Pumpkin Patch

We took a family day to the Flower Mound pumpkin patch in October. I'm always glad when we pick a day with perfect fall weather. We got lots of cute photos of our kids with beautiful pumpkins so I wanted to share.

One of my favorites of my and my little man.

 This year's newest cut out was Zootopia, of which we are big fans.

 Pretty much his classic photo face.

 Jailed up for too much cuteness.

 On the haydie.

 I'm really trying to be in more photos with the kids, it's just so easy to be the one taking pictures.

 JOY JOY JOY!

 Peek-a-boo!

"Jensen! Smile! Smile, buddy! Oh...okay...keep making your super serious face."

Matching the jackolanterns this Halloween. I love her toothless grin.

East Texas

This past weekend we loaded up the minivan and drove out to East Texas. We went to visit a family friend in Avenger and visited the Wildflower Trails Festival in Hughes Springs. This is one of Ryan's childhood memories from growing up there and we have been talking about visiting the past few years. We were a bit nervous about the drive because sometimes our kids get crazy just diving to Walmart but overall the ride was pretty easy.

We tried to stop at the festival when we first arrived in Hughes Springs but the rides didn't open until 4pm so we decided to go ahead and go see Miss Joyce. She is like a grandmother to Ryan and he grew up going to her home all the time. Eva always likes to feed the fish in her pond.

Sharing his childhood with his son. We visited Joyce when Jensen was just a couple of months old but this was his first trip where he could really experience anything.

Lots of swing time. Joyce's property is lush and beautiful so we spent tons of time outside.

A great big world and a little man.

It was so good to visit with Joyce. I kept joking that Ryan could just take the kids and I would stay and hang out with Joyce until Monday. I just always love talking with her.

At 4pm sharp we were headed to the Wildflower Trails festival. Eva got to pick 5 rides and decide on the big swings first. It was the fastest ride there and she was flying!!! 

Saturday night we spent the night with Nana and Papa. The next morning we drove around Royse City and Ryan got to show me where his football team was the 2004 state semi-finalist. He was so proud. 

Saturday afternoon we went over to my sister and brother in-laws and got to play with Mallory's new swing set. Eva keeps saying that we need one now...not sure our yard is big enough, but it would be fun!

The girls all up in the clubhouse. I may have liked it a little. Okay, a lot. It was pretty awesome.

Saturday night we met up with friends for a picnic and park time at Bicentennial Park in Southlake. I hadn't been before - it is a great park. We didn't know they had a water or sand part, so Eva got a bit messy. I wish I had taken a picture of her and her little friend all covered in water and dirt. Classic. I only snapped this one of Jensen on a super cool swing.

Touch a Truck

Last weekend Denton offered an awesome event called Touch a Truck. They had so many cool vehicles that you could climb in and look at.

Jensen was a little young to fully experience everything but I think he liked looking at it all. I can just imagine how excited he will be next year.

And then there is Eva. So, I might have forgotten how sensitive she is to all things sensory. Oops. This was a bit of a mom fail. I didn't realize that all the honking and sirens would freak her out. Next year we will be sure to get there early when they do a time period with no loud sounds specifically for kids like her. 

She did like painting a truck! There were lots of other fun things to see and do, and once she was further away from the loudness she calmed down a bit.

Afterwards we grabbed some lunch on the square and spent a few hours playing together. We played chase, watched a wedding on the courthouse steps, looked at books at Recycled Books, and wrapped it all up with some Beth Marie's ice cream. Our family has grown up so much since Ryan and I took engagement photos in the same spot 8 years ago! Look at those young people in love :)

Autumn at the Arboretum

Today we enjoyed a family fun day to the Dallas Arboretum. I haven't been since I was a kid and it was gorgeous! We picked a perfect fall day to walk around and enjoy the beautiful flowers and pumpkins.

Little man loves a good pumpkin.

She begged me to take a photo of her holding two little pumpkins. 

The best family shot we could get. Having two little kids definitely lowers your expectations.  Hooray for being "good enough!"

We packed the kids' Halloween costumes to get some sweet photos in the giant pumpkin patch.

Princess Elsa! Not quite Cinderella but still looking beautiful in the carriage. 

Sibling love! 

Eva took this shot! I carefully let her wear my camera and showed her which buttons to push. She has her own little cannon powershot (my old one that I no longer use) so she is used to taking photos. I was pretty impressed that she got this. 

It was hard to capture a few shots because of bright sun along with weird shadows but I love the background of the lake and downtown in this one. 

The coolest tree house. I want this for our backyard! 

Water play in the children's area. 

Beautiful day with my family! There was so much we didn't even get to see before we were all worn out....I guess that means we will have to visit again one day :)