So, I am going back in time just a little, but when you see how long this post is going to be, you will see why I was putting it off for so long. There were so many pictures that I loved that I didn't include. In April, I took all three kids to Texas by myself to attend a memorial service for my Grandma Trudy and Grandpa Popito. They both recently passed away. My grandma passed away last year in January, and my grandpa passed away this January. My kids had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him in December when we came to visit for Christmas. He was pretty ready to go and he loved seeing my kids. He kept asking where my grandma was, so I am hoping they are together now and enjoyed seeing all of their family together remembering them. It was a great trip!
Feeding the Ducks with Pop and Mimi
When we first arrived, we met Pop and Mimi and Haley and Matt at a park to feed the ducks. It was so fun. We missed you Kristin and Nate!
Haley and Matt and beautiful baby Landry
The kids had so much fun!
Brinley had so much energy after a 5 hour plane ride.
Jake was brushing up on some rock skipping that he learned with Pop last summer.
Pop and Mimi doing one two THREE with Brinley. It is Sophie's absolute favorite! The Dallas Zoo with Pop and Mimi
Ready to see some really cool animals. I remember taking school field trips when I was young. So FUN!
The Gorilla exhibit was spectacular!
Pops in his Longhorn shirt and Jake supporting the Boise Broncos ;) Born to a third generation University of Texas alum, this kid bleeds orange. He thinks it might be Bronco orange, but with time he will learn the truth, that it is really Longhorn burnt orange!
Jake absolutely loved the crocodiles. This one is an albino and we couldn't believe it was real until we saw him breath. They called him the ghost of the bayou, and we searched the zoo all day, led by a very eager boy who was not going to give up until we found him.
Ice cream after a long, hot day at the zoo is a must. Thanks Pop and Mimi for the really fun trip to the Dallas Zoo.
Chinese Food with Nanny and the Fam
Love this picture of my brother with Sophie. He is the biggest teddy bear!
Brinley was pretty sick that night. She stayed pretty close to Nanny, but I think she just got a little too much sun at the zoo.
She did muster up enough energy to take this great pic of me and my mom
Cousin Lonny was totally in love with the girls, playing a little 'do as I'm doing'
All the girlies chillin' on the couch
Shopping with my best friend, Amber and her darling girls at the coolest store ever. No idea why we didn't take a picture of me and Amber, but here are our girls together. They hit it right off...Brinley, Sophie, Brooklyn and Addison.
Dinner at Maggiano's
My mom and Brinley get along so well! They are both such free spirits, it is like they speak the same language.
Another great picture of me and my Mom, taken by Brin, the budding young photographer. See how we are always having to bend down? We hope that will improve with time. Isn't my mom a Babe?
This picture of all the great-grandchildren was pretty challenging to get. My cousin, Brian has two kids, Henry and William. This was my first time to meet both of them. They are cute little guys!
Lonny worked so hard all night to win Brinley over. I think he finally managed to loosen her up a bit, and by the end of our trip she thought he was pretty cool. Too bad you live so far away in Arizona!
This went on for hours at our wonderful 4 course Italian dinner. Good thing we had our own private room. My grandma Trudy would have joined right in.
My dad took Jake to a Rangers game earlier that day. He made it just in time for dinner. They had great seats at the game and had a wonderful time!
Brian and Kim took their boys home early
Parting is such sweet sorrow...Henry really took to Sophie. Too bad they are like second cousins or something
Cute!
My Aunt Suzie has always loved playing with the little ones
We think Sophie looks just like my Aunt Joyce
Some things never change. These guys have always been best buds!
My mom and Joyce with my Grandpa's sister, Silvia
Love, love, love this picture! Who loves Uncle Zach?!
This is my little brother...that I used to beat up on...don't think I will mess with you anymore Lil' Bro!
Luncheon at the Crescent before the Ceremony
She has him wrapped around her little finger. We sure hope you are having a girl ;)
Stacking the little jams and ketchup bottles. Look at that intensity. She is my daughter, so I guess she comes by it honestly.
Suzie taught Jake how to use chopsticks and now he is a pro
Aunt Vel can be silly, too
All dressed up for the Service. My friend's mom made these dresses...so so so cute!
I loved watching my cousin Brian play with the kids. A true Harvard grad with his top button undone, his sleeves rolled up, and sunglasses in the shade.
I was a very nice Service. The Rabbi did a great job and it was so nice to be all together. We missed you Mark and Lauren!
My grandma was a truly amazing lady! She lived a fantastic, very hard life, but she never let it get the best of her. When we were small, we called my grandma Happy Trudy. Even a the very end, she never missed the opportunity for a joke. I will always remember her happy, hard-working, full of energy, and loving my kids! Thanks for teaching me the value of hard work, enduring to the end, and never taking no for an answer!
Starting to say Goodbye. Don't be strangers!
We went to visit my grandpa's friend, Martha after the Service. She had just had neck surgery, but was glad to hear everything went well. My mom looks great with her grandbabies. Isn't she a beautiful Grandma?!
Ready to see some really cool animals. I remember taking school field trips when I was young. So FUN!
The Gorilla exhibit was spectacular!
Pops in his Longhorn shirt and Jake supporting the Boise Broncos ;) Born to a third generation University of Texas alum, this kid bleeds orange. He thinks it might be Bronco orange, but with time he will learn the truth, that it is really Longhorn burnt orange!
