March Happenings

On April 7, 2024April 8, 2024 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

March was total madness! We packed the most into any month yet this year.

Henry had his first baseball game on March 1 and Nana came to watch him. He did great!

The next day he got to take a friend to the FC Dallas game! They won which was one of the only wins in this early season. Henry bought the new FC Dallas kit at the gift shop.

They stayed after to watch the drone show

We watched Henry play some soccer, and Nathan did his best Dad impression by wearing my hat

Our track athletes stayed busy. We had several track meets in March. Hannah normally ran the sprints and some combination of the 100, 200, 4×100 relay, and 4×200 relay. Nathan ran long distance and normally some combination of the 2400, 1600, 800 and occasionally the 4×400 relay. They both did great! Nathan is also proud that he is now taller than Hannah

Next up was our Spring Break trip. This was epic so we have lots of pictures. It started out kind of chaotic because while we were driving to the airport on Saturday morning we got a notification that our flight to Miami had been cancelled due to weather in Florida. We went ahead and went to the airport since we were packed up and spent some time in the car trying to find other flights and talk to the airlines. Because it was Spring Break there weren’t many options. Finally we decided that we weren’t going to get a flight out that day so we went to a restaurant nearby to get some food and try to figure out a plan.

They originally rebooked us for a Monday afternoon flight which would have cost us two days of our trip. We kept checking the website and finally found a Sunday evening flight that arrived at midnight. We went ahead and booked it and kept checking.

Because we had no food at the house we decided to go to Fuzzy’s for dinner. Late that evening as we were going to bed we found a flight that would get us to Ft Lauderdale. It had a connection in Nashville (our original flight was non-stop), but it was the earliest we could get to Florida so we took it. We had to rebook our rental car but everything was set.

The next morning we repeated the process of dropping Cowboy off, loading the car and driving to the airport. This time we had no problems.

We made it to our gate and were ready for vacation!

I took a nap on the plane because I was tired from staying up late working on the travel plans which kept me from going to sleep.

We had a layover in Nashville where everyone got a drink – smoothies and milk shakes. Then we went to get some lunch. Our next flight was delayed so we had plenty of time. While we were eating Henry had to go to the restroom. On the way back from the bathroom Jennifer glanced at the screens and saw our flight time had been pushed back up closer to the original time and was boarding! We paid our check and hurried to the gate just in time to board.

When we landed in Ft Lauderdale, we got a message that our dog sitter decided that Cowboy was too much trouble, and she couldn’t watch him so she put him back in our backyard. So we had to scramble to figure out what to do with him. Luckily the Durnil’s were able to house sit at the last minute and it worked out, but it added to the chaos at the beginning of the trip. We also had to rework our plans since we had lost a day so we ended up cutting some activities and essentially combining the first two days of the trip into a single day. Lots of mental gymnastics trying to get the vacation started. Finally we made it to the VRBO in Homestead (they wouldn’t refund us for the first night that we missed), and then I went to get some groceries for the week.

On Monday morning we headed out to the Everglades. We went straight to Cooperstown Airboats for an airboat tour. They had a holding area for you to wait with a Burmese python and some alligators to look at. We learned about the overpopulation problem from the Burmese pythons because they have no natural predator – there are estimated to be 200,000 pythons in Florida. The kids all got to pet this baby alligator.

We just missed a boat leaving when we arrived so we had to wait for a while. Finally it was our turn to go on the boat tour. Not exactly the quick start we were looking for when we were trying to make up for lost time.

We got loaded up and on our way! Hannah started a tradition of taking pictures with her eyes closed on this trip

The boat ride was really fun! We started out going through these wetlands. The driver made it fun sliding the boat around turns and going fast.

Pretty soon he stopped and we saw our first of many gators

We learned a lot about the gators and their natural habitat and behaviors

This gator was very interested in the boat and kept following us around

After the boat tour, we went to the Shark Valley visitor’s center. The traffic to get in was insane – some people were waiting in line for two hours. I hopped out and put on my running shoes and jogged up to the visitor’s center to get our book stamped. Meanwhile Jennifer took a picture of the kids by the sign.

We had planned to spend a little more time at the park but had to cut it short because of our flight problems. Maybe we will make it back someday!

Next up we swung by Biscayne National Park for a picnic lunch and some sight seeing. Most of the park is offshore and only accessible by boat. Given our time constraints, we just spent a little time around the visitor center and were on our way.

The picnic area was really nice, right on the water.

We watched this guy windsurfing for a while – (Hannah’s eyes are closed again)

Then we took a little walk around the boardwalk

It was early afternoon now and we were ready to head down the Florida Keys on the oversees highway.

The kids were itching for some beach time so our first stop was Cannon Beach in Pennekamp State Park. We did some snorkeling and the girls sunbathed. The beach was small and kind of crowded but the snorkeling was pretty good.

I took the gopro out and took some photos of what I saw.

It is called cannon beach because there are several cannons under water from a Spanish shipwreck (notice at the top of this picture). I also saw this anchor. There were also some pretty fish and I saw some sting rays.

Hannah enjoyed the high UV index. Her eyes are slightly open for this one

After a few hours at the beach, we loaded up and continued making our way down the keys.

The next stop was the Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie factory for our first of many key lime pies on the trip. It was yummy!

