On Broadway

"They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway.
They say there's always magic in the air.
But when you're walkin' down that street,
And you ain't had enough to eat,
The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere."
- The Drifters






Okay, maybe not Broadway but you have to start somewhere. My #1 goal for my boys is to make sure they turn out to be gentlemen...ladies first, good manners, respectful, etc. #2 is to be well rounded. We have traveled, sports will come with time, so today we visited the theater. The Artisan Center Theater in Hurst hosts Arties Playhouse, a performance geared towards younger children. With a cast ranging in age from 6 to 16 years, each shows theme teaches a lesson whether it be about love, dependability,happiness, honesty, gratitude, etc.



Clueless of what to expect, we invited some friends and showed up with an open mind. With a $3 admission and $1 bags of popcorn, there was nothing to lose. We caught first row, stage level seats, watched a great 30 minute performance from some amateur kids, and danced liked the cast following the show. Even though my kids were a little to young to target today's lesson of kindness, they became aware of the rules of theater. A perfect outing for cold, wet day in Texas.

Dinosaur

"Cause you see I'm a dinosaur.
I should have died out along time before.
Have pity on a dinosaur.
Hand me my hat,
excuse me man but where's the door?"
- Hank Williams Jr.






I finally found the courage to take all 3 kids to a museum solo. The Heard Museum is located in McKinney. It is a natural science museum and wildlife sanctuary. Since 1967, the 289 acres have offered a place where one can escape the city life to enjoy walking trails, wildlife, and nature preserved at it's best.





Their current exhibit Dinosaurs Alive features 12 life-size animatronic dinosaurs along the trails. They move, blink and even make noise. It took a while for Little to realize they were only pretend dinosaurs since they looked so real. A great, educational outing, especially on a gorgeous weather day!

Today's photos!

Rodeo

"It's boots and chaps.
It's cowboy hats.
It's spurs and latigo.
It's the ropes and the reins.
And the joy and the pain.
And they call the thing rodeo."
- Garth Brooks






This morning we decided to join 100,000 other people at the Fort Worth Stock Show’s “All Western Parade” where plenty of horses and other livestock can be seen – but no motorized vehicles are allowed! This annual event kicks off the 112th Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show at Will Rogers Memorial Center. The morning was much cooler than the forecast predicted (that's Texas) but don't let the picture fool you. That is not snow, only a sand/gravel mix or the horses!





We arrived 45 minutes early hoping to score some good "curb side" seats, purchase a warmy Starbucks, and socialize with fellow onlookers. At 11:00 the parade began...horse after horse after horse...wagon here, band there...more horses...OH, and 2 longhorn and 3 zorses (or hebras). The parade was exciting but 60 minutes later we were getting bored and hungry. Behind us was the famous Uno's Pizzeria so we sat down with a deep dish pepperoni for the remaining 45 minutes of horses.

Check out all the horses!

Thank God I'm A Country Boy

"Well life on the farm is kinda laid back.
Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack.
It's early to rise, early in the sack.
Thank God I'm a country boy...

Life ain't nothin' but a funy funny riddle.
Thank God I'm a country boy."
- John Denver



Since the predicted weather for this weekend was in the 70's, we packed up the kids and headed 2 1/2 hours south to our farm outside of Austin. Stuck in the middle of nowhere the night skies are a deep blue, the stars are unbelievable, and you hear...nothing! We spent the days fishing (or at least teaching the boys what fishing is all about), driving the tractor (aka riding lawn mower), and relaxing.




We were lucky enough Saturday to convince our cousins to join in on the fun. They drove in from Austin to spend a few hours in the "country." We threw rocks into the water, rode around in the back of the truck, and made some mini-bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter, and bird seed. It was a great weekend for everyone's spirit to run wild!