Conner Family Blog

Lego Pirate Ship - Queen Anne's Revenge

2012-01-28T10:06:00.001-06:00

Sam and Chris finished building the Lego Pirate Ship. They spent several weekends working on it while Ben was napping.

Sam is very proud of his pirate ship. It had over a thousand pieces but was organized very nicely into several stages and numbered bags which took about an hour or two each. It has lots of cool details, like cannons that fire out of skull covered flap doors, a bi-level captains quarters, and skull railing. The minifigures with swords and guns are a big hit too!

Building the captain's quarters.

Playing Legos with Ben.

Random picture of Ben eating peanut butter waffles ... yummy!

Pics from the Park

2012-01-21T22:58:00.002-06:00

Books and ABCs

2012-01-19T22:20:00.001-06:00

They cannot get enough books before bed! Green Eggs and Ham is currently Ben's favorite.

Sam isn't getting read to as often as he is reading to us now. He is supposed to read at least 15 minutes every night. We're gonna have to figure this whole homework thing out. I think the only option is to pick them up from school earlier because we can't cram any more in that window between dinner and bed!

Benny singing ABC's.

Legos

2012-01-13T21:58:00.000-06:00

Ben loves Sam's Legos. His favorites are the Ninjago minifigures. He keeps taking them apart and putting them back together.

Sometimes it's just too hard for his little hands to take them apart and he says, "Momma, break him's head. Break him's pants."

This pirate ship has over 1000 pieces. Gonna take a while!

Benny on Wheels

2012-01-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

We celebrated New Year's by teaching Ben how to ride the tricycle.

He was instantly in love!

A brand new perspective.

He was turning the wheel every time he looked at something so it was hard to keep him going straight.

"We don't ride the bike like this, Mommy! We don't jump on the bike!" Seriously. His favorite thing to do right now is to say what he should not be doing while he's doing it.

Big brother was jealous and had to run and go get his bike too.

We went on two more long bike rides over the weekend. He was actually excited to wear his helmet!

Gymnastics

2012-01-07T22:49:00.001-06:00

I went to Sam's gymnastics recital at school in December. It's always fun to see how much stronger he's getting each year. One of his best friends, Surya, is in his class with him.

He always loves getting his medal!

Here's a little video of Sam showing off.

Christmas Videos

2012-01-03T23:10:00.003-06:00

Opening presents!

Benny playing with his new toys.

Christmas Menagerie

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

December was crazy busy making Christmas magic for two very special little boys. Here are the pictures we took with iPhones, point-n-shoot, and DSLR cameras. With how fast our boys move I'm surprised any technology can capture more than a blur!

Ben loved the Christmas tree and especially the "magic" Hallmark ornaments.

After a few heated discussions about the ornaments not being toys, he was ok with leaving them on the tree.

We made sugar cookies and decorated them with Mimi.

It was Ben's first time decorating sugar cookies, so he did not understand why he needed to let the cookies "dry" before he could eat them. Of course he'd probably eaten three cookies before we even started decorating them.

Sam was carefully copying Mimi's designs.

Yes, that's a Halloween shirt. Don't ask.

Eating cookies after seeing Santa. Ben chose the whoopie pie.

Sam got a Snickerdoodle.

Cleo has been sick off and on most of December. We think she has a bladder infection and some intolerance to some of the medications she has been on. The vets aren't really sure what is wrong with her and have mentioned we might consider bladder cancer if she continues to have issues. They are hopeful that another round of antibiotics will clear it up though. We got her 11 years ago this month so we think she's about 12 now. One of the medications she was on was Prednisone, so she gained about 6 pounds in one month. Of course the only way she'll take her medication twice a day is with a tablespoon of peanut butter, so I'm sure that's not helping.

It's been very important that Cleo get her daily walks, but I can't complain since this is the view on the creek trail by our house.

Gearing up for our ski trip in Jan/Feb.

Mister and Mimi came over for pre-Christmas dinner and to exchange presents with Pops.

Sam was soooo excited he could hardly contain himself.

Ben got a little carried away and started opening Pops' present for him!

New necklace from Mimi

Ben got lots of food themed presents since playing kitchen is his favorite thing to do!

Sam made a gingerbread train with Lulu

Making cookies for Santa. (Hmmm, I wonder why I've gained a few extra pounds.)

White chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies. Yummy!

After a wonderful evening at the Johnson's, we exchanged presents with Mister and tried to get the boys ready for bed. Cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer were on the checklist.

The next morning, it looks like Santa and the reindeer were hungry when they stopped at our house!

Lulu managed to keep Sam from waking us up until 8:30 and Ben was still not quite ready to get started. Going through his stocking goodies helped him get in the spirit.

Lots of presents under the tree!

Sam was willing to stop for a quick picture.

One very patient big brother waiting for his little brother.

Cleo was very excited about her treats ... uh understatement! She's got the crazy eyes and she's licking her chops!

Mickey! Ben's new best friend!

And now Mickey can join Goofy (from Ben's birthday).

I kinda like Toms ... a lot. I got four new pairs!

Ben dipped one of the carrots in Lulu's coffee and fed it to Cleo. Not sure why, but that's what happened.

I took the camera from Chris for a few minutes so I could grab a few shots of him too.

Ben insisted that Winnie the Pooh and Piglet needed to take a ride on the airplane and was not very happy they didn't have a seat. He wasn't thrilled with my rubber band idea either.

We went to visit Grandma Smith a few times during Christmas break.

So many new toys to play with!

Chris got a new camera lens and some new flash gear so I found myself posing for quite a few pictures whether or not I was ready for a close-up.

Oh my, Mickey, that's quite a big sandwich you have there!

I pulled my old doll bed out of the attic so Ben could put Mickey and Goofy down for a nap. My sisters and I played with that doll bed when we were little and so did my mom and my aunt. Ben's great-great-grandfather made it around sixty years ago.