Then we drove a little further and made it to the Morado Bay beach cafe. We got there just in time and got a nice table on the beach.

We enjoyed the views while we were waiting for our food.

We got to watch them feed the pelicans. This was our first interactions with pelicans. We didn’t think much of it at the time.

After dinner we hopped back in the car and made our way towards our hotel for the night. We made one last stop at Robbies to feed the tarpons. We bought a couple buckets of fish to feed them. Unfortunately there were several pelicans that also wanted the fish. They were very aggressive and would come up and snatch it out of your hand from the water and from the deck. There was a guy with a big stick trying to fight them off but it was like whack a mole. It was pretty funny.

Henry did his best impersonation of this pelican on the way out.

We stayed at Rainbow Bend Resort that evening and then had breakfast on the water the next morning. Not a bad way to start the day.

We packed up and headed out for our first stop at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon on Tuesday. It was pretty neat to learn about the turtles and how they treat them with the ultimate goal of releasing them back into the ocean.

We saw turtles with damaged shells from boat strikes and also turtles that had tumors from eating contaminated seagrass.

They had a series of different types of tanks and lagoons for the turtles.

At the end of the tour we got to feed some of the turtles. It was a great place to visit and would highly recommend it. Another highlight of our tour was another boy in our group that looked just like Henry. You can see him in this photo in the black shirt.

After the turtle hospital we went to lunch at Castaway’s Sushi Kitchen.

We sat out on the deck and weren’t there long when some manatees came by to visit. They said they come by on most days but the time always changes. There was a family with two adults and a baby.

They liked to drink the fresh water from the air conditioner condensation line. It was funny!

Lunch was pretty yummy. We had some crab queso dip that went quickly and then we had sushi. Henry had pancakes.

After lunch we headed over to Sombrero beach for the afternoon. This was probably our favorite beach of the trip (other than Dry Tortugas). We spent the whole afternoon here.

Hannah assumed her position for maximum sun exposure

The boys swam and played frisbee almost the whole time. Nathan finally had to take his shirt off because it was irritating his chest.

After several hours at the beach, everyone was getting hungry so we loaded up and continued down the keys.

We saw the key deer on Big Pine Key. They were very small, not much larger than dogs.

We stopped for dinner at No Name Pub. It is famous for all the dollar bills on the walls and ceiling.

We sat out back and had some yummy pizza

After dinner we loaded up and finished the last leg of our drive to Key West. We made it to our hotel and checked in, then we headed out in search of some dessert. We didn’t have to go far because we found Rooster Treats right across the street from our hotel. We ended up going here every day for the rest of the trip. At one point Henry said this was his favorite thing about the whole vacation.

After the ice cream we walked down to the Southernmost Point and took our photo.

When we got back to the room we went to the pool for a little while.

Wednesday was all about Dry Tortugas National Park. This was by far the highlight of the trip and an unforgettable experience! Dry Tortugas is an island about 70 miles west of Key West and only accessible by ferry or sea plane. We opted for the seaplane even though it was more expensive and never regretted it one bit! It left after lunch so we spent the morning walking around Key West, shopping and having lunch. Henry had pancakes again.

After we arrived in Key West, we realized we didn’t need our car anymore so we turned it in at the airport the next morning before we checked in for the sea plane. Here we are getting ready to board.

This was the view inside – I was sitting on the last row.

Nathan got to ride up front on the way there. Pretty neat!

We saw all sorts of things on the way – dolphins, sting rays, turtles, sharks, and even a sunken Spanish ship! It was about a 40 minute ride one way with good music and narration from our pilot.

Pretty soon we arrived to Fort Jefferson, the main attraction at Dry Tortugas.

We only had a few hours on the island so we visited the fort first, then we went to the beach and snorkeled.

The fort was pretty neat and was used to house deserters during the Civil War.

National park sign picture – this is definitely the hardest we have ever had to work to visit a national park!

The views from the top were amazing – blue water as far as you could see

Mother daughter picture on the moat. Hannah’s eyes were closed again

I spent most of my time snorkeling along the wall. The coral and fish were really vibrant and plentiful. It was really fun. Henry walked along the moat and watched me snorkel.

After the snorkeling we hung out on the beach and threw the frisbee

We took one last walk around the moat before it was time to head back

Before we left I ran back into the gift shop to buy a sticker and a t-shirt for Jennifer. Then I changed clothes and headed back to load up. Everyone was gathering on the beach to load the sea plane.

Selfie shot – the pilot sometimes got a little distracted from flying the plane!

Here was the view from the cockpit when were landing on the way back

After we landed we took an Uber to Mallory Square and watched some of the street performers and the sunset

This guy was pretty funny but told a couple of inappropriate jokes. It was starting to get dark so it was time to head back anyway. We walked back to our hotel and hit the pool one more time.

On Thursday morning we went to the beach at Fort Zachary state park. It was nice and the water had more waves than the other beaches. It was more rocky than Sombrero beach but still really nice.

We had a picnic table in the shade to store our stuff.

Around lunch time we headed back to town and stopped for lunch at the Banana Cafe. The line was long so we went next door to La Grignote and were not disappointed!

This was one of our better meals – everything was delicious. Henry got pancakes again!

