NASCAR!

Yesterday, we returned home from a weekend visit to the Texas Motor Speedway.  You won't be surprised when I tell you that this trip was prompted by our resident NASCAR fan, LT. 

Don't they look excited to stand on pit road?

They didn't take home the cup, but they did get a picture with it.

The speedway is impressively large - and the boys have sore legs to prove it.

All smiles back at the hotel . . .

. . . and fast asleep on the way home.

This Little Miss did not attend the race, but she enjoyed her brothers' race gear.

Dad braved this outing with the boys on his own and says it was quite an experience.  The three of them managed to conquer countless flights of stairs, crowds, and deafening motors.  I don't think we will be regular visitors to the track, but we all have a greater appreciation for motorsports. 

Fun Visitors

Uncle Eric and Aunt Shelby were in our neck of the woods recently, and they stopped by for a visit.  While they were only here for a short while, they managed to find time to take the boys on a shopping spree and helped us celebrate Ted's birthday. 

Needless to say, they were a big hit with the boys.  LT and Gabe keep asking me when Eric and Shelby are coming back and telling how boring it is without them here.  Indeed, mom and dad are "chopped liver" compared to a fun aunt and uncle.

Looking Back: One Year Old!

Miss Laura turned one at the end of the September.  I simply cannot believe how fast the time went and how much she has changed and grown.  Hope you enjoy the video.  Party pics coming soon.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our three little ghouls:

Meet the Dark Voyager, from the Fortnite video game:

A t-rex fossil:

And Snow White:

We had another rainy Halloween this year.  Thankfully, there's a good indoor Halloween event at church.  This event, followed by a stop at the nearby Baskin Robbins and fast food establishment, is becoming a Halloween tradition.

I think Laura may have enjoyed dressing up the most.  She strutted around in her costume all evening, smiling and enjoying how pretty she looked.   

The kiddos were pretty distracted by the stuff we had going on at home after our Halloween outing, so none of them dug into their Halloween bags.  Crazy, right?

I'm sure that will change today, after this little one wakes up and big brother comes home from school.
 

💖

Movies Fixed!

It was brought to my attention that the videos in my recent posts weren't working.  I've fixed them all.  Enjoy!

Nearly Walking . . .

Laura is approaching the 10 month mark and looks like she will be walking soon.  Here's a short video that shows her trucking around the living room.

And here's a fun bonus - Gabe puts his motor skills on display while mommy tries to capture Laura's initial steps:

Birthday Party

We celebrated Ted's 9th birthday with Grandma & Grandpa Gonzalez & Cousin Matt.  Grandma made LT's birthday cake, which depicted a replica of Dale Jr.'s race car, and some yummy NASCAR sugar cookies.

She also brought this, which made the whole house much more festive:

As always, Ted's birthday requests were simple.  All he really wanted was to eat his favorite foods - cheese pizza & nachos.  He enjoyed both and was a happy camper.  Of course, ice cream, cake, cookies, and presents helped to round out the celebration.

Gabe & Laura also enjoyed the celebration and grandma & grandpa's company.  We all are already counting down the days until their next visit.

Cousins' jam session

Mall trip with Grandma & Grandpa

New swing for Laura!

All the cousins - ages 14, 9, 4 & 9 months

Nine!

How can it be that my baby is already nine years old?  Can it be possible that this smiley, happy baby is now a boy just one year away from his double digits?  Where did the time go?

Summer Visitors

We had the pleasure of hosting our first visitors from Oregon over the course of the last two weeks.  Great Grandma Laura Mae (Laura's namesake) and Aunt Carol arrived the Saturday before Father's Day, just in time to enjoy some Texas BBQ.  

This is what happens when we BBQ - playtime on the swingset.

Their visit was filled with visits local attractions, including the university, the zoo, 

Look at those rosy cheeks - this was a HOT Texas day!

the Mayborn Museum, 

and the mammoth site.  

Before we knew it, it was time for Great-Grandma and Aunt Carol to head back north.  We were all very sad to see our house guests go.  In addition to being great fun, they were great helpers while they were here.   

LT said that the only thing worse than saying goodbye to his family was the closure of Toys R Us that same week.  It was a sad week indeed.  But we do hope to see them again over the holidays, perhaps for that impromptu family reunion we've been discussing.