Sushi with Lulu

I have to laugh. They just picked up that salmon sushi and started eating it. No questions asked.

Sam got a few Lego sets for Christmas and had kept Lulu very busy building them. He built this one with Daddy. It was a Ninjago motorcycle. Both of the boys are crazy about Ninjago and fight over which one of them is the Red Fire Ninja. I can't believe Ben even knows what they are talking about. Sam tells everyone he meets about Ninjago. I mean everyone. Random strangers. Anyone who will listen. Then he says something like "Ninjago!" or "Tornado of Creation!" and starts spinning in circles. Oh boy!

The boys go back to school tomorrow and I going to miss having them around the house all day. I had a great time with them at home and the time went way faster than I thought it would. I loved watching them play (and fight) with each other. Ben moved into a big boy bed and the boys started taking turns sleeping in each other's rooms. It's hard to believe that Ben wasn't even walking or talking this time last year. I wasn't quite ready to tackle potty training over the break though. I also can't believe how big Sam has gotten this year. He's so tall now. He still had a baby face in the video of him opening his stocking last year. He starts his first day in E1 tomorrow. He's moving up after two and a half years in P1. Chris officially starts his new job this week too. Lot's of changes coming this new year!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2011-12-15T18:48:00.001-06:00

The boys were so excited to go see Santa today after their winter parties.

Sam made a card for Santa. He wrote him a note and drew him a picture.

A big hug from Santa. I was surprised that Ben was not scared. He loved Santa and kept wanting to go back and peak at him.

15 Years!

2011-12-12T23:54:00.000-06:00

Annibizzery dinner at Cru

What will they say next?

2011-12-07T21:02:00.001-06:00

One morning before school ...
Ben: Mommy, you behave to me!

One day when I picked the boys up from school ...
Ben: Hi Mommy! Is that your hat? It looks nice. I want a cupcake for dinner.

Every night at dinner lately ...
Sam: What is this? (as he points to the meat on his plate)
Me: Pork
Sam: What's a pork?
Me: A pig.
Sam: Is it dead?

Tonight when we were putting them to bed ...
Sam: You smell like dirt.
Me: That's not very nice.
Sam: Okay, you smell pretty then.

Ben's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-11-30T11:20:00.000-06:00

It's been almost six weeks since Ben's birthday party, so I'd better post these pictures before I get lost in Christmas and forget to do it.

Ben's party was at Gymboree Play & Music. It was perfect for a little guy his age.

There was lots of stuff to climb and jump on and lots of singing and other noise.

The party had a slight train theme to it, so they pretended to build railroad tracks, ride a train, load the train with coal, etc.

Ben's favorite was building the tracks, until they stopped the music to say Happy Birthday, Ben. He definitely did not like the attention.

Of course we had to get a Thomas cake!

Benny with his cake

Mississippi Children's Museum

2011-11-26T22:13:00.001-06:00

Our last stop was to visit with Lulu in Jackson and see the new children's museum. Oh, my my! The Mississippi Children's Museum puts the one in Dallas to shame! It was amazing and huge. We spent three hours there and maybe did half of it. And some of the stuff we just barely spent any time on. The boys were so excited they were practically vibrating. Overstimulated is an understatement.

Ben is still too small to make it up the climbing equipment in the play areas, but that doesn't stop him ...

He just brings his Mommy along. He wore me out!

Legos are awesome!

Build some cars, race them, and see which one wins. They had a similar exhibit in the water section where you build your own boat and race it down the river.

One of the displays from the MS Delta area. Of course it has catfish!

The water area was definitely one of our favorites.

Look close at the stream in the background ... where you can go fishing for catfish!

A close second easily goes to Stomach Theater. You start by climbing up the tongue, into the mouth, down the throat, into the stomach ...

Do you see where this is going?

After you exit the intestines and enter the colon, you are treated to the most realistic farting noises ... a five year old boy's dream attraction! You end up in the "toilet" with a big flush!

To quote Ben, "Fart, butt, fart, butt, butt, butt, fart, butt." His teachers are not going to be so thrilled at what he learned on his vacation!

Indianola

2011-11-26T12:30:00.000-06:00

Our first stop for Thanksgiving was a quick trip to Indianola. It was a very quick visit, but I can't imagine going to MS without seeing Nanner and Dorsey.

You sometimes get some cute pics from test shots while setting the exposure.

Or some funny ones!

Chris is the barista at Casa de Conner and he did not get a vacation from that role at Pop's house. We have a 10 cup Bunn Velocity Brew at home (doesn't the name just say it all), and we buy coffee at Costco. We usually go through three or four pots of coffee per day. Pop's has a Keurig, so Chris was cranking out cups of coffee one at a time. I LOVE Keurig coffee, but that would be an expensive habit at our house for sure!

Over at Nanner's house, Ben couldn't wait to get out his toys.

Sam got a new Ninjago Lego set and couldn't wait to build it. I think we all secretly wanted to build it ourselves. Legos are awesome!

Ben wasn't scared of the skeleton Legos until Lulu said they were going to get him. Instantly scary!

The only picture we got with Pops, so it's going on the blog!

Mmmm ... spaghetti and meatballs!

Cutie pie!

Looking at family photos

Sam reading to Lulu. He's reading so well now!

Nanner listening to Sam read.

Picking up pecans. Nanner used to pay us $5 per bucket if we picked them up out of her yard when we were little.

Sam wanted to get them off the tree, but green pecans are not as easy.

Chris and I took a walk after lunch and ended up at the cemetery. We visited my Mamaw and Papaw's grave. Thanksgiving always makes me think of Mamaw and Papaw (Dorsey's mom and dad). I was one of 25 great-grandchildren. We used to have family reunions at Bill and Suzanne's house (my cousin's who lived across the street from us) for Thanksgiving, and Mamaw always played the piano. It puts a big smile on my face just thinking about it now.

Another morning at Pop's house.