Jake absolutely loved the crocodiles. This one is an albino and we couldn't believe it was real until we saw him breath. They called him the ghost of the bayou, and we searched the zoo all day, led by a very eager boy who was not going to give up until we found him.
Ice cream after a long, hot day at the zoo is a must. Thanks Pop and Mimi for the really fun trip to the Dallas Zoo.Chinese Food with Nanny and the Fam
Love this picture of my brother with Sophie. He is the biggest teddy bear!
Brinley was pretty sick that night. She stayed pretty close to Nanny, but I think she just got a little too much sun at the zoo.
She did muster up enough energy to take this great pic of me and my mom
Cousin Lonny was totally in love with the girls, playing a little 'do as I'm doing'
All the girlies chillin' on the couch
Shopping with my best friend, Amber and her darling girls at the coolest store ever. No idea why we didn't take a picture of me and Amber, but here are our girls together. They hit it right off...Brinley, Sophie, Brooklyn and Addison.Dinner at Maggiano's
My mom and Brinley get along so well! They are both such free spirits, it is like they speak the same language.
Another great picture of me and my Mom, taken by Brin, the budding young photographer. See how we are always having to bend down? We hope that will improve with time. Isn't my mom a Babe?
This picture of all the great-grandchildren was pretty challenging to get. My cousin, Brian has two kids, Henry and William. This was my first time to meet both of them. They are cute little guys!
Lonny worked so hard all night to win Brinley over. I think he finally managed to loosen her up a bit, and by the end of our trip she thought he was pretty cool. Too bad you live so far away in Arizona!
This went on for hours at our wonderful 4 course Italian dinner. Good thing we had our own private room. My grandma Trudy would have joined right in.
My dad took Jake to a Rangers game earlier that day. He made it just in time for dinner. They had great seats at the game and had a wonderful time!
Brian and Kim took their boys home early
Parting is such sweet sorrow...Henry really took to Sophie. Too bad they are like second cousins or something 
Cute!
My Aunt Suzie has always loved playing with the little ones
We think Sophie looks just like my Aunt Joyce
Some things never change. These guys have always been best buds!
My mom and Joyce with my Grandpa's sister, Silvia
Love, love, love this picture! Who loves Uncle Zach?!
This is my little brother...that I used to beat up on...don't think I will mess with you anymore Lil' Bro!Luncheon at the Crescent before the Ceremony
She has him wrapped around her little finger. We sure hope you are having a girl ;)
Stacking the little jams and ketchup bottles. Look at that intensity. She is my daughter, so I guess she comes by it honestly.
Suzie taught Jake how to use chopsticks and now he is a pro
Aunt Vel can be silly, too 
All dressed up for the Service. My friend's mom made these dresses...so so so cute!
I loved watching my cousin Brian play with the kids. A true Harvard grad with his top button undone, his sleeves rolled up, and sunglasses in the shade.
I was a very nice Service. The Rabbi did a great job and it was so nice to be all together. We missed you Mark and Lauren!
My grandma was a truly amazing lady! She lived a fantastic, very hard life, but she never let it get the best of her. When we were small, we called my grandma Happy Trudy. Even a the very end, she never missed the opportunity for a joke. I will always remember her happy, hard-working, full of energy, and loving my kids! Thanks for teaching me the value of hard work, enduring to the end, and never taking no for an answer!
Starting to say Goodbye. Don't be strangers!
We went to visit my grandpa's friend, Martha after the Service. She had just had neck surgery, but was glad to hear everything went well. My mom looks great with her grandbabies. Isn't she a beautiful Grandma?!Our last day in Texas
The girls were exhausted and watching the Princess and the Frog at Nanny's. Lots of family, good food and fun makes for some seriously tired girls.
Nanny desperately trying to get one last picture of the kids to watercolor. We took like three hundred pictures, but they had had it. Isn't that the way it always goes?
Saying goodbye to Pop and Mimi at Friday's. With all of his well intentioned advice, he is one proud Pop!
The girls were exhausted and watching the Princess and the Frog at Nanny's. Lots of family, good food and fun makes for some seriously tired girls.
Nanny desperately trying to get one last picture of the kids to watercolor. We took like three hundred pictures, but they had had it. Isn't that the way it always goes?
Saying goodbye to Pop and Mimi at Friday's. With all of his well intentioned advice, he is one proud Pop!All in all it was a fantastic trip. When I got home, I told Ben that that was the last time I would ever travel that far with the kids all by myself! Exhausting, but worth it!
The giraffe slide is almost as cool as any real animal at the zoo. It is always a big hit!
It is a tradition in our family to take a picture of the kids on this tiger everytime we go to the zoo. I use it to measure their growth. What would I ever do if they took the tiger away?
Brinley took this picture of the Komodo Dragon, which is almost always Jake's favorite animal. We sure missed the Buddy on this trip!
James and the girlies on the Komodo Dragon
This little ocelot exhibit was hilarious. Sophie ran right up to the glass and was so excited to look right in. The animal lunged toward the glass in equal excitement. Sophie jumped back as fast as I have ever seen her move, and she is super-fast! Her heart had to be pounding, but she soon realized the glass would keep her from harm, so she enjoyed watching the little rodent, from a safe distance.
Sometimes I think that the little structures at the zoo entertain my kids more than the actual animals on exhibit. Oh well, on a nice day the zoo is always fun!
