Brazos Bend State Park

The kids had a holiday on an absolutely gorgeous day, so we decided to check out a nearby state park along the Brazos river.  Ben got to cut some walking sticks with his pocketknife and Alex got to climb some trees, so the trip was an easy success.

(While Alex was in a tree, I got the honor of holding his stick and his lizard.  Lucky me!)

 

 Alex was pretty in love with his lizard buddy.  Later that afternoon we were buying baby crickets to keep him fed...because every mom really wants a lizard living in a container on her kitchen counter.  Fortunately, crickets don't live long and once they were all gone, we let the lizard go in the front yard.

The park wasn't exactly beautiful in the middle of winter, but it had several lakes full of wildlife so the hiking was lots of fun.  We saw all kinds of ducks, geese, and ibis.

We hiked about 3.5 miles altogether, which was quite a feat for Casey and her little legs, but I helped her on the stairs to the platform overlooking some of the lakes.

It took a while, but we finally started spotting some of the wildlife we really wanted to see - alligators!  This one was sunning himself just off the path.

We spotted to big daddy on a little island.  Can't wait to go back when the weather is warmer and they're all out!

January Pics

We've had lots of loose teeth around here and unfortunately, they don't seem to want to come out on their own.  Both kids had to go to the dentist to get some baby teeth pulled.  

Ben before:

Ben (who was a trooper for what I'm sure was a painful extraction) after at our celebratory Denny's brunch:

Alex before:

 

 Alex after:

 

 "Wait," you ask, "I don't see any teeth missing."  That is correct.  Little man went totally crazy after the dentist numbed his gums and was ready to give him a shot.  After lots of screaming and tears, a little nitrous, more screaming and tears, we finally threw in the towel.  Lots of drama for nothing.  Sigh.

 When he's not terrified at the dentist's office, Alex enjoys finding entertainment while Ben is at the tutor.  We had to change tutors in January so we have a whole new list of playgrounds and carousels to explore.

All the way to the top!

The kids had science week at school and got to learn a lot about dinosaurs.  I was lucky enough to volunteer in the science lab when the third graders were digging up "fossils".

We also got a visit from the Dinosaur George exhibit, which turned out to be really amazing.  I wish I could have spent another hour seeing all the fossils in the collection.

Casey learned how to stand on command and has used her cuteness to her advantage.  It's hard to resist this cute little beggar!

However, she did not find January weather very appealing.  We had lots of cold and rainy days and she had to bundle up to go for a walk.

A New Year

We got to spend a little more time with the cousins just before December ended.  Ben was so in love with little Carter!  He fed him a bottle and rocked him before his nap one day.

 

 Alex loved his little cousin, too!  Of course, everyone has to love that sweet little guy.  He's such a happy baby.

The boys were interested in baby toys again watching their cousin investigate everything.

It was cold in North Texas so Stacey and I got pretty smart when the three big boys wanted to play at the playground.  This was our view.  From the car.  With the heat running.

 

 Carter was not left out of the fun - he got to investigate all of the buttons and switches in the front seat and he was loving every minute of it!

"I got this, Mom"

He figured out the volume control on the radio and definitely had a preference for L-O-U-D.

 "This is great, Mom!  Let's do it again."

We made it back home for New Years Eve and had to stop at the fireworks stand for our little pyromaniacs.  It was quiet on the street this year but we found a few friends to celebrate with us.  So long 2014, and hello 2015!  (Just don't tell the kids it was only 8pm!)

We had a wonderful year.  I haven't really looked back yet to reflect on it, but it was a quiet and steady year which is pretty great.  I'm thankful for lovely memories of 2014 and looking forward to all that 2015 holds in store for our family!