We walked back to the hotel and dropped our stuff off before our afternoon kayaking reservation

We went kayaking in the mangroves with Lazy Dog outfitters. It was fun! We saw sharks, rays, eels, birds, crabs, and more!

After the kayaks we went back to the hotel and hung out at the pool for a bit while Hannah got ready for dinner

We couldn’t be this close to Cuba and not have Cuban food- it was good!

After dinner we walked around a little bit and got some ice cream

We finished the night with a sunset photo shoot on the beach with Hannah’s new dress she bought in one of the shops!

The next morning the kids talked me into renting a golf cart to drive around town

It was fun but also stressful because there is nowhere to park on Key West!

We went to the Hemingway House

There were cats everywhere and most of them had six toes! They are descendants from Hemmingway’s six toed cats.

After the Hemingway House, we put our name on the list at Blue Haven. It was a 90 minute wait so we took the golf cart and went around Key West for a bit seeing some other sights like the Truman little white house and Jimmy Buffet’s recording studio, Shrimpboat Sound.

We did some shopping and checked out the big coast guard ships

Eventually we found a place to park and then enjoyed a great meal at Blue Haven. Henry got pancakes again. After lunch we turned in the golf cart, did some last minute shopping, and caught an Uber to the airport.

The airport was small to begin with and under construction, so it was packed. There were people everywhere!

We boarded the plane on these temporary ramps because of the construction. The flight home was smooth and we made it back to our house late on Friday evening.

It was a great trip overall and one we will never forget!

Hannah had a birthday party when we got back with her friends and she wore the dress she bought in Key West.

Henry had a soccer game and it started pouring down rain at the end!

Next up was Henry’s birthday. He wanted to go to a Stars game with a friend. It was really fun and they had great seats!

I had been at TFMA in San Antonio all week so Jennifer and Nan took them.

They had fun and the Stars won! After the game Henry had a sleepover

The next day, he had a baseball game and then we went to Railhead afterwards. Henry was excited!

On Sunday evening we went to the Concacaf National League finals at Cowboys stadium between USA and Mexico!

We got there early and watched the 3rd place game between Panama and Jamaica

We got to hang out with our friends before the Mexico fans started filing in and we had to sit in our assigned seats

They put on a good show leading up to the game

The stadium was packed and the majority was Mexico fans

USA scored first and everyone went nuts! We ended up winning 2-0. They suspended the game in the 88th minute because of a slur being chanted by the Mexico fans. We took the opportunity to get out because we were seeing fights starting to break out in different sections.

On the way out we saw Tafari from FC Dallas. He was kind enough to let us get a picture

On Henry’s actual birthday, we celebrated at home and then had a busy evening with track and baseball.

French toast “with extra french” was the breakfast order

Chicken minis with a milkshake for lunch

Henry had some more baseball games. He really started to slug it with his Bruce Bolt batting gloves and Louisville Slugger bat that he got for his birthday.

This one he hit to the fence on his birthday!

And just to try to pack something else into the month of March, we got to celebrate Easter at the end of it.

Then we went out to dinner at Press Cafe since we didn’t get to go out on Henry’s birthday.

The next morning we opened Easter baskets

Then we hunted eggs. Henry was not happy that Nathan was getting all the prize eggs.

We had a big meal and enjoyed some down time at home. It was a great Easter!

We had some storms start rolling through which was a sure sign that spring was here.

Cowboy kept getting bigger, he enjoyed the nice weather

We are still working on staying off the furniture

He also had several play dates with Gus!

Wow! That’s it for March, April is up next!

February Happenings

On March 17, 2024March 31, 2024 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

February was fun!

Nathan went to see his friend’s pig at the ag barn

Henry had a busy weekend where he had baseball tryouts, then a basketball game, and a soccer tournament! Talk about a multi-sport athlete!

Then we changed clothes in the car and headed to basketball

Then we changed clothes in the car and headed to soccer! What a day!

Next up was Nathan’s 13th birthday!

Then we went to JD’s Hamburgers for lunch

He had Wagyu steak for dinner (but we didn’t get a picture). He said it was the best steak he ever had

Then Jonah came over for a sleepover and we had an oreo cookie cake. Not a bad birthday

For his birthday party we joined forces with Caleb Frank and had an airsoft battle on Super Bowl Sunday

Here are the birthday boys with their bundt cakes

It was fun, even with the cold and wet weather!

When we got home we made wings for the Super Bowl. They were yummy!

Hannah had a fun Galentine’s party with her friends

Track season started which added another bag for her to carry to school

She ran the sprint events – 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay

Next up was a long weekend. We decided to do a quick trip to Angel Fire for a ski trip since the snow was good and we had the platinum passes. Hannah invited her friend Claire to come with us.

We stopped for dinner on the way up Thursday evening

I had a work meeting in Amarillo on Friday morning, then we drove up to Angel Fire.

When we got there we went to the rental shop

The lines were really long since the snow was good and it was a holiday weekend. Having the platinum passes really paid off!

Always a good day in the mountains. I got to ski all the blacks which was the first time in several years for me

We skied on Saturday and Sunday then drove to Amarillo Sunday evening. We drove home on Monday morning. Henry was tired on the way home and crashed

Nathan stayed home and went to MSM Winter Camp. When he got home he was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch while watching the Aggies

The following day Henry had his field trip to Austin. He had a blast and learned a lot about Texas history. He took his own digital camera and made it back home with it! He also got a plush armadillo which was a big hit.

