on the right--see? 

we really had a great time with some great company. 

after bellies were filled, it was time to go haunted housin'. we have never been in a 'real' haunted house. i did my research about which one to go to for a loooong time. i finally decided on The Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus in Irving. 

i'm a person that likes to suffer to have fun. it sounds terrible, i know. but if it scares me, it's probably my kind of fun. i'm a thriller seeker, i guess? 

give me any kind of roller coaster or the hottest buffalo chicken wings, i'm your girl. 

so naturally, i am going to love creepy clowns and tormenting zombies. 

and then we did it and i'm glad we did, because it was an amazing experience!!! i loved it and i was so glad i wasn't disappointed.
that weekend was anything but boring. we also got a chance to tour downtown grapevine which was super cute and quaint. eat some more delicious tacos and take some beautiful pictures at their botanical gardens. but i'll have to post those pictures when i get the chance after Thanksgiving break.
speaking of which, it's this week! like in two days! like, how is it this year is almost over?
insane.
got any amazing plans for this week?

throwback thursday - siblings

I thought it would be fun to do another throwback, guys. One afternoon I was caught by my computer viewing un-sorted pictures (it's a never-ending thing, don't ask) and I happened to notice in each of my kids folders, that they had pictures of the same pose. So it just seemed fun to make a quick collage. You know, for comparison's sake? 

The first one is when they all learned to sit up around 4 months or so. And the bottom one is around 6-7ish months...

No, but seriously. Both boys were born in the summer, so their picture is taken during the winter months with pants. Elena was born in the winter and is seen with Bum Genius cloth diapers because "innnn suuuummmmerrrrr!!!" you don't wear pants - duh - (right now is a different story however, as I'm bundled up in the mid 30's outside - brrr!) I was amazed at how much Elena resembles her older brother.
||quick pause for some sniffles||
Ahhhh, my babies. They'll never be that young again. They'll never be that innocent again.
And I'm ok with that.

I like where this motherhood thing is going. Seeing them grow up and get into the next stages of their lives. I cherish experiencing life and growing up with them, but also appreciate how precious those times where when they were each small babes. I'll never have those times again. 

Sniff sniff! 

Don't you love how modern technology makes it so accessible to look back in time? Do you love throwbacks?

last-minute pumpkin carving

Have you ever had a kid beg so much to carve a pumpkin? No? I did. On Halloween night, my oldest's eyes welled up when I told him carving pumpkins was too messy and that we wouldn't be doing it. 

oh great. just give me the worst-mom award now.

I put on my big girl panties, set out some wax paper on my new table, got all the tools out and hoped for the best.

I told him to bring in the pumpkin from the front porch and instantly, I made his entire world all better. He grunted and groaned putting that sucker on the table. Then I told him he needed to sketch the face before carving into it. And he did. All without my help (I love independent kids, don't you know?) 

So I drew the face on the pumpkin, made beginning marks with the knife and let them have a go at it. The cleaning really grossed them out so I helped a lot on that step, but they wanted to do it all. They're big boys now, I suppose. 

Andrew hated cleaning out the seeds, it was terribly disgusting he said. 

But after it was all said and done, they both loved looking at their handy-work light up on our front steps. Jonah thought he needed a glowstick as his hat. 

This bending-over-backwards business of being a mom, isn't so bad. Just look at those smug-heads. 

Taking Care of Texas - Goldthwaite

A few weeks back, we attended the opening of the new Botanical Gardens in Goldthwaite, Texas. It is a representation of the land's hillside native plants and ecosystem. The whole community got together to make this happen, which is what impressed me the most. It is also a part of Taking Care of Texas which is founded by Former First Lady Laura Bush. We had the privilege to attend the opening gate ceremony back in October. It was rainy, cold and windy (unusual for October here in Texas, y'all) and we were short on jackets! Luckily, we had a big ol' Papa with us and some blankets and a few sweatshirts. We make dooooo.

Pecans are big in Goldthwaite. It thought it was quite fitting and definitely unique.

I loved the tree branch below. Wouldn't it be fun to have in your backyard so the kids could climb on it and make teepees out of it? 

The first half of the event was not very exciting for these little boys. They were patient, but only a little. Soon, they were restless so I resorted to selfies and games on my phone. 

After a bit, Mrs. Bush finally was up to speak. I enjoyed listening to her because I couldn't quite see her. This was the best my MIL was able to capture of the Former First Lady (insert heart eyes emoji here).

After her speech, she cut the leather strap (ribbon) with a flint knife which was also very unique and appropriate. She was then hustled away in her car by secret service :( Today just so happens to be her birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. BUSH! 

The Comanche Nation of Oklahoma was present, along with other people from the community showing off different skills like medicinal plants and flint sharpening. The local high school had artwork they had done in gardens (super good, by the way). But my favorite part was how much stuff they had for kids. They had tables upon tables of crafts for the kiddos to keep them entertained. The boys colored and made necklaces and took their minds off the cold. 

Then we walked through the garden. It was beautiful. Local plants and grasses. Learning resources of the history of the lands and people. 

The boys loved the hut the best and the rock climbing. Muddy shoes were a must.

If you're ever in the heart of Texas, don't hesitate to stop by. It really is gorgeous and you would be supporting local economic growth! I hear they're building a museum soon! 

The boys and I were wore out and were happy to cuddle with some blankets and heat when we got home. Brrr. Too soon cold, too soon! 

8 months

you guys, can she really be that old now? no. no. i refuse to accept it. 

i was perfectly fine when i could leave her be and she would be in the same spot when i came back. next, i was ok with her rambo/commando'ing it across the floor. but crawling on all fours now? walking from furniture piece to furniture piece? no. i'm not fine at all.

this can only be a foreshadowing that she will be my most wiggliest baby of all. the most squirmiest. the one that runs away and i can't catch and words won't matter to her. she doooo what she dooooo. 

yep. that's my girl. 

she's become a great waker-of the-night. a great vacuum cleaner. a great floor cleaner. a great snack attacker. a great talker. a master at the 'awwww'-people maker. and a much better pooper-maker and drooler.

but still no teeth. where are you tiny little teefies? 

here's to being 8 months young. 

i love you little girl.