Halloween Dinner

A few nights ago, we had our annual Halloween dinner!  Jackson may be 15, but he still asks when we’re doing this every October!  We watched a scary movie, and Jack devoured 9 mummy hot dogs!

The next night, Sarah texted me these pictures of a Halloween get together she and Billy hosted!  I was so proud of her!

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What seemed like a silly little tradition we began years ago of making Halloween-style food for a fun dinner turned out to be something so special to both kids!  I just love that!  

Weekend Fun

Sarah and Billy came down for a little over 24 hours this weekend!  We had grand plans, which included taking them to our small town's annual Peanut Festival, but a big storm came through.  So, instead, we went to grab breakfast at a favorite coffee shop in a neighboring town, then walked around an amazing antique mall!

Afterwards, we drove to Dallas to have dinner and then go see Nate Bergatze!  Bryan and I have been to see him a couple of times over the past few years, but this time, we took the kids and my sister and brother-in-law!  It was the best!

Between dinner with this group and an awesome comedy show featuring our favorite comedian, our tummies hurt from laughing so hard by the time the night was through!

24 Years!

24 years ago today, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

I love him, and I am even more smitten with him now than I was in high school!

 

10th Grade!

On Monday, Jack started the 10th grade!

After school, and Dad got home, we all went out for the traditional "first day of school treat!"

Then, on Tuesday, I took Jack out on a lunch date at our favorite spot in town!

As we're looking forward to new school year, I couldn't help but reflect on some of our favorite memories from 9th grade!

   

We're so grateful for this kid and this time together!

Jack's Birthday!

We started celebrating Jack's birthday two weekends ago!  One of our birthday traditions, is that you get to pick out what restaurant you want to go to...and Jack picked a fancy seafood restaurant!  He loves fancy, and he loves seafood!

 

We started with fancy drinks.

Then, for an appetizer, we ordered caviar.  Jack has always wanted to try it.  And while it was definitely a one time indulgence, it was so yummy, and it made Jack feel so fancy and special!

For the main course, he ordered crab stuffed lobster tails.

And finally, for dessert, he picked baked Alaska.

He loved all of it!  And for a 15 year old who wanted to wear a tuxedo--complete with a top hat and monocle--on the airplane when he was a kid, there was not a better birthday restaurant!  We loved treating him and watching him smile from ear to ear the whole night!

Then, on his actual birthday, we made the homemade meal he requested--pork schnitzel, bratwurst, fries, and homemade lemonade.

And for dessert, nutella strudel.

Then, to cap everything off, Bryan took him to see a racing movie and eat at Dave's Hot Chicken--J's favorite!--this weekend.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Jack!  We still can't believe he's 15!

Happy 15th Birthday, Jack!

15 years ago today, God blessed us with our second baby. We are beyond grateful that he’s our son!

He may be several inches taller than me now, but he’ll always be our baby!
 

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to the best Dad ever!

We are so blessed that he’s our Papa Bear!
 

Jackson Goes to Camp

We picked Jack up from Pine Cove this morning!

Every year, their counselors come up with character traits that best describe them, and this year, J’s were:  eager, engaging, and honest.  We completely agree!

He loved his counselor this year…but then again, he always does!

Love this snapshot so much!

We missed him so stinkin’ much, and we are so happy to have him back home!

 

Happy Birthday, Bryan!!

Today, our favorite guy turned 41!

He and I spent the day cooking his homemade dinner together—pot roast over cheese grits with creamed spinach.  It was insanely delicious!

Then for dessert, a fruit tart!

We are so grateful to God for creating him and making him ours!  Happy 41st Birthday, Papa Bear!  We love you so stinkin much!

Zoo Field Trip!

On Wednesday, we went on a field trip to the zoo!

This was our first visit to our local zoo, and we were blown away by all of the unique animals that they had and all that we learned while there!

Jack liked petting the goats!

The highlight was our appointment to feed the capybaras!

This was all Jack's idea, and he was so excited!

The don't like sudden movements or being touched, but they're really sweet, so all you want to do is pet them!

Herb loved the lettuce and ate the whole bucket himself!  Rio, his mate, just ate the grass!

One last stop to see the black bear on the way out!

We had such a great time!