Surprise #1 - Poker Night!

While in Angel Fire one night, David had said, "I don't really want to do anything like a party for my birthday."  Well too bad buddy!  I had just spent the whole day arranging for his friends to surprise him on Tuesday for a man's night of pizza & poker!

Pete helped me organize the guys.  I talked one of David's favorite people - Jeremy - into make the trip over from Tyler.  The guys were excited about this b/c they don't get to hang out much anymore since he moved.  I tried to work out getting Cody to town from Austin, but that didn't work out.  He did make a few phone calls during the night though!

David is rarely home late.  5:30 is the usual, with a few 6:00s thrown in there periodically.  Well, a couple of guys were coming from Tyler, so I wanted to start the night early so they wouldn't be getting home way too late on a work night.  

We decided they'd be there at 6 to surprise David - that I'd ask him to go wait in the bonus room while I got out a surprise I got him.  Well, 6 o'clock came and David wasn't home, so I just went ahead and had his friends come inside.  We got the poker table set up, and I thought he would be there any minute.  

I kept getting text after text telling me he was on his way or that it would be just awhile longer.  WELL.  SEVEN O'clock FINALLY rolled around and then 7:15 David finally walks in.  I felt so bad for the guys.  They had just been waiting (having their own fun I'm sure).  He's never late - and this one time - over an hour!!

I had planned on taking my girls to Chick Fil A while they were hanging out, and Kate held me to it even though it was so late!

I think they had a great time despite their late start :-)  And, he did tell me later that this was the PERFECT party I could've done.  Turns out I knew better all along :-)

Birthday Dinner with the Fam

We started off David's big 30th birthday week with dinner with his family.  We met for a yummy meal at Pasados, then headed back to our house for dessert

David's mom, Hannah, & D

My girls LOVE ice cream

I decorated our dessert table with lots of pictures of David through the years.  I think his parents really enjoyed getting to reminisce.

Aunt Emily, Adrianna (cousin) & Kate

Birthday boy with Kate

David with his sister Angela & our niece, Adrianna

David's fam

Our little family

Time to Go Home

After a really amazing 9 days, we decided to cut our vacation in Angel Fire a day short & head home on Saturday.  We swore that vacation would continue that last day - no work, no cleaning, no cooking, etc - but it just sounded nice to go ahead and have a day home on Sunday before we started back to real life on Monday.

up bright & early ready to ride for a looong time

It always feels like a longer trip on the way home than it does on the way there, but it was still a great trip.  The girls were fantastic & traveled so well!

baby girl just doesn't sleep much in the car.  I think we got 20 minutes out of her!

No matter where we're going or when we're going to be there, we are sure to find Freebirds on our way through town!

It really was the perfect trip.  Not because everything went perfectly or everyone loved every part of it, but it was a great escape from real life, an AMAZING chance to remove ourselves from distractions & just be a family.  We are hoping that this is just the beginning of a new tradition!

Fat Tuesday

Yes, I'm trying again to get caught up.  Some things to look forward to...the rest of our Angel Fire trip, David's 30th, and some baby #3 updates.  Hopefully I can add some other fun into the mix too!!

After a yummy dinner in Red River at the famous Texas Red's, we realized it was Fat Tuesday!  What a perfect reason to break out the sparkling grape juice we found in the pantry!  Ha!  We're corny like that ;-)

A fun night for a silly couple!

Making Memories

David & I talked on the way to Angel Fire about how neat it would be if this trip held some of Kate's earliest memories.  (He remembers things from when he was 3.  I do not!)  While I would love for her to remember it, I know there are so many things I will never forget.  I felt like I was on a sensory high - taking every moment in & just LOVING being with my family.  For the most part we didn't do anything "special".  It was just that we were together - the best gift ever!

I did snap a few pictures of some of the memories we created!

making "snow ice-cream"

LOTS of sister playing

movies in our PJs (at 2 in the afternoon!)

painting

wrestling with Daddy

baking

LOTS of silliness

games

nightly fires

her first roasted marshmellow

and first s'more

little sister couldn't be left out!

I think this might top my list.  I talked David into playing NERTS on a whim one afternoon & it soon took over our trip.  Why you ask?  Oh.  It's because HE CAN'T BEAT ME!  It really does make me giggle even now.  He would get SO IRRITATED - blaming it on luck, on the cards, on whatever he could, but he just can't do it.  I'm not saying he never will, but come on.  He told me he'd quit playing if he ever won.  I can't let that happen!  I should probably add (just for full disclosure!), this might be the only thing I can beat him at consistently.

We must've played multiple times a day & have played often since we got home.  I LOVE it.  I hope I never lose.

Time to Play!

Once I had recovered from our 6am excitement, and David and Hannah got up (at a reasonable hour!), we piled on the snow clothes & headed out to play in the snow!

Kate LOVED the snow.  Hannah wasn't quite as big of a fan - I think b/c her bulky clothes made her new walking skills not work so well.

The great part though, was that the house has a huge back porch that I could watch Kate on from inside, so Kate spent some part of every day outside digging in the snow.

and eating a good bit of it too!

David got the sled out & both girls loved that!

One of the first days we were there we got a HUGE snow - 6-8 inches.  It's hard to tell in these pics, but it was snowing - HARD!

 We headed out our last day to get a few pics in the snow.

so glad she got his eyes

I had yet to get one of the girls together, but well...

 ...that didn't go well.

look how deep it is!