Snow in Houston?

Yep, it's true. On December 4, there was snow in Houston (which was mama and dada's 16 year dating anniversary, by the way). Mama said it was too cold to go outside that night when she got home from work, so instead, she brought me in a bowl full of snow to play with. I happily spooned the snow from bowl to bowl for an hour. Dada did take me out in the snow during the day, you can check out the video on Facebook.
The next day, mama and I did go outside to play for a bit. Brrrrrrr, it was cold, especially for a Texas kid that doesn't have any gear to bundle up in!
This was all that was left of the snow in the backyard the next day. Mama said it was pretty pathetic, but cool all the same.

Well, Thanksgiving weekend started off with a bang with another round of the stomp rocket. Seriously people, everyone should have one of these.

This year, my uncle Billy, aunt Kristen and cousins Jamie and Katie flew down from Minnesota for the holiday. Grandma and Grandpa came down too (and they got to fly on Southwest!). Uncle Billy brought me a football. Too bad I preferred to throw it at the "ghost" player, ie no one. So, football is not my game.
We had food galore. No joke, there was a major meal everyday. Thanksgiving was, well, Thanksgiving. Friday was a fish fry. And here, Grandma is preparing Sauerbraten - which takes several days because a huge hunk of beef is soaked in vinegar for 3 days, etc. etc. etc. It was so delicious though.
Papa did a great job with the fish fry! Every time he does a fish fry, it gets better. Lots of fish that dada caught, fresh shrimp, potatoes, hush puppies.....oh yea!
The weather was so amazing, we took a long walk on the beach one day.
Katie even brought Mac along. She is really good to him.
My cousins, Jamie and Katie.
Grandpa wasn't sure about a long walk, so he followed along in the golf cart.
Uncle Billy and Aunt Kristen, still in love after, well, let's just say it's been A LOT of years. Hahahah.
Jamie took a ride with Grandpa too.
Not the fanciest Thanksgiving table, but the food was so good, and there was so much of it! It was neat to sit outside too. We were so glad to have our family in town, plus lots of our beach neighbors. That's what it's all about.
Even Zoe came over to hang out. Sweet Zoe.
On Saturday, we were getting a little island stir crazy, so we went over to Galveston to visit Moody Gardens.
Grandma took a bunch of food along so that we could feed the seagulls. I had so much fun feeding them, I did the seagull dance, which is why Grandpa and Katie are laughing at me.
The fam, minus dada (taking the picture) outside Moody Garden.

Mama and I checked out the sea star, and then I was bad so they put me in jail. Just kidding, I was in the shark cage!When we got back to the beach house, we flew a kite. Mama forgot how fun it is to fly kites. It was a pretty sunset too.
Jamie and Katie had fun flying kites too, so we sailed them into the night. I love my cousins!
It was so great to have the family in town for Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for coming -- can't wait for Christmas next year!

In November, my GG, Great Grandma Mary, passed and went to heaven. It was a big shock for the family. I stayed in Katy with Ga while mama and dada flew out to Florida to wish her goodbye and scatter her ashes in the ocean. It was a nice service, although teary, and just what GG would have wanted. GG was a very special lady, and is missed everyday.

In November, I went to Chicago with mama to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Dada had to stay in Katy because his students had a taekwondo tournament. Mama and I flew on Continental, and I was very upset to not be flying on my favorite airline, Southwest.

As soon as we got off the plane, Grandma and Grandpa took me to a very cool restaurant that had model trains all over the place -- up above my head, a big on up front, and even one that delivered my food. The food was super good too.

I had to ride the El Paso train, as a tribute to my dada, back home in Texas.
I had my maiden voyage at the Shedd Aquarium while I was in Chicago. Mama spent a whole lot of time there growing up -- taking different classes and even touring the Oceanarium before it was filled up with water and whales -- and then she did an internship at the Shedd during college. The weather was nice the day we went, so I got to run around without a coat.
We looked at the regular fish tanks for a while, but I was pretty jazzed up to see the beluga whales. Can you see the big white blob about to swim past us?
Every time she passed, she would dive up and into the water to splash, almost like she was greeting us into her home.
You can see the Oceanarium in the background. Once when mama was working there, a visitor asked her how the Shedd got the whales to come back inside after letting them out in the lake at night. Mama wasn't even sure where to start with that one. This is mama's favorite view of downtown Chicago.
I got to meet my newest second cousin once removed (or however we are related -it's mama's cousin's baby), Charlie. Mama was impressed that I both wanted to hold him, and sat still long enough to do it.
Here are two of my other cousins, Lauren and Noah. I was irritated that mama made me stop running to take a picture.
Another cousin, Ethan, is in this picture. He sure did have fun with us. We played 1000000 games of hide and seek.
Ethan helped us to find the best places to hide, even in the shower! I had a great time in Chicago, but we had to get home to see dada, so we flew on another rotten Continental airplane to get home.

Happy Birthday Papa!

This weekend we went down to the beach to celebrate Papa's birthday.  Ga and I baked him a cake, and I got to help spread the icing. 
Papa couldn't help but oversee the cake making progress. 
And I helped to blow out the candles.  Many, many happy returns Papa.  We love you!

Happy Halloween everyone!  This year I decided that I wanted to be a bat.  Not Batman, or Batboy, just a bat.  I read some books from the library about bats, and that gave me the idea. Ga sewed beautiful black silky material on a shirt to make wings.  I even wore a bat mask.  

I posed with Headless Harry in the yard for a picture.  A few years ago, Papa bought him for me and now mama and dada dread when he comes out at Halloween time - they aren't fans at all.  But I love him.  I beg for Ga to plug him in and then I throw everything I can in front of him to trigger him to lift his head off his shoulders and make his scary loud laugh.  Most kids would be scared of him, but he's my buddy.  
Dada took me on my first trip trick or treating while mama waited at home to pass out candy (and eat 100 Reese's peanut butter cups - in her defense, I couldn't eat them anyway).
Unpacking my loot.  The people in Seven Meadows are no joke!  Good stuff. 
But really, I'd rather just have ice cream.  

This is the second year I got to participate in the Noah's Ark Parade at school.  All the kids dress up as animals and we parade around the lobby.  Mama and Ga say it is really cute. 

I wore my bat costume that Ga made for me - thanks Ga!  Here I am with Ms. Valerie.  She held my hand super tight, because
as soon as she let it go, I ran over to mama!
I have a crush on the bumblebee, Sarah Jane, even though she towers over me. 

A muddy night at the beach

One weekend, we got a bunch of rain at the beach, and I watched with interest as a big mud hole formed at the end of Ga and Papa's beach house.  It was then that I decided that I would get in that mud hole.  I come by this honestly -- mama spent lots of time digging in the mud as a kid. 
I started with a toe, then a foot, and before mama knew it, my shoes were buried in mud.  
Who could get mad at a face like this?  For long at least. 
Mud!

My class at school has a mascot -- Mona the monkey.  Each week, a different kid gets to bring Mona home for the weekend.  Mona has a book where each kid writes stories about the adventures they had with Mona.  I thought it would be neat to bring Mona to the beach. 

Here she is hanging with her banana for breakfast. 
Mona took her first ride on the Galveston ferry.  It was such a pretty day out!

Ga and I had a good time getting ready for Halloween.  Ga dug out all her cool holiday goodies, including a tic tac toe game with pumpkins and skulls.  I'm not bothered at all by all the skulls and other freaky Halloween stuff.  In that regard, I definitely take after the Pollards more than the Hochmuths.