On the way from Indianola to Yiayia and Papou's house, we stopped at McDonald's for lunch. Ben refused to eat. I wouldn't let him have his cookie until he ate his chicken nuggets. We were back on the road for a while before he finally gave in and ate the nuggets. When he finally got his chocolate chip cookie, he took a few bites and promptly fell asleep. Enlarge the picture and you can see the chocolate on his face and the broken cookie in his lap and hand. Have I mentioned how much fun two year olds are on long drives?

Ten Acres

2011-11-25T21:49:00.001-06:00

The boys have been wanting to ride Papou's tractor since the first day we got here. They were so excited when they heard it running this morning. Sam ran all the way from the house to the back of the property and climbed right on.

Ben was quiet the whole time until the ride was done. We weren't sure what he thought about the tractor until he held on tight and would not get down.

Papou gave Sam an archery lesson.

Sam loved it, but wasn't quite big enough to do it on his own yet.

Cleaning fresh Gulf shrimp, straight from the boats.

Hey Daddy, do you think maybe you could get that camera out of my face? I kinda just woke up and I'm trying to enjoy these awesome donuts.

Wheelbarrow ride! (Seriously, what could be more fun?)

What do you with with ten acres? Run baby run!

Not sure why, but the boys decided this tree no longer needed its bark.

Pinecones! We don't see many of these in the Dallas area.

Earlier in the day in their matching PJs.

Conner Family Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:16:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful day today with food, family, and fun. It's been over a year since we'd gotten together. We're thankful for the time we got to spend together today. We just wish we could do it a little more often!

We started out the day with a little Thanksgiving gel cling action.

The boys did a great job decorating (and we got a few moments of peace and quiet).

It was so hard to smell the food cooking all morning and wait for lunch to eat it!

Aunt Paola

Uncle Costas

Papou

Drinking "moonshine" with Yiayia.

Who knew calling water by another name could be so fun!

Here are a few pictures of Sam with his coffee and cookie/muffin over the last few days. He had his face buried in the iPad all day today. Where's My Water is his latest obsession.

Country Life for City Boys

2011-11-23T22:03:00.001-06:00

Yiayia and Papou took the boys to visit some of their friends today. They had a lot of fun pretending to ride the four wheeler.

Another friend had lots of farm animals for the boys to see.

The boys really wanted to see the geese since we had eaten goose eggs for breakfast the first morning we were here.

We've gotten lots of questions about turkeys lately and why we have to kill them to eat them. Chris likes to act out what it would be like to try to eat a live turkey. That gets lots of laughs.

Ponies!

Samson and Delilah

Sam wanted to see where the chickens lay eggs.

Ben just wanted to pet them.

If I was going to raise chickens, I'd definitely have to have a few of these!

Oh Benny, not another fit! Terrible, terrible twos!

Tickle monster to the rescue!

Me too, me too!

Biloxi Lighthouse

2011-11-22T17:10:00.001-06:00

A few months ago Sam made a special request. He wanted to see a lighthouse. He's been counting down the days until we could go see Yiayia, Papou, and the lighthouse.

There is a great new visitor's center across the street from the lighthouse that just opened three months ago.

It had lots of interactive displays and was just gorgeous.

The visitor's center had lots of interesting displays, but one that really caught our attention explained the role of the different nationalities on the gulf coast.

Of course we were drawn to the Greek and Italian displays.

The Biloxi Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It is the city's signature landmark and has become a post-Katrina symbol of the city's resolve and resilience.

The light was civilian operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the lightfor 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation.

The Biloxi Lighthouse stood landlocked for the first time with the completion of the sand beach in the early 1950s. The Coast Guard decommissioned the Lighthouse in 1967, and in 1968 it became the property of the City of Biloxi. The Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places and is an official Mississippi Landmark. It is listed in the 2002 edition of "Ripley's Believe It or Not" as the only lighthouse standing in the median of a four-lane highway.

The lighthouse has withstood many storms over the years. Katrina's storm surge enveloped a third of the 64-foot tall lighthouse, and the constant pounding from the water and winds toppled many bricks that lined the interior of the cast iron tower. The storm’s winds also broke many of the windows in the light cupola and destroyed the structure's electrical system.

In March 2010, the city re-opened the lighthouse to public tours after a 14-month, $400,000 restoration that was funded by FEMA and MEMA.

Back in the visitor's center and Benny is throwing a fit. :(

There we go. All better now.

Enjoying coffee and cookies in rocking chairs on the porch of the visitor's center ... gorgeous weather and an amazing view of the lighthouse and the gulf.

The beachfront of Biloxi lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands between it and the Gulf of Mexico. The 26-mile-long stretch of beach that runs from Pass Christian to Biloxi is the longest man-made beach in the United States and was created to support the sea wall built in 1924 to halt the erosion of the coastline.

The boys could have played on the beach for hours.

They were both a little scared of the water though.

Once the water touched Benny's foot he was sure to stay clear.

Biloxi Lighthouse with the visitor's center in the background.

Ben's 2nd Birthday

2011-11-07T22:29:00.008-06:00

Benny turned two with a quiet celebration at home with the family. Of course we observe "birthday season" so there were more festivities to come!

Happy Birthday to you ...

Benny loves his cupcakes!

Mister and Mimi were there to share in the fun!

And this is where it got interesting ... Sam picked a present for Ben which he obviously wanted for himself.

"Wheels on the Bus"

Earlier in the day, Ben got his birthday present from Mommy and Daddy.

He was sooo excited to have his very own trains!

Ultimate Humungousaur and Thomas the Train

2011-10-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

These two little boys made me laugh so much tonight! Didn't you know Thomas has to show his muscles just as much as Humungousaur? And didn't you know that Thomas needs his face painted too?

Sam was soooo excited! He knew what was coming next and he was ready for that candy. We went Trick-or-Treating with our neighbors and Ben just could not keep up with all the big boys. When he couldn't take any more he said, "I don't want to hold your hand, Mommy ... I want to hold you!" With his arms reached up at me, how could I possibly say no!