Nathan had his first track meet and ran the 2400 and the 800. He did great and finished 3rd in the 2400 and 6th in the 800

Pappy was in town for work so he came to watch

And the boys took a bubble bath to soak their muscles.

Cowboy continued to grow and find new ways to get into trouble. Here are a few pictures of him.

He has gotten bad about getting on furniture

He still gets that crazy look in his eyes sometimes!

That’s it for February, March is up next!

January Happenings

On March 17, 2024 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

January was jolly and started off with a bang!

Nan came to visit and we opened Christmas presents!

The boys worked on an NFL puzzle

Next up was a double soccer tournament in Round Rock. Both boys were playing and it was cold!

Jennifer made good use of her stadium bag Christmas gift

She is smiling behind the “talk to the hand” signal

The boys stayed bundled up in the morning games

Saturday evening we took over one of the meeting rooms in the hotel and watched the NFL playoffs

Hannah and Nana took the opportunity to scope out the Austin shopping scene

Aviator Nation flagship store on South Congress! Totally rad!

This was the only time she smiled on the trip

There was a winter weather advisory in place that we were watching closely. Saturday evening around midnight they cancelled the tournament so everyone could get home safely. We got up Sunday morning and saw the notification so we packed up and headed home. We got home before any of the weather rolled in, but Monday morning we woke up to fresh snow.

Henry’s team won all their games so they got first in the tournament. They handed out the medals at practice the following week.

School was out for MLK day so Nathan’s buddies met up at Gameon for some pick up soccer

Henry’s basketball season started. He played great!

Messi came with Inter Miami for an exhibition game against FC Dallas in the Cotton Bowl. We were able to get tickets and rode over there with some friends.

We got there early, and it was cold and wet. But we had a blast watching the GOAT play!

Next up was Jennifer’s birthday weekend. We had planned a trip to Lajitas Golf Resort in Big Bend, but the day before our trip they called us and said they oversold our flight and were bumping us. We decided to go out to Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose instead. It was a nice, relaxing weekend!

On Saturday we slept in, had a big breakfast, then got massages, and took a nap. When we woke up, we went to check out the activities.

We also took it easy with lots of reading and watching movies. It was a fun weekend!

While we were gone Nathan had a skills workout with the soccer group

There is a good group of Aledo soccer kids

Cowboy continued to grow and find new ways to get in trouble

He really likes to lick – you have to be careful if you are on the floor!

We took him to get a bath at a self service dog wash

He got really obsessed with the chickens and was digging holes under the fence so we had to put up a hotwire. The first day he touched it he came inside and stayed under Jennifer’s feet all day. He hasn’t bothered the chickens since.

That’s it for January! February is up next.

December Happenings

On January 1, 2024 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

December was delightful and jam packed with action!

We started off with a Lauren Daigle concert at Dickies Arena! Jennifer took Hannah and Eden. It was Hannah’s first concert and she had a great time!

Nathan had a soccer tournament and we went to visit GG between games

Meanwhile, Mommy took Hannah and Henry to Christmas Tyme in Aledo

The next day Nathan made it to the finals but lost in double overtime. His best friend Jonah was guest playing with the other team, and we had beat them in pool play but lost in the finals. It was a tough loss because the other team (other than Jonah) were bad sports and it was a pretty heated match.

It was a great tournament overall and always good to come home with some hardware

Cody Bradford went to Stuard and Aledo High School (he graduated as the Valedictorian). He was a pitcher for the Rangers and won the world series. He came back to Stuard and Henry got to meet him!

We had our FNI Christmas Party at Main Event. Always a big hit! We missed Hannah this year but she was having fun at her HSM Christmas party.

Nana came to visit and went to Stuard Santa Night with Henry

Mama Jo came to visit for a wedding. Jennifer helped her wash her hair in the sink to get ready for the wedding.

We took a couple of pictures before they left. Not the best photo but glad she got to come visit.

We had a parents versus kids soccer game for both Henry and Nathan’s team. The parents beat the 2014 team (even though I had an own goal), but the 2011 team beat the parents (partially thanks to a hand ball in the box from me)!

After Nathan’s game they had a white elephant gift exchange. Nathan got the big prize: Dino Nugget stuffed animal.

Nathan had a fun sleepover weekend with his buddies for Wyatt Jack’s birthday

Next up was a trip to Cowboys Stadium to watch Aledo play in the state championship game

We grabbed some Chik-Fil-A on the way and Santa was there so Henry and I got a picture with him

We sat with friends and the boys had fun. Aledo was down 8-0 and ended up winning 51-8 to earn their state-record 12th state title since 1998.

Henry had his first basketball tournament. He got to do the tip off!

Nathan signed up to play in a 4v4 tournament with some friends from school. They called their team Bearcats FC.

They had fun and made it to the final but lost to a really good 2010 team.

One of the dad’s took some good photos of the boys during the games. Here are some of the good action shots.

On the way home I got a flat tire. We changed the tire then took it to the tire shop. While they were working on it, we walked down to McDonalds and got some food.

Henry made a plate for Santa cookies at his class Christmas party.

Hannah had a fun holiday sleepover with her friends

We had a nice holiday dinner with friends. It was fun!

