Blueberry picking 2011

We visited the Chmielewski Blueberry farm this last weekend. A local organic farm that allows you to pick your own. This is our second year going and I have every intention of continuing to visit each year, if not another couple of times this year. I love fresh blueberries. I will not lie though, this year the pickins are a little less impressive than last year. However, we are in the middle of a massive drought and sporting 100 plus temps daily, so I am not surprised. And although the berries may be slightly smaller this year they are not lacking in taste by any means. Absolutely delicious. Oh and after a morning of picking, I had one toddler who crashed out for a 4 hour nap! SCORE 10 extra points for the Chmielewski blueberry farm!

The Berry fields

"Pop" and I loaded up on fresh berries

Grandma taught me how to pick them berries

La La La, picking berries, picking berries

I can reach!

Got one 1 mom, YUUUUM!

And Critter2, of course, snuggled in her Moby, enjoyed picking blueberries!

H.A.L.S Family fun

Our calendar is a hot mess. Baby DIVA seems to be quite the social butterfly and her presence is requested at so many affairs, it is hard to keep up. Couple that with momma's insane need to expose her to every kind of tot fun in the city and she is one tired tot scooting around town, but she sure is cute and loves it!

Last Saturday H4L and I took Baby DIVA to a fun family outing, between rsvp'd birthday bashes, that I have been dying to try since she was just a tiny infant. We introduced her to train riding. The bright spring sunshine, crisp breeze and blue skies only enriched the experience, allowing us to enjoy a bit of relaxing calm before resuming out tight tot schedule.

H.A.L.S., Houston Area Live Steamers provides a wonderful family event the third Saturday of every month during the warmer months of the year, March through November. Enthusiasts and hobbyists alike, who share a passion for are things locomotive, can find a piece of happiness via H.A.L.S. Members construct their own engines and delightfully allow the general public to come out once a month a take a ride on their creations. We were just 3 of the many local folks who went out last Saturday to support this great organization.

4700 feet of tracks, many, many engines and ride on cars escorted us around Zube park
in the beauty of the day. We basked in gorgeous rays of enjoyment as Baby DIVA squealed with delight on the "choooo choooo's". We felt the wind slap against our skin as we sped around the park watching families fly kites, enjoy picnics, play games together while laughing and giggling and soaking up the spring air. The incredible members of this organization offer this wonderful experience at no charge. Donations and souvenir purchase are available and appreciated, however you can see that the fine folks of H.A.L.S are kind people who have such an enormous passion for their trains that the smiles of all the kids is what keeps them going.

So if you are local, and are looking for a way to spend the gorgeous spring days, head out to Zube park on a H.A.L.S. Public Run Day. Pack a fabulous picnic lunch for the family, load up the kites and spend all day enjoying each others company as you ride the rails and build wonderful memories.

We are THOSE people.

Yes, it is true. We are THOSE people who stop at historical markers when on road trips. We are THOSE people who annoy the kids and family members by making them pose for pictures at historical signs across the country. Yes. We are THOSE people. It comes quite natural to us. H4L being a photographer by passion and myself wanting to document our lives for scrapbooks to reflect on in later years, that I can assure you will probably never actually get put together. You know those folks you drive by and laugh at when you are traveling by, the ones you think "idiots, losers, standing on the side of a road next to a goofy historical plaque. Yep, that is us! Wave next time you pass by us! Maybe even stop in for a quick pic!


Last week we took a short, (I say say short but we literally drove across Texas and back in two days), trip to Paris. Paris, Texas that is, to see Uncle Diamond GRADUATE from school. We are really, really proud of Uncle Diamond fro completing his degree in Jewelry school. We look forward to watching his beautiful designs come to life and add sparkle to peoples lives in the future. Congratulations Uncle Diamond!!!

Way to go Uncle Diamond!!!

On our adventure we saw all kinds of wonderful sights, being we also took a route off the beaten path. Yes, really Baby DIVA and Critter 2 are stuck with THOSE parents. We saw a house built into a man made hill, a random exotic animal petting zoo inside someone house, an abandoned old woman's school from the 1880's, and lots and lots of Christmas lights and cows. Baby DIVA loves to "mooooooo" when she sees the four legged creatures. Great fun!

H4L in front of old school house in Crocket, Texas

Local Christmas Bash

Map of the shindig!

This last weekend H4l, Baby DIVA, and myself (and Critter 2) had the privilege of attending an invitation only Christmas party. OHHHHH, aren't we fancy. Its the hair I tell you! Pink Hair makes cool things happen.

But seriously, we attended the annual Christmas party of a local lawyer , Mr. Lanier. Every year this gentleman throws a family friendly event that is catered at bringing joy and laughter to kids. And this year was no exception. It was amazing. We joined a few thousand of Mr. Laniers closest friends ( see we ain't that fancy) and enjoyed riding a carousel, Ferris wheel, a petting zoo, a bazillion different bounce houses, eating cotton candy, multiple train rides and so much more. Unbelievable. All at no cost and all on the personal property of Mr. Lanier.

Baby DIVA playing games

One goofy kid!