Ben also refused to say "Trick-or-Treat" and instead mostly said "I want some" ... at least he said "Thank you!"

I figured Sam's mask wouldn't be staying on long so a little face paint would be fun (and a little more menacing than the red hair).

Sam could not sit still no matter how hard he tried. If he wasn't moving his face, he was moving his body.

I want paint too Mommy!

Again with the tickles!

More pictures of the boys in their costumes ...

Back home with their loot and ready to see how much they can get away with ...

Happy Halloween!!!

Texas State Railroad - Pumpkin Patch Express

2011-10-21T15:00:00.003-05:00

We took a weekend trip to go ride the Texas State Railroad last weekend. The boys had the day off school on Friday for parent/teacher conferences, so we took advantage of that to do something special for Ben's birthday.

It was a special event called Peanuts The Great Pumpkin Patch Express. It was supposed to be one of the steam engines for this ride, but it ended up being a diesel. Chris and I were disappointed that we didn't get to see the steam engine, but Sam had really wanted to ride a diesel so he was very excited. I'm sure it worked out better in the end since the noises the diesel made concerned Ben a little, and the steam engine would have been much louder.

It was a gorgeous day, perfect for a train ride!

The boys were so excited to ride the train. They'd talked about it for weeks. I honestly couldn't tell if they were more excited about the train or the pumpkin patch!

They gave out these cool fans.

It was a short 20 - 30 min ride to the pumpkin patch.

Petting zoo

Shooting bottles with a cork gun

That's Sam at the top of the slide and Ben at the bottom.

They had lots of games and prizes.

There was a pumpkin patch and trick-or-treat street.

Hay ride

Ben was tuckered out and slept on my lap the whole way back.

Sam was disappointed that we were head back home and not back to the hotel. He was not ready for the adventure to be over.

Ben was so exhausted! I wish he would have napped on the drive home, but he waited until 15 min before we got to the house to fall asleep. I brought him in the house and he napped in my lap again.

Sweet baby, can't believe you are two already!

Love's Lookout

2011-10-21T08:30:00.003-05:00

We took a weekend trip to ride the Texas State Railroad last weekend. We spent the night in Jacksonville. The boys thought it was a big adventure to spend the night in a hotel.

We went to check out Love's Lookout before dinner. The ridge is part of a long, flat-topped hill that extends for nine miles, has an elevation of 720 feet above sea level, and rises 240 feet above the surrounding terrain. It was originally a WPA project, but was recently renovated after being damaged by an earthquake in the 1980's.

This is the view looking East towards Louisiana.

It was great to have a place for the boys to run around after being in the van for about three hours.

The boys loved walking on the wall.

I showed Sam how to pick the seed pods off of the Mimosa trees and get the seeds out. He "planted" several trees after that.

The sun was setting so it was time to go.

There was also a beautiful butterfly garden there. The Monarch butterflies migrate through Texas on their way to Mexico in September/October every year so there were tons of butterflies all around.

The boys slept on a sofa bed that night. Ben is still sleeping in a crib at home, so he didn't seem to really understand that it was time for bed. I think it was 10:30 or 11:00 before he finally fell asleep! I thought giving him his binky would be a good signal that it was time for bed, but since that didn't seem to help at all we decided we are done with the binky. He's slept without it all week and has only asked for it once!

Plano Balloon Festival

2011-09-25T08:58:00.002-05:00

We went to the Plano Balloon Festival last weekend. The weather was gorgeous and I was hoping we would get to see the balloons launch.

We hung out on the side of a hill for a while before they announced that it was too windy.

We grabbed some hot dogs and waited for the balloon glow. Note the lovely shade of brown the grass has turned ... we are about to enter Stage 3 water restrictions.

The boys made the best of it and marched up and down the hill and threw pine cones.

They finally brought some balloons out and the wind was practically blowing them over sideways.

It didn't look like many more balloons were coming out so I got out-voted by the boys and we left before the glow.

Oh! Let's not forget the bus ride. That was literally their favorite part. I didn't realize how much fun public transportation was!

We headed over to Ian and Roya's and gathered in their front yard for the fireworks.

What a great view!

The bounce house was a huge hit! Sam bounced for hours and was completely exhausted by the time we got them in bed way, way past their bed time.

Museum of the American Railroad

2011-09-18T22:11:00.002-05:00

We took the boys to see the Museum of the American Railroad last weekend. I've lived here for almost 15 years and I've been to the State Fair and the Fairgrounds in general several times, but I had no idea this museum existed until a few weeks ago. The boys are completely fascinated with trains and I've been looking into taking them for a train ride in Grapevine or Rusk when I ran across the website for the museum. After reading that they were about to move to Frisco, we wanted to go check them out before the move.

Dallas owes its prosperity to the railroad. Once a small prairie town, Dallas would become a strategic intersection in a vast national system of rail lines. The Museum of the American Railroad's collection is considered one of the finest assemblages of historic railroad artifacts in the nation. The museum's collection began life as a quaint exhibit during the 1963 State Fair of Texas. The collection was established as a tangible reminder of the railroad's enormous effect on the development of Dallas and the nation. The exhibit is still located within its original 1.8 acre site in Fair Park.

This will be the last year that the museum will be part of the State Fair. They are closing their doors at the end of the State Fair this year and will start their move to their new Frisco location. It will take about six months for the move to be completed. The new location sounds like it will be amazing and I can't wait to see it. You can read about their vision for the future here. The site also has a bunch of information about the problems that the museum has had with the City of Dallas. It's very sad, but not surprising if you are from this area.

Houston & Texas Central RR., Dallas Depot, Ca. 1905

Built for the Houston & Texas Central and the Texas & New Orleans RRs, it was one of several individual depots scattered around the downtown area. In 1916, nearly all passenger trains were consolidated into the new "Union" Terminal. Our Depot became a yardmaster's office and was used until July 17, 1963. Originally located on Eakin Street (near today's Farmers Market), it was to be demolished for the construction of what is now I-30. Fortunately, it was purchased from the Texas Highway Dept, and moved here in Aug 1963. It is the only survivor of the original Dallas depots.

