The Buttars Visit

We have company!  Amanda and Trent are in town from Ohio and are spending a couple of days with us before leaving their children in our care while they search for a home in Las Vegas.  Trent is graduating this month and the Air Force is sending him there for additional training.  We, in the meantime, get to have our grandsons all to ourselves.  Yay!

Mister and I take a moment to give Trent his new watch as a gift for all the hard work he has done in school.  We are so impressed and want him to know that.

In no time at all, the boys have discovered the toy cabinet and we are soon busily building away.  It is smiles all around and the den floor is soon covered with bright colors.

First thing the next morning, the sound of marbles making their way through the maze can be heard throughout the house as we get breakfast ready,

Well, in all fairness I guess there is also the sound of cars on the racetrack.

Breakfast on the high table.  The boys think this is so much fun but it certainly doesn't encourage sitting still.  We are all showered, dressed and ready for the day.

The Dallas City Arts Festival is currently running and both Amanda and I would like to check it out.  This is the first time the festival has been indoors and I am not crazy about it but such is life.  It seems to have lost that "festival" atmosphere.  One of the booths that catch the boys eyes is that of a didgeridoo maker.  He was kind enough to show the boys exactly how it worked and their excitement was equal to mine.  This wonderful instrument from Australia adds to my desire to go there.  Perhaps we will make it down under in the next few years.  Once we finished with the booths, it was time to let off some steam outdoors and the paths on the ponds are the perfect solution.  First things first, let the turtle hunt begin.  Can we spot one?

Ah yes, who can get wet first?  Love, love, love the Texas Star in the background.  What an icon.

The rest of the day is spent relaxing and visiting a bit.  Naps are taken and a nice dinner out ends the day.  Tomorrow we are off to the Fort Worth for some fun.  Bed time.

We are up and moving!  Let's go to Cowboy Town.  First stop is the Water Gardens.  I absolutely love this place.  Yes, me and fountains, but these are just oh so awesome.  The only thing that takes away from it even a little is my old lady fear that one of the precious grandsons will fall in.  I feel like my hands are always ready to catch one.

Aha, a climbing wall.  Two little boys scurry up the back trail while Dad makes the climb.  They are now Kings of the Mountain.

Next feature is a water wall near the serenity pool.  Little hands are wet in no time and before I can blink they are on the run around the pool.  Yes, I did say serenity, but fortunately we are the only people here at the moment.

From the Gardens, we head down to the Stockyards.  It's time for some history and fun.  As we arrive, we discover that it is truly an eventful day as it is Frontier Forts Days and the place is hopping with activity.  Good timing on our part.  First up, a military parade catches our eye and we stop to watch.

What is a frontier event without horses?  Ryan spots one, wants to check it out, and within moments Mom and the horse are really enjoying each other.

She certainly had her face cleaned well.  We move along to the area where the encampments are and go from station to station learning about early military life here.  Ry-guy thinks life is pretty easy.

We have jail time and of course we need balloons.

A cannon goes off and I literally jump a foot.  Oh my goodness -- heart attack in the process.  I had no idea the dang things were real.  We check the schedule and make sure we are prepared for the next one and grab a picture.  Funny thing is -- the cattle don't even move.  Only the old ladies.

It's time for the maze and the boys are off and running with Mom along.  As they reach lookouts, you can see them pop up and attempt to figure out where they need to go to find the exit.

It's time for the main event.  Don't get too excited here -- but it is the longhorn cattle drive.  The best part about this is seeing the longhorns, but seriously -- they know the route by heart and its a pretty calm cattle drive.

Some of the horns are so very long though -- it gives me a headache just watching them hold their heads up.

Well, naturally, we need to sit on one.

It was a great day in Fort Worth but it is definitely time for little ones to get some rest and us to get dinner plans finished.

This is what I wake up to the next morning -  the boys have pushed aside all the colorful toys and are contentedly playing with cardboard boxes.  I remember my own children doing this when they were small and I wondered why I had spent so much money on store-bought toys.  I am wondering it again.

Today's adventure is the Dallas World Aquarium.  I LOVE this place and cannot wait to share it with the boys.  After our trips to the zoo in Ohio, I know their love for animals first hand.  Hopefully they will enjoy this day.  We start out letting the boys hand feed blueberries to the birds -- this always makes me smile so I know they will get a kick out of it.

