Pink Pony Party (and Chuck E. Cheese: Sibling Edition)

I am truly blown away by how rapidly time seems to be passing.  Lydia turned four last month, and she is constantly surprising and delighting us with insight and questions and things she initiates.  As with so many things in life, this is a "both/and" situation, because at the same time, it is so sad to see her baby and toddler moments riding off into the sunset (a preemptive horse pun for ya 😏).  Even so, we all had such an enjoyable time celebrating her - both on her actual birthday and at her party the following weekend.  

She opened gifts first thing...

...and they promptly put them to use.
Jacob was thrilled to gift her a pony Lego set - two of her most favorite things in one!

As promised (and rehearsed), Jacob fixed her hair at "Jacob's Salon" on her birthday morning.

The hair was (surprisingly) maintained all day and through her requested birthday supper at Nick and Jake's.
They were showing horse races (her first time watching) - so perfect!

This sweet girl shared her free dessert with everyone else right away.

The next morning brought horse races for all the new (and old) ponies!

She chose a strawberry cake for her party, and we made one from scratch.

She wanted to help set up everything and was so excited for her guests to arrive!

She helped with decorating the cakes, too!
(This nostalgic mama was glad for an excuse to get her some miniature My Little Ponies.)

♥

Unfortunately, I didn't snag many pictures of the birthday girl participating in the party games without others in the shot.  We started with a (stick horse) Pony Express relay (our kids and the cousins had recently visited a Pony Express museum, so half the participants were familiar with the concept, at least).  Stick horse riding at my parents' house is almost always accompanied by the William Tell Overture on their player piano, so I brought out my trumpet to play this during the race.  As a former trumpet major, I was embarrassed by my practiced-it-once-and-tried-to-play-memorized-while-giving-instructions-and-encouragement performance, but thankfully, the participants were fairly focused on the task at hand and got the gist, regardless. 😉 Ha.

This race was followed by a "horse show" during which participants introduced their tiny horses (thanks to a cousin's surplus from a different party) and took them through a series of moves and tricks the "owners" conceived of on the spot.  I was not sure how this would go over with the range of ages in attendance, but everyone seemed really engaged!  This was followed by (requested) bubbles, lunch, and cake.   

This is a screenshot from a video of the "horse show" - just to give you an idea.  The plastic horses were a couple inches tall, and here, Lydia is running hers over the "jump." (Our homemade balance beam came in handy!)

Lydia is very selfless, so it was really fun to get to make sure she got exactly what she wanted for all the festivities in her honor.  She is beginning to make core memories and connections, and it was really special to see (and hear) her anticipate and appreciate the various celebrations.  We just love her so!

Pinkily,

Kensy

P.S. You may remember last year's party theme was "Pink."  This year: Pink Pony.  Any bets on whether or not next year will add another P to the alliteration?  Pink Pony Princess, perhaps...?  😉

Favorites of the day:

alllll the bday freebies!

an hour of free child care courtesy of the IKEA play place
(this was on day 11/14 of Daddy's work trip)

these sweet siblings

They are both on reward systems for separate things (Jacob's is in place to encourage autonomy and minimize complaints, and Lydia's is helping encourage her to play independently during rest time) and have had their eyes on the top tier prize (a trip to Chuck E. Cheese) since the program was implemented a couple months ago.  Initially, they could not fathom being able to save up enough gold coins (the reward system currency) to cash in for this prize, so to help further incentivize them and foster a sense of teamwork, we told them they could pool their coins and earn the trip together (which also meant splitting the game credits while there).  They were very much on board with this idea (mostly Jacob, who had been there once on his own a year or so ago and was really gunning to get Lydia there, somehow) and worked hard to achieve their goal.  I was glad they earned it when they did, because it was during Bryant's long work trip and provided some great excitement and extra activity!  They shared the game credits willingly and well, and Jacob was so excited to show Lydia the ropes and play the games with her.

This moment left me speechless.  They got on, the ride started, and as they came around after the first rotation, I saw this.  They did not let go for the duration of the ride.  No one was scared or worried - they were just happy to be together, I guess. 💗

This was a motorcycle game Jacob remembered most from his previous visit.

