Wicked Weekend

After years of wishing, 1 full year of anticipation, 6 months of having tickets and a hotel room reserved...Drew and I finally saw Wicked this past weekend! I posted a few months ago about getting our tickets if you're interested in reading about that {grin}.

We got to Houston about 12:30 on Sunday {showtime was at 2:00}, checked into our hotel, freshened up, and headed to the venue.

The view from our room - love the Texas lazy river!

In the merch line

Love the Pride month playbill

Trying the specialty drink - The Ozmopolitan, yum!

Welcome to Oz!

The Gurley girls!

The verdict was Drew LOVED it! She sang along, grinned throughout, told me multiple times how much she loved it, it was as good as I could have hoped for! There was 1 specific line in a song she had wanted to understand for years, and I wouldn't tell her {it was a spoiler} and she said 'I can't wait to understand what ... means.' and when she figured it out, she gasped - it was so cute!

We walked back to our hotel after the musical ended and got in our suits to hit up the lazy river. Unfortunately, Texas summer hasn't really hit, and it was a bit chilly, so we didn't stay in too long. But then we ordered poolside dinner and had fun sitting out visiting and enjoying our time together.

Best hamburger she ever had, ha

We stayed up late gabbing and playing Skip-bo, and in the morning we lazed about watching tv, reading, and relaxing. After lunch we headed back to Austin, and all 3 agreed it was a trip for the record books!

Drew made this, so funny

Until next time, Broadway {which is 2 weeks for me ha}!

Fall Bucket List

If a young Allena could see how excited adult Allena gets about fall, she'd be SHOCKED beyond belief, because young Allena always mourned the end of summer like someone who would never see the sun again. {grin} 

But adult Allena IS very excited for the fall, and I've put together a bucket list of things I want to do with the kiddos since fall is just around the corner! Although Mother Nature is playing a nasty trick on us this week with temperatures back in the 90s. Gag.

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch - it's shameful how infrequently we've gone to a pumpkin patch over the years. Brent is not a big fan of things like this, so I'm going to go with or without him. Although I really hope we can go all together!

2. Halloween Festival - There's a festival on our town square that we've never gone to before. I think the kids would really enjoy it.

3. New Fall/Halloween Shirt - I love themed clothes and need some fall ones!

4. Carve/Paint Pumpkins - Another shameful admission - we've never carved pumpkins! So we need to buy pumpkins when we visit the pumpkin patch and have fun with them!

5. Family Photo Shoot - We haven't taken family photos since Paige's newborn pictures, and we really just took 1 picture. It's time for updated pictures! Another thing for Brent to hate!

6. Leaf Craft - I'd like to do some more crafts related to the seasons/holidays this year. I saw some really easy crafts using leaves, seemed fun.

7. Tree of Thanks - I really wanted to have the kids think about the blessings they have this year, so we're going to create a tree of thanks.

8. Make Pumpkin Bread - Drew LOVES to cook, and Paige likes to make messes help cook too, and I thought this would be a great activity. And who doesn't love pumpkin bread?!

This list might be a little bit aggressive given most of the list is stuff we've never done, but since we have about 2 months to achieve it all, I'm cautiously optimistic. {grin}

The End of the Road

You would think all things associated with me having our last baby would have come to an end...but nope! We still have a few more 'last' firsts in our future. {grin}

To likely end a tradition I started with Trent, yesterday I donated my hair! I don't know why I decided to tie childbirth to hair donation, but I did it after Trent, and then I did it after Drew, so of course I had to do it after Paige.

The before - seriously the longest my hair has EVER been in my life.

I was SOOOOOO sick of it!

Back view - kind of hard to see against the t-shirt

11 inches of hair! {and that's not counting what got cut in the styling process}

And AFTER! I love it! It feels so good and light and wonderful.

I also think I look younger...or maybe that's wishful thinking after starting my day at 3:00 AM due to someone who will remain nameless...ahem...Paige. 

Trying to look less dorky when I take a selfie...don't think I succeeded! 

I imagine this is the last time I'll have the patience to grow my hair out that long again - it was nice having a goal with the kiddos but that was a bit of torture, ha!

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.

A Weekend Spent Waiting

Well, I'm still pregnant. Sigh. While this is not the most pregnant I've been, I am so ready to have this baby! So to distract myself from the fact that I'm not busy having a baby, we packed a lot into our weekend.

Trent had his First Reconciliation on Friday evening at church! Leading up to Friday, he was really anxious about it and kept saying he wasn't going to do it. We told him he could write everything down, and that seemed to make him calm down, but when we got there Friday, he said he didn't need his paper, and it went great. When he finished, he said 'It was good. He was nice.' It was special for me because the priest he saw is the priest who was at my childhood church for YEARS and did a lot of my sacraments.

Waiting in line

 This just made me laugh Friday night. She is such a pack rat in bed.

She has a stuffed animal, her ceramic handprint, books, and her hand in a bowl of grapes.

Fort building with Daddy!

A little Home Alone 2 action - they think it is hysterical. I love hearing Trent laugh.

Saturday night, Brent's parents kept the kids so we could go out. We went to a local restaurant and then to get snow cones! Yes, in December. {grin}

Brent doesn't enjoy pictures documenting our lives!

Brent's mom sent pictures of Christmas cookie baking.

Her outfit SLAYS me.

This was our 3rd year to make Gingerbread houses, and I have bought the kits every year from our local grocery store. Well, this year I had to assemble the houses and let them dry for 4 hours - ugh. So I did that Saturday night.

Ready for the kiddos! {10:30 pm no less, ha}

Sunday morning I had contractions for about an hour and a half. I thought this HAD to be it given I was 40 weeks, 3 days. Well, joke was on me - who in the world is PAST DUE and has contractions that die out? THIS GIRL. Ugh. But I did do a load of laundry, pick up the kitchen and living room, and run the dishwasher. So upside?

When we got the kids back, they were so excited to decorate their houses.

My little hams

Finished houses - they are posing with 'mistletoe eyes'.

Love these 2!!!

So that is how we spent what is HOPEFULLY our last weekend as a family of 4.

Wordless Wednesday

Alternatively Titled: EEEEEE! Bluebonnets!!!

Alternatively Titled: It Wouldn't Be Springtime in Texas without Forced Merriment in Bluebonnets!