Mohawk?

Today, I totally underestimated the innocence of pomade. This is what happens when you leave father and son alone in the bathroom with hair product.
Of course after Brett created this fashion statement--he said, "I don't know if this is appropriate for school. It's kinda distracting." Well, too late now. It's okay I thought to myself. Pomade is great but contrary to what the bottle says--it doesn't last all day. So I sent him off with *heavy metal rocker face* and all.
p.s. I'm not really sure where he learned those expressions. He is capturing them with perfect skill that it causes one to think we listen to Metallica all day long.

Galveston B. I. (Before Ike)

We paid close attention to the recent news coverage of Hurricane Ike, because the storm inundated and practically annihilated our most recent and special vacation spot, Crystal Beach/Galveston, TX.

We were there over Labor Day weekend with our friends the Stentzels. We've planned on going back every year and hope the area can recover quickly. Anyway, here is what Crystal Beach looked like B. I. (Before Ike)

P.S. Hurricane Gustav (bad storm, AWESOME NAME) was thinking about visiting us that weekend, but headed toward New Orleans instead. We're glad.

The waves and sand were perfect for the kids. They had a great time frolicking in the surf.

Maisy, bathing beauty


Maisy and her buddy Carter


Soakin' it in . . .


Heading back to the beach house


Pickin' up some fresh fish


Crazy kids at Bob's restaurant.


Here's wishing the Crystal Beach area plenty of peace in the near future.

First Day of School

So, I know that it's been a couple of weeks since the first day of school, but better late than never--right? (that's what I always say.)
Brett takes Wil to school because it's just down the street in our neighborhood now. Our new school has opened this year and it has just been a beautiful thing.
Well, this is somewhat of a humdrum post, so I thought I would throw in some really cute pictures of Ace.
This is one of our favorites and in fact, Brett says this is probably the cutest he has ever seen Alton. That's a powerful statement because he's pretty adorable a lot of the time.

Daddy and dancing

We recently signed Maisy up for a dance class. It teaches a potpourri of ballet, tap, and tumbling. There is hardly anything cuter than little girls in little leotards, little tights, and little dance shoes!
"Wow! Check out that leotard!" you might be thinking. Well, it's pretty special because her Grandpa Ming picked it out for her. He amazingly has always had an eye for fashion. She just sparkles in it.
Last week, I had to go to the store at the same time that Maisy needed to be chauffered to her dance class. So I delegated this undertaking to Brett. As I hurried out of the house I called out, "Don't forget to pull her hair back! Can you handle that?!"

"Sure, sure," was his response.

When I got home he reassured me that everything went smoothly. "But next time you pull Maisy's hair back, can I watch?" he asked. So of course he received one of my looks and a exasperated *why???* Apparently he couldn't find any small rubber bands and so he used some of my big ones. As you can see in the pictures, Maisy doesn't really have a lot of hair to work with in the first place and that is why the little rubber bands are the only ones that accomplish the task. So as usual, Brett, being slightly clueless threw in a little *razzle dazzle doo* and Presto! just like that, a solution--Brett style.
She is loving the class of course and it is so fun to see her enjoying it.

Restaurant Review: Hutchins BBQ

It's been a while since we've done a restaurant review, so today I (Brett) will tell you about my FAVORITE restaurant in the Dallas area: Hutchins BBQ in Mckinney.
The rule of thumb with Texas BBQ is simple: The crummier looking the place is, the better the BBQ will be! You can tell from the look of Hutchins BBQ that the food is AWESOME. Now, the front of the building has recently been refurbished, but the BBQ/Catfish sign remains in its original decrepit state, signaling good food inside!

We went a few nights ago with our dear friends from Vegas, the Whipples, and we had a fabulous time. I ordered my usual, the succulent chopped beef sandwich.


My hungry friend Kaid went with the all-you-can-eat platter. He's not very good at holding back when he sees something he really wants.


Kasia got her favorite, the pulled pork, accompanied by a fresh hot plate of fried okra!


The kids were enthralled by the mac and cheese, corn dogs, and fries.


Did I mention that rolls and drinks are included in the price of the meal?


Not to mention free ice cream, banana pudding, and/or cobbler at the end of your meal?


So, while Kaid kept all-you-can-eating . . .


and Maisy licked her second bowl of ice cream clean . . .


And Wilson expressed his newfound lack of mobility . . .


I went off to get the little treat that makes Hutchins BBQ my favorite place to eat in the world. The FREE PEACH COBBLER!

Here's where the magic happens. The cobbler is on the right, under the romantic heat lamp.



Bowl #1


Bowl #2

Needless to say, we left Hutchins BBQ full of food and full of good tastin' memories. If you haven't been to Hutchins, it's time to go!! You'll be glad you did. Comments?

I LOVE the Bumbo!

Who thought up this wonderful creation of foam?

I LOVE IT!