Our days

Our days have been busy and fun but you what the best part has been?  This awesome warm weather right here in the middle of fall.  I know, it's supposed to be cool and getting colder but this warm weather fan is LIVING it up!!  We do as much as we can outside these days!!

Showing off her new "horsey t-shirt".  This girl loves horses.

Friday night campout in the basement.  In the end, they ended up just watching a move in it and sleeping in their own beds.  

Sidewalk chalk for the win!

This weather has kept us on the golf course.  

These two are trouble!!

Last Wednesday we got to go love on baby Berklee, the newest addition to the Brooks family.  Brie and I had our first babies together, second ones together but she surpassed me with a third!  Ha! So happy for them!

All decked out and excited about costume day at preschool!

Not excited once we got there.

Still not excited once she saw her friends.

She has a hard time when mommy leaves! ;)

Parker wrapped up a fun flag football season last Saturday.

We had a bunch of friends over for a "Treats and Drinks" halloween party last weekend.  The goodies  were great and the fellowship even better!

The two favorite recipes of the night were Mix and Match Mama's Pumpkin Magic Bars and this "Harvest Hash" I found on Pinterest but I ended up drizzling in white chocolate to take it over the top.  Both were very yummy!!

We ended the weekend watching Sydney perform with her 3 year old choir at church.  This was their first time to sing in big church...it was adorable!!

Carving pumpkins in pjs is the best!!

Happy Halloween!

A field trip and a baptism

Last week, Sydney's little 3 year old preschool class took a field trip to the pumpkin farm.  I am a sucker for tagging along on field trips.  These babies are only little once and one day I will miss these precious days.  I love watching her have so much fun with her friends and want to show me around!  

Also, this past Sunday we went out to our ranch to watch my niece, Katherine and nephew, Blake, get  baptized in the lake out there.  Both of them accepted Jesus as their personal savior at Kanukuk camp last summer and they wanted to follow the example Jesus gave us and be baptized.  It was extra special because James's Uncle Steve is an ordained minister and performed the ceremony.  Pretty awesome!!

Cheese face!

Wee!

"Milking a cow".

They took us on a hay ride out to the actual pumpkin patch where the kids got to get out and pick their very own pumpkin.

Brilliant.

They had giant tractor tires out there for the kids to climb all over while they waited on everyone to pick a pumpkin.  Those weren't there last year...a mom totally thought of that!

That same week we had open house and fall festival at Parker's school.

These boys have been friends at school and church since diapers!

She scored a cupcake and wore it proudly.

Just a little fall baking thrown in there.

So I can't quit making Mix and Match Mama's Caramel Apple Pie Neiman Marcus bars.  They are a burst of fall in your mouth and to die for.  Like I can't quit eating them!

We had to get a little need for speed out of our system before the baptism ceremony at the ranch.  You can't go out there and not play a little bit! ;)

What's funny is that Parker is a very cautious driver.  Look at her face...doesn't it make you think twice about putting her behind the wheel when she's older??  

Steve asking Katherine who her Savior is...Jesus Christ.

"Buried with Him in baptism and raise to walk in newness of life!"

Romans 6:4

Asking Blake the same thing.

We are so proud of these two...the very best decision of their lives and we were so honored to be a part of this day!

And to end...this one got her flu shot today and the tears dried up when she was allowed to get not one, but two suckers!  Amazing what a sucker can fix! ;)

New York New York!!

So way back in July, James and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary.  We don't really give each other gifts on anniversaries but I noticed he was breaking our rule and bearing a  gift.  When I opened the box, all I saw was a black t-shirt, what?  I don't really wear t-shirts  (unless it's a Baylor one) so I was confused.  I unfolded it and the t-shirt was an I heart NY shirt!  He surprised me with a trip to NY...I was SO pumped because I've never been and I've always wanted to go in the fall!!  James had been before so he was the perfect tour guide and trip planner.

His parents kept our kids and we took off last Wednesday and returned Saturday night and it was all I hoped for and more!  I love this city and everything about it, I already can't wait to go back one day!!

Foot loose and fancy free and heading to NYC!

 We arrived around 6:00 pm NY time and that wasn't ideal, hello rush hour.  We took an Uber to our hotel (The Roosevelt in midtown) which ended up being way better than a taxi because he went through the back streets and avoided the locked down highways.  

Dinner that night was at Gramercy Tavern...fantastic food and atmosphere, I highly recommend.  It was a hip, New York place to eat.

Up bright and early the next morning ready to see the city!  

First stop was Rockefeller Center!

 

Watching the Today Show being filmed.  Matt Lauer was reading the prompter here.

This little gem of a bakery was right across the street.  We grabbed coffee and croissants and watched the show!  So fun!

We had tickets to go up to the Top of the Rock and see the city from way up high, 64 floors up high.  I liked this because we had a time to be there and we didn't have to wait in line (unlike the Empire State Building where evidently the lines are long)!

 

After Top of the Rock, we started walking Madison and 5th Ave. to see what we could see.  We stopped inside St. Patricks Cathedral which was just stunning.

Later that morning we rented bikes and rode through Central Park, this was one of my favorite things we did!  The weather could not have been more perfect.  

Bethesda Fountain

Eating lunch at the Loeb Boathouse inside the park.

I LOVED this lunch, oh my goodness.  The food was awesome and you couldn't beat the view!

Views from our bike ride.

Just taking a pit stop.  At this point we had walked about 8 miles and biked through the whole park.

After the bike ride we walked to Time Square. This place was hoppin'.  Actually, it was CA-RAZY!

Where Good Morning America is filmed.

After our big day it was time to get dressed for dinner and Broadway!!

On the way to dinner we ran into the NY Public Library, wow.

We had dinner at Bryant Park Grill.  This ended up being my favorite restaurant of them all!!  Beautiful setting and the food...don't get me started!!

Fancy dinners at the end of a long day touring are the best! ;)

 This right here was a dream of mine...seeing a Broadway show!

It.was.awesome.

Up early the next morning to see Grand Central Station.

Down below there were cute little coffee shops all over to eat breakfast.  It was fun to sit and watch the hustle and bustle.

Next up...Wall Street.  

Me and George at Federal Hall...this is where George Washington took the oath of presidency.

The new World Trade tower.  It is 1,776 feet tall.

We visited the place where the World Trade Centers stood and went through the memorial and museum.  Every American needs to see this, they just do.

Just unreal.

After a wonderful lunch in Tribeca at Sarabeth's...we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge!  Such a cool thing to do!

Toward the end of this day we just kept seeing and doing.  This is a fabulous dessert spot!  We also hit up Dylan's Candy Bar and got lots of candy to bring back for the kids.

I just had to see Macy's so I can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and have a new appreciation for it! 

Our last morning we got up, walked down to the Plaza Hotel for crepes and sadly the crepe shop was closed, so back to Rockefeller Center we went for more croissants at Bouchan Hill.

Ya'll, according to the Garmin watch James wore the whole time, we walked a total of 37 miles in just over 2 days.  The weather was perfect, there was so much to see and we like walking.  Let's just say my hips and calves were sore but you know what?  My feet never felt tired because of my Sketchers Go Walks!  These shoes rock!!!  If you are doing NYC or Disney World or anything of the sort, order you some!!

We were greeted at the airport by these cuties and then off we went for some Tex Mex!  Nothing makes me crave Tex-Mex more than traveling and not having access to it!

No matter how long away...a whole summer in Africa or a long weekend in NYC, I always want Mexican food when I return!  

It's good to be back with these babes and back in southern hospitality!