State Fair of Texas!

One of my favorite family traditions is going to the State Fair of Texas. I have been going my whole life and now I get to experience it through the eyes of a parent. It is classic fun for all ages and I love it now just as much as I did back then! As usual, we got there early to beat the crowds. And Pops and Nunie accompanied us for the fun. Payson wanted to hold both his Pops' hand and Daddy's hand at the same time - too sweet! 

Look how we've grown!

Fair visit 2010
Fair visit 2009

This year the kids got to play more games - and win more prizes! First up was the fishing game - everyone's a winner!

Payson picked out a sword, Hayden added another pink pig to add to her collection, and Madison chose a dolphin.

Taller kids meant access to more fun rides! The kids are still a bit too short to reach the pedals on the bumper cars, but these race cars provided plenty of fun.

Back on the 4x4's like last year! This year Madison was sure to pick the purple one. She was so brave this year and even went through a Fun House all by herself!

Hayden had less interest in the rides this year but enjoyed watching the other two from atop Daddy's shoulders.

The water games always get us the biggest prizes and this year Payson brought home a giant stuffed car thanks to Nunie's help!

 Madison and Daddy posing in front of the famous 212-foot Texas Star.

 

Go Sooners! All geared up for the big OU/TX game!

This year the kids were old enough to participate in the Pee Wee Stampede. They had so much fun competing in little rodeo competitions with other kids their age.

Payson with the look of a Cowboy.

Hayden, the princess Cowgirl, ready to ride!

Madison tipping her hat at the camera.

The kids loved the hands on farm again, and it was really cute to watch how they got so into it. Here they are hard at work with planting their seeds.

Here are Hayden and Madison driving their crops to the marketplace before earning a dollar to buy a snack in the general store!

The kids are starting to remember this little guy at the puppet show we attend every year. I wonder how many years he's been puttin' on a show at the fair? See ya next year little fellow!

Bonding Over Food and Fun

The weather has finally cooled down a bit and the kids had their friend Ryann over to play in the backyard and indulge on swirl lollipops. Here are four very happy preschoolers!

Ryann and Hayden trying out each other's various flavors!

The kids had their first experience around a teppanyaki table at Benihana's when we celebrated Aunt Negeen's birthday. They were very entertained and loved watching the chef in action.

 

Payson and Avery and the other cousins are always so happy to spend time together.

Iron chefs Payson and Avery practicing their best samurai moves.

My brother Grant and the birthday girl, Negeen.

Jessie and Woody (aka Haley and Payson) playing dress-up at a friend's birthday party.

Girls night with friends and cake to celebrate Melissa's birthday!

The kids are entering the World of Mac! Here they are learning to play games and being hypnotized like so many other American children.

Speaking of learning, the kids still love school and sometimes don't even want to leave at pick-up time! I was amused by a recent "Circle Sorting" lesson they brought home where the kids put dots in a circle and then counted how many were in there. Can you tell who had very little interest in this particular project?
(l-r: Madison, Payson and Hayden's worksheets)

Soccer Time!

Hayden, Payson and Madison started soccer this year and are on a coed soccer team. As it turns out, Hayden and Madison are the only girls on the team!

Here's Hayden on the sideline during the first play of the first game. She was her team's biggest fan! (In fact, at their first soccer practice she started cheering for Payson on the sideline and I had to remind her that she was playing too!)

Payson got into the action early. That. Boy. LOVES. Sports! He can't get enough of it!

Actually, I think he loves the social aspect of the game even more than the game itself. He could play with his teammates all game long if his coach would let him. He and his friend Grant were laughing hysterically at a little wrestling game they made up while wearing their pinnies over their heads. I loved watching them and was tickled by it myself!

When it was Hayden's turn to kick-off, she was not going to let anyone get her ball! The ref blew the whistle, everyone started running towards her, and she was quick to secure that ball... with her hands!

Thatta girl! That's the way it's done!

 

Madison spends half of her time on the field yawning or with her head hung over like this. Keith figured out that the poor girl was bored. No entertainment, no fun! Also notice that no one on our team is going after the ball (yes, the ball is in play in this picture!). Yep, that's the way our first few games went - they were interested in everything but the ball!

Here's Madison getting into the game... for a moment anyway. She says she wants to play again next year but the girl has zero interest during practice and games. But when it comes to dance, she's a totally different child - super energetic, attentive and even giddy at times. More on that to come!

 

Here are the kids hanging with cousin Addison while Avery played in her big girl soccer game.

What a coincidence that the kids and their cousins have consecutive numbers on their soccer jerseys! So fun!
(l-r: Addison, Hayden, Payson, Madison and Avery)

What Goes Up...

What goes up... must be played on! We recently purchased an outdoor playset for the kids and Payson wanted to help assemble it so badly! Unfortunately he had to settle on just watching it but even then, he studiously observed the action with great earnest and attentiveness. 

The kids are thrilled with the new addition of our house (ha!) and particularly love the playhouse underneath.

Our active little girl Hayden loves swinging on the monkey bars.

A moment of cooperation...

Swing, swing...

Payson, always the hard-worker, helped Daddy doctor up his old Maxima before we sold it. Anytime Daddy or a contractor get to work Payson hustles to get his tools and get down and dirty right alongside him. 

It's football season and everyone is feeling the love. Go Sooners!

School is going great and the kids got to do their very first show-and- tell! Hayden had the "B bag" and got to fill it with things around the house that start with the letter "B"!

Speaking of letters, here are the kids doing a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activity. First they glued down the parts of a tree and then placed the corresponding foam letters on or around their tree as I read the story from the book. It was a big hit!

The kids celebrated several friends' birthdays last weekend at the flight museum. They were ecstatic about running around on real and toy plane structures. Here's Payson trying out the pilot's seat from a U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon!

 As for Mom, I enjoyed a moms night out with some friends in my multiples group. Good times!

Party Like a Princess

Hayden and Madison were invited to their first Sweet & Sassy birthday party. With their poise and grace you would think they have been pampered like that before!

Hayden never sits this still for me when I do her hair! She loved every minute of it.

Madison picked out a purple dress (surprise, surprise!) and matching nail polish. Equally surprising, Hayden picked out a layered pink dress.

The girls getting primped and polished.

(l-r: Hayden, Sophia, Birthday girl Abby and Madison)

The girls were thrilled to dance on the stage. Notice how all of them are holding their hands out in fear of smearing their nail polish.

The girls got to walk the runway while the announcer read their fact sheets. Here are a few highlights:

Hayden's kingdom rule: "Everyone has to be a princess!"

Madison's kingdom rule: "Everyone has to wear butterfly shoes."

Madison's favorite thing to do as a princess: "Be locked in a tower." HA HA!

Here's Ryann, Hayden and Madison all prim and proper as they watch their friends come down the runway.

Posing for the mommies!

Bean Boozled, Bowling and More!

Grammy and GP visited and we enjoyed them as much as they enjoyed our dancer, pirate and princess!

Our dashing GP and Grammy before they head off to a downtown wedding!

Payson driving a car over a sleepy GP's face. GP was so sweet to let him do it... over and over and over!

Bean Boozled! The kids LOVE this super silly jelly bean game where you spin the wheel and when you land on a jelly bean color and select the corresponding one out of the box, you get either the "good" one or the "bad" one. Land on blue and you get "Berry Blue" or "Toothpaste." Land on red then you get "Strawberry Jam" or "Centipede." Hayden got a kick out of the "Pencil Shavings" (vs. "Banana"), Payson was tickled by the stinky taste of "Skunk Spray" (vs. "Licorice") and Madison still laughs hysterically about the "Baby Wipes" (vs. "Coconut"). Such a funny, silly game!

Messy Maddie enjoying dessert with Grammy & GP.

On Labor Day we went bowling with my mom and my brother's family. The kids have come a long way since we last played but we still haven't mastered the basics. Here's Hayden's winding up before throwing the ball down the lane.

Payson wanted so badly to stand far back and walk up to the line like the grown-ups do. Here he is hurling it down the lane!

Hayden gave it another go and dropped the ball but it didn't roll much so she just ran up and kicked it!

Madison liked that style so she went with the kick too. Thankfully we didn't get kicked out of the place!

Also, last month we checked out the LEGO exhibit at the museum. They had intricate replicas of areas and buildings in downtown. The detail was amazing.

Afterwards we spent some time creating our own building. This hands-on fun was definitely the kids' favorite part of the exhibit.