One-Word Wednesday

I’m back shooting disc golf now that my thumb joint feels better. Here C.J. tees off during yesterday’s Southwest Handicap Mini at Community Park.

Return!

The Mister putts.

Eric tests the wind direction.

My baby boy sails in a par putt.

Making Good On a Promise

C.J. is ready to blow out the candle on his mini pizookie during lunch at BJ’s.

Every so often, my ever-lovin’ though sometimes ornery younger son will look at me and say, “Remember my birthday last year? I still can’t believe we didn’t go to Dave and Buster’s.” Then cue the fake sigh.

As I cue my own real sigh, I must admit that I do feel bad about last year, even though C.J. and the rest of the Core 4 seemed to have a great time at Tilt Studio. Which is why I had promised him an eventual trip to D&B. Yesterday I fulfilled it.

The guys walk towards their world of fun.

Yep, my newly minted 19-year-old got to spend his birthday with his big brother and Ricky, Jared, and RJ at Dave and Buster’s in Houston. The Mister and I went along to act as chauffeur and ATM. Plus we always enjoy watching the guys have a great time. Which they did!

Sharpshooter!

Most of their $20 Power Cards were wasted spent on a couple of basketball games that they played numerous times. All five of them love to hoop it up.

It’s a handful.

One of the best parts for them, besides trash talking each other, was racking up tickets. Once all the money was gone, it was time to see how much they had earned.

As a veteran mom, I knew that most of the prizes were going to be lame and cost lots of tickets. D&B, after all, is just Chuck E. Cheese’s with better food and games and without the rat. But the guys still enjoyed checking out the store and picking out their rewards (except for Jared, who is saving up his winnings).

Jared, Ricky, C.J., RJ, and Jake pose with Bumblebee.

As we were walking out of D&B, C.J. said, “You know, last year’s place was okay. But Dave and Buster’s was a lot more fun!”

Glad you had a birthday that’s as wonderful as you are, my sweet son!

One-Word Wednesday

 

Jake snaps a photo of himself, Josh, Chase, and C.J. before going in to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The boys (plus Ben and Brandon) went on a buddy trip to San Antonio and Schlitterbahn last weekend.

Broventure!

One-Word Wednesday

The Mister, Jake, Josh, real mom Cindy, girlfriend Claire, and real dad Charles surround our “third son,” Chase, after he graduated from Rice University last Saturday.

Proud!

The leaning bros: Jake, Chase, and Josh

Saturday in the Park

Love the bright purple phlox.

Last Saturday was my kind of perfect day.

First, both boys came home for the weekend. That really would have been enough. Then Saturday morning, the Mister, Jake, and I enjoyed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” even though it’s extremely violent with an ammunition budget that had to be about a million bucks. Talk about your literal overkill!

But the icing on the cake? Our friends Jessica and Eric asked if we would be available for a play date at Imperial Park. Absolutely! All we had to do was switch out Jake (who drove to Houston to be with our “third son,” Chase, and honorary son, Josh) for C.J.

A pennant dragonfly poses.

Being out in nature on a gorgeous spring day meant snapping pics of nature, of course.

The putt heads towards the basket.

And, naturally, discs were a-flying courtesy of Eric . . .

Note the Mister pushing a stroller.

. . . and C.J.

Jessica and Ted

But the highlight for me was seeing three-month-old Ted. I was in desperate need of an adorable baby fix.

Awwwww! Such a cute toothless grin.

And now I can last another, oh, week or so!

You Should Be Dancing

One of Jake’s favorite game machines

For a day that started out with some pain for Jake, last Friday ended up being memorable.

Our older son drove in from UTSA Thursday night, because he had his final appointment with the dentist who has worked on his expensive implant for several months. Soon Jake will have a permanent crown in the space where his pulled tooth is missing (its root had fractured) and won’t look like a goober anymore (well, when he isn’t wearing his temporary flipper).

I’ll kind of miss that gap-toothed smile, which always made me laugh, but I’m sure that he won’t.

Jake was planning to stay overnight at Chase’s Houston apartment, because they, along with Josh, were going to drive to College Station the next day to play Dungeons & Dragons with friends. I wanted us to see “The Lego Movie” (all four of us loved it!), so we picked up Chase and drove to the nearby Edwards Theater.

