Nutcracker 2013

We continued our tradition of going to the Nutcracker with all of the Reed girls that are in town.  This year Atley was old enough to go!

 We didn't get our good seats, as I didn't buy them soon enough to get front row seats together.  It was still fun to watch.

 The Peterson girls. . .  (and Violet) - she's not camera shy)

 We managed to get one picture all together.

 Sweet Leah . .

 I was a little worried about getting there on time, since Lindsey had a change of plans and went to New York instead of coming, so I needed to bring Violet.  I gave myself plenty of time, since navigation is not my forte.  I didn't need to budget the extra time, as I had a navigator in the back seat yelling, "Turn around, you're going the WRONG WAY."  She directed me to downtown Houston without incident!  Whew!

I LOVE the Nutcracker!  We missed Carrie and Caroline, Ashley and baby girl, Poodle, and Ashley!  Maybe one of these years we can get everyone together.

Pizza, anyone?

This weekend for Sunday dinner DTB decided it was time to try out his new (father's day 1 1/2 yr ago) pizza stone for the grill while the kids were out of town (you're welcome!)  We're adventuresome like that!   I went to the store and bought everything we needed.  DTB made sure I purchased a new box of cornstarch, as he stated the instructions for the pizza stone were to slather it with cornstarch so the pizza wouldn't stick.

The pizza turned out with a nice, crunchy crust, but a funny aftertaste.

conversation at the dinner table:
Me: (as I'm wiping cornstarch from the bottom of my crust)   "Are you sure about this "cornstarch" thing?   This just doesn't seem right."
DTB:  "Well, I think I remembered it right, it was corn-something."
Me:  "Could it have been cornmeal?"
DTB:  "Oh, Yeah!  That's what it was!"
Me:  "Great!  That explains a lot."

This calls for a do-over.

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving was awesome this year!  While most of our family partied at Carrie's house, we had fun with my niece Emily and her sweet family.  Lucky for us (and Abby,) the Harpers stayed in Houston.  The Hamiltons arrived Wednesday evening and Abby and Violet became instant BFF's.  We had a great time introducing them to Houston - Shipley's donuts, kolaches, and many of the landmark sites around Houston.

The first event was Thanksgiving dinner and the "pie wars" - initiated by Bethy.  At first Emily was a little taken back by our competitive spirit, but quickly dove into the fun - making, decorating, and photographing our pies.  I will admit, Bex is a better baker, but we gave her some stiff competition!

 The next day we were pretty stuffed, after eating all that pie.  Since Shady had coupons for the Children's museum, and it was a little cold for Brazos Bend, we decided to give it a try.  The girls LOVED it!

They tried the construction zone . . .

physics challenge . . .

 crafts . . .

 and a special visit from Santa!  Kate charmed old Santa with her bubbly, chatty
personality.

 The maze was a little claustrophobic, and I ended up having to crawl through to"rescue" someone .

 Anatomy and physiology . . .

 and shopping at the HEB!

 This was my favorite station!  Doesn't she look official?

 They actually acted like they knew what they were doing, without any prompting!

Future physicians?  (let's hope not)

You'd think they'd be tired after all of that excitement.

Of course not!  We headed to Chic-Fil-A for refueling, where the girls decided they wanted to go to Herman Park to ride the train.

You just can't leave Houston without riding the Herman Park train.

 Even Charlie had fun!  He was a trooper!  (especially when he was with Papa)

More Birthday Fun!

Leah had a fun birthday party. (a couple of months ago)  We actually remembered to come!  Although we didn't remember to post for awhile.  We struggle.

 Pretty, pretty!

 Yummy cake!

 Piñata - always a favorite with the kids.

We had a fun picnic in the backyard.

And enough My Little Pony garb to satisfy any 4-year old!  Super party!  Happy Birthday, cute girl!

Ainsley's First Birthday

The Reed Family goes all out for the first birthday party.  The theme was pumpkin patch. (obviously)

 It was a joint party with her BFF.

 We almost forgot (OK, maybe we did forget)  We missed out on the pumpkin decorating, the crafts, and the fun treats.  But we got there in time to take some cute pictures.

Brianna always does a great job!  What a cute mom!

Happy Birthday, sweet Ainsley!

Soccer

It's been a long time since I had a kid in soccer.  Although it was lots of fun - uniforms, practices, snacks, schedules, I have to admit,  it's so much easier as a grandma!

 Asher did great!  He takes it very seriously.

 Ryan coached the team.  They won every game but one, which they tied.  Great coaching!

And Ainsley and Atley cheered from the sidelines.

The Battle of the Cougars

Here is how I have fun while DTB is working in Ohio (via Brazil and Mexico)

We went to the showdown of the Houston Cougars vs the BYU Cougars

I was pretty stoked, as I graduated from the U of H and all of my kids graduated from BYU. 

It was no- lose situation.  And either way, the Cougars won!

Ryan decided we had to get a picture in front of the Astrodome.   Lots of memories there - Astros' games, Houston rodeo, 10 K's on Labor Day.  I'm glad we got the picture before they decided to tear it down.

 Ainsley just came along for the ride . . .

and the popcorn.

It was the most exciting football game I've ever watched!  The guy next to us in the stands got a little over-zealous and the kids learned a few words they've never heard before.

The Office

Today while examining one of my patients, my bra strap came loose and somehow slipped out of my sleeve-hole, dancing around like an extra flaccid arm, hitting the poor little kid in the head.  Since I couldn't discretely get it under control, I had to excuse myself.  And that pretty much sums up my day.

Romping in Utah 2013

We went to visit grandma and grandpa in Utah this week.  It was great to see them and have some fun with family.

We took mom and dad for a drive around the scenic Alpine Loop.    Mike tried not to scare grandma too much, but the curves were a little tenuous.  He was a little jealous of the bikers that were attempting the challenging climb.

 We raided grandpa's garden, which is amazing!  His apple tree is loaded with crisp apples.  We picked juicy red tomatoes, plump raspberries and grapes.  We even sneaked some apples into our suitcase.

 We spent the next day hiking through Big Cottonwood Canyon into Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Lake Mary was at an all-time low.  The rock that the kids have swam to previously is easily accessed on dry land.

 Lake Martha

We met some former Hilcrest High graduates along the way, as well as an 86 year old lady who hiked all the way up to Catherine Pass.  Amazing!

Lake Catherine

 The highest peak we scaled (Sunset Peak) (10,648 ft ) gave us a beautiful view of Heber, Mt. Timpanogas, Little Cottonwood Canyon and the Alpine Loop.

 We had already hiked for 5 hours by the time we reached  Twin Lakes Reservoir (below), and I was determined to find it's "twin lake."  I finally relented, which turned out to be a wise decision.  When we consulted the map at the lodge, "Twin Lakes Reservoir" is only one lake.  Go figure!

 The next day we drove to Park City - mostly for the Alpine Slide.  Yeah, he smoked me!

 And, of course, we spent lots of time with THE FAM!

 Dave

 Mom with Ashley (Scott and Connie's granddaughter)

 Amanda with Connie's new dog

 Ben and Lizzie

 Melissa

Scott multitasking.

Thanks, Scott, for hosting the party!
We'll be back!