And Baby Makes Three

Every fall we try to go to at least one Tech football game. They are a family tradition – Mom and Dad have had season tickets for as long as I can remember, and I don’t think we ever missed a home game, rain or shine, hot or cold. Thankfully, last weekend we had perfect football weather. At game time, temps were in the 60s and the sky was clear (and dark since it was 7 p.m.). Sure, Tech hasn’t had a great season, but they actually put up a good fight against #7 Boise St., losing by only 10 points, with a score of 38-28.

We only stayed for the first half, since about that time was when Benjamin normally goes to bed. Apparently all the exciting stuff happened in the second half, but thankfully we were able to see what we missed on tv. While we were there, Benjamin wasn’t very interested in the game itself, but he enjoyed hanging out with everyone. We all had a good time, cheering for the team, drinking hot chocolate, and watching replays on the new jumbotron.

Earlier in the day we had lunch at Ruston’s new Pho restaurant, and we were impressed! Chris, Brad, and Dad had fried rice, and Karen and I had the egg roll noodle bowl. Our dish consisted of noodles, cut up pieces of egg roll, a sweet sauce, etc. We also tried the spring rolls, which are served with a peanut sauce and were delicious. It’s nice for Ruston to add this authentic Asian cuisine to its list of food offerings.

We always make a point to eat some Johnny’s Pizza while we are in Ruston, and so we had dinner there Saturday night before attending a Tech men’s basketball pre-season exhibition game. The pizza was delicious, and the game was entertaining. Benjamin seems to like basketball better than football, just like me. He had fun dancing to the music during timeouts and clapping every time the team scored.

The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with friends and family, exploring the yard with Benjamin, and as usual when it comes to my parents’ house, watching a lot of college football. We especially enjoyed watching LSU lose to Alabama. (Sorry, Tiger fans, but that’s just how I was raised…)

Our first family portrait with Big Tex (and yes, he is kind of creepy).

Our family made a rather spur of the moment trip to the State Fair on Friday. We had wanted to go this year, but I didn’t realize until last week that this was the last weekend. So, we loaded Benjamin, his stroller, and the camera into the car and merged into the Texas-OU traffic to enjoy a day of fun and food.

The Shows and Special Attractions We Saw:

• Jump! Ultimate Dog Show – We especially enjoyed the frisbee-catching dogs, and were impressed by the speed of the racing dogs, but got bored with the dogs who jumped into a pool of water while catching a frisbee.
• World on a String – We attended this marionette puppet show on Cara’s recommendation, and it was different and interesting. Benjamin and I didn’t get to see the whole show, though, due to a major diaper leak. We did make it back to the theater in time to see the Wizard of Oz characters and the patriotic grand finale.
• Children’s Barnyard Petting Zoo – This was Benjamin’s favorite thing about the fair. He acted like he owned the place, running from one stall to the next, fearlessly reaching his hand through the partitions to pet each animal (with us keeping a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t endanger himself). One of his first encounters was with a curious giraffe, who was particularly interested in Benjamin’s shoe. At that point Brad was holding Benjamin, and the giraffe stuck its head through the bars of its stall to get a better angle on his Nikes. At first it was funny, but we decided to move on when the giraffe’s sniffing turned into what looked like chewing!! Benjamin remained intrigued, if cautious, through the whole proceeding. He went on to see other animals, including a camel, an ostrich, a very shaggy sheep, and several goats.

The Food – The State Fair is the one time of year that I throw caution to the wind and eat all the fried food that my heart desires. Actually, after all the fried fare I eat at the fair, I don’t want anymore of it until the next time the fair rolls around. Here’s a list (thankfully short!) of all the food we bought with our coupons.

• Corny dog! - As usual, this was our favorite thing. Fair corn dogs are so much better than any others I’ve had. Maybe it’s because we’re eating them outside, maybe it’s because you can slather them with as much ketchup and mustard as you like, or maybe there really is a magic ingredient in the batter that makes them so tasty!
• Fried latte – This concoction was disappointing. We were expecting something like a fried ball of dough filled with a frozen cappuccino, but instead it was a scoop of cappuccino ice cream topped with instant coffee shavings, whipped cream, and bite-sized pieces of fried dough. It still tasted good, but it just didn’t meet our expectations.
• Fried pickles – We hunted high and low, from one end of the midway to the other, before we found the (apparently) one vendor selling these. And unfortunately, they didn’t meet our expectations. We always enjoy the fried pickles at The Dawghouse in Ruston, and these were no match. The pickles were sliced too thin, and they were way too salty. At least there was ranch dressing to mask some of the saltiness.
• Funnel cake – We shared one with Benjamin on our way to the parking lot. As powdered sugar flew through the air, we basked in the yummy goodness of pure fat and sugar. It was, indeed, a good day at the fair.
• Coulda shoulda woulda… – I wish I had tried the fried butter (just so bizarre!) and the fried peach cobbler, but we had absolutely no energy left (and no room in our stomachs!).

