State Fair

Last Thursday was Barrett's fall break at school, so Matt took off work and we headed over to the Texas State Fair! Caroline was just tall enough to be able to ride some of the rides without an adult, so the two of them were able to ride together. Pure joy captured below...

 

They were really brave with the animals too! Here's Caroline feeding a cow and Barrett feeding ostriches (terrifying). They also fed water buffalo, camels, goats, and an alpaca.

Big fun!!

Family Update: Cabo, Barrett 5.0 and a New House!

We update so infrequently that it's easier to update with a cluster of news. A couple of weeks ago, the overflowing generosity of the Brocks resulted in their invitation for us to join them at their house in Cabo. Several words to summarize our time there: good friends, paradise, food, unlimited lotions of various sort, relaxation. And pictures...

 A view from their back porch.

Their house. 

The pool at the clubhouse - where we spent most of our time. 

Me and some babe.

 

 

A couple weeks later, Barrett decided it was time to turn five years old. We agreed that it was probably time. So we decided to have his party at Legoland. It was a huge hit. Barrett pretty much smiled and laughed for several hours straight.

 

The birthday boy. 

B and friends. Ryan, the Legoland guy in charge of the party, was REALLY good at his job. Thanks, Ryan!

 

 

Lastly, after living in an apartment for several months, we finally found our next home. We close in a couple of days (fingers crossed). I can't wait to move in...

 





Big kids

I've been trying to post some pictures to facebook, but have been struggling. So two blog posts in two days! First, some pictures of Caroline...

I love this one - she looks so big!!

 

Sibling love - they are such good friends right now, it's sweet.

Barrett got up there all by himself! In rain boots!

Thankfully, he's still little enough to let me do this

We're so excited that Barrett will be starting Kindergarten at The Covenant School this fall! We got his acceptance letter a few weeks ago and had to take his first unofficial school pic :). We pretty much love everything about this school. I know we've talked about their program to a bunch of people, but if you're curious, you can check out more about his school here - www.covenantdallas.com

Easter

Happy faces from the kids on a beautiful Easter morning :). This was the best family picture we could get, but the kids really did have a wonderful time at Grandma and Grandpa Ridenour's house for Easter!

Caroline taking a swing at the pinata and Barrett cheering after he knocked some candy out

 

Swinging

 Couldn't get a still shot of Barrett during the Easter egg hunt - he has my competetive streak for sure - he was off and running from the start.

 Caroline took her time inspecting the goods :)

My dad shamed me over my lack of facebook and blog updates, so hopefully that will motivate some more updates!!

3 Holidays in One

For the person who never blogs... I've condensed our holiday pictures thus far this year to one blog post.

 

First - Halloween!

Caroline was a cat, and Barrett was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Leonardo - the leader in blue)

 

 

 

Barrett with his fellow ninja

 

 

Next, Thanksgiving! This year we had my parents and a few friends from home group over for lunch - it was fun to finally get to cook for a crowd!

 



 

 

Christmas - Barrett and Mom decorating the tree

 

 

The Woods go to Disney World

We were so lucky to get to spend a week at Disney World with Matt's family last week. It was Caroline's first visit, and Barrett's first time getting to ride the big rides and really take things in. We had BIG fun. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a condo that was roughly the size of our house (seriously). Thanks Brian and Mary Ellen! Here's Caroline, just hanging out in her pj's, watching the giraffes go by.

 

 Animal Kingdom! Caroline with Grandma Wood and just generally in heaven. She loves animals.

                                                                   Magic Kingdom!

                                                                Princess Caroline

 family teacups

 The speedway

Pirates Barrett and Gabriel

Hollywood Studios

I wish we'd gotten more pictures of the extended family - luckily Mandy and Mary Ellen both got some great shots. So much fun!



Long Overdue Update

So, our last update was in early May. Since then...I (Matt) had a birthday. Barrett had a birthday (his 4th). Angie had a birthday. Barrett wrapped up soccer and had a couple weeks of swim lessons. We went to Seattle to visit the Lambs. My sister's family visited (sister included). There have been a whole lot of hot days in between. Here are some pictures:

My birthday. Great wife.

Mother's Day

Memorial Day with cousins. 

Brother/Sister love.

Angie continues string of successful birthday cakes for Barrett. The Avengers! 

B turns 4! 

The big gift. 

Swim lessons.

Here is the fruit of his swim lessons...

The next batch of pictures are from Seattle...

One of several impressive staring contests.

I don't think I had one decent picture turn out from my sister's visit, so I stole a picture from her blog...