Christmas Cards

Yes, I realize it's less than a week before Christmas, but we are finally getting around to mailing out cards. I've reconnected with many of you through blogging, but don't have many addresses. So, for anyone interested in a Christmas card from the Hongs, please either post or email me your address - carriehong81@gmail.com. THANKS A MILLION!

And I promise, someday soon I'll post some more up-to-date adventures.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Old MacDonald's Farm for playgroup several weeks ago. For $5 you get to enjoy the animals, train, dirt piles with digging toys, playground equipment, duck pond, pony rides, and a pumpkin to take home. Not a bad deal!

Danny had fun picking a pumpkin out, but we never did get around to carving them. Maybe next year.
Mean mom told him this little guy was too small.
So instead he found this winner.
He had fun with his little buddy Austin.
And his new animal buddies.
The train was also a big hit.
But the highlight of the day was the pony ride. First, climbing the fence and getting psyched about the ride.
And then riding solo like a real cowboy.
Well . . . I suppose real cowboys probably have healthier looking horses and don't have someone else leading the horse around. But Danny felt like a real cowboy for sure!

What a fun Fall day! Well . . . Houston Fall. It was over 80 degrees. But we had a great time!

Our Little Picasso

Nothing says thank you quite like a little personal artwork. I hope the recipients of this fine work enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed making it!

Cougar Ball

To all my friends who are worried that Matt and I have forgotten our BYU blood, we have not. The Cougar Pride runs deep - we have not forgotten them entirely in our new Longhorn love. The truth is, I was so bitter about the BYU vs. TCU game that we went to, it's just taken me a long time to post. We drove 4 hours up to Arlington to see our beloved cougs get slaughtered. I think they must have left the real team back in Provo!
The good news is that we had a fantastic trip anyway. A few Houston friends joined us for the game and Matt's cousin Evonne and her family met up with us from Dallas. Before the football game there was a BYU Alumni tailgate party. We saw Ty Detmer . . .

. . . Cosmo . . .

. . . cheerleaders . . .
. . . and Danny got a football!
And he also got a bloody lip playing catch with dad.

At the pre-game festivities Danny quickly caught on to cheering "Go Cougars, go Cougars, go!" After eating, Evonne kindly took all the kids home to go to bed so the rest of us could enjoy the game (THANKS A MILLION!). We were impressed that there were nearly as many BYU fans as TCU fans. The beginning was exciting. The beginning being when they ran out with the flags and then the cougs did the haka. Very cool. From the first kickoff onward, it was pretty painful.It didn't stop my friend Mindy and I from cheering, but we were a little sad that we were present for the cougs one loss of the season. Final score 32-7.
The good news is that the Cougars have won every game since, so are still in the top 25. We also had a fun weekend with the Wallace (Matt's cousins) family in Dallas. AND now every time we are watching football or playing catch out back, Danny calls it Cougar ball. Not football. Cougar ball. What do you think? Do we have a future Longhorn or future Cougar?

Candy

It is almost a week after Halloween, and we still have a huge tupperware full of candy sitting on top of the fridge. When I ask Danny what he wants for breakfast he says, "Candy." After nap snack. "Candy." Dinner. "Candy." When he is feeling sad or gets an owie, what does he think will cheer him up. "Candy."

I've made an effort to manage his candy intake - one after a meal, or as a reward. Of course when he's not looking, I'm munching heartily on it. What a hypocrite I am. :) But I figure it's my reward for being his mom. Adults pay money taxes, kids pay candy taxes.

When I was a kid I have fond memories of organizing my Halloween candy and taking my time eating it. Truthfully, I don't think it ever lasted much more than a couple weeks, but that was the fun. A couple weeks of gorging on sugar. I've discussed being the candy manager with some other moms. One let her kids sugar up and eat as much as they wanted Halloween night, then the rest went in the trash. Others let their kids have a free-for-all and eat it at their own pace. One only lets her kids choose one or two pieces a day. I'm curious - what are your memories of eating Halloween candy, and do you do any candy management with your kids? Kind of fun to get different ideas.

Here is my little man pre-trunk-or-treat and after. Can you see the change in the candy-glazed eyes?

Halloween

This year Danny was an "airpane stick man." Not the pilot, or an airplane, but the groundcrew man who guides the planes in with two orange "airpane sticks." This obsession comes from two things. First, Danny's favorite book - Five Trucks about the people and trucks who get the airplane ready. Second, from many trips to airports and many flights on airplanes. One time we got to our gate just as the man was guiding in a plane. Danny was mesmerized as the man gracefully maneuvered his sticks and brought the plane closer and closer simply by a wave of the arms. When the plane stopped, Danny gave the man a standing ovation. I wish he could have seen how happy he'd made that little boy.

Now, on walks Danny will pick up sticks and use them as his "airpane sticks" to guide in the planes flying overhead. Anything orange and stick-like (crayons, pumpkin straws, markers) becomes an "airpane stick" and we play a game where the toy airplane has to reach the sticks. The costume was a natural fit.
A friend of mine (Thanks Lineti) gave me her husband's actual airport gear - a vest, Continental shirt, and REAL airplane sticks! Truthfully, I don't know the actual name for either the man or the sticks . . . in our house it has always been "airplane sticks" and "airplane stick man." Anyway, Lineti gave us the things and then my friend Terri (seamstress extraordinaire) sized the vest down for Danny.
Every airplane stick man needs a runway, so that's what I was. Turns out I know little about runways - the yellow and blue lights do not go together or planes would crash. And, planes go down the center, not on the side like cars. (Thanks pilot Shelley for your correct info.) Also turns out real reflective vests make it tough to take pictures! We quickly learned the flash needed to be off. Here Danny is guiding in the plane - "Doo Doo Doo."

