Big Events

So, the problem with being super busy with fun things is that there’s no time to write about them.  But with a little down time comes an update.

We left off our adventure with Todd’s 3^rd place win at the pinewood derby.  Well, Carl came home after 5 weeks of training to three people VERY happy to see him.  It was great to spend time together as a family before he had to leave again.  This time, we knew well in advance about this trip, which was only one week long.  A week seems like a short trip after coming back from a 5-week trip, right?

Sometimes, my husband has the coolest job in the world; even if takes him away from us too often.  He traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to provide protection to the Dalai Lama.  Carl got to be the limo driver, which was pretty neat!  He said it was really surreal to look in his rearview mirror and see the Dalai Lama.  Of course, he also said he felt a little guilty skipping out on church to drive the leader of the Buddhist religion.  He got a really cool picture with him too…

Sometimes my husband has the COOLEST job in the world!

While Carl was gone, Mimi and Pawpaw came to town for the barrage of big events lining up.  It was great to hang out with them.  Carl made it back Wednesday afternoon just in time for Big Event #1 on Thursday… Todd’s Kindergarten Graduation (it doesn’t hurt that I’ve been threatening him within an inch of his life if he missed this big event for months now).  Can you believe it??? Our little man graduated kindergarten.  We’re so proud of him and how well he’s done in school.  Todd loves to read chapter books now does so whenever he can.  At graduation, the teacher picked a character trait that best described the child and spoke about it.  Todd’s trait was Respectfulness.  She couldn’t be more right!

It took 100+ pictures to finally find one where he was smiling (and not picking his nose)

The Graduate

Family Picture

With Daddy

With Mommy

Saturday brought another big event… Katelynn’s 3^rd “bur-tee” party.  In years past, it hasn’t been such a big deal, but this year, you’d think it was going to be covered by all the major news outlets the way Katelynn was excited.  We tried to keep it low-key so we reserved a pavilion at a local park and grilled hot dogs.  It was great to let the kids run around and play while the adults spent time together.  Katelynn had a blast with her friends and definitely enjoyed her “bur-tee” party.

Ready for the party!!!

The "bur-tee" cake

A very pretty princess

(Look at Katelynn's handful of gummy worms - right before cake!)

Ready for cake!

Although Katelynn’s birthday was actually Monday, it was a fairly quiet day with everyone trying to recuperate from the busy weekend.  Tuesday, Carl took the day off for my birthday, surprising me with a nice quiet dinner just the two of us at one of my favorite restaurants – Maggianno’s Little Italy.  We used to go all the time in Dallas, but there aren’t any close by in Houston.  It was really nice enjoying a nice meal with the man I love. 

Todd also got to experience a “first” on my birthday… Carl took Todd (along with Pawpaw and me) shooting for his first time.  Before he was allowed to go, Carl made Todd memorize the 4 Rules of Gun Safety, which he can still recite.  Carl’s reinforced gun safety with the kids from an early age, and it was great to watch Carl as he introduced Todd to one of his favorite hobbies.  Overall, it definitely ranked up there on the “best birthdays” list!

Todd shooting (and Carl making sure the rifle is pointed in the right direction!)

Wednesday, Carl had to go back to work and Todd left with Mimi and Pawpaw for a special trip to Colorado… Rocky Mountain National Park and a family cabin.  Todd’s been fascinated by the outdoors and nature for as long as I can remember, so he had a blast.  The pictures say it all…

Don't worry... Todd can run faster than Mimi!

Now that he knows how to read, he loves to read ANYWHERE!

Panning for gold

Future Scientist??

While Todd was out of town, we learned that life is exponentially easier with just one kid as opposed to two.  Katelynn was so calm and tame while Todd was out of town we thought she was a different person!  Over the weekend, we went to Galveston to check out the beach.  It’s a trip that’s been on our Houston “Bucket List” (i.e. things to do before we leave) and we had a great time… especially Katelynn.  The beach was nice, but I figured out I’m totally spoiled having grown up with the beautiful white sands of the Northwest Florida coast.

Lookout Pamela Anderson... here's the next future star of "Baywatch"!!!
(over Daddy's dead body!)

Not to waiver from the craziness of our life (especially the craziness of Carl’s job), Carl got pulled for a last-minute trip to California and had to leave right before Todd got home.  Carl’s flight left 6 hours before Todd’s landed… so they just missed each other.  Carl hated missing all the excitement and Todd’s stories, but bent over backwards – taking a red-eye flight Saturday night/Sunday morning – to get home sooner so he could hear all about his trip.  Carl may have to travel a lot for his job, but he really tries hard to minimize the time away from our family… even if he literally has to lose sleep to do so!  And in true DS fashion… Carl was gone again 48 hours later on another short trip.  He returned home just in time to spend five days with us, pack, and leave us for the summer to work at one of the U.S. Embassies in West Africa.  Come to think of it, we’ll have made at least one trip to the airport each week since the beginning of May.  At least we get to have dinner at Rudy’s BBQ every time we drive by (YUMM!!!)

It’ll be a rough summer without our guy, but we’ll make due… as we spend lots of time at the beach in Florida!