Picking out a song

The boys were glad we were early, because there’s a Dance Dance Revolution machine at the theater. Both of them enjoy getting their exercise and showing off their moves with this particular money-waster.

Follow the lighted arrows!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two besties having fun together. The action was fast and furious, but both seemed up to the task.

Jake plans to move into Chase’s apartment after they both graduate in May.

Catching their breath

I have a feeling this DDR machine will see a lot of their respective sneakers and sandals in the future!

One-Word Wednesday

Our friends Jessica and Eric had a baby on January 9! My baby got to hold theirs last Sunday.

Ted!

The Mister looks like a pro. Welcome to the world, Ted!

One-Word Wednesday

It’s been fun watching Jake and Chase grow up together since kindergarten.

BFFs!

I snapped away while they worked on a song they had written in GarageBand.

 

Maybe one of these days they’ll have a company together!

Little G and Baby J: An Update

Big Glen reads to his namesake.

It’s been about four months since we visited one of our favorite young families, the Russells. Being in dire need of a little Glen and baby Jonas fix, I texted mom Kelly last Friday about getting together.

Something’s funny!

We made it happen, cap’n (as our younger son likes to say), a couple days ago, enjoying a delightful visit with the fab foursome at their house. Can we ever get enough of our adorable little G? Impossible! We love listening to him talk.

Cranky Frankie stares me down!

Of course, now we also get to dote on baby Jonas, who looks like a bigger version of his brother (much like my little guy did . . . for awhile). I got to spend some time bonding with the small fry, who made me feel right at home by constantly wiping his snotty nose on my shirt (he’s suffering from an ear infection and congestion, poor kiddo).

Jonas Burrito and Little G make a daddy sandwich on the couch, as they watch a video.

Did I mind? Not one bit! It brought me back many years to that wonderful time when my little sweeties did the same thing as I held them. Good times . . . and lots of laundry!

My bearded baby boy seems amused.

It looks like Kelly and big Glen already have their hands full with their beautiful sons, who they clearly adore. Been there, done that, and loved it times two, too!

Frosty Photography and Disc Golf

The Mister putts uphill.

Last Saturday was a bone-chilling kind of day. It was 34 degrees with a blustery 16 mph north wind. Add Houston’s traditional humidity (the dampness made it feel even worse) and gray skies, and it led to one conclusion: Stay inside all day (well, after my early, icy-cold four-mile jog/walk, of course).

The disc saw Steve’s mean face and knew it better land in the tray.

So, naturally, when the Mister got a text from our pal Eric telling him that some of the usual suspects were playing disc golf at Community Park, he was rarin’ to go. Say what? Why not be smart and stay warm?

Blame it on his Nike FuelBand. The Mister wanted to get his 10,000 steps in, and this seemed like a fun way to do it. Where “fun” equals “frozen fingers and toes.”

Eric lasers in his putt.

I didn’t quite have in my 10K steps on my FuelBand, so I figured, what the heck? I joined the gang of six for the final half-dozen or so of the 18 holes (I was smart enough to wait until they were almost done, of course) and snapped photos with my little Nikon 1 V1 (30-110mm lens) until it literally froze at the penultimate hole (I had to pop the battery out and back in to get it to work again).

Michelle throws from an awkward position.

Those steps were frigid ones, especially after my sneakers got wet. Man, it was cold! I was wearing my warmest coat (my older son’s letterman jacket), earwarmer, and mitten-gloves to no avail. I hated that wind chill when I lived in Chicago, and I especially despise it now. We have to endure some of the worst summers on the planet (which extend into spring and fall); it doesn’t seem fair that we should have to deal with cold, too.

Mother Nature? Let’s talk!

Blake shows great form on his upshot.

Despite feeling that I was part of the idiots parade, it was nice being out with pals and surrounded by such pretty greenery. The park features lots of pine trees and bushes. Those make for great photo backgrounds.

Jeff floats his disc through the air.

When all was said and done, the disc golfers seemed glad that they had played. I guess it’s never too cold to throw.

But my Nikon 1 thinks it can be too cold to shoot pics!