Thanksgiving break came and went, and we had a great week off. Here are pictures from our busy week.....
Eric and I started it off by enjoying the patio (and Eric, a beer) outside on Friday afternoon before picking Carter up from school and heading straight to Austin.
We met all the family for dinner on Friday night, then went back and got settled in our hotel room. On Saturday, we visited a kid friendly brewery in the Austin area, enjoyed the beautiful weather and some delicious pizza.
Cole took a cat nap while the big kids played
Awake and time to chow down on some pizza. Yum!
Fun for everyone!!
Tired girl after a fun day there.
Saturday night we went to my cousin's house for dinner. The boys played lots of video games and jumped on the trampoline.
Sunday morning we took the kids to the Austin Zoo. It was cold, but we had a great time anyway. So much to see.... the kids loved it!
Checking out the chickens
Several foxes back there.
Cole couldn't wait to get out of the stroller and explore.
The lion
and tiger
Wolves
Cheetahs
Cole cracked up at the noisy Macaws
He loved them and how loud they were!
A Yorkshire pig. Carter said, "That's a lot of bacon!"
Goats and sheep
Cole was the only one wiling to feed them, ha!
Not even a little nervous
These goats were a little aggressive
Ella kept her distance.
The llama
Again, Cole loving it.
Took a fun little train ride
We made it back over to Johns Sunday afternoon for our Thanksgiving meal
Sweet sleepy boy finally gave in and had a nap in the stroller
The was ready for some fun on the trampoline!
After a fun weekend in Austin with family, we made it back home safely Monday. The kids played with friends on Tuesday morning, then outside a little in the afternoon. I had to laugh at this site..... Ella hitching a ride on the back of Carter's car. But helmets! Safety first!
We stayed in our jammies most of the day on Wednesday. Lunch time giggles.
And after lunch, the big kids helped me get Christmas cards stamped and sealed :)
Sweet, silly brothers
Cole loves to turn the water on in our bathtub and then walk away. Ha!
Sweet sleepy boy. Lately he's been sticking his arms and legs through the crib and falls asleep that way. :(
Eric came home from work early on Wednesday, and we took the kids to Jump Street. Cole's first time and he had a blast! Lots of blurry pictures, but that's just because they were always on the move!
All 3 of them :)
He loved running back and forth
And watching his big brother and sister
Checking out the bounce house
Eric took the big kids into the larger area
HAHA!
Carter was very protective of Cole while there were other kids in the bounce house
Running to do a cart wheel!
Carter's turn
Eric caught Carter reading to Ella on Thanksgiving morning. Always a sweet moment. We spent Thanksgiving day with the Beckmans, which I'll go through those pictures and posts those next time.
The day after Thanksgiving, Eric took Ella on a date to the mall where she played in the play are and on the rides outside
Enjoyed a carousel ride
And dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. She looks so grown up!
While they did their thing, I took the boys on a few errands and to eat dinner at Cane's. Also, it was pouring down rain and we got SOAKED ever time we got in and out of the car. Fun times !
Very serious, just like Marlon Brando behind him. :)
Eric and Ella finished their evening off at Braum's (because, yes, Ella didn't want cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, WHAT?!)
Can you tell we're all having fun at Target on Black Friday?!
On Saturday, our high school football team was playing in a 3rd round play off game, so we decided to head out to Cowboys Stadium for the morning. Cole's first time there, and Ella's first time since she was an infant.
Looking cute as we head out the door
Always playing peek-a-boo
Checking it out. Can't beat the non-existent crowds!
Hard not to be mesmerized by that screen!
Getting tired towards the end! He was hard to keep contained and we had to keep him occupied with food pretty much the entire time. But he was a trooper! We lasted until the 4th quarter, and were fine to leave as our team was winning 49-7 by that point. Final score was 56-7. Two more games to win and they'll be in the state championship!!
After the game we went to my parent's house. We couldn't do our traditional Thanksgiving weekend bonfire due to all the rain, so the kids settled for roasting smores over the chiminea. :)
Oh my word. This girl!
Getting started. This year we had the biggest marshmallows known to man!
Cole was pretty intrigued
What a mess! But they loved them!
Cole got his own, unroasted of course, and bit right in! Look at that cute grin
Mmmmm.
Sunday was mine and Carter's date day. We saw a movie, had lunch, and went to Main Event for some games. I rarely get to spend any alone time with this handsome guy, so I was happy to have him all to myself!!
So serious!
The race car game was his favorite.
Sunday night we put up some Christmas decor. This is our solution to the toddler/tree problem. HA! So far, so good!! Hope it stays that way!
We let the kids each put on their special ornaments, and called it a day for the small tree.
Then on Monday night we put up our big tree in the office (where doors can be shut and little boys kept away!). Wonder which tree Santa will leave all of our goodies under?! :)
Also, Cole wasted no time climbing up the step latter. What a toot!
So that was our Thanksgiving break. We managed to squeeze a lot in! I'm happy to be back in routine now, and hopefully will have all the Christmas decor up in the next couple of days. I took some Thanksgiving day pictures with my good camera, so I'll post those next time.