Here are some pictures from our day at the fair. I didn’t mention that it was perfect weather: blue sky, slight breeze, and temps in the upper 60s. We always complain that it’s too hot to go to the fair, so I’m glad we made a point to go during this unseasonably pleasant October.

Benjamin shows off his monkey costume

We took a rather impromptu trip to Ruston last weekend. Every time we travel with Benjamin, I am aware of how much he has changed since the last trip. It seems like every trip is a little easier, we pack a little less, and we’re all a little happier as a result. On our way to Ruston, Benjamin slept for about 45 minutes, during which time Brad and I enjoyed the quiet and sipped on McCafe lattes from McDonalds (they are my new coffee beverage of choice). When he was awake he was mostly content to hang out in his car seat. I entertained him for an hour by feeding him a Lunchable (pieces of turkey, cheese, and Ritz Bitz) one bite at a time.We also listened to his personalized kids’ CD (all the songs were recorded using the name “Benjamin” – he loves it!), danced to songs playing on the radio, and played with the stockpile of toys I brought along.

When we arrived at Mom and Dad’s house, it didn’t take long for Benjamin to discover the stairs. He had never been interested in them before this trip, but he was brave enough to scurry all the way to the top in the 30 seconds it took me to bring in some luggage. I was surprised when I heard footsteps running down the hall upstairs, and Brad was sitting at the computer downstairs. Fortunately, Benjamin was too scared to climb down the stairs by himself, so Brad gave him a patient lesson in how to do so safely. He played on the stairs a few times during the weekend, but we mostly kept them blocked off with some chairs. Other than that, he didn’t get into too much trouble around Mom and Dad’s house.

Here were some of the highlights of our visit:

• Food – Eating always plays a big role on our trips to Ruston, and this one was no different. There are always our old favorites that we like to revisit, plus new places that have opened up. Here’s all the eating out we did:
  • Johnny’s Pizza one night for dinner
  • Lunch at The Dawghouse with Dad. (I love their burgers, and especially the jalapeno cheese bread they serve them on. The fried pickles with ranch dressing were also delicious!)
  • Beignets and coffee for breakfast one morning at Crescent City Coffee House.
  • All the fried food that our hearts could have desired at Route 33; I had an excellent fried catfish platter with hush puppies, french fries, cole slaw, and bean soup.
  • The famous Humphrey at the relatively new yogurt/sandwich shop Counter Culture. Very cute place, and delicious treat! The Humphrey is yogurt topped with honey, granola, and your choice of three fresh fruits.
• Entertainment
  • Brad and I left Benjamin in Mom and Dad’s more than capable hands on Saturday afternoon and joined Leah for a matinee showing of The Time Traveler’s Wife. I loved the book, and while the movie couldn’t live up to it, it was entertaining.
  • Saturday night after Benjamin went to sleep, Brad and I joined Leah again, this time for sushi and drinks at 102 a Bistro. A fun, relaxing time was had by all.
  • We also enjoyed a visit with our friends James and Traci, who it’s nice to see in person after we spend so much time connecting with them on Facebook. And Benjamin and I went over to my childhood/college friend Laura’s house for a quick visit as well. We love catching up with friends when we are in town.
• Shopping
  • We were lucky to be in town during the huge kids’ stuff consignment sale at the civic center. I joined sister-in-law Karen for some bargain hunting, and walked away with a super cute Halloween costume for Benjamin (he’s going to be a monkey!), a fun tool box/truck, and several items of clothing, all for $35.
• The Haircut
  • At 18 months old, Benjamin finally got his first haircut. And the event happened in Mom and Dad’s backyard, with an audience that included me, Brad, Karen, and Mom, while Dad acted as the barber. Benjamin was totally chilled out during the proceedings, sitting in a high chair with a barber’s towel wrapped around him. I’m happy to report that Benjamin’s hair is still curly, but short enough that people are no longer telling me what a cute little girl I have.
• Aside from all the eating and entertaining activities, we enjoyed just hanging out with Mom and Dad, and Karen and baby Jude. (Chris was out of town, but we did see him briefly on Saturday evening.)