Depot turned gift shop. The boys were happy enough to just play with the toys.

Santa Fe Railway M-160, Brill Diesel-Electric Motorcar, 1931

Nicknamed the "Doodlebug", this is a self-propelled rail car that could pull one or two additional coaches. It was used on lightly traveled branch lines in rural areas of West Texas and New Mexico. The nickname "Doodlebug" was applied because it appeared to "doodle" along the horizon when viewed from a distance.

Wester Railroad Co. VO-1000 Diesel Electric Locomotive #1107, 1943

Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Schenectady, NY, this switch engine worked for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Works of Pueblo, CO. It was later sold to a rock quarry in New Braunfels, TX where it received the nickname "Lucy".

Union Pacific RR. DDA-40-X "Centennial" Diesel Electric Locomotive, 1969

Union Pacific's innovations with locomotives progressed beyond the steam era and the desire for a high horsepower diesel locomotive led to construction of the 6600 hp DDA40X. This locomotive had the equivalent of two 3300 hp locomotives on a single frame and was the world's largest and most powerful diesel-electric. The first of Union Pacific's new units were delivered in time for the 100th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad and numbered in the 6900s to commemorate the event. A total of 47 of these locomotives were delivered through 1971, serving in fast freight service until high maintenance costs forced their retirement in the mid 1980s. It pulled heavy freight trains over the Continental Divide between Cheyenne, WY and Ogden, UT. Centennial number 6913 was retired and donated by Union Pacific in 1986 and is one of 13 remaining examples.

TXI Industries Diesel Electric Locomotive #8000, 1942

Built by ALCO, our locomotive was purchased by the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad, the "Susie Q". You are looking at a true war veteran! Within 6 months it was requisitioned by the War Department and shipped to Iran where it hauled war materials for the U.S. military to the port of Stalingrad during WWII. It was repatriated and sold as military surplus to TXI where it served their concrete plant in Midlothian, TX for another 25 years.

On the right: Union Pacific Railroad #4018, "Big Boy" Steam Locomotive, 1942

Why is #4018 nicknamed "Big Boy"? Because it's the world's largest steam engine ever constructed! Twenty-five of these giants were made but only eight survive in museums such as ours all across the country. Under full steam, "Big Boy" could travel 80mph, consuming 22,000 lbs of coal per hour! It was built by the ALCO Works at a cost of $265,174, that's the equivalent of $3,528,695 today!

On the left: St. Louis-San Francisco Railway #4501, 4-8-4 Steam Locomotive, 1942

Known affectionately by the staff as "Big Boy's little brother", 4501 is a school tour favorite! Sit in the Engineer's seat and imagine the sounds and smells of an operating steam engine. Ring the bell and dream of the thrill of driving a steam engine in the early 1940s.

In the back: Santa Fe Railway Interlocking Tower 19, 1903

If you thought air traffic controlling was a difficult job, try directing 80-plus trains over 20 tracks! Tower 19 was among nearly 200 railroad control towers in TX. These facilities were designed to prevent conflicting movements of trains at the intersections of two railroad lines in South Dallas from 1903 to 1993. Tower 19 was rescued from demolition and trucked to the museum in 1996. With a complete exterior restoration provided by a grant from the Communities Foundation of Texas, Tower 19 is a beautiful addition to the museum's collection.

Not sure how they could see to drive this behemoth! Look at all those pipes and knobs! (4501)

Sam really wanted to drive it! (4501)

Engineer's seat (4501)

Huge wheels and traction rods! (4501) The boys did not expect the trains to be as big as they are. Honestly, neither did I.

Big Boy's coal tender

The boys scared themselves with talk about monsters on the train.

Anything you can do I can do better. I can do anything better than you. No you can't!

Yes I can!

The boys were all over these trains.

Eagle-Picher Mining Co. Steam Locomotive #1625, 2-10-0, 1918

Nicknamed the "decapod" because of its 10 driving wheals, this locomotive is a genuine piece of history! The decapod was designed for service on the railways of Imperial Russia, but never made it to its destination due to the Bolshevik Revolution of Oct. 1917. This engine was re-wheeled and used in the states instead. It came very close to being a world traveler!

Santa Fe F-7 Diesel Electric Locomotive #49, 1952

Formerly a Canadian National Engine, this locomotive is now painted in the famous Warbonnet scheme featuring bold Southwestern colors. Santa Fe originally operated hundreds of "F-Units" to pull their passenger trains.

It reminds me of Wilson from Chuggington from this angle!

Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Ry. (B&O), "Bobber" Cabosse, 1896

This is the oldest car in the museum. It gets its nickname from the simple four-wheel arrangement which causes it to "bob" down the track.

Dallas Union Terminal Co. Steam Locomotive #7, 0-6-0 Switcher, 1923

Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the "Seven Spot" spent its entire life switching passenger, mail, and express cars at Dallas Union Terminal. Retired in 1963, the locomotive steamed into Fair Park where its fire was dropped for the last time.

Pennsylvania Railroad #4903, GG-1 Electric Locomotive, 1940

This engine is famous for having pulled the funeral train of Senator Robert Kennedy from New York to Washington on June 8, 1968. Styled by famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy, this engine reflects the streamlined characteristics of the art deco movement. You can see a picture of the full train here.

We really enjoyed our visit to the museum. I've also enjoyed reading about the trains and their history. I'm ready to go ride one now! I'm so excited that the museum will be moving closer to us and I can't wait to see them again at their new location.

Happy Birthday Chris!

