Grand finale for our tour de grandchildren

After we raised as much havoc as we could in Texas, we drove up to Broomfield (Colorado) to see the most recent addition to our family, Aubrey, her big sister, Alex, Jamie and Eric. We had so much fun playing in the backyard, going to neighborhood parks, watching Disney movies, going to the mall with walkie talkies (dangerous), playing hide and seek, playing on the Wii and just enjoying each other.

Alex got the hang of the walkie talkies right away. She learned quickly that she had to hold down a button in order to talk. One finer point that she missed was that she didn't have to yell for Papa to hear her! Alex provided great entertainment for the sales staff with her big voice emanating from her petite body. Alex is normally so quiet that none of the adults with her was inclined to try to lower her pitch.

Aubrey is a real snuggler. Her favorite position is being nestled right up to our hearts. Fine by us! She changed so much in the short week we were there. She's starting to coo and to smile - such a wonderful thing! Jamie and Eric are such laid back parents and a great team.

Aunt Adrienne made this headdress for Miss Aubrey.

Papa has Aubrey in just the right spot!

A little Barbie wrestling with Alex's best friend, Avery.

Papa is just so much fun!

Back in Dallas

To say that the Hirst household is high energy is really understating it! All waking moments are spent travelling at high speed with lots of laughter and fun. We wanted to get a picture of Ellie playing kickball but she moves way too fast. So we had to settle for a picture on one of her many modes of transportation.

Charlie boy is following in his sister's footsteps by loving his mama's prepared fruits and veggies.


First bite of fresh apple!

So great to have the weather turning warm so that water activities can be expanded from bath time. This Texas sized ball sprays water from the hose. So much fun!

More good times in Texas country

We have come to expect that we will find dishes we love in Texas grocery stores but had no idea that Peggy would find the cowboy hat of her dreams at the local grocery store in Hempstead! Peggy has been looking for "the hat" since her last red cowboy hat at age 1! The effect is enhanced by her 7 year old farm boy grandson Cody.

Grandpa followed Cody's fishing advice and caught some great bass at each of the fishing holes we visited. We can only imagine how big they will be when we return in November.

This is the barn on the 50-acre Baxter parcel between College Station and Waco. Cody seems to know every square foot of the property.

Grandma's favorite tree in the "front yard".

While in Hempstead we enjoyed going to Cody's baseball practices as well as to a real game. Here's Cody with his homerun swing. Unfortunately this one resulted in a miss. The game was exciting and right down to the wire. In spite of Cody's RBI, his team, the Red Sox, lost 6-4 to the Pirates.

April in Texas

We've come down to Hempstead, Texas to spend some time with Jamie B., Kelley and Cody. April is an absolutely beautiful time here. The blue bonnets are just crazy prolific! We are amazed at how just one kind of wildflower can take over the landscape. They are dazzling to say the least.

Cody at age 7 is still in love with fishing. We spent the afternoon fishing and eating crawfish, potatoes and corn on the cob at a get-together for some friend's of Jamie and Kelley.


One blue gill among dozens that kids at this crawfish feed caught.

The crawfish cooks made sure that everyone got their fill.
Texas proportions for sure!

The Hirsts in Dallas

We have had such a fun week in Dallas with Ellie and Charlie, and of course, Adrienne and Damian too! Ellie is absolutely one of a kind, doing everything at full throttle - singing at the top of her lungs, running after balls endlessly and entertaining her little brother with her antics.
Charlie has a grin that could melt any heart. He's happy to be part of whatever action there is to be had.

Ellie goes to Moms Day Out two mornings a week. It was clear from the time we walked through the front door that Ellie is a favorite there. It is certainly her domain - as soon as she was inside, she was running to find her friends and teachers. A perfect place for a social girl.