R&R 2011, Part 1

We had such an amazing 2 weeks with Albert while he was home on R&R!!  We picked him up at the airport on August 4th and had fun, fun, fun until we had to take him back to the airport on August 20th.  Ben and Bella were OVER THE MOON excited to have Daddy home!  They wanted to do everything with him, and be by his side at all times!  They had so much fun wrestling, playing and being silly.  It brought so much joy to my heart to see my children so carefree and happy!

First big event of R&R- WE BOUGHT A VAN!  Yep, we are the proud owners of a Swagger Wagon.  ;)  It was definitely a "God thing" and He certainly orchestrated it for all the pieces to come together perfectly so we were able to upgrade to a wonderful new vehicle.  I love it!!!  At first I was unsure about how it would feel to be 29, and in a "Mom van" (which is just one step away from the "Mom jeans"), but let me tell you- it feels GREAT!!!  I love my van!  The bells and whistles play a big part, but I can honestly say I love driving it, I am so comfortable and the kids are so comfortable, it's just a joy all around!  :)

Our new ride

While Albert was home, we (naturally) had to go to a baseball game!  Since we couldn't go see the Cardinals we headed to Round Rock and saw the Round Rock Express!  We all wore our Yankees gear since the Yankees had a big game against the Red Sox that night.  ;)  Despite the extreme heat, we had a blast!  We sat in the lawn and the kids ran and played, and rolled down the hill until their heart's content!  Ben had the time of his life, and would have been happy to stay until they kicked him out, but Bella was getting a little grouchy with the heat and it being past her bedtime, so we headed home before the game was over... but not before we got a quick family picture.  :)

Round Rock Express Game

While we were in Round Rock, before we went to the game, we got to eat at Mighty Fine and then go to the Disney Store where Ben found the Chick Hicks car (from the first Cars movie) that he had been asking for.  So a successful trip all around.  :)

Speaking of Cars, Ben got to go on a special "date" with Dad to see the Cars 2 movie!  He had seen it previously, but had been asking to see it again since we left the movie theatre.  ;)  Thankfully they had it playing on post, and Albert was able to see it with him!  They packed some fruit snacks, and Mater juice boxes and had a wonderful father/son date!  :)

On their way to see Cars 2

Another thing the kids LOVE to do is go to Texas Tumblers and play on the gymnastics equipment on the Toddlers Free Play days!  Since it's hard to chase after the two of them, going in separate directions, I haven't taken them recently, so we took the opportunity while Albert was home to go!  :)  The kids loved it!!

Playing in the foam pit, at Texas Tumblers

We were blessed to have Albert home to celebrate our sweet Bella's 2nd birthday!!  It meant so much that we were able to have R&R during that time, and we had such a wonderful day!  Such a wonderful day, in fact, it's deserving of it's own blog post!  ;)  Check back soon for Bella's 2nd birthday and more from R&R!