Truthfully I wasn't as excited about this year's costume as last year's beagle costume. It wasn't as cute, and most people thought he was a construction worker. When we went outside for the ward trunk or treat though, our little airplane stick man was all business. And I'm not talking about the candy.

Danny tried guiding in all the real jumbo jets as they flew overhead. "Doo doo doo." Then he would chase them as they flew onward to the airport. "Bye bye airpane!" We had to keep a close eye on him because even when most people were leaving the ward party in their cars, Danny was still running around the parking lot chasing planes. Sometimes, he would put the sticks down and try to call the airplane over. "Come, come, come airpane." This is a kid with a dream.

So that's the Hong's Halloween. And that is our "airpane stick man".

Happy Happenings from the Hurricane

I was going through my pictures deciding what to blog next and realized I'd missed a few more of our fun hurricane happenings. While I wouldn't wish the hurricane and power outages on anyone, we really enjoyed having a little extra time off and an excuse to take some adventures. Thank you Hurricane Ike for enabling me to see some people and do some things I otherwise would not have done.

When we spent some time in Dallas during Matt's business trip, Danny and I got to explore and play. We ventured to the Dallas Temple - which is beautifully unique.
On another afternoon, after we'd been kicked out of our hotel, but before I was able to get in touch with friends to stay with, Danny and I went and took a nap in our car at the temple. I figured it would be a quiet, safe, peaceful place to take a rest. It certainly was!

We spent one day with my good friend Shawnee and her adorable kids - Adelaide and Clayton. Shawnee and I were buddies in high school and hadn't seen each other in YEARS! Definitely not since either of us had kids. It's so fun to reunite with old friends because it's like you've never been away.

Me and Shawnee

Adelaide, Danny, and their new puppy - Clayton was napping
Dance time!

Unrelated to the visit, I noticed Danny has a pacifier in this picture. I kept planning to get rid of his "paci" in some grand fashion, but in the end, he just lost his last pacifier after returning home from the trip. He had a few hard weeks of staying asleep - he'd wake up too early, but couldn't sooth himself back to sleep. He's doing a lot better now though, for which we're all grateful.

When we were in Georgia, we also got to see my cousins Brian, Jessica, and Jennifer, who I hadn't seen in a long time. We got to take Jennifer out for her birthday. She was kind enough to share her birthday cake with Danny. Thanks!
Hooray for happy happenings during Hurricane evacuations. :)

Danny + Sticks = True Love

Sorry for the sideways video . . . trust me, the stick dance is worth turning your head for.

Trampolines are Terrific

My family never owned a trampoline growing up, but I had a few friends who did. Matt and I have not discussed if we will ever be trampoline owners - I know there are high safety risks. But hey, a lot of people die in car wrecks and we still drive. How many of you own trampolines or want to someday?

What a treat to arrive in Georgia and discover a trampoline in Aunt Lisa's backyard. It had been a while since I'd visited and I wasn't sure if was still there or not. The kids spent hours jumping every day (great way to wear them out before the long drive home). And I too had some fun - I forgot what a great workout it is, and how much fun it is. Two highlights were trampoline trick contests - Eli was the judge - and jumping with cool cousin Brian.

Jumpin' with Brian - I love Leah's hair!

Brenna couldn't stop laughing!

The competitors rest in preparation for a fierce match.
Judge Eli gets a little support from commentator Aunt Lisa.The competition is close, but judge Eli has a keen eye for detail.
And the winner is . . . .
Anne! Excellent frog jump!

2 Moms, 5 Kids, 16 Hours, 1 Minivan

Anne and I have often talked about making the drive over to visit our Aunt Lisa and cousins in Peachtree City, GA. When Leah was about 2, before Matt and I were married, Anne and I made the drive from our grandparents house in Venice, FL back to Houston. It was a fun sister adventure.

When Ike hit and the power situation was grim, we decided it was time to make our Georgia road trip a reality. It was a very spontaneous decision - we decided at about 2 and by 4 Anne was ready to leave. She and her gang picked Danny and I up in Dallas and then we took 20 East through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally Georgia, making sure to honk at every state line (my sister insisted this is something EVERYONE does, but I never heard another car honk. IS this something your family does?).

Now, having one 2-year old on our previous sister road trip was a breeze. However, this road trip was quite a different adventure since we now had five children ranging from 7 years to 2 months. We also neglected to do the appropriate mileage/time calculation. Google maps informed us the drive would take about 12 hours from Dallas. Doing it in one day would be a piece of cake, we thought. Our oversight was potty stops, nursing stops, playland stops, eating stops, more potty stops (sometimes 20 minutes after the previous one), diaper change stops, fussy stops, fueling stops, and more potty stops. The kids were quite good, but there were moments when the powerless house in Houston seemed quite appealing. We tried to remind ourselves - we have screaming children, but we also have A/C right now. So, how does one survive a 16 hour car ride with 5 children . . . .

School House Rock, Finding Nemo, Dora, and The Incredibles

Hide and Seek (or are they just lounging in the shade?)
Interesting Rest Stops with bridges . . .
Ducks . . .
And even alligators!
Collect rocks from every state/Get as dirty as possible/Play with sticks

Ice Cream for Dinner (since our bellies were so full of car snacks)
Toss rocks in a pond/Try not to get wet
McDonalds, McDonalds, McDonalds

On the way back, we decided to take it in two days, which was much easier. I have new admiration for those of you who are die hard road trippers and frequently make 12+ hour drives. Though overall we had a fantastic trip, we may wait until Leah can drive before making the next one. :)