Probably not built for two...or for seven-yr.-olds, but they made it work.

I was actually surprised by how into it all she was.

They were on a "helicopter ride over the city."  
Jacob was looking for Ingredion, a downtown client of Bryant's, thinking they were "flying" over KC. ♥

She didn't want to drive the second truck, but was happy to watch and cheer him on.

This all probably could have been a separate post, but it really was a favorite thing, recently, so I will just leave it here.  Please know that there are countless moments between these two and with them that are less-than-favorites.  They sure tend to run hot and cold.  It is the sweet moments (like these, brought to you by Chuck E. Cheese), however, that I cling to and choose to dwell on ("whatever is good, whatever is lovely...").  These are the moments I pray will live on in their memories; the interactions I hope to foster and encourage; the days I cherish.

 

Remember That One Time: Rest Stop Edition (and the super-fun trip that followed)

Bryant has taken a handful of trips to work for a client in Houston over the past couple of years and had a few on the calendar this summer, so we decided to join him on one.  It was the longest of this summer's road trips - both in road time and stay time - and was honestly fairly daunting, but only until it was the next thing on the list and we had a chance to sit down and think it through.  After doing a bit of research, finding several options things to do that would please several individuals, making a list of restaurants to try, and getting the low-down on Houston traffic, we felt ready for the adventure. 

Narrator: Little did they know what an adventure it would be...

This leg of the trip brought to you by The Boxcar Children audiobooks and lotsss of stickers from Grandma.

Our first pit stop was in Wichita.  The boys went to the Kansas Aviation Museum (It has been on Jacob's list to take Bryant there since about a year and a half ago when the kids and I went during the day on another one of Bryant's work trips.).  They happened to catch not only free admission, but also several planes rehearsing for the air show the following weekend!

He saw a pair of the plane pictured on his shirt!
(Can you see them to the right of the light pole?)

Lydia and I went to the Exploration Place - another attraction we had visited last time we were in Wichita.  We invested in an ASTC membership this year - mostly for the free admission to Science City - and were able to fully take advantage of free admission to other museums on the list over the course of this trip.  Exploration Place was the first!

This is where we spent most of our time - in the pretend garden area, picking and washing pretend produce.  Glad we weren't paying to be there...hahaha. 😉

We also stopped here to bulk up our snackle boxes and pick up some "thank you" treats for our next stop.

the first of several successful strategic snoozes
(Can you tell we're studying alliterations?)

We broke up the trip down with a visit/stay at Bryant's extended family's farm. 
It was such a wonderful visit, all around - we were treated to a delicious homemade meal, enjoyed playing with cousins, got to see and pet some animals, and slept well in these perfect accommodations!

We planned our lunch stop around our proximity to Buc-ee's (the kids and I's first time).
It didn't disappoint in food or entertainment value!

How lucky to run into the Buc-ee himself!

About two hours from our destination, we simultaneously lost almost all acceleration, saw the check-engine light flash on, and passed a "rest area two miles" sign.  Bryant put the hazards on, pulled us into the rest area, and set about assessing the situation.  The kids and I used the facilities, had a snack, played several rounds of "Mother May I?" and "Simon Says," and bought Bryant a Coke from the vending machine (a fun, new experience).  We found a quarter-mile trail around the little pond behind the rest area, ate more snacks, played my tiny-purse-Uno, and finally, set up camp on some benches in the rest area and broke out the iPads (something we hadn't done, yet, on this trip, so they were fully charged and loaded with some fresh entertainment).  While this all certainly wasn't ideal in the TX mid-day heat, we considered it a small miracle (the first of many) we weren't on the side of the road.