2011-09-12T22:40:00.002-05:00

Finally Posting Pics from Lulu's Visit

2011-09-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

Lulu came to visit back in July and here are the pictures two months later. I still have a few posts to catch up on from July and August. We've been having lots of computer issues. We lost a disk and all of our data went with it, so we had to restore about 500GB (mostly photos, movies, and music). It's taken a lot longer to recover than we would like, so we've added an extra layer of redundancy. It's also probably time to upgrade our nine year old Mac tower. We had plenty of outages all summer that would take it offline for a day or two here and there and that has just been plain annoying.

Ben in his Winnie the Pooh overalls. We took him to see his first movie ... Winnie the Pooh, of course. It was a very short movie so it was a good one to see if he's ready to go to the movies with us yet. He is not. Five or ten minutes into the movie he said, "I want to go home and see Daddy." He'd watch the movie for five minutes and then want to go home for five minutes. Back and forth like that the whole time. He got enough of the movie to be very interested in Pooh and the Backson though.

We were in the middle of 80 or so straight days over 100 degrees back in July and the boys were sick of being inside so Lulu pulled out the colored bubbles. It was an immediate uber-mess so out came the hoses.

What could be more fun?

Ben was ready for a wash-down.

I think his diaper absorbed 5 lbs of water. He was convinced he had poop in there.

Switched to a swimmie diaper ... now we are ready for some serious hose action.

Sam discovered the joys of shooting his brother with a water gun.

Homemade water slide.

I kept the boys home from school that Monday because we wanted to go check out the new Sea Life Aquarium. I didn't realize that it had just opened two weeks earlier and that it was sold out for weeks. A lot of the other indoor stuff for kids around town is closed on Mondays, so we ended up at Amazing Jakes.

There were unlimited rides on the carousel and train.

But Ben was too small for the bumper cars and go carts.

Put-put golf was hilarious.

Here they are trying to get their balls back after the last hole.

Just outside of Amazing Jakes is Spiderwalk Entertainment ... trampolines and harnesses. The boys saw the other kids jumping and could not wait to do it. Ben was ok until they started strapping him into the harness. He wanted the harness off, off, off ... until he started jumping ... and then he forgot all about it.

Sam had a blast. Chris went to work that day, but met us there for lunch. Now Sam is convinced that Chris and I meet for lunch at Amazing Jakes every week and he wants to know when he can go with us again!

Video of the boys jumping.

My Birthday

2011-08-19T10:29:00.004-05:00

I realized I hadn't posted these pictures from my birthday back in June to the blog. I'm pretty sure some of them got posted to Facebook though.

Sam loved the star candles, but was disappointed when he found out that they were not candy and that he would not be getting to eat them.

Mimi brought these gorgeous flowers that Nanner and Dorsey sent me from The Garden Gate. Ben was completely fascinated and wanted to touch and smell them. Mimi was teaching him the names. It was so cute to hear him say things like "hydrangea."

The flowers were gorgeous and brightened up the house for a week!

4th of July

2011-08-19T10:09:00.004-05:00

Anticipation!

Yep, it's the middle of August and I'm just now writing a post about the 4th of July. I have a few posts that I need to catch up on from July, so this is just the first.

Mimi brought some pop-its and other "novelties" and Sam could not have been more excited!

Pops watching from a safe distance.

It's no fun just to watch ... Sam had to get in on the action.

Benny even got to pull the string on a few of them.

Pop-its

Benny the blur.

Lunch at the Big Easy the previous day.

The Mutt Puddle

2011-08-17T09:35:00.002-05:00

We took Cleo to The Mutt Puddle to give her a bath this weekend. The boys got a big kick out of it, Sam more than Ben. Sam helped a lot, especially brushing and spraying. Ben is having a tough time adjusting to new experiences lately, so he's been a little fussy lately. I remember Sam acting the same way, just a taste of the terrible twos.

The boys thought it was funny that Chris was brushing Cleo's teeth.

Spraying the water was definitely Sam's favorite. Cleo tolerated it well. She came out super soft. Much cheaper than the mobile groomer we've been using and a fun family outing too.

First Day of School

2011-08-15T08:48:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how fast the summer went by! We got to visit with lots of family and friends, but it was mostly too hot to get out. It almost feels like New Year's resolution time with promises to get up earlier, get the boys to school on time, pack better lunches, and pick them up earlier. I'm in the middle of a two week vacation myself, so I got to spend lots of time with the boys over the last several days. I've gotten a major reset and have been reminded of priorities and of how fast the boys are growing up. We've had such a good time and played so much that the boys really didn't want to go back to school this morning, especially in uniforms with standard issue lunch boxes and bags. I know they have a great time because Sam doesn't want to leave half of the time when I come to pick him up.

Here's looking forward to fall weather, fall festivals, hockey games and the holidays ... not wanting them to come too fast though as we enjoy the boys for exactly who they are today!

Village Beach

2011-08-14T21:57:00.004-05:00

We went to the Village Beach today. The boys had a great time playing in the sand, and Chris and I enjoyed the cool morning breeze.

Lots of digging and making shapes.

This could really be fun when it gets a little cooler!

Following the leader, the leader, the leader. Following the leader where ever he may go!

Cooling off.

Lunch at the Purple Cow. Notice Sam's rainbow cow? That's how he colors everything. No solid colors in Sam's world.

Cookies! Nom, nom, nom.

Sea Life

2011-08-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

The boys are out of school for two days for teacher planning days before the first day of school next week. With something like 40 days straight of temperatures over 100 degrees, we were looking for some inside, air-conditioned entertainment. Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium just opened last month, so we decided to go check it out.

Even though we purchased tickets online, we still had a short wait in line. It was pretty busy with summer camp groups. One of the girls working there said it's best to come after 4pm right now, but I'm thinking that might switch when school is back in session.

The best thing about the Sea Life aquarium is how they have the exhibits set up. There are lots of glass floors, bubbles, and swim-overs.

This is the sting ray exhibit.

That's Sam in that bubble with a sting ray swimming by.

Two red heads in a bubble.

360 degree shark tunnel.

