Living in Munchkinland

Last weekend, I took off Friday's professional development day and the kids and I fly to Austin on Thursday night. We arrived around midnight and mom picked us up and took us to the ranch. It was so good to be home! Friday morning, the kids swam and I walked the ranch with mama. Then Michael flew in and we had other Michael pick him up and bring him to the ranch. The party was ready to begin. We went out for tex-me lunch at the The Palms (Casa Maria was closed) and then came back home. I visited GG and then let Davis drive the truck on the ranch before running a quick errand to Hobby Lobby. We stopped at a gas station and picked up a Big Red soda so the kids could taste it. They hated it, but I thought it was fun to show them their Texas heritage in a soda, lol. That afternoon, Cheris and the kids came over and we all visited and sipped champagne and had a lovely evening. Mom had people coming in and out to get ready for her big house concert on Sunday and so the evening felt li...

Spring comes later in Colorado. While Texas has been in bloom for months, we have had brown and cold and the occasional snow. But finally, over the last two weeks, spring has sprung. We've had sunny days in the 70's. The grass is turning green. I've consequently started mowing the lawn. The trees have tiny brown knobs at the ends of the branches and then, in a blink of the eye, green and white and pink peek through. The last few days full blossoms have appeared. More and more each day. Of course it has also snowed. And rained. But I feel spring coming. It is a good change. Change is sort of the theme of the last few weeks. I feel unsettled, like things are changing, but I have no control over it. Sam's headaches ebb and flow. Some days they hurt like hell and other days he is great. Last week he had a terrible fever and exhaustion illness and they tested him for everything under the son because we had recently been out of the country, but now he is fine. Except for som...

For Davis's birthday, we took him to Hamilton on Friday night and then dropped him off at his friend Kai's house for a dual birthday sleepover. (Not at my house! I win!) He and Kai have birthdays very close and are very good friends and share the same friend group so it was perfect. The next morning, we rolled out of bed (so tired!!!) and loaded into the car with some of the neighborhood kids and drove to the movie theater to meet Davis and the sleepover kids for "Ready Player One". This is Davis's favorite book in the world. It has inspired a deep love for the 80s and video games and he has read it over and over and over and over again. He was very excited to see the movie. We all trekked in and saw the movie and when it was over I passed out cupcakes in the lobby for all to enjoy. Then the sleepover kids went home and Davis and all the neighborhood kids made their way to the Varsity Inn, a local arcade and pizza place. Our neighborhood parent friends also came ...

We had the most amazing trip to Vietnam and Cambodia over Spring Break. It was the most amazing trip I have ever done and it was truly life changing in so many ways. I am desperate for the time to chew it over, go over all the photos and to linger as I remember the days. But I don't have time now. We came home on a Sunday night and went back to school the next morning. The next weekend was Hamilton, Davis's birthday and Easter. And now it's another work week and Sam has what may be the flu and Michael is slammed with work and we are all pedal to the metal. But here are a couple of pictures. And I am going to make an epic photo/scrapbook. Soon!