Zoo Day

For the second year in a row, we attended my law firm's office picnic at the Dallas Zoo. Since my Mom was in town, she was able to join the fun as well. Unlike our last visit, Ava was old enough to really enjoy exploring the zoo this year.

While I still prefer the Fort Worth Zoo, the Dallas Zoo has a lot to offer, including some wonderful habitats and animals. My favorite is the Wilds of Africa section.

We were very excited to finally see the gorillas!

Ava loves gorillas, and she was mesmerized by this one. 

We checked out all the other animals, including the elephants.

But I think the giraffes were Ava's favorite. 

Especially because she got to feed them...

We also rode the monorail for the first time. It wasn't the coolest thing ever, but I'm glad we did it. 

Ava played musical chairs and ended up breaking multiple rules during the ride...namely eating and sitting by herself (since she is under three). Don't turn us in to the zoo police. 

We ended the day at the lunch picnic, where Ava enjoyed some Cheetos while dancing. 

It doesn't get much better than that.

Dancing Queen

Ava loves to dance (I wonder where she got that from), and she really loves to dance to the music that plays from the farm animal fridge magnet that her cousins graciously passed down. 

I finally caught her fabulous moves on camera...

(Please ignore the disheveled hair...this was right after I picked her up from daycare.)

Is it too early to sign her up for ballet class :)?

Second Sunday Brunch Bunch: Bolsa

For this month's Brunch Bunch, we chose Bolsa. With all the rave reviews I've heard about this Bishop Arts District restaurant, it is shocking that this was my first visit. 

We started out with mimosas and Arnold Palmer cocktails. Both were quite delicious.

I was starving that morning, so I started off with a croissant. It was so delicious, and the fresh strawberry jam was even better.

For the entree, I went with the Steak & Eggs, which comes with a "potato haystack." (Note that I ordered my eggs over hard, they normally come sunny side up.) The potatoes weren't quite what I was expecting, but the steak was delicious. Super tender and garlicky. 

Jill ordered the Three Egg Frittata, with asparagus, caramelized fennel, red bell pepper, and goat cheese. Jill said it was super flavorful, and she especially loved that they didn't skimp on the cheese.

Erin got the Duck Fat Biscuits with mercado breakfast sausage gravy and eggs. We all had to try those biscuits...and they were truly amazing.

So were the French Toast Cakes that Laura ordered.

It was such a wonderful morning with my girls. The food and drinks were absolutely delicious, some fun news was shared, and the company was just what I needed.

Kate & Ellie's Fourth Birthday

A couple weekends ago, our nieces celebrated their fourth birthday. It was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun at the party.

Ava was very excited to see her Grammie, and refused to leave her side for most of the afternoon. 

She also got in some quality time with her sweet cousin, Jack the Pirate.

Jack was very proud of his cool airbrush tattoo.

So was Ellie!

The adorable birthday girls loved blowing out the candles on their pumpkin cakes.

Ava wasn't quite sure to think of her cupcake at first, but she quickly came around.

But she was willing to share a little icing with Josh :).

I'm so glad we got a family photo...

And Kate totally wins that photo.

We even got some cute pictures of our little family.

 I couldn't manage to get a non-blurry photo of Ava with the birthday girls, but I wanted to capture the moment nonetheless. Cute cousins. 

Happy Birthday, Kate and Ellie! 

Lymphoma Research Foundation Masquerade Event

For the second year in a row, we attended the "Don a Mask, Uncover a Cure" wine tasting and masquerade charity event supporting the Lymphoma Research Foundation. 

Not only did we get to support a great cause, we also enjoyed a wonderful night out with friends.

The guys were looking especially dapper in their masks...

And the icing on top of the cake...I won the TCU prize package in the silent auction. 

Go Frogs!

Fair Day 2013

October is one of my favorite months for many reasons, including the fact that the State Fair of Texas is open for business. Ava was too young to really enjoy the Fair last year, so we were really excited to see her reaction this year. 

After making the almost hour-long trek from the parking lot located in what felt like Oklahoma (we were spoiled last year with a friend's fantastic parking pass), Josh, Ava, Jill, and I met up with the Arnolds in front of the brand new Big Tex. 

Ava and Henry really enjoyed their second annual Fair date :).

And Ava really, really loved her first Fletcher's corny dog. 

After one bite, Ava stole my corny dog and barely let me have any more. But I don't blame her. Those things are damn good.

The Arnolds got in on the corny dog action as well. 

We also tried out this year's award-winning "Cuban Roll." It was amazing. 

After a little stroll down the midway...

It was time to see if the kids were tall enough for any of the rides... 

Success! 

The swings seemed like the best option. And even though Ava wasn't exactly sure what to think at first, she was loving it by the end.

But the petting zoo was by far her favorite part of the trip.

Ava would get upset when the goats wouldn't come eat her food. She would yell "goooooat!" in hopes of inciting them.

Finally, a hungry goat.

And then one came by and ate all her food....cup and all.

And with that, our 2013 Fair Day came to a close. 

With fun memories and stomachs full of fried food, we hopped on the tram in hopes of eventually making it back to our car.