Ben was a little overwhelmed with how many people were there and wanted to be carried most of the time. He did enjoy looking at the fish when we could find a quiet spot.

Jellyfish!

The Nemo and Dory tank ... always a hit!

A bunch of scarlet-striped shrimp.

Shark walk

Blue light brings out my freckles.

For older kids, they have a scratch-off quiz card which you can answer by reading the "fin facts." Sam and Ben just had fun spinning the answers around.

There's Chris and his boys in a bubble!

Happy Meals at McDonald's followed by a hot fudge sundae recharged their batteries, so they wanted to play on the outside playground. What? No way! Do you remember the part about 40 straight days over 100? Well, something happened between when we walked in and when we walked out and it had dropped about 20 degrees. It was actually pleasant, slightly overcast, and a little breezy. Well, okay. Why not? Wear yourselves out! Who am I kidding? Nothing can wear Sam out, so he watched Finding Nemo on the way home.

At least Benny was ready for a nap.

Driving home with some pretty dark clouds and lots of wind. I hope we get some rain!

My kids are weird ...

2011-07-25T15:09:00.003-05:00

They don't like s'mores ...

Bedtime Story

2011-07-18T21:36:00.006-05:00

Hanging out in Ben's room reading a bedtime story to the boys. Thomas is currently Ben's favorite and Sam has rediscovered his love of trains. Pretty decent shot with an iPhone in low light conditions. "The best camera is the one that's with you."

Disgusting

2011-07-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

Ben (our 21 month old) just walked up to me and said ... "I have poop. It's disgusting!" ... (He was right!)

Feeling HOT HOT HOT

2011-07-16T21:56:00.003-05:00

After haircuts and dinner at Purple Cow, we suited the boys up for splashin'. It's been too stinkin' hot to get out of the house much lately to do anything other than go to the pool. I can't even remember the last day the kids got to play outside at school. It seems like it's been at least a month of days over 100.

The last time we went to the Village Fountain Ben was not enthusiastic, but after splash day twice a week at school, he's an old pro now.

Sam loves the fountain and he seems to love it even more when there are lots of people to share in the fun.

Splash, splash, splash!

Um, yeah, well all the kids were doing it!

Benny in action.

King Benny!

Off to Paciugo for some gelato. The boys don't want to share any more. Everyone has to have their own flavor.

Mmmm. Chocolate!

Love the look on his face ... complete joy! (Let's just agree to ignore his hair.)

As we get in the car at about 8:45 pm with the sun just setting it is still insanely hot.

Haircuts

2011-07-16T08:43:00.002-05:00

Before ...

The lady that cuts the boys' hair is on vacation this week, but we just couldn't wait any longer to get their hair cut. We were supposed to go get their hair cut last weekend but poor Benny was sick. I suppose the good news is that their hair will grow out fast because I really don't like it when other people cut their hair! At least Benny's hair won't be in his eyes for a while!

After ...

Ben actually did very well with his haircut at first. He was happy to sit in my lap and watch TV. He was not so happy about the "jacket". Then the buzzers came out to trim his sideburns and he jerked his head right when they touched his face, so there was some "blending" to do.

Playing with Yiayia and Papou

2011-07-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

Yiayia and Papou came to visit in June. Sam was soooo excited! Ben was cautious at first, but once he figured out how much fun Yiayia could be, he was excited too.

Eating at the little kids table.

Fist bumps for Yiayia.

And this is where the Thomas phase began for Ben. We have tons of trains around the house, but Ben didn't seem to notice until he had a Thomas of his own.

Playing with puzzles and learning his shapes and colors.

Chris and Nick went to the Ham-Com (the biggest Hamfest in Texas)

This is an antenna set up for the event next to a Plano water tower.

Mobile emergency transmission

Begali keys for Morse code

Begali Iambic paddle

Flex Radio firewire-based transceivers. Based out of Austin.

MFJ - based out of Starkville, MS.

Legos - our favorite!

Nothing like having other people playing with your toys to make them new again!

Ben thought the Sing-a-ma-jigs were hi-lar-i-ous!

So did Yiayia and Papou!

Yiayia's biggest fan

Legos - still our favorite! Lego train - even better!

It has been too too hot in Texas this summer and the boys had extra energy to burn off so we set up the bounce house in the living room.

Ben was not so sure at first, but after he saw how much fun Sam was having, he joined right in.

Splash Day

2011-07-09T15:47:00.002-05:00

The boys have splash day every Tuesday and Friday at school. It's been a great motivator to get them out the door on time those days!

End of School Picnic

2011-06-24T22:08:00.003-05:00

Hagen and Sam enjoying snow cones at the annual end of school picnic at the end of May. I think they went back and tried every flavor!

Picnic with my boys!

Stephanie, me, and Brodie enjoying the beautiful weather and the view by the creek.

Big Ben in Mommy's lap with his fancy, tie-dyed picnic hat.

Of course the best events always have a train!

Guess who loves trains!?!?!

I think Ben rode the train at least four times and was not happy that it wasn't more like ten times.

Presentation Day 2011

2011-06-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

These pictures are from back in April when we attended Presentation Day at the boys' school

Here we are waiting for Sam to go on stage and Ben is eating a little snack.

Ben was completely fascinated as soon as he figured out that Buddy was behind the curtain.

Sam sort of knew the words to the songs!

Sam chose to show us how he is learning his nouns and verbs.

First he matched up the noun cards with the verb cards to make sentences.

Then he completed his noun/verb worksheet. We didn't realize that he was working on grammar skills already.

Sam's was the first class to go and Ben's was the last, so we had lots of time for snacking on cookies. Ben kept eating one bite of a cookie and then wanting another ... like all of the goodie came out with the first bite!

Ben's presentation was a sing-a-long with the parents.

Later that night we had a picnic dinner, with gelato, and a concert by the creek.

Fancy pants.