We helped serve one evening at the Agape Meal at Broadway Baptist Church

Then we came home and the girls did some baking while the boys watched the Cowboys game

We had a nice dinner on Christmas Eve using Mama Jo’s china

We put out some reindeer food and went to bed

The next morning we opened presents!

Hannah got Nike dunks, a record player, and more!

Nathan got some new shoes, clothes and a soccer ball

Henry got roller blades, a basketball, and a new soccer ball!

Here is our annual photo in our Christmas PJs!

We spent the rest of Christmas day cleaning up and packing then we drove to Angel Fire the next day.

When we got there we opened presents

The next morning we opened our stockings

Then we hit the slopes! 4 days of skiing with great weather

Here are our shredders. They really flew down the mountain this year

The kids liked the terrain park. Here are some action shots of them catching some air

We had lunch at the warming hut nearly every day

We played lots of games at the cabin

Henry won this hat in bingo and loved wearing it!

We drove home on NYE. Nan and pop were going to come visit but decided to wait a few days because Jennifer and I had a cold.

Cowboy kept growing and getting into trouble. Here are some of our favorite shots of him this month.

We took him to a self serve dog wash. He did not like the hair dryer!

We left him with some friends while we went to Angel Fire. He had fun playing with their dog, Josie

He was glad to finally be home on New Year’s Eve. They dropped him off in our backyard in the afternoon. We got home around 7pm, so it had just gotten dark and the fireworks started. He was so excited to see us when we got home!

That’s it for 2023, see you next year in 2024!

November Happenings

On December 18, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

November was nice!

We started off the month with Nana and Pappy taking the kids to an FC Dallas playoff game. And they won!

Henry always gets the nachos. Not sure what happened with the guy behind him.

Hannah said there were hot guys at the stadium.

Henry had a really great Veteran’s Day program.

We went to Japanese Palace for a family date night.

Nathan got hurt at the end of a tough soccer game. He rolled his ankle but felt better the next day.

Henry wrapped up his fall soccer season in Arlington. He did awesome and played middle defender mostly and a little striker. He rarely came out and played nearly the whole game every week! He is a really great soccer player.

One weekend the boys both had soccer tournaments in Plano. It was a busy weekend! Here is a great pic of them together.

Hannah even braved the elements and came to watch.

We went down to Evadale and Devers for Thanksgiving and had a great time visiting with everyone. We drove down on Monday and I worked for a couple of days in the Beaumont office.

Nathan stayed over at Aunt Ambers so he could hunt with Lance. Cowboy liked playing with Oakley

On Thursday morning we packed up and headed over to Devers.

It was a feeding frenzy with the kids when the food was ready

The boys were having fun listening to Micah’s stories about his girlfriend from Russia

We played some dominoes with Cousin Josh

Uncle Will took the boys fishing in the bay one morning, it was cold!

The cousins had fun playing football together

Cousin Josh brought a pickleball set and we set it up in the driveway and played for hours including a tournament

On the way home we went through Houston and stopped at Micah’s birthday party. He was hosting some friends for paintball. The boys had a blast.

The next week, we had tickets to the Thursday Night Cowboys game. While Nathan and I were at the game, Henry got to go to Buffalo Wild Wings!

We had great seats, and it was a great back and forth game with the Seahawks that went down to the very end.

We were yelling so loud on the final play! The Cowboys got a stop on 4th down to win the game!

That’s it for November, December is up next!

October Happenings

On November 6, 2023November 6, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

October was outstanding!

I had more football games.

Mom and Dad had a lunch date. They ate at a place that used to be a bank and put tables inside the vaults.

I had my first middle school dance this year!

Henry had a roller skating party! He is really good at skating. He tried regular skates but decided rollerblades are more his thing.

During Fall Break me, Henry, Dad and Luke went to Angel Fire to elk hunt!

The day we got there we went hunting that evening.

On the second day we were walking back to the car when Luke spotted an elk. It took my dad three shots to bring it down. Later, we figured out it was from 320 yards away! I was getting sick, and while they were gutting the elk I was just laying down on the hill.

Henry is a pretty good hunter. We found some tracks in the woods and followed them for a while but could not find an elk.

It is nice being outside even if we don’t see anything

Sometimes you have to pass the time playing with the flashlight

We also got some cupcakes from Fran and watched a lot of football

We watched the solar eclipse!

In between hunting one day we fit in a round of golf.

It was a great day to golf!

The hot tub is a great way to finish the day off!

It was a great trip and we had so much fun!

Meanwhile, the girls had some cousin time. Mom took them shopping and they stopped for Mamaka bowls.

They went to see the Taylor swift movie.

Hannah gave us the behind the scenes of her facial care routine.

Mom and Dad went to see Drew Holcomb at a concert with friends.

We celebrated my Dad’s birthday! The next night we went with our friends to Heim barbecue.

One of the people my dad works with offered him two tickets to the Texas A&M football game. Since my soccer game got rained out, we were able to go.

We went down to the tunnel before the game and I was able to get Donavan Green’s autograph.

After the game we went back down to the tunnel and I got Edgerrin Coopers autograph. He ended up being SEC defensive player of the week.

I also ended up getting Demani Richardson’s game gloves and Moose Muhammed’s game towel.

Since it was raining outside, Mom took Henry and his friend roller-skating.

They had so much fun!

We ended up having two pumpkin faces and a 45 for Edgerrin Cooper.

On Halloween we were all in different directions. I was at a football game in Stephenville, Hannah was trick-or-treating with friends, and Henry was in our neighborhood trick or treating.

Hannah was a basketball player from Fresh Prince of Belair

Henry was Jamar Chase

Cowboy

He is still a trouble maker but we love him

He loves getting muddy

He is still the best snuggler

He loves hanging out with friends

He LOVES to sleep

He likes Henry’s stuffed animal Groot

He likes going on walks but is scared by the ghosts

He went to one of my soccer games and did a good job watching me.

He is the perfect dog!

That’s it for October, next up is November.

September Happenings

On October 30, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

September was super!

Nathan had a soccer tournament in San Antonio over the Labor Day weekend

This was our first game as the Dallas Texans

We watched the Aggies first game at a restaurant with Wes

We finished as runners-up and lost in the finals in a penalty shootout. It was a great tournament!

Nathan was tired and crashed on the way home

Meanwhile, Hannah stayed home and went to the stockyards with some friends

Next up was Nathan’s first football game. We played in Everman and it was hot!

We started hosting MSM small group at our house.

We went to Aledo’s first football game. Nothing like Friday Night Lights in Texas.

We got into our new morning routine. Here are all the bags and backpacks that have to be packed and ready for school each day. Everything we need

We played some more football. Nathan made a lot of tackles at safety.

Hannah played in a UTR tournament in Aledo

She won all of her games and got first in her bracket!

Hannah was in the Homecoming parade with the JV Tennis float. The theme was Aledo Beach Movie.

It was a fun parade and the kids worked hard on the float and the costumes!

They had dress up days during Hoco week. This was favorite Spotify artist day.

At the end of the week we went to the Hoco game. Aledo won (of course)

The next day was the Hoco dance. Hannah had a great time with her friends!

Meanwhile the boys went to our last FC Dallas game of the season

We got our school portraits!

At the end of the month, Mommy and I went to a play at Bass Hall for our anniversary.

Who likes short shorts? We like short shorts!

Cowboy continued to grow. Here are some of his best moments in September.

He likes to sleep under the table. This is one of his favorite spots. Pretty soon he won’t fit under the bench any more.

This is another common spot you will find him.

He loves to wrestle

He also loves to cuddle on the floor

He likes hanging out in the backyard and sitting under this swing.

We lost him one evening. Henry and I were in the front yard working with him on the long leash. A deer ran by and Cowboy took off after him. We couldn’t grab the rope in time and we were both barefoot. We chased him for a little bit but realized we needed shoes so we went back to the house to get shoes and the car. By the time we got back down the street he was gone. We searched all over the neighborhood for over an hour with the help of several neighbors. Henry and I went all through the woods next to us. Finally it was getting dark so we came back to the house to change clothes and get a flashlight and we found him in the house waiting for us. So he made it home safely but we had a major scare!

This is the picture I took that evening after he went missing.

That’s it for September, October is up next!

August Happenings

On October 29, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

August was awesome!

Henry helped Mama Jo move out of her house. He was the last grandkid to stay with her in Dallas.

We met up to say goodbye before she left to go to Amarillo at In and Out. No more staying there for early soccer games.

For my dad’s work outing we went to a Rangers game. Little did we know it was also Aggie night.

They were great seats and I got a Baseball!

We all loved the all you can eat part of the game (Henry had about 4 servings of popcorn). Henry also got a big Ranger chain! We had the best time and the Rangers won 6-2!

We got back to school hair cuts, Henry loved the hot towels.

The last week of summer we had golf camp with our friends.

The last day of camp we went and got Bahama Bucks snow cones. Cowboy also got a pup cup (AKA a ball of ice with whipped cream).

Hannah and her friends went back to school shopping.

Henry went to meet the teacher. We are so excited that he got Mrs. Caldwell!

First Day of School! There is a 9th grader, a 7th grader, and a 4th grader. As Mom likes to say, “We have a kid in High School, Middle school, and Elementary and they are all the same height.”

Dad bought Hannah a Starbucks for the first day. We still don’t know how she is able to open doors with lulu bags, a Stanley and her phone.

I decided to play football this year and was showing off all the plays I have learned. I play running back and safety.

Jake’s burgers opened up in Aledo and Dad and Henry decided to go check it out. It was good!

Nan came to visit for the first week of school. We had lots of fun!

Hannah made JV tennis this year! She only started in the summer which is pretty good.

Henry had a soccer tournament, and to pass time they saw the Ninja Turtle movie and went to a local library.

After his last soccer game we loaded up and headed to the F.C. Dallas game.

We had great seats that were so close to the field!

It was star wars night and they handed out lightsabers at the gate coming in. At the end they had a drone show and the lightsabers lit up.

Cowboy has grown so much over the past month. Here are his best moments

He loves belly rubs. He wakes up to you and lays on his back expecting you to pet him.

I’ve never seen a dog that drinks like this. He sticks his whole head in the water and gets everything wet around him.

He also likes to be outside when it is raining.

He gets in a crazy phase every now and then but overall he is a great dog.

Augest was great, and we are excited to see what September brings us!

July Happenings

On August 12, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

July was jolly!