Since we were on the front end of our week-long trip, our snack (and water) reserves were high!  We fairly quickly burned through a couple garden cucumbers and tomatoes and the last of the previous week's grapes we had thrown in.  Small Miracle #2: I had brought along some "easy mac" as a treat for a hotel meal, since they only required water and a microwave.  Thankfully, there was a security guard/custodian on duty at the rest area who gave me permission to go "in the back" and use the microwave, because, "It seems like sort of an emergency, I guess."  The kids were so thrilled to "get to" have mac and cheese!  We also enjoyed some caramel-apple cookies our oh-so-thoughtful hostess from the night before had sent along.  They were very delicious and certainly a moral booster!

I actually found this unplugged and far from an outlet, so scooted it over to make use of it.  I chose not to photograph the inside, because I'd rather not remember it on purpose...yikes.  But it cooked our noodles, and that's all that mattered, at that point!

We had our picnic blanket along not knowing how handy it would end up being!

Yay!  Everything is wonderful!  Can't you tell?!  😏

Bryant spent literal hours on the phone with a buddy who used to work for Hyundai, roadside assistance, the local dealership, tow truck drivers, our hotel for the night, and who knows who else.  I had complete confidence in him to figure out the best possible outcome, so (surprisingly), I wasn't terribly stressed (this was also the Lord's provision of peace, for sure).  I just stayed in my lane and kept the kids as happy as possible.  I knew we wouldn't be there all night, and if we were, we had a couple sleeping bags packed, so...  We were just very glad to not be on the side of the road.

In the end, here's how it all shook out:

The car was not drivable - there was a terrible knocking in the engine.  The first tow truck (that would supposedly accommodate all of us) was called off the job after we had waited an hour for its arrival.  The second was en route not too long after that, but was two hours out and wouldn't hold all of us.  Neither Uber nor Lyft would come out to where we were.  The highway patrol line was busy.  So, our last option was to call a buddy Bryant met on a previous work trip who lives in south Houston.  

Small Miracles #3-7 or so: The friend was available; he so graciously drove the two-hours-one-way to pick us up, dropped us off at the airport Enterprise (the only location open at 11 p.m., but also the one where we'd planned to pick up Bryant's rental for work, anyway, the next day...so we just got both necessary rentals at once), and waited in the car with the sleeping kiddos while we got the rentals squared away.  His truck accommodated all our things, his kiddos are the same ages as ours, so we just used his car seats and didn't have to install/uninstall ours, and he was a great conversationalist after our unexpected five-hour layover at the rest stop.  He also was able to recommend a hotel that was closer to our next day's planned activities, ended up being cheaper, and came with a view!  (We had cancelled our original reservation thinking we'd stay closer to where the car was, but that didn't pan out, after all.)  Not all heroes wear capes!

11:30 p.m. - taking in the moon-on-the-water view while waiting for the boys to bring the luggage up

After a good night's rest, a hotel breakfast buffet with a view, and no ability to make any tracks with the car situation since it was Sunday, we were ready to move forward with our trip as planned.  We purposefully traveled down a day early so we could all go to the Space Center together (That annual pass I mentioned previously admitted us all for free here, as well!  It more than paid for itself with this admission, alone. 😮), and we were so very grateful to still be able to do so, despite the car trouble.  

It really was so cool!

I'm especially glad we went with Bryant, because he could answer all the questions I couldn't...haha.

We also took advantage of our proximity to the beach and headed down to Galveston for a couple hours.  Small Miracle #8: the forecasted rain dissipated and left sunny skies!  All Jacob wanted to do was be in the waves, and all Lydia wanted to do was build a sand castle.  Both requests were granted.

Tried a fun local seafood place for supper that evening!

We stayed in an Airbnb outside of Houston for the rest of our time there (pro move by my husband - it was so much easier than a hotel set-up, all around, but esp. for him to come and go from his 12-hour work shifts while the kids were sleeping).  After consulting the aforementioned museum list, I had found that we could get into both the Health Museum and the Houston Children's Museum, and upon further research, found that they were right across the street from each other!  So, we drove back into the city to go to both. 

He was very much fascinated by this.

I've known this guy since he was oh-so-tiny and spent many a summer babysitting him and his two siblings.  Small Miracle # 9: He was off work and available to meet us at the Health Museum and for lunch!  What a true pleasure and delight to spend some quality together as adults and with my own kiddos!

