Houston - We Have Ignition

So we arrived around 4:30 on Saturday. Pretty good for not leaving the house until around 10:30 and making a few stops (including the doll hospital to get some old dolls restored for the kids).

The kids were off to a roaring start. Here is a picture of just one of the scenes we were treated to that night. I call this one the Dynamic Duo:



Lots of giggling, screaming (happy screams, mostly), running and playing later, the kids took a bath in the big tub (as J pointed out, only a few more years for that to be okay!) and then decided to all sleep together on the air mattress in Alex's room. We weren't sure how that would go, but we decided to give it a try. There were several ups & downs (Alex & Gracie - Clara was trapped in the middle), but they finally drifted off exhausted. It was very sweet to see them all sleeping together.

The next day was b-day! At least for the party at the Little Gym. The kiddos got in plenty of playing prior to the party though. There were some undecipherable "superhero" games going on (those are capes in the picture below).



Then there was sausage roll making (snacks for the party). Spidey made another appearance! I gather he is very popular at the Double J Ranch!



Then it was outside to burn off some more energy so we could hopefully get in lunch and a rest before the party! Well, Clara didn't actually want to go out right away. I think maybe she had enough togetherness at this point and she chose to hang out with Daddy in Alex's playroom. Her favorite toy of the weekend was a plane that you put together and take apart using a drill. I'm glad she and Dada could figure it out. I tried to help once and had to call in reinforcements.


But once Clara got outside, the trio had fun with all the different riding equipment. Apparently, there was also a fire emergency. Looks like the engine might be a little worse for the wear after our visit (sorry about that!). Also, notice Alex on his new bike! He was always moving so fast that I didn't manage to get a good picture of him with the bike.

Two of the firefighters having their snack:


Then it was off to the Little Gym for the big party! The girls had a blast. They loved the balance beam, rings and all the games they played. And you could tell Alex was in his element, too. He was so good at all the different activities. He was hanging on the lower uneven bar by his legs. Most kids couldn't get their feet up to the bar!




Alex looks like quite the ladies man here!


The party was lots of fun - you could tell the kids were excited to be at Alex's party and they all seemed to have a good time. There were no major meltdowns, which is always great, too.
John Michael was pretty excited by the party as well, even when he was just watching from the outside (at first - he got to go in the gym and play on the mats later).


And of course, the party concluded with snacks, cake and ice cream.


The cute dino cake:


The even cuter Birthday Boy!


After the party, we headed back to the Double J Ranch and tried to convince the kids to rest a little! At first, they were still pretty revved up, but eventually they settled down. Gracie & Clara sort of watching a movie and Alex playing with some of his new dino toys from the party. But the picture of Clara sums up how I think we all were feeling:

Yes, she is sleeping sitting up. And, while her proclaimed favorite movie (Cars - which she insists on calling Cartoons) was playing. There must be something about that movie. I know she has never seen the whole thing!

One more evening and morning left in Houston. I'll leave those for another post. Coming soon, I promise!