Legoland Discovery Center

2011-06-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

After Sam's Celebration of Life we went to Legoland Discovery Center. Yes, it's one month after Sam's birthday and I still have stuff to post. We seem to have birthday seasons around our house!

When you enter Legoland, Professor Brick-a-brack takes you on a tour of the "factory." Sam had to jump up and down to make it turn.

Next we turned the wheels to stamp the legos.

And finally Sam pushed this big lego button to get our very own Legoland lego bricks we had made.

The next stop was the Kindom Quest ride. Neither Sam nor Ben wanted to try to shoot anything, but you can see the Chris and I took it very seriously.

Born to be wild!

Building our own lego racers. You can see the Merlin's Apprentice ride in the background. Ben was very disappointed that he could not ride that with everyone else, but poor baby didn't meet the height restrictions.

Concentration.

Testing Sam's racer on one of the tracks.

4D movie (the 4th dimension is apparently wind, water, and bubbles)

Dallas built of legos.

Cowboy stadium.

Plano balloon festival.

Lulu and Daddy built a castle with the boys.

Mimi had the day off of work so she got to come with us!

On our way to dinner ... who can resist?

Last stop, Rainforest Cafe.

Balloon animals!

Celebration of Life - Sam's 5th Birthday

2011-06-10T22:17:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to post these pictures for a couple of weeks now, but we've been having computer issues. It's almost been a month since Sam's birthday, but I couldn't pass up on writing about all the fun we had at his Celebration of Life on his 5th birthday.

Sam had a lot of fun showing everyone pictures from when he was a baby.

It was fun telling stories about things he did at different ages.

Ben was very interested in the whole process and really wanted to get involved.

Is there any doubt our little guy likes to be the center of attention?

Make a wish!

Sam requested chocolate cupcakes with blue icing and North American sprinkles (red, white and blue of course).

More photos of Ben eating a cupcake. This just doesn't get old.

What a mess! Time to clean up.

A birthday isn't complete without a few more presents!

What every Ben 10 fan really wants ... an Omnitrix! Sam was kind of disappointed that he didn't really get to turn into an alien though.

These are the pictures that we showed Sam's friends. My oh my how fast five years have flown by!

Sam's 5th Birthday Party

2011-05-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sam had his party at Pump it Up again this year. He had been sooo excited about it for months. He just couldn't wait to turn 5.

He was also very excited that so many of his friends came to his party to celebrate his special day with him!

Ben partied like this big boys. We couldn't slow him down!

Sisters.

Chris was relieved from picture taking duty and played with the kiddos.

Chris, Roya, Ian and Liam.

Mimi and Ben on the big slide.

Boons!!!

Happy Birthday to you!

Sam wanted a Ben 10 party, so we made our own cupcake toppers. Sam has been pretty much obsessed with Ben 10 for the last three months. I had so much fun and learned all of the alien's names in the process.

Neighbors and friends.

Present time!

Silly sisters.

Lulu

Pops

Cousin Vanessa came over for dinner after the party

Silly Benny covered in cupcake!

Operation

Yep, that buzzer still scares the crap out of little kids!

Ben at 18 Months

2011-05-16T23:04:00.000-05:00

Checking in with Ben and how he's growing ... up ...

Weight: 23 lbs 3 oz (13%)

Length: 32 in (34%)

He is the biggest chatterbox! He knows and can say all of the names of all of the kids in his class. He says two and three word sentences. He knows at least one hundred words. And he's starting to repeat everything we say. He'll be moving up to the next class at school soon.

Here he is "talking" on the phone to Lulu on Easter.

Ben is a little shy around others, but is very lovey-dovey with Mommy and Daddy. He gives lots of kisses and hugs.

Yogurt is his favorite and now he's big enough to let Cleo lick the cup when he's finished. He's not so great with the spoon, but he can definitely feed himself with a fork. He's a big eater, too.

This is a picture of Ben after story time at a local book store. He loves, loves, loves books now. He even cries if he doesn't get at least three books before bed. Well, he actually cries before bed most days now and that is one development that I am not happy about. He had a high fever a few weeks ago and it really threw off his sleep. He usually just cries for a minute or two, but I much preferred no crying at all.

Ben loves music. He calls it moo-nak. He doesn't care much for the cartoons on the DVD player unless they have music. He bops his head and kicks his fee to the moo-nak. He always wants music playing in the house too. He asks for it as soon as he walks in from school if it isn't already playing.

Riding the carousel at the mall with Daddy ... and binky. Ben was always a thumb sucker, but he got hooked on his binky at around 14 months old. He mostly chews on it when he's awake, especially when he's teething. He only has his four canine teeth left to come in and we plan on just using binky for naps and bed after that. If he doesn't have his binky he sucks his thumb raw, so the binky seems the better option for now.

At Sam's hockey practice. If Sam happens to fall during practice, Ben will yell "Oh, no! Buddy!"

Swinging with Mommy and Mimi.

You wouldn't know it by this chill-out photo, but Ben is a big daredevil. He zooms down the slide and squeals weeeeee! If he falls he just dusts it off and goes again. He gets very mad that we don't let him just go up and hang out in Sam's fort.

We can't go outside without bubbles!

Here is Ben watching videos with Mimi and Sam. Ben has been calling Sam "Buddy" for a while now, but he started saying Sam in the last week or so.

Easter Booty

2011-05-07T00:25:00.002-05:00

Easter morning. Bright and early. Too early.

Pre-hunt instructions from big brother.

Ben's breakfast of choice is powdered donuts. Can you tell?

A little more help from the seasoned professional ...

and we're off!

Look at that big smile!

Sam was going so fast we could barely get any pictures of him.

Ben took a little more time.

I love this random picture of him. He looks (and acts) older than 18 months.

Love that look!

Love that look too!

These are some videos of the boys on their hunt ... completely unedited, so they are large.

Mimi and her boys.

Let the eating of the Easter candy begin!

Does Ben like Peeps?

Um, nope.

How about a chocolate Easter bunny?

Oh, yeah!