october 16-17 - NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!

yep, i went to the houston and san antonio shows- and they were AWESOME- we waited since our last show which was in 1993 or 1994 when they were totally not popular any more, and jon was missing... they were at a state fair in san antonio- they were definitely fading out... anyway, finally, 15 years later, THEY'RE BACK!

we night, we found the hotel and headed up there for a few cocktails and nk sightings- and i got a blurry picture of me and joe... but donnie and danny werent in town- oh well. we headed back up there thurs morning for a few more sightings.. :) and pictures with jon and jordan. yes, i was stalking and no i dont care, i waited 15 years for those pictures :)

then we headed over to the galleria for lunch, and to blake's to get ready! there were 8 of us going to the houston show (and other friends of mine went, too, but werent sitting with us) the show was awesome- yay! friday morning, we headed to san antonio- stacy flew in from maryland and went with us- we did the 5* vip meet and greet (anyone can do it- you purchase it, dont have to win it)... we finally got to meet all 5 of them- (me, steph, blake, and stacy)... unfortunately you couldnt bring a camera, so we only got a group picture of us and 6 other random people (they let you in in groups of 10)... but still cool. in the 5* vip package, that included tickets in the first 10 rows- and you didnt find out where your seats were until that day- well, blakley opened the envelope- and we got FIRST ROW!!!!!!!! we were psyched! first row was awesome! i am so ready for the summer tour! :)

here's us at the hotel



us before the concert



after



san antonio after we met them



the group of 10



















of course i took WAY more pictures than this- but i couldnt post them all :)

Oct 12- Justin's first Tee ball game with the Dad's club

Justin has played tee ball for two sessions at the YMCA, but it's not very productive. The practices were only 30 minutes one time a week- they didn't play on a real baseball field- and didn't get much accomplished. The first year, he didn't like it much, but last year he loved it- I think it was his age and also, his friend, Baron was on the team.

So, this year, we signed up for fall ball at the Pearland Dad's club. The Dad's Club is well known in Pearland as 'the' place to play teeball/softball/baseball. It also has a reputation for being a little too competitive.  But, since justin is still 4, we can still play instructional tee ball, which is just that- instructional.  Also, the fall season of baseball is supposedly more lax.  The Dad's (or Mom's in some cases) can stay on the field and instruct the kids where to run next, etc. Also, they don't keep score. Each player gets a chance to bat and then they switch to outfield. Each team goes up to bat 3 times total. They get to play on a 'real' ball field- and get to sit in the dugout when not at bat or in the outfield. They have batting helmets and baseball pants and cleats and baseball bags, bats, hats and their favorite- the snacks/gatorade they get (brought by parents each week) after the games and practices.  Justin is a nice big brother and always shares with Jake.

Justin is enjoying it, even though he didn't have any friends on the team when we started. He has practice one night a week for an hour, and games once a week for a max hour 45 minutes. Jacob has fun watching, and nana and pawpaw come out to watch, too. This past weekend, aunt marsha even came to watch.

Here are a few pics from the first two games (oct 12 and 19)... His team name is Lynx.  I'll post more from the later games in a few posts.

oct 11- Dewberry Farm

Nana, Brooke, Justin, jacob and i headed out to dewberry farm ... it's about an hour and 15 minute drive into the boonies- and was fun- but i think we'll skip it next year! The first year we went, most things were free. Now, they have added more activities, but all for a fee. For example, a simple face painting was $4 per kid! And, you can no longer bring your own lunch- you have to buy their overpriced food after you stand in the long, long line (or in our case, after nana stands in the line hehe). There were lines for the hay ride, lines to pay for the pumpkins, lines for everything. The kids had fun, but now i say- been there, done that. and dont plan to go again unless the kids bring it up.

Anyway- here are a few pictures from the day..

this was hilarious- he was cracking up at the chickens (below)



and here- he is being difficult- when i want to take a picture! (below)



but i did manage to get one











$4 face paintings below:







here they are sifting through the sand for rocks (which you bought and put in there but they dont know that)



pumpkin shoes



jacob did steal a quick kiss from katey