Why they love Mimi's and Papa's House......

The kids have gotten a lot of time with Mimi and Papa this summer!  They are great to help us out a lot and babysit the kids about once a week for one reason or another.  Here's why my kiddos love their visits (courtesy of Mimi's phone camera):

Mickey Mouse Pancakes for breakfast--Papa is the chef.


Baths in Mimi's big bathtub with LOTS of bubbles.

Hanging out with the remote in Papa's big chair.

Pretty Pretty Princess game--Papa gets smoked every time.  I hear he always ends up with the dreaded black ring. 

Shopping trips for the girls.

Mimi took this picture one day when she was babysitting the kids and Matt met her to pick them up.  Love it!

And today she saved my bacon....I woke up with a horrible, nauseating migraine and she came over and got the kids and kept them all day.  Thankfully she's had them enough lately that she already had everything they'd need at her house and she knows their routine, so I didn't even have to prepare a thing for them to go with her.  Here are a couple pictures she took of them today. 

Quinnisms

Saturday we were driving in the car and Matt made a quick phone call to a buddy who'd been having car trouble earlier in the day to make sure he'd gotten everything repaired.  He finished up the call and hung up, and right as he did:
Q: DADDDDDDDY!   (said in a very upset tone of voice)
Matt: What Quinn?
Q: When you hang up with someone you're suposta say, 'Love you, buh-bye!"  
Matt: Not when you're talking to a bro, Quinn.  
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Last weekend at Discovery Green Amy caught a toad as we walked back toward the cars.  She handed it to Ava to hold, and then Quinn asked for a turn.  Ava handed it over, but then after a couple minutes wanted it back.  Quinn wasn't complying, so parents started getting involved.  
Me: Give Ava the toad back, Quinn.
Q: It's MINE, I want it!
Me: Actually it's Ava's.  Amy gave it to her first.
Q: ACTUALLY it's GOD'S toad.
And there she goes, playing the God card on us.  :)

One last show

Friday we went to see Pinnochio to close out our adventures.  Vlada came with us!  Once again Quinn was transfixed the entire show!  This performance was an hour long and she was totally captivated the whole time--in Vlada's lap of course!

 

 

He was less than interested....Instead he crawled around, got some Mama-rockin', walked the back of the theater in Mama's arms, played with the stroller wheels, and looked for tiny gross things to eat.

Yeaaaaa!  A cast picture!

Q had made drawings for the two police officers she'd met the day before, but they weren't there, so she gave them to another officer we spotted.  He was really sweet to her. 

 

Then we had a birthday picnic with Vlada to celebrated her bday, which was earlier in July.  We had a special picnic lunch with root beer, pinwheel sandwiches, and other yummies!

Sadly it was too breezy for the candles to stay lit, and right after this photo got snapped Beck snatched the cupcake.  Sticky kids abounded!

 

But they got washed clean in the splashpad!

 

 

I literally made 5 trips downtown this week, after a datenight adventure with my honey to some city locales and a photoshoop at St. Thomas Univ today.  I feel so "urbany!"  I think the more I am downtown the more I fall in love with it and the more places I discover I want to go!  Matt and I have a restaurant bucket list we're compiling for our datenights........

Hansel and Gretel

The next show was Hansel and Gretel and Mimi came with us!!  Beck got rested up on the carride down so he could enjoy the show.  Getting ready to go in the wrap:

And Q entertained herself before the show started with my camera.  Matt saw these pictures and said, "OH NO, THAT's starting already? "  She has figured out the camera-hold-out-self-portrait for sure....well before her teenage years.  Oh my.

 

 

She LOVED this play and had rapt attention the entire time.  It followed the traditional storyline she is familiar with more closely, so that helped keep her attention. 

AND.....best of all--she got her photo taken with the cast!  Hansel, Gretel and the witch!

She has a bit of a fascination/obsession with law enforcement officers right now.  She wanted her picture taken with these two but lost her nerve at the last minute. 

 

 

We ended up the day with a "scenic tour" (ie getting lost) trying to find a fun lunch spot, but all in all we had a great trip with Mimi!  We've decided we're going to have to make more treks into our great city as a group in the fall when it cools a bit more!

Hilltop Children's Theater Festival

Last summer we went with our church to a play at Miller Theatre.  Quinn fell deeply in love with live theatre, fairy tales, wolves, and Little Red Riding Hood.  It pretty much changed her life.  :)

This spring we went and saw Goldilocks, and before the show the director talked about the summer Hilltop Festival and all the plays that would be showing.  Q announced right then that she HAD to see them all!  So she has spent her summer asking me regularly if it was time for the plays yet.  She knew all summer exactly which plays were coming and she invited everyone she talked to. 

Finally it was time, and even though I tried to persuade her to attend an art camp at the same time, she stood solid in her decision that she wanted to see her plays.  So off we went, to a marathon of downtown trips!

The first play was 3 Little Pigs.  It sorta got a thumbs down from her because IT DID NOT follow the correct story line.  They had changed it quite a bit and Q didn't approve.  Also the actors did not come out for high-fives and photos after the show, which is her favorite part. 

Little Man fought sleep the entire performance.

After the show we headed over to one of the splashpads to cool off.  We love Hermann Park and all it has to offer!  I feel so "citified" hanging out there.  Boy do we see the sights, too!  Never know quite what you'll see with a mix of rabbits, homeless people, squirrils, foreigners, turtles, aggressive ducks.....it's definitely an experience, in a good way, I think!

 

 

 

 

I spend the entire time keeping Beck from putting tiny nasty objects in his mouth.  I can't even type the grossest thing he's tried to eat.  Makes me wanna puke just to think about it.  But trust me, he finds nasty stuff.  And the smaller and nastier the better.

A highlight is waiting for the train to come by.

Here it comes!

And there is some great nature experiences at Hermann Park.  There are tons of Texas native wildflowers, birds of all types, fish, squirrils, rabbits, etc.  Here's a feather Q was excited to score for her nature shelf.

 

Then we treked to the other splashpad.  There was a group of kids already there and two of the big boys fell in love with Beck.  They crawled all around everywhere he went, stroking his hair and calling him "monecocito" (little doll).  It was quite hilarious!