Ah, turtles.  My favorites.  I'm a pretty big fan of the rays too.

We have a great time there and soon it is time to head back to the house.  The boys need rest and their parents need to get ready for tomorrow.  Trent and Amanda are leaving for Vegas in the morning and we will have these cuties all to ourselves for a few days.  I am looking forward to it.

Mister is up and off to the airport early, while I settle in with the boys.  Today will be another busy day.  It starts out with stories and playing in the backyard with whatever toys nature has provided.  Then, we are off to the Dallas Zoo for a few more animals.  We are going to take the DART rail down and I cannot even tell you how much I love this picture.

Boys waiting for the train --- it is oh so hard to stay back from the edge.

A stop to check out the tortoises and I am happy.  Gotta keep Gammy happy too ya know.

We head over to the Children's Zoo and soon the boys are busy in the underground, popping up now and then to find Gammy.  I love that the mongoose nearby really doesn't even care that they are there.  It's a great way to get a really close view of these animals.

If at the Children's Zoo, one absolutely must feed the birds.  We all know that this is one of my favorite activities at the zoo.  The boys are very serious about this and hold oh so still as they birds come to sample what they have to offer.

We stop in at the education center and they just happen to have a turtle out today for interaction with the kids.  What a treat!

A stop at the petting zoo leaves the goats content and little boys with big smiles.

It is time to get back on the train and head home.  This has been a fun day!

It was a fund day, but time to head home and rest up.  We have certainly been on the go this week. After a rest, we head to the playground to let off some steam.

Wow, after the last couple of days, we are staying home today.  Let's see what we can find to do here and still keep wiggly little boys happy.  We start out the afternoon with fresh smoothies.  Yep -- that is certainly a good start.  Yum!

Mister has a few projects to work on around the house and is hoping to get some help from the four little hands that need something to do.  We have a new Japanese Maple that needs to be planted -- let's get busy.

First up, Dig!

Second - plant.

Third - fill and water.  I cannot wait to watch this sweet little baby grow.  The yard is starting to get into shape.

I said we were going to stay home today, but we decide to run down to the Dallas Museum of Art and let the boys have an afternoon activity.

We stop in at the Children's area and they are able to make projects with the day's supplies.  I love watching their creative minds at work and once they finish, they add what they have made to the wall of fame.

We then go to the hands on learning areas and the boys are busy for quite awhile.  (Mister took the following video while the boys were building with simple cardboard boxes.  It was too big so I had to split it -- just play one then the other.)

When everyone tired of being inside, we went out back to the garden and checked out the sculptures and fountains, yay!  Who can resist playing in water when you are in Texas?

LOVE this smile!

We decided to ride the trolley since we were in the area and were lucky enough to have "Rosie" running today.  She was built in 1909 and is as beautiful today as she was then.  Everyone climbs into a soft seat and gets comfortable.

Before we can leave though, the conductor calls the boys up front to push the foot pedal for the bell that announces we are on our way.

A tour of the city and we enjoy every minute of it.  Once the ride is finished, we stop uptown at Texas Land and Cattle for dinner as Raef has requested steak for dinner.  At first they are very angry with us as we order them a meal to split but it goes away as they eat.  I think we have forgotten to feed these little boys as they are truly hungry.  It is a good time and after dinner, we are on our way home.

The next morning, we make another trip over to a playground and look at the picture we manage to snap:  Pure Joy!

Trent and Amanda are back and we are going to visit the new Cowboy Stadium today.  Since I have already had the tour, Mister and Trent take Raef inside while Amanda and I hang out in the parking lot.  They are able to tour the whole stadium, although Mister says the tour is slightly different than ours was and then Trent and Raef get to go out on the field for some practice.   Trent later says that this was such a special experience for him and Raef --- oh and the cheerleader locker room wasn't too bad either - not pictured.

I am so glad we had this time this week with these wonderful boys and their parents.  What a treat!

Update:  The following morning, I was off to Colorado to start the graduations and Mister took Amanda and Trent to the airport only to have their flight cancel.  They go back to the house for more time together before they can get a flight out, making it a very tight time for them to get ready for graduation.  Busy, busy, busy.