From the moment we entered the gates of Mr. Laniers property until the special shuttle bus drove us away, we had nothing but fun. Baby DIVA had so much fun she stumbled her way back to the bus. Literally the girl was so tired and giggly she tripped over her own feet time and time again. But she was not going to let go of her giant lollipop. (see below)

And yes we are now the proud owners of a pink giantic lollipop!

Oh and did I mention STING was the guest performer and we enjoyed a free concert up close and personal? (okay we fancy again!) Looking quite forward to receiving my invite next year!!

H4L and Baby DIVA and the spiffy Ferris Wheel

Bouncin'

Momma and Baby DIVA (looking over my shoulder at something fun!)

Must do's for December

December is almost here. It is time to race around like the world is coming to and end and get everything done. Never mind we have spent the last 12 months sitting on our asses watching re runs of House all weekend. NOW though, we are just so busy and must get things done. No more butt sitting. Must be jammed packed from this point on!

Okay so perhaps I am over exaggerating a bit. But seriously, have you ever noticed how "busy" we all become during the month of December? Each year I feel that no matter how prepared we are there is still the hustle and bustle and constant "stress" of the month to get everything done. Make sure all the sights are seen and pcitures taken to document the season. I recently was checking out our family calendar while trying to schedule lunch with a friend and caught myself saying, "Well you know I am really booked up, What do you have available in January"". REALLY?? How the heck did that happen? I am a SAHM, and don't get me wrong it is a double full time gig, but really how did my schedule get so backed up.

Then I looked into this problem a little deeper. What exactly is it that we are so" busy" doing? Here is the rundown. Now take notes locals, you might need to fill your calender too! Some of these things are just too good not to stuff on your schedule!!

City of Katy Tree lighting
December 2 at 5pm Katy Heritage park.

Lanier Xmas party December 5: and invitation only bash thrown by a local lawyer. Complete with an invitation that came via Ferris wheel! This will be our first attendance to the bash and I am actually looking forward to it. An alcohol free family event with guest performer Sting. Sounds fun to me!

The Cottage Charm A wonderful little spectacle we discovered last year. Local christian ministries team up and provide a wonderful display of dancing lights themed to wonderful music all while running a food drive to help those in need. WE took many cans of food last year and enjoyed the show so much. It is free, just if you can spare it please donate some can goods and take your family out to see spectacular dancing lights. Runs 6pm to 11pm every night throughout the holiday season

La Centerra offers visits and pictures with Santa every Saturday and Sunday throughout the month of December. Cost is free. But remember to bring your own camera if you want those pictures. We took Baby DIVA last year and were delighted to find out Santa also provided breakfast prepared by Mrs. Claus who also makes her appearance. We look forward to visiting again this year.

Houston Area Mommies in addition to our regularly scheduled play dates and mom events, HAM will also be hosting some fabulous Holiday events/parties for the moms, tots, and family. Such a great community to be involved in.

Other things we have going on this month include Baby DIVA's 2 year checkup! WOWSERS. Numerous Birthday parties, Uncle Diamonds Graduation: complete with a trip to Paris!, and of course TONS of holiday baking! It is a very busy month but I am looking quite forward to it all! Maybe not all MUST HAVE to do's but majority of it is fun anyway. Maybe a nice hot cocoa and a snuggle with Baby DIVA on the couch watching Backyardigan re runs instead of House re runs might need to be added to schedule too!

What are your plans this season?

Pumpkin time!!!

It is that time again! October has come and Halloween (and my FIRST anniversary) is on the horizon. The air is crisp and cool, at least for today, and there is candy every which way I turn. And more importantly there are giant orange pumpkins bouncing around all over town.

And Pink Haired Ladies sliding down giant pvc pipe slides with Baby DIVA's!

We took Baby DIVA to Dewberry Farm this weekend for a good ol' time and a romp in the pumpkin patch. Dewberry Farm is a tradition here for us, a tradition of 2 whole years now. Click HERE to see a few pics from our fun from last year at Dewberry. This year Baby DIVA was a little bit more involved. She enjoyed sliding down the slides and playing in Fort Dew hickey. She cautiously but ever so full of curiosity examined the chickens and turkeys and goats and pigs in the animal petting zone. We climbed through tires and wrestled in the Corn crib and sand pit. The weather was gorgeous and inviting as Baby DIVA had a full out tantrum and refused to climb in the Hay pile, I suppose she didn't want to give her DIVA bum dirty. So we loaded her up in the stroller and got ourselves lost in the 4 acre Corn maze. Fun at first, annoying when I really couldn't figure my way out!

Daddy taking a break while lost in the Corn Maze

This view is SCARY! Lost in Corn...not cool!

We jumped aboard the "hay ride" that drove us out to the pumpkin patch. Its was a sea of orange...well kind of. The heat from the harsh summer months and the fact we are still a little early in the season gave us more of a pond of orange, but nonetheless the PUMPKINS were out and ripe for the picking. We scurried on out posed Baby DIVA at every awesome pumpkin we encountered, just to torture her of course. And then she took off scouting out the orange balls for her very favorite. And she found one. A nice plump pumpkin to take home and have Daddy carve a big old Moose A Moose in! Yippee!

