Spooked at the Zoo

Since August, Jack has been asking about Halloween, and more importantly, Zoo Boo -- a spooky Halloween event at the Zoo that the boys always look forward to. This year, I went with my two Androids, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, sans the masks. Masks, I guess, cut down on your ability to hunt for candy stops in the zoo.

Jack with his friend, Anna. Those two are two peas in a pod.

Fall Festival at the Agricenter

We made it to a fall festival at the Agricenter a couple of weeks ago and the boys were able to catch two hayrides around the complex, painted pumpkins and talked to a camel or two.

On the hayride with my boys.

 The crazy clan: Ruby, Mary Beth, Jack and Ben

 I didn't crop the photo below because it's so typical of our phase right now. Jack sits and poses with me for a picture when Ben promptly turns his back and finds something to destroy.

Jack found the bluegrass and sat by himself for 20 minutes or so, quietly listening.

Thanks to the Bones for having us over the night of our festival. Jack wanted me to get a picture of him with this ghost.

"I Don't Want Haircut!"

I just knew this would be easy. As you can tell, it wasn't. I took both the boys to Sports Clips on Friday afternoon for haircuts. Ben's shag was getting out of control and I had picked at it too many times with my own pair of scissors.

Thankfully, his hairdresser was fast and patient, as I held him down with all my might, praying she wouldn't clip his skin while he flailed in the chair. "I DON'T WANT HAIRCUT," he wailed. Pat went with me, and thankfully, she was able to catch this "precious" moment. These are the things we'll think back fondly on in 20 years, huh?

Meanwhile, his brother sat and watched football, so proud to be at the place where Daddy gets his hair cut.

Birthday Babes

I'm catching up on a few sets of photos that have been sitting on the camera too long. We celebrated Mary Beth and Dylan's 3rd and 1st birthday, respectively, at the end of September. Granna and Papa Don came to Memphis to help us celebrate.

Mary Beth and I share a love for shoes -- something Ruby doesn't understand. So, the Mettees got her four pairs of plastic high heels. She was a happy girl.

Ben cleaning up after the pinata is emptied.

While We Were Out

Jack and Ben spent last week with Grammy and Pop, while John and I were in Mexico. They visited the zoo, train museum in Jackson and eventually made their way to Mount Juliet. I don't think Ben noticed we were gone for at least a couple of days.

First, a visit to the zoo where Jack overcame his longlasting uneasiness with the kamodo dragon. He's never been too willing to visit it, but after fearless Ben went to see it, Jack was convinced he'd be OK.

 

Later in week, on their way East, they hit the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum in Jackson. This is one of Jack's favorite places in the world and he was happy to introduce Ben to it.

And then, to Mount Juliet, where they visited with Great Grammy and cousins Anna and Ryan. Ben can't stop talking about going to see Anna.

And this is what a crazy week will do to you. Ben has fallen asleep before 6 the past two nights.

A Mexican Anniversary

John and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary last week with a trip to Playa de Carmen, Mexico. At least, I think that's where we were. We pretty much stayed in this spot for the entire week.

We stayed at our first all-inclusive resort, Royal Hideaway, thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Cami. (Cami, we LOVE you.) John and I are already talking about when we're headed back. Everyone at this small, quiet resort was helpful and determined to meet our every request. Paradise.

A view from our room of a neighboring villa.

I think I sat in this spot for at least six hours each day of the trip. I told John we'll need to detox for a least a week from the food and margaritas.

 

 Food, margaritas and beer, I mean.

 

When it got a little hot, the staff brought around cold towels and fruit for everyone. 

 

We did manage to leave the resort one night, to meet up with John's brother, Steve, and his family. Playa de Carmen's Fifth Avenue is one long pedestrian street of shops and restaurants that gave a taste of the culture.

 

 



The staff noted our anniversary on Thursday with towel swans and balloons, in addition to the bottle of champagne that waited for us at dinner.

Our anniversary night, after a giant Italian dinner. 

One of our favorite parts of the trip was finding great friends. Even better, they were from the South. Needless to say, there was lots of football talk.

It's hard to believe, but what a blessed 10 years it has been. Two wonderful children and a pretty great life. (Oh, the kids. No, we didn't leave them at home alone. I just have the best in-laws in the world. I'll blog tomorrow about what life looked like for them last week. )