Jennifer and Hannah came up to the mountains and we went to the concert in the park

The next morning we went on a tour of the Eagle Nest dam. It was so interesting

The dam was a prototype for Hoover Dam. Pretty neat!

The water was really good and we had a blast on the rapids

The boys swam for a long time, all the way through swimmer’s rapids!

Afterwards we went to Taos for lunch and Twirl!

On the way home, the traffic was backed up at Palo Flechado pass due to road work. So Jennifer and I jumped out and hiked down the Elliot Barker trail. The line of cars ended up running the construction stop light so they didn’t have to wait as long as we had planned, so Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Jon Michael had to wait at the bottom for us. But it was a nice walk down the hill

We did the parade in Angel Fire on the 4th

The kids had fun decorating the four wheeler and jeep

Jon Michael and I had to catch a ride back to the top. It was dusty

After the parade, we went to the lake and did the paddle board

That evening we went to Fran’s party. Hannah and Pappy won the cornhole tournament.

Corn hole was fun. Nathan organized the tournament and created the bracket

After cornhole, we listened to the band, watched the sunset and did a little dancing

After Fran’s party, we went down the mountain and watched a laser drone show

At the end of the trip, Jennifer and I went on an overnight backpacking trip in the Latir Wilderness.

On the far side of the lake you enter the wilderness area

It was a nice hike, about 5 miles up to Heart Lake

The packs were heavy though! Makes you appreciate day hiking

We made it to Heart Lake and looked for a place to set up camp. There was a big church group up there and we had a hard time finding a campsite so we just picked a spot near them and crashed in the hammock for a while to rest

After we got up, we walked around to the other side of the lake and found a better site, so we moved over there

The next morning, Mommy had her coffee by the lake

The lake was beautiful with the morning colors in the sky

This is one of my favorite pictures of Heart Lake

After breakfast we hiked up to Latir Mesa

There wasn’t a great trail, you just had to follow the cairns

We were able to look down on the other side of the ridge towards the Latir lakes

We got back to camp, packed up and headed down after one more selfie

The next day we drove home to Aledo. We decided we wanted a puppy from Oklahoma. We tried to pick him up on the way home but the breeder wasn’t home that day so we had to go back the next day and meet them in Wichita Falls. We got a blue merle aussie pup and named him Cowboy. Here are a few pictures of him

He loves to snuggle!

He also is a huge trouble maker!

He made a lot of messes the first month but he seems to be doing better with house training. He is still learning to walk on a leash and not bite. When he gets in holy terror mode, watch out because he is trouble!

Nathan was home for a few days after the mountains then he headed to College Station for A&M soccer camp

They stopped by the Berkeley house where I lived in college with Ben

Then they got a private tour of Kyle Field from Kim’s uncle

After the tour, Jennifer took him to the Calloway House to check in. It was an ordeal

Meanwhile, Hannah had her first tennis tournament and did great. She won a match!

At the end of the week I picked him up and he was hot and exhausted! They started early each day and had a morning session, an afternoon session (in the heat) and then a session after dinner!

This was the final talk from Coach G. It was a great camp!

While we were picking Nathan up from College Station, we stayed in Tomball with Candace and Kolby while they were in town from Guyana.

We went out for sushi and Nathan got this California hand roll. He ate it all to our surprise

From Tomball, we sent the kids to Devers for cousin camp and we headed back home

Cowboy had to ride in the backseat all by himself

The kids had fun in Devers. They played golf, watched movies, played on the waterslide and more!

The buggy ran out of gas and they had to push it back to the house

When the kids got home we went over to Mama Jo’s one more time

This was our last time to go to Mama Jo’s before she moved to Amarillo

Nana and Pappy sold their house in Canyon and moved to Amarillo

That’s it for July, August is up next!

June Happenings

On August 7, 2023 By Jennifer HubleyLeave a comment

June was jam packed!

After Broady passed away, we started looking into puppies and found a breeder with a 2-year old named Belle that we brought home for a few days for a trial run. She was a sweet dog but we ended up deciding that we wanted a puppy. It was fun having her for a few days.

We had a fun first couple of weeks of summer.

Nathan and Jonah went golfing by themselves for the first time at Squaw Creek.

The boys went to an animal exhibit at the library

Next up was the Fling Reunion

Pop enjoys having everyone at the lake for the reunion.

The boys had fun swimming, especially with Jake

The boys fished in the kids fishing tournament but Henry didn’t have any luck.

This was Nathan’s last year to fish with the kids.

A big storm came in while we were cooking the fish

Nathan ate several pieces of Nan’s pound cake with strawberries and cream. Yummy!

The next morning, Henry had some better luck fishing. He even caught this catfish but was afraid to hold it!

We got some good family pictures before the business meeting

We were able to get a group shot with everyone

Our air conditioner in the suburban went out (again) on the way home and it was hot! The boys stripped down to try and stay cool. It was a LONG drive home on a hot afternoon.

We got home Sunday evening and packed up then left early the next morning for Washington DC. I had to go up there for an awards ceremony for work, so we decided to take everyone while we could. It was a quick turnaround but a fun trip!

We made our flight and had a smooth ride to DC.

We got there and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt just a few blocks from the White House. We were able to get a block rate since we were there with a conference. We put our walking shoes on and headed out to see some sights.

Then we had dinner at Old Ebbitt Grille – the oldest restaurant in DC.