Tire playing

Surprises and Awkward moments

Lets talk about families for a second. It is no secret that I am the product of a divorced family. My parentals split up many many years ago and both subsequently remarried. These re marriages brought me new siblings. Over the years I have been estranged from my dad and the siblings he brings to the table. Baby DIVA, however, in all her glory, has brought a close to the estrangement and in her nearly two years she is providing a a bridge to reach our lost family.

I find it awkward at times, but not in a bad way. I feel a great deal of affection for my siblings, but I don't really know who they are. We have spent so many years apart and although I love them very much much I do not really know how to bond with them, talk to them, and it causes some weird and awkward moments. But I have really enjoyed the times I have spent with them and I sure hope that over time we can heal wounds and merge into one anothers life.

In the mean time I will continue to have the fabulous opportunities to share with you the great moments in time we experience. Like this fabulous little story. So Last night was my Dads 60th Surprise Birthday Party. My siblings are there, we smile and say Hello. We know a bit about each other from Facebook and emails, but that is about it. I know one of my brothers has a girlfriend whom i met last Christmas and that I like her really well. So I go up and ask him how she is doing. Well, he responded with "I don't know". In an instant I felt like an ass, like I must have not know they split up or something. BAD Sister. Then he followed it up with "You have to ask Nick". NICE I asked the wrong brother. Nothing says you need to work on your relationships like not knowing which brother is which!

My dad may have turned 60 and had a great surprise party. But I walked away with the winner sporting the Worst Sister in the World award! Go me!

Happy Birthday Granpa Rou! I know you!

Houston Area Mommies hit the Zoo

This past weekend on a gorgeous Sunday morning, H4L, Baby DIVA and myself loaded up into the Fammobile, and headed off for a fun filled day at the Houston Zoo with many of the fabulous Houston Area Mommies and their splendid kiddos.

We arrived at a few minutes before 10 am to find the parking lot beginning to fill up rather quickly. Lucky for us we snagged a great spot and began to "unpack" the car for our day long journey. Now at this point I made a GIANT mommy mistake. My Pink Haired silly self did not check the zoo website in reference to coolers being brought into the facility. If I had taken that extra moment to verify the information, the yummy ham and cheese quiche, spinach salad and drinks would have joined us on this unpacking adventure and would have been consumed for lunch at the zoo, instead of dinner at home! Oops. Note to anyone heading to the Houston Zoo , YOU CAN BRING YOUR COOLER INSIDE THE FACILITY.

The Reflecting Pool just inside the zoo entrance. Amazing!

Moving on past the one and only mistake I made. We made our way to the Zoo entrance and with no trouble found our fellow Houston Area Mommies , went right through the ticket purchase process and VOILA, we were in. First up, several moms rented the available wagon/strollers the zoo offers. We all know even the toughest tots will need a lift at some point during a long outdoor day! We, the Houston Area Mommies , loaded up and headed off, first of course posing for a group photo!

We were in luck on this particular day because Shanti, one of the Asian Elephants at the Houston Zoo was having her BABY SHOWER. Yep, that right! We were fortunate enough to be "invited" to such an important event. We even had the honor of seeing Shanti's baby kick her. I cant not even begin to imagine what that must feel like. AHHHHH! The "baby shower" was awesome. Lots of fun activities for the kids like a giant card for Shanti for everyone to sign, a table for gifts, and several craft stations. The kids loved it!

WE signed the card for Shanti!

Goofing off with Daddy!

The rest of the time we roamed around looking at all the various animals, soaking in the spring sun and air and chatting with all the other Houston Area Mommies members and kids. Goofing off and enjoying our fabulous day at the zoo. Although we were unable to ride the train around Hermann Park, where the Zoo is located, or take a ride in a paddle boat in the lake by the zoo due to the snoozed Baby DIVA, we have made plans to return this spring and do just such.

I really love that not only do you get to see fabulous animals at the zoo, but every exhibit offers an interactive learning exercise too!

The Zoo is a marvelous place for a family outing. Its is rather inexpensive to enter, you can bring your own food, there is tons of walking and looking which is fabulously stimulating for kids and adults alike. And there is even a kids area, again we did not spend much time at as Baby DIVA was snoozed in her stroller. Fresh air does it every time!

Would you like more information about how to join the Houston Area Mommies? Follow the link and sign up, Tell them Pink Haired Momma sent you. We would love for you to come join us and experience all the fun and support moms and kids need!

She turned 30!!

Last week my SIL turned 30! You know what happens when you turn 30?

You don an apron and get to frying!

Only kidding! We celebrated my SIL's fabulous adventure into her third decade of life with a wonderful fish fry. Baby DIVA snacked on the yummy cat fish and french fries while playing with her cousins. At one point during this incredible 30th birthday celebration, a young party-goer hopped in Baby DIVA's daddys lap...

The situation was quickly rectified.

We had a wonderful time bringing in the thirties for my SIL! I hope she had a wonderful birthday and I am so glad she is in my decade now!! Happy Birthday Monica!!

My SIL Monica and me, two 30 something chicks with kids!