Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Trip to Dallas

The girls and I took a short visit to Dallas this past week to see our cousins Donna, Steve and little Liza. We were originally going to drop the van off in Dallas to have it shipped overseas, but now that we have one more stop to make (in Albuquerque), we decided to hold off on the van. It was so great seeing everyone and seeing the amazing strides Liza's made. I think the girls liked each other immediately, although Liza may have been a little overwhelmed by so many new people. It was wonderful seeing Donna and Steve also, of course...but let's face it: once you have kids, they're the focus of people's visits! Thanks guys for letting us crash with you and hang out!




Liza and Aine at the start of our Arboretum journey...both look thrilled :)

I love this mischieveous look :) Hmmm...what can I get into?

The girls were fascinated with the animals. There were goats, chickens, a sheep, a pony and a bunny rabbit at the petting area.







Aine hadn't napped all day (not that I didn't try to get her to....), so by bed time she was MORE than ready. She kept trying to stand up and I wouldn't let her. She eventually managed to do it and slid face down into the tub. She was even less happy than before!

Getting ready for bed.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

A Good Visit

Karen and John came for a visit this past week, and while they were here they treated us to a stay at the Peabody in Memphis! It was a great time. Thank you guys for a such a good visit!

The girls decided that Karen and John needed to have their hair brushed...


There's a great restaurant near Little Rock called Cotham's. It's an old general store, and the building is on stilts on a creek. It looks like a dump, but the food is reeaaalllly good. Best fried green tomatoes I've ever had!

Here we are in Memphis. The girls cooled down with a snowball.

The girls finished up dinner early and decided to get on stage and start dancing. Leah stood in front of the fan and just let her hair blow back!!

Kisses for Grandma

Pimpin' in the Peabody robes...

Enjoying an old-school trolley ride.

We visited the hotel where Martin Luther King Jr was shot. When we turned the corner it looked like we'd stepped into a time warp. Everything was as it was on that day.

The ducks' fancy fountain and the red carpet they walk down to get to it. They are kept in their own place up on the roof until 11 at which time they come down the elevator and march down the red carpet, climb the stairs and get into the fountain. At 5 PM they exit the fountain and go back onto the roof.
We got to see the ducks make their entrance/exit 3 times while we were there. We got lucky one morning and got to sit right alongside the red carpet right where the ducks climb the steps to get into the fountain. "du, du, du" as Aine says

Staying hydrated out on Beale street

Leah was fascinated by this guy both nights. She wanted to see him and give him a dollar, but once she did she turned into a shy girl...

The ducks' home away from the fountain. We saw two eggs...

On the roof...Leah isn't in the picture because she would NOT take a picture that day. Argh!

Back at Little Rock I made dinner and set off the smoke detector (although I really didn't burn anything...it was something in the oven that was smoking. That's my story at least...). The firemen apparently didn't get the message that it was a false alarm. They showed up ready to put out a fire. ooops!

We went to the Rivermarket and let the girls run around in the fountain for a little bit.

At the Old Mill. This place is so beautiful; in fact it was used in the opening scene of Gone With the Wind.



Hanging with Grandpa

Some Little Rock Stuff

Here's Leah helping me try on shoes at Kohl's. She tried on more shoes than I did...and she definitely walked better in the heels!


Aine playing with some of the toys at the upstairs playarea...and enjoying a little light reading.

The base had a Kiddie Day a couple weeks ago. They set up a bunch of toys in a big ballroom and let the kids go to town. Both girls had a fun time. Here's Leah crawling through two tubes she put together to make a long one.

There were about 5 cars and they were definitely the hot commodity.

The Big Cheeseball...

Eric walking the girls to the Hangar so they could play air hockey...

We went to lunch with some friends one Sunday and Leah was fascinated with Julia's gameboy. She was also fascinated with her brother Gavin. Such a flirt!!!

Aine walking through one of the displays at the Museum of Discovery. They were having an Alice in Wonderland attraction...it had some neat stuff.

Playing with some really funky lego-type toys...this was the most fun part for me that day!

Macy, Aine and Leah in the canoe at one of the displays.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

"Good Night Chub Chub"

Hot Springs Day Trip

We had a three day weekend, so we decided to take a day trip to Hot Springs. It's only an hour, so it wasn't too long of a drive. It's a neat town...definitely not a must see, but still fun. We walked down Central Ave (the main strip that has downtown, bathhouse row, and the National Park). We had lunch at a little Italian restaurant, checked out the unique shops, and got to see the water coming out of the springs. It's quite hot when it comes out...143! It was an absolutely beautiful day...even a little chilly in the morning :)

The girls in front of a fountain.

This is the main public springs area. It comes out and then down the rocks into a manmade pool. We stuck our hands in it; it was HOT!

One of her happy times in the stroller. She didn't really want to be in the stroller much yesterday. She wanted to get out and walk.

Leah on the edge of one of the fountains. She's reached the point where she wants to walk on elevated walkways...curbs, etc.

The girls on the lawn area between the main hot spring and the Arlington Hotel.

Awwww...

The Arlington Hotel. Eric and I stayed there once when he went through Little Rock after pilot training ~2004. It's pretty inside. Lots of neat woodwork. Supposedly Al Capone used to stay there alot.