Then we walked down towards the National Mall.

Then we went to the Washington Monument. There were lots of softball games going on.

The skies looked like it was going to rain but we only got a few sprinkles.

We stopped by the Vietnam Memorial and eventually made our way to the Lincoln Memorial.

Family shot from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The mall and reflecting pool was pretty neat – and busy! We walked through the MLK, Korean War, and WWI memorials. Eventually we got on the metro and headed back to the hotel and crashed.

The next morning we went on a tour at the US Capitol. This is a replica of the statue of freedom that is on the top of the dome on the Capitol building.

We had really great tour guides from Kay Granger’s office. It was a much better experience than the large tour groups from the Capitol staff.

We went to our representative’s office and signed the visitor’s book.

The is the only photo we got of the Capitol.

I ran over and saw the Supreme Court. Then we got on the Metro and headed back.

Next up was a tour of Ford’s Theatre. This is the booth where Lincoln was sitting when he was shot.

After Ford’s Theatre we went across the street and ate at Lincoln’s Waffle Shop.

After lunch we went to the Air and Space Museum. It was really neat.

Hannah and Nathan were tired and had museum fatigue.

Afterwards we went outside and got cold drinks from the line of trucks on the curb. It was $35 for three drinks and they were gross so the kids all threw them away. It was great.

Jennifer got some coffee and we found a bench on the mall for a little rest.

We went through the scuplture garden and made our way back to the hotel.

I went to the award’s ceremony while everyone else got dinner, hit the workout room, and then watched Night at the Museum in the hotel room.

The next day we started off at the Museum of Natural History where we saw some neat stuff including the Hope Diamond. We tried to get a White House Tour this day but it didn’t work out.

Then we had lunch at the cafe next to the sculpture garden.

Next we went across the street to the National Archives. We couldn’t take pictures inside but we got to see the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution! Pretty neat!

Then we went to the National Museum of American History. This was probably our favorite museum. They had a big section about all of the major wars that we spent a long time in. They also had this section about American Presidents which included Lincoln’s top hat that he was wearing when he died, George Washington’s sword, and more.

It also had this section about pop culture.

After the museum, we caught an Uber over the river and into Virginia for Arlington National Cemetery.

We watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. This was a really special and somber ceremony.

There was a great view of DC from the cemetery.

Next we hopped over to Georgetown for some dinner and shopping.

M street is mentioned as the best shopping street in the country. Hannah was in her element.

She found a Lulu. They had the same stuff as the Lulu in Fort Worth. Shocker.

We were walking on the street and a guy saw Nathan’s jersey and said “Hey say hi to Pulisic!” It turns out that he played soccer with him and happened to be talking to him on the phone. Nathan talked to him for a minute and told him to beat Mexico!

We found a sports bar and played pool while the girls shopped. Then we got some dessert and caught a bus to the nearest metro stop and took the metro to our hotel.

The next morning we rented a car for a day trip to Shenandoah. Picking up the rental car was a bit of an ordeal. The place we reserved it closed down without telling us so we had to take a bus to Union Station to the next nearest rental place. The address on google wasn’t correct so Henry and I did some extra walking trying to find it but finally made it and picked up the car. We drove a couple of hours out to our 22nd National Park.

It was about 20 degrees cooler than in DC. We stopped at several lookouts along Skyline Drive.

We hiked over to Stony Man Summit which included a short portion on the AT. It was a nice hike through the woods to a great lookout.

Then we stopped at Skyland Resort and grabbed some lunch. The views from the deck were killer but they only served food in the dining room.

The food was pretty good and they even had a Starbucks in the lobby for Jennifer’s afternoon coffee fix.

After lunch we went over to the Dark Hollow Falls trail and hiked down a canyon to a waterfall.

We enjoyed the falls then hiked back up.

We stopped at the Harry Byrd Visitor’s center and watched the park video so Henry could earn his junior ranger badge.

The best part of becoming a Junior Ranger is the swearing in ceremony!

We got a picture at the sign on the way out!

On the way back to DC we made a little side trip to Middleburg VA. It was a cute little town in Virginia horse country that Jennifer had visited years ago when she worked for Farm and Ranch magazine. We had dinner and walked down mainstreet.

The restaurant and inn on the left is called Red Fox Inn. When Jennifer visited before she learned that it was common to see Bill Clinton here.

The next morning we got a smoothie at Panera. Henry was not a fan because he wanted donuts.

We took the metro over to the Spy Museum.

Riding the Metro was a highlight of the trip.

The Spy Museum was neat. We got to learn how we caught Bin Laden and use the same evidence to try and catch him.

This room was labeled as the “most instagrammed room in DC”

Everyone had a secret identity and a mission to work on in each room. This was a fun museum

After the museum, we walked down to the wharf and had lunch. Then we headed over to the Holocaust Museum.

This museum was really well done but very heavy emotionally. It was also very busy with too many people in there. But still a great experience.

That was our last stop. We went back to the hotel and got our luggage then caught an uber with a crazy driver back to the airport.

We were pretty wiped out on the way home and all of the wheels on our luggage was breaking, so we basically limped back home.

Nathan had a soccer tournament in Dallas the next day after we arrived. So Pappy picked me and Nathan up at the airport and we went straight to Mama Jo’s.