Today's Runnings

Yesterday we were out of it.  Today, we are better.

Hot Spots:
Took the boys out to a restaurant (gasp, I *know*).  They were awesomely behaved.  The lady at the cookie store said,"You have such well-behaved boys."  That's a keeper of a comment.

After leaving a surprise for Erik at his hotel, we went to a park. Merritt had so much fun that I had to carry him off the place and to the car when it was time to leave.

"Mom, we make a creature with more than two arms!"

This evening after telling Everett his bedtime story he was asking about the legitimacy of dragons, the likelihood that they were really real.

Evy:  So, they were probably make-up . . . HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (as he gets how "make-up" can be more than one thing)

Evy:  Dragons covered in make-up!!!!!   HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  (he was laughing so hard and so loud that he woke his brother.  he was quite taken with the connection.  there is almost nothing quite so wonderful as watching a child laugh gleefully and without inhibition.)

Today in School: Texas, Texas, Yeehaw!

Erik is about to travel again, a little closer to home.  So, we took advantage of his arrival to include him on our jumpstart of studying . . . Texas.

We traveled to Ft.Worth to visit the stockyards, see the cattle, and ride a TRAIN!  It was a surprise trip for the boys.  They knew what to bring; they just didn't know the final destinations.

It was raining as we pulled into, as Evy refers to it now:  Cowboy Town.  We quickly found one use for our cowboy hats.

In this shot, Evy is waiting for the cattle drive.  The boys LOVED it and followed the cattle as they "drove" down the street.

"WAIT!! Come Back!"

Merritt really couldn't eat.  He was too busy checking out the ride outside the restaurant.

Next, a trip to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

I LOVED IT!  Evy enjoyed it.  Merritt ran around the whole time.  And Erik chased Merritt.

Good times!

More puddles . . . who knew when Merritt insisted on the rubberboots that he would be the one outfitted with the best footwear.

Taking a break, waiting for the next event, a TRAIN ride.

The train, the TRAIN, THE TRAIN!

The trip was amazing!  All of us had a great time as a family and it was a superb way to start our "school learning" on Texas.