Our Long Weekend - Last Weekend

Before I start my post about our wonderfully long weekend, I need to share with you some cute things me and Lucy did last week. For the first time ever, I painted her fingernails and toenails! Now, those of you who know my little Lucy bug know that she is quite an active little girl. And sitting still for a painting didn't seem like something she'd be into, but man, she loved it!

I went with a very light pink that I usually have to do 3 coats of before it shows up well on me. (A bottle of polish I bought in TZ... aww... TZ...)

She sat so still! And those little toes... wow. So cute!

She was so excited when I was finished! She just grinned! But by about 1 minute later, she was on to something else. As soon as I finished her fingers, she wanted to taste them and touch them, so those were caput. But the toes. So cute. And she couldn't taste those! And while her fingers aren't polished anymore, her toes are still cute and pink.

Now, here's another strange moment in my Lucy bug's life. She loves her iPod. She loves to watch cartoons on the iPod just about more than anything. And lately, she's been going into hiding while she watches. She sat in her chair, with this Kanga over her head for about 20 minutes one day watching her ipod!

Then, Brad tried to get a picture of her underneath it...

 

 OK. Moving on now...

This past weekend, we were blessed with a teacher workday. Oh, how I used to dread those two words when I was a teacher! But man, how wonderful they are when you're a student! So, off to the Big D we headed on Friday morning for 3 fun-filled days with some of our closest friends here (I'll be referring to them as Mr., Mrs., and Baby G). It was a great time, celebrating Mr. G's birthday, playing games way into the night, and eating a lot, I mean, a lot, of good food.

Friday, we took it easy. Ate some California Pizza Kitchen and did some chillin' while the kiddos played and napped. (Baby G napped, Lucy played.) Then that night, we had an amazing game night. Oh, how I love to play card games/board games! And Mr. & Mrs. G don't disappoint! It was so fun!

Saturday, Mr. G's birthday, we took it easy in the morning. (Are you sensing a theme?) Brad, Lucy, and I went swimming and had a grand ole time. Then for lunch, we headed across town to the On the Border for lunch. It was what Mr. G wanted, but unfortunately, they were out of the one thing on the menu that he was craving! Boo. But we got him good and surprised when all the staff came to sing Happy Birthday and we all got to share a yummy brownie & ice cream. Don't you love Birthdays in restaurants?!?!  That night, we headed to the biggest mall - well maybe, ever - and I stocked up on chocolate chips and other assorted yummies.

Then we had dinner. Oh, mercy. Did we have dinner!

We ate at the brand new Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Heavens. I wish I was there again, right now. It was unreal delicious! And we were in a corner booth, so we couldn't see all the locals around us, and it was loud with country music and ESPN USA was on the TV - seriously, except for the obviously missing beer signs not being on the wall, it felt just like being in the USA! Our waiter, probably from the Philippines, asked us "Is this really what it's like in America?" We laughed and said an emphatic YES! The only difference was...

See the super clean floor? And then see the not clean, peanut-shell-covered floor at the feet of Mr. G? Feeling so comfortable in the restaurant, he naturally assumed that the peanut shells went on the floor. You all know this tradition, right? We sure do. Anyway, we got a BIG laugh out of this! And the waiter - who was probably in shock at the mess that was being made under his table - was a great sport and understood *hopefully* that this, too, is an American tradition!

Here's a few glimpses into our fabulous night at Texas Roadhouse.
Yes, the boys sat next to each other and were GLUED to the TV all night because they were showing ESPN USA - College GameDay. No, there was no actual game being played, and no, they couldn't hear what was being said by the announcers, but they were glued, none the less.

 Sweet Baby G fell asleep in Mr. G's arms. Precious moments :)

Sweet Lucy, however, was not sleeping, and was using Brad to climb on! That's our ever-active Lucy bug!

At the front of the restaurant, they had a saddle. Lucy had to ride it!

And a BIG stuffed moose head, which looked more like a stuffed animal than an actual moose. I bet all the locals were confused with the different stuffed heads all over the walls in the restaurant - 1, because it's weird, and 2, because they don't have the same kinds of animals as we do in the US.

I said "Say Cheese," but I did not, however, tell her to say it while looking at the camera! So, here's her CHEESE. Can't you tell?

And here's some cute shots of Lucy playing - and us dreaming - in Pottery Barn kids. (I say "us" because while I was adoring the little girl side of the store, Brad was on the little boy side wishing that he had those things in his room!)

Sunday, we headed to Ikea, then had some Wendy's and then let Lucy play in Toys R Us. It was a wonderful weekend! We ate too much, played just enough, and slept wonderfully! What a blessing!

And we can't have a weekend in a big city without Gelato! YUM! Me and Lucy had Strawberry and Chocolate together, although she only wanted the chocolate - imagine that!

 And now it's already THIS weekend! Wonder what fun adventures we'll have staying IN town?