The "Kidtropolis" exhibit at the Children's Museum was truly wonderful.  Jacob spent the better part of nearly two hours going from ATM to ATM (there were probably ten or so) depositing, withdrawing, and being generally enamored by putting in a PIN and accessing his very own account.  We can tell you more in person, if you want - it was just really, really cool.

Lydia was a little more diversified in how she spent her nearly-two-hours, but was equally engaged and delighted by it all. 

We don't miss the chance to explore a new-to-us grocery store. ☺

Tuesday was spent closer to "home," so we could take advantage of the chance to meet Bryant for lunch.  When looking at the map for parks when we were planning out our days, I happened upon an equestrian center, so reached out to see if we could visit.  We spent over an hour watching training rides and petting horses!

It was pretty cool (and mind-blowing) to see the vast infrastructure of this and other companies in person.
(We were dressed to head to a really cool splash pad after this.  It sprinkled on us, a bit, but we were getting wet, anyway, so just stuck it out.)

Due to the afternoon's rainstorm, Bryant got off work early and was able to join us for supper!  The only plans that changed when the car broke down Saturday was a ferry ride to a restaurant on the shipping channel Bryant had been to on one of his trips here.  I had re-planned to take the kids our last evening there, and we were so glad Bryant got to come with us (Small Miracle #10!).  We got a window seat, shared a great meal, and were even gifted an extra dessert after the decision/indecision between two different ones ended in a 3-1 vote.

It really was cool to see all the tugboats, ships, and other watercraft.

There was a fun park across the street, and since the weather ended up being so wonderful (thanks, God!), we spent some more time watching the ships go by.

Watch timer selfie for the win!

The kids and I headed back home mid-week and were able to break our trip up again with a stay (with extended family on my side, this time) in Dallas.  My mom flew in there at the beginning of the week to spend some time with family and rode the rest of the way home with us.  It all worked out so well!

This was also the day we (finally) heard back from the Hyundai dealership about the car.  The tl:dr version and Small Miracle #11: the failed engine will be replaced under warranty.  Here's Bryant's expert explanation of the issue:

When the dealership called, they said that the engine had failed the bearing clearance test (which caused the engine knock we heard at the rest area).  This was due to the batch of bad "theta" engines they had made.  Apparently, the resulting class action lawsuit gave us a lifetime warranty on the engine.  It is a huge blessing that we are not going to have to pay for it out of pocket.  We were also grateful that the dealership had worked our vehicle into their schedule to get that ball rolling since we had been told it could be even the following week before they were able to diagnose it.  

So, we drove our rental back to KC.  Thankfully, Hyundai also agreed to cover the cost of that (equivalent sized - phew) vehicle.  The only downside: there was no CD player in the new-fangled rental, rendering our volumes of Boxcar Children CDs - our inflight entertainment - unusable.  😬

This is the sign for the same rest area, just going the other way.  The kids really wanted to stop, again, because they had such a fun time (?! - patting myself on the back for that one).  We didn't stop, but I snagged a picture, at least.

I have great memories of swimming in this pool at my mom's cousin's house!

Notice any resemblance to that other guy we got to hang out with?  😉
We were so grateful it worked out to see this young man (Small Miracle #12) and get a tour of (some of) his day-to-day.  It was just really rewarding to get to spend time with these guys that I babysat as infants/toddlers/little boys and see what amazing men they've grown to be.  It was also beyond special to watch my kids be so immediately drawn to them...and vice versa. 💗

♥

The rest of our drive home was without incident, and Bryant flew home safely a few days later.  To be clear, his job doesn't take him away from home as often as this post might make it sound.  We were glad for the opportunity to see some things we'd never seen and spend some extra time together, and all (mostly) on the company's dime.  ☺  God's provision and protection was so evident in all of this, and we certainly thanked (and thank) Him for it on the regular.

Gladly (for it all, but also, to be home),

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

recessing at the splash pad

coming home to freshly-arranged flowers from our very talented neighbor

stamping weekend (that also allowed for time with besties and an "11 years later" photo shoot)