My dad’s parents (Maw Maw and Paw Paw to me) were married on July 4, 1931 (I think the year is correct). For as long as I can remember (and before I was born), the extended family has gathered on Independence Day for a double celebration: the patriotic holiday and their wedding anniversary. When I was a kid, back in the ’80s, it wasn’t uncommon for all five of my dad’s siblings and their families to join with us at Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s house for a weekend of catching up, drinking lots of coffee, and eating fresh watermelon outside at picnic tables. Even though Maw Maw and Paw Paw have passed away, my aunts and uncles still often get together on July 4 to continue the family tradition.

And so, it seemed fitting to have our family reunion on that date. The reunion was downgraded to “gathering” status when not very many people were able to be there, but we had a great time. The participants: Brad, Benjamin, and I; my parents; Cara and her family; Uncle Arlen and Aunt Alice, Aunt Willene and Uncle Lee, my cousin Steve and his family, and my cousin Dana and her family. Final count: three of Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s six children and their spouses, four of their grandchildren and spouses, and nine of their great grandchildren. While that’s a fine representation of my grandparents’ legacy, there are many other grandchildren and great grandchildren out there. All in all, they have six children, 20 grandchildren, and 24 great grandchildren! Hopefully we will have a more official family reunion some time soon, because all those people represent a lot of memories worth revisiting!

Home base for this gathering was Leesville, LA, where we stayed at my uncle’s hotel. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant on Friday night, followed by dessert in one of the hotel conference rooms, where the kids were more free to run around while the grownups visited. On Saturday we drove the half hour to Toledo Bend (a huge body of water that is on the border of East Texas and West Louisiana. We spent the day at my cousin Steve’s camphouse. Since it was 100 degrees that day, we would alternate between hanging out outside and cooling off in the air conditioned house. He has a lot of land that’s right next to the water, which made for some nice scenery while we ate and played. Here’s a rundown of what we did:

• The Feast – Seriously, there was a crazy amount of food. Name a type of meat, we had it. Brisket, ham, chicken, sausage, ribs… There were also loads of sides. After we digested the lunch for awhile, we enjoyed homemade vanilla ice cream (my favorite!) with brownies. But wait: there was also a peach cobbler and some other sweets.
• The Baby Pool - Benjamin and the other small kids had fun cooling off in a tropical themed baby pool. This was Benjamin’s first experience in a kid pool, and he loved it!
• The Boat – When I heard the water was “very choppy,” I decided to stay on shore, but several of the family members went out for boat rides or tubing.
• The Band – Steve’s camphouse is in a little community of similar homes, and the neighborhood had organized a live band for the day. It was fun to hear them perform from the comfort of the porch or in the shade of the trees around Steve’s place.
• The Nap - I was thrilled that Benjamin took a nap, even though he was in an unfamiliar place with lots of noise. When he woke up, he was super groggy. He sat inside in one of his second cousins’ toddler papasan chairs for like 30 minutes, just chilling out and listening to the adults’ conversations. He was very cute. (See picture below.)
• The Hammock – There was a very comfy hammock out by the water, and everyone took turns relaxing in it. Despite the heat, this was still an enjoyable activity because it was in the shade and there was a breeze blowing. (See sweet picture of Brad and Benjamin below.)
• The Fishing – Steve took some of the kids down to the docks to try their hand at fishing. Even though they didn’t catch anything they had fun.
• The Puzzle – Cara’s kids enjoy working puzzles, and so they tackles like a 500 piece puzzle while we were there. They only finished about 1/3 of it, but I guess the joy was more in the process than in the finished product.
• The Watermelon – We finished the day with some delicious and refreshing watermelon. There’s no better fruit to eat outside on a hot day than watermelon!

Staying outside all day isn’t my first choice on a scorching summer day, but enjoying good food and family made it worth it. That night we took a dip in the hotel pool and had pizza. It was fun to not have anywhere to go or anything specific to do. Sometimes it’s nice to just be. Saturday and Sunday morning we ate breakfast at a local place called The Waffle Shoppe. The second morning, Mom and Dad were excited to run into a former backup catcher for the L.A. Dodgers, who was eating breakfast there with the Little League team that he coaches. Small world! Sunday morning after breakfast, the family all went their separate ways. Brad, Benjamin, and I made our way up to I-20 to return to Dallas. After nearly a week of traveling, it was nice to be back home.

Here are some pictures of our family gathering: