Family Lotto

I hit the in-law lotto. For real, y'all. I have the best extended family in the world. I could not have prayed for a more loving, fun, welcoming family to be a part of. Today, we had the privilege of celebrating Brian's grandmother's 95th birthday. It was an amazing feeling to watch my boys build, grow, and nurture relationships with their extended family. They have cousins who are all around their ages and to watch them interact with each other, was a precious thing.
A huge thank you to Chris, Diane, Heather, and Kailey who opened up their house to host. They literally have a lake in their backyard which provided Ethan with just the environment he so desires; wet, marshy, and full of creatures. Caden enjoyed having the freedom to jump from the floating dock into the water. Yeah, they did that on their own. The coolest experience happened as I was walking closer to the edge of the shoreline, seeing a ton of these tiny, little dark spots jumping around with every step I took. I assumed they were crickets or something. Nope. They were baby frogs!! We had the best time catching and releasing them. They were precious!!
Caden and Ethan took the paddle boats out with their cousins which was also pure entertainment. I love that they were comfortable enough to explore and create an adventure with nothing more than their environment, a few of their cousins, and their imaginations.
Thank you, God, for blessing us with an amazing extended family. They mean the world to us.

They're lucky they're cute (and smart, and funny, and creative, etc. etc.)

I can't think of anything super clever to say here. Mostly because I feel this swelling of pride over my kids and the other is because my brain hasn't checked in via Four Square just yet. I'm tired, y'all. (you can say that in Paula Deen's voice if you want to.)
My kids can be the most infuriating creatures on this planet. They don't often keep their clothes stain free and I have to remind them constantly to pick up after themselves. They're loud, they scream and yell, and well, I feel like I'm living Lord of the Flies in my own house sometimes. (Remember, the fat kid dies in LotF)
But, they're also sweet, sensitive, protective, empathetic, have a dry/great sense of humor, and are often polite to others while maintaining a respect for their dad and me. But, what continually amazes me are their talents. Where did they get this?!
Ethan is so intuitive and loves to dig deeper into his learning. He abhors math (that used to be me before I started teaching it) because he can't do it quickly and mentally. He devours every non-fiction book, documentary, or random fact. He's also artistic, creative, and sees beyond the dimensions of his vision. He is a deep thinker.
Caden is my logical thinker, my fiction story fanatic, my musician. He can remember song lyrics, keep rhythm, and makes up his own stories in his head. He can count to 20 in Spanish, higher in English, and is able to add and subtract already. He writes, draws, reads, and calls himself an "artist".
Ethan created a piece of art that was placed into the RISD All-District Art Show. The story behind his art made my jaw drop. He takes a piece of knowledge and runs with it. I wish I had time and space to write down everything he does, creatively speaking, that astounds me both as a mother and as a teacher.
Caden had his spring show for pre-school. His class had tons of artwork displayed along the walls and in the classrooms. He has such a creative group of kids in his class. Their artwork was amazing! After parents continued with the gallery walk, they were then led to the gym where the students serenaded them with songs such as, "Zip-a-dee doo-dah!" I wasn't able to attend because of state testing, but Brian was. He recorded it for me. It was so cute I wanted to vomit. For real. Caden was so into it. He did the motions to the songs and sang unto the Lord with all his might!
Man, I love these people...even if I do think about drop-kicking them every now and again.

I maybe, might, sorta, kinda like living here...maybe...

Last month, Caden and I attended Ethan's 2nd grade field trip. We had a blast at the Arboretum! Caden just enjoyed being with the "big kids" and having a day off from school. I'm not going to lie, I did too. While the city I dream of living in is more San Diego than Dallas, I do have to admit that there are times I truly enjoy living here.

Then, later that week, we attended the Kids' Festival at the Trinity River Audubon Center. This was our first time to ever visit the Audubon Center. The DMA, Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas Zoo, Nasher Sculpture Center etc. were all on hand. They had stations set up around the place where kids could do tons of make and take crafts and activities. The Audubon Center brought in different breeds of birds, one of which was a snow owl, so that people could see them up close as well as learn a little more about each bird. The kids had a wonderful time and Brian and I found ourselves wanting to visit again.

Dallas definitely has a ton of stuff to offer. Also, my children are pretty dang awesome.