10 years already!?!?

To celebrate our upcoming 10th (!) wedding anniversary, Dave and I just got back from our first "real" vacation just the 2 of us since we had kids over 7 years ago! We decided to go exotic, so we went to Brazil (first in Sao Paulo, then Rio). We cheated a bit since my brother lives in Sao Paulo, so we spent the first half of the week with Trent and Paige. It was fun to spend some time with them in their current "stomping grounds"-- before our newest niece arrives! Plus, it helped acclimate us to Brazil since neither of us had ever been there.

Besides for seeing the sights and taking in the Brazilian culture, there were 2 things I was looking forward to: Feijoada (the most famous Brazilian dish) and Caipirinhas (the most delicious Brazilian drink ever). And Brazil did not disappoint!

 Feijoada is served on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so it was convenient that we arrived on Wednesday morning! We hit this amazing restaurant for lunch on Wednesday (which, coincidentally, was our favorite meal of the whole trip):

The top 2 pics in the below photo are the views from Trent and Paige's balcony. Amazing, huh? That night we went to a market near their house that's only on Wednesday evenings (I think).  Yummy "street food"!

Later that evening we went to this amazing piano bar on the 41st floor of a building in downtown Sao Paulo. Great drinks, fun company, and spectacular views!

And that was all just on day 1!

Easter 2013

It was so special to have Dave's parents here with us for Easter this year! Unfortunately, they had to leave right after lunch to head back to Georgia, but we got to have a big breakfast together and of course, go to church together.

It's not a family picture without the silly faces:

We decided to do the egg hunt/big dinner with my family in the evening so that it didn't interrupt our time with Dave's family.

You'll notice that Hudson is missing from the egg hunt pics. LONG story short: most of you know that Hudson suffers with severe seasonal allergies. Well, for about a week before Easter he was pretty rashy all over his face. We felt like we were doing a pretty good job keeping it somewhat under control. But Sunday we noticed that he was pretty wheezy. We kept an eye on him all afternoon, and decided that he would need to stay inside over at my parents house (their backyard is practically poison for him)-- but he could egg hunt for a few minutes. We let him outside for about 5 minutes before the egg hunt, and as soon as he came inside for us to hide the eggs, he grabbed his chest and collapsed to the ground. After a few minutes he seemed to be much better, but was still having a pretty hard time breathing. So, we took him to the ER. (another side note: this is our SECOND ER visit in 2 weeks. The first one was with Crew- he passed out in my arms after a fall at Hudson's preschool. Concussion #1 for the Dennison children!). Anyway, some meds, a dose of steroid, and 3 breathing treatments later, we were released. We went to the allergist first thing Monday morning to get a game plan on how to keep it under control so that this sweet guy can have a normal childhood and still be able to play outside!! Needless to say, he was pretty sad that he didn't get to go on the egg hunt. So, on Monday after we got back from the dr, he had his very own egg hunt in our backyard, and he LOVED it.

fun with Grandpa and Grandma

William and Hudson had been anticipating the visit from Grandpa and Grandpa for a long time. Dave's mom is always doing stuff with them, and this time it was decorating Easter cookies. And for anyone who knows Bill, he is a BALL of energy with the kids! 

Checkers with Grandpa:

Battleship with Grandma:

Chase and tickle with Grandma and Grandpa:

Grandparent's Day

One of the many things we have loved in our first year at CCA is that they really make a big deal of the student's grandparents. They realize that grandparents leave behind a fabulous legacy, and they like to celebrate that legacy. They always have it the Thursday before Easter, which makes it a bit easier for traveling grandparents. It was so special to have BOTH sets of grandparents attend!

The whole first grade sang a song, recited Psalm 1, and recited a poem about grandparents. It was amazing!

It's kind of hard to see, but William is in the top row, 6 from the right. Isn't it surprising that he isn't the tallest one?

After the program, we got to all go to William's classroom. It was especially nice for Dave's parents and my dad since none of them had ever been to his class.

Such a special time! We are praying that both sets of parents will be able to come again next year!

more Mavs!

Our second game of the season was for last Tuesday. Unfortunately, Dave has been SWAMPED at work, and he had a huge meeting the next day. So, he made me go without him. Thankfully, my brother was in town, so he went with me. We were realizing on our way to the game that we hadn't done anything just the 2 of us probably since we were in high school. It was time!

He is a Thunder fan (BOO!), but one of the stipulations in coming to the game with me was that he had to root for the Mavs. We were playing the Clippers, so it wouldn't be too bad except Thunder fans DO NOT like the Mavs. But, he agreed, and I even got him to wear a Mavs tshirt.

It was a wonderful night, and it was an AWESOME game, complete with overtime...and we still won. GO MAVS!

Spring Break

For Spring Break this year my friend Jen and I decided to take the kids up to my parents house in Oklahoma for a few days of the "country life"- riding the horse, running wild in the wide open spaces, sleeping in, riding the cruiser, etc. It was perfect! The weather was a little cold, but the adults were the only ones complaining. There was very few squirmishes, and they spent about 80% of their awake time outside.

We had a little bit of inside time, and it was filled with games and coloring.

One day we took the kids to the Oklahoma Aquarium, which is a fantastic aquarium. I didn't get a picture, but they have the largest collection of bull nose sharks in the US. It was especially creepy because you walk through an all-glass tunnel with the sharks swimming all around you. The kids LOVED it.

 Probably the thing the kids loved the most was when we drove them down into the pasture on the cruiser for them to play on the bales of hay. I know what you're thinking: REDNECKS. But don't knock it til ya try it! The kids played on these hay bales for HOURS. Who needs Disney when you can  play on hay?

While playing on the hay, I spotted this disgusting creature:

Even Jen, my dad, and I got in on the jumping action:

As we were cruising around the pasture in the cruiser, William spotted one of Papa's brush piles, so they all insisted on stopping by for a quick climb. Why not?

Not pictured: riding the horse, playing/building a bug house in the playhouse, getting sweet treats from the yummy bakery in town, and of course, the must-stop Gap Outlet, which didn't let us down.

Before we left town, we drove over to Pawhuska to visit my grandma. The boys had gone to the leases with my dad, so we all met up before heading home. The kids LOVE seeing their great grandma.

It is no small feat taking a pic with 3 crazy boys. Here's a behind-the-scenes view:

3 Cheers for Spring Break 2013!!!

Legoland

A couple of weeks ago, Bell teamed with Legoland for a family event at Dave's work. It was SO COOL.  We decided not to take Crew since he's a Lego destructor! It was fun to have a special afternoon with just the big boys. We took them In-n-Out for lunch first.

When we got Bell (it was held in the cafeteria at Bell), we signed in and the boys got to pick out which Lego helicopter they wanted. Then we found an empty table for the boys to spread out and get to work.

It was a perfect afternoon with my boys!