Happy 14th Birthday, Ben!

Ben got everything he wanted for his birthday this year.  Naturally, bacon was a big part of that list.

A socially distant lunch with Grammy and Grumpy at the park with takeout from Waffle House was high on Ben's list!

And of course, so was some cookie cake! (because we'd all been mostly home for weeks, we got a little closer on that afternoon and even got a hug!)

And the things Ben had wanted most - to have Matt here and get to visit Alabama - both came true!  Matt arrived on the 20th and we drove to the farm on the 21st, so Ben woke up in his favorite place on his birthday with our whole family intact.  It was perfect.

He asked for some tannerite to shoot on his birthday....

....and of course got another cookie cake.

I loved his instagram story that day!

He caught a nice bass...

...and got to make sure the blue truck was running well.

What a perfect day celebrating our firstborn!  We were all so happy to be together and thrilled to be able to give him exactly what he wanted in the middle of a pandemic and quarantine.  It was the best way to kick off a few weeks of fun at the farm.  Many happy returns, Ben.

Celebrations

Things look a little different at home this year.  Instead of celebrating our anniversary together, our 18th was via facetime over 10,000+ miles with no idea when we'll be together again.  Memorable but not my favorite anniversary!

Cinco de Mayo fell on Taco Tuesday this year! But we celebrated with homemade virgin margaritas and tacos instead of filling our faces with chips and salsa and a real Tex-Mex joint.

The Blue Angels made a flyover of Houston to celebrate all of our healthcare workers here and I was shocked at how many people wanted to join the celebration.  We had real traffic heading to the mall parking lot and there were so many people (socially distanced, of course) that it brought tears to my eyes.

It had been so long since we were a part of anything social that it was amazing to be together.

I think this boosted everyone's spirits! It definitely reminded us to thank the frontline workers helping the critically ill through this pandemic.

Grandma helped us borrow some bikes so we could hit the sidewalks and trails in the Woodlands.

This was a celebration just for the three of us to do something different and enjoy the Mitchell Preserve.

Smores with the Oswicks!  Nothing like sharing some time with old friends.

My mother's day was really special because each of the kids spent a lot of time creating digital love for me.  Alex made me a video game on Scratch that ended in a sweet note.

Ben coded a program on Python that finished with a sweet message.  I loved that the boys used their talents and interests to make something special and unique!

Brazos Bend State Park

One of the best things about Texas reopening was that the State Parks allowed visitors again.  We booked online so we could drive straight in and we thrilled that Grumpy met us at Brazos Bend on another school holiday for the kids.

Our first lookout showed us our first alligator at one of the horseshoe lakes.

It was another incredible spring day and we loved watching the ducks and fish as well.

We saw plenty of big gators in the water.

This little guy was right on the side of the trail enjoying the sunshine.  This was the biggest crowd we saw the entire day, which was perfect!  Just a handful of people out on a weekday.

This guy was chilling next to a dock so we could get a good look at him, but he finally had enough of our stares and took off in a huff.

We stopped for a picnic lunch.  PB&J for some people, sardines and cheese popcorn for others!

What a wonderful day! And the perfect place to enjoy being together but apart.

Aggieland Safari

On May 1, Governor Abbott started the slow re-opening of Texas and we were excited to get out of the house!  The kids had a holiday from school and we decided that a drive-thru safari would be a safe way to enjoy a beautiful day with some new scenery.  A 90-minute drive took us to Aggieland Safari.

Everything was prebooked and paid, so we just picked up our feed and met the animals.  This donkey turned out to be my best friend.  Every time we moved, he trotted alongside the car to stay with us for quite some time.

The ostriches were fun but a little scary, too!

They were not shy about looking for food inside the car.

Since the park had been closed for weeks, some of the animals were rather shy and kept their distance but were happy to eat once we'd driven past.

This big guy was not shy in the least!

The llamas were so much fun!

They were very friendly and happy to delicately eat from our hands.

All the walking exhibits were closed to visitors, but we were able to drive through as many times as we wanted.  We spent over an hour laughing and enjoying the animals.  Finally, this obnoxious ostrich finished the last of our food and kept knocking on the window for more.  It was time to go.

We were really happy to find that the Dixie Chicken was serving food and we got some takeout to enjoy safely away from other people.  Nothing beats Tijuana fries and ranch dressing!!

What a great day!  We couldn't have asked for better weather and a fun road trip.