Decorating the Tree

Iria was coaxed into putting the Christmas tree up a little bit early this year, but we all agree that it ended up being a great idea.

Day Tripping

We had plans to take a day trip to Tyler on Saturday, but after an exhausting couple of days we decided to stay closer to home. There happened to be some great local events going on, so in the end it worked out to be a lot better.

First up was another one of our annual trips, this time to to "Dinosaurs Alive" exhibet at the Heard Wildlife Sanctuary. It was the first time taking Lennon to see the big dinosaurs.

The maps were very important (of course). You could tell how much they were used by how crumpled up they were at the end of the day.

At one point we split off from the dinosaur trail to explore another path. The weather was beautiful, so much so that it offset the fact that I had to lug a stroller up all of those steps...

The coolest tree in the forest.

It was surrounded by a lot of fallen logs which made for some fun climbing.

Back to the dinosaurs- here is the "photo-op" T-Rex.

And then the big guy himself.

Lennon walked most of the trail, but by the end he slept a little bit while the other kids toured the small museum. The day wasn't over yet, however....

Next up was the "Dickens of a Christmas" festival in downtown McKinney. The kids were pretty hungry, so we ate at great place called "Sauce" before we started to walk around. You can't beat 4 dollar kid meals in a restaurant setting.

It was getting dark by the time we finished eating. My camera shoots really well at 2000+ ISO, so bring it on!

The Merry-Go-Round was a big hit, and was Lennon's first ride on one (I believe).

And the evening peaked once we came across the cotton candy stand.

The sugar highs quickly kicked in...

Lennon was particularly hilarious. He was doing crazy dances on the sidewalk and running around kissing flag posts and street lamps.

All in, one of "the best days ever" according to Katharine.

I agree!

The Nutcracker

Today we went on our annual pilgrimage to see the Texas Ballet Theater's presentation of "The Nutcracker".

This year it was performed at the brand new Winspear Opera House in Dallas, which is an amazing building. And we were also joined by our friends, the Martels.

Katharine- growing up.

Sometimes I will catch an angle of her face or a look in her eyes where she looks really mature... and then she goes back to being a cute 6 year old again.

Katharine and Liam, posing in front of some cool red glass panels that lined the lobby of the theater.

The obligatory ornament shopping.

Brian, Meghan and Liam posing in front of the theater. It was Brian and Liam's first time seeing the show. Liam's favorite part was when Clara knocked out the Mouse King from behind.

The Doescher family's 2003-2005 lineup. Katharine's favorite part was "everything", but she was definitely excited to see the "Russian Dance" again.

All done!