Matt and I were blessed with a child free weekend. My friend Leslie got married in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 28th. Matt’s parents were sweet enough to drive up and take care of Dean so we could enjoy a night away.
We set out for Oklahoma Saturday morning. After a stop at the WinStar casino to meet up with Robin and Stan we continued our drive up north. The casino was quite an experience for this rarely gambling family. Matt and I didn’t win big. It could be because we didn’t know how to play half of the games. We felt like you needed to be 70, or older to understand the logic behind each game. But, it was an entertaining few hours and a nice break from the car.
We were luckily enough to get our hotel room upgraded (bonus) once we arrived in OKC. After a bit of rest we picked up Robin and Stan and headed to Bricktown (the OKC riverwalk) for an evening of fun. The Harley Davidson convention was in town which provided a visual experience like no other. We enjoyed looking at the bikes and were intimidated by a few of the biker babes! We had a delicious dinner at Toby Keith’s restaurant. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting OKC. The food was wonderful, beer was cheap, and our tables was right next to the waterway – excellent opportunities for people watching (remember the bikers?). We also rode on a canal boat and enjoyed a tour of Bricktown. Did you know OKC is the headquarters of Sonic? Who knew huh?
After a great night of rest Matt and I visited a few more OKC hot spots before heading to the wedding. One of our stops was the OKC bombing memorial. Oh, what an experience! I recommend it to anyone who is in the OKC area. Words can not express the overwhelming emotion that was felt when touring the site. The memorial is a beautiful tribute to the lives that were lost.
Leslie Cowan and Wayne Walden were united in marriage at 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 28th. Their ceremony was a beautiful tribute to the Lord and a testimony of their love for each other. I am so happy for Leslie and Wayne and can’t wait to see how amazingly blessed their lives together will be. Leslie and Wayne have a dating history similar to Matt and me. Their days of long distance dating are now over and I know exactly how happy they are to kiss that phase goodbye! Matt and I enjoyed visiting with the CHHS counseling staff at the wedding and even managed to get our pictures taken with Roy Williams, the head coach of the North Carolina basketball team.
Our trip to OKC was just what we needed. We look forward to venturing away for another weekend soon! Until then!
Matt, I think if Dean could talk here is what he would have said to you on Father’s Day:
I’m Happy You’re My Dad
I feel safe when you are with me;
You show me fun things to do;
You make my life much better;
The best father I know is you.
I’m happy you’re my Dad
And so I want to say
I love you, Dad, and wish you
A Happy Father’s Day!
By Joanna Fuchs
Lesley, Travis, and Emma were still in town on Father’s day so we shared in a joint celebration. We thought our guys would really enjoy breakfast out at the Snooty Pig Cafe followed by a trip to Outdoor World. The guys loved the family time and were thrilled with walking around the Bass Pro Shop before the Barrs had to leave for Houston and Matt had to return to work. Although it wasn’t an all day celebration I think Matt felt honored! Dean really loves his Daddy and all the amazing things he does for him.
Our summer break started with a visit from the Barrs family. Travis’ cousin was getting married in Arlington so we were fortunate enough to have Lesley, Travis and Emma come stay for the weekend. We enjoyed every minute of quality time we got to spend with them. Lesley and Travis had several commitments to the wedding which left us 3 nights of baby sitting EC.
On Friday Matt and I took Emma and Dean to the Ft. Worth Zoo. We had a blast. It was so fun to see the zoo through the eyes of a three year old. She was into everything and super excited about each animal we saw. Dean also enjoyed being outside and watching all the people. He’s a great people watcher!
On Saturday we played at the park and did a little shopping before they had to take off for the wedding. Matt picked Emma up from the wedding early and we were able to enjoy just a few more minutes of play time with Emma before she had to go to bed.
The headed back to Houston on Sunday but not before we were able to celebrate Father’s Day with the Barrs.
The weekend went by quickly but we really enjoyed every minute we spent with the Barrs. It was nice for me to have my sister visit my house instead of us meeting up in Houston. I look forward to the next time they visit. Come again soon please!
Somehow I have misplaced my pics from the zoo. I’ll add them to the post once I find them.
Matt and I were able to have a date to the Rangers game on Tuesday while Dean was out of town. We headed to the ballpark and hoped to enjoy a great ballgame as the Rangers were playing the Houston Astros. The game was a wash – the Rangers won 6-1 but the experience was great. Matt and I enjoyed a hotdog and had a great time being together. It was a bit warm but our great outfield seats and cool drinks helped keep us comfortable until the 8th inning. I look forward to going back for another game soon.
While the baby is away the Mama will play! I was able to meet up with Roxane for dinner while Dean was in Houston. Roxane has a knack for picking the best restaurants, I always enjoy meeting her for dinner. On Monday we went to Toulouse, a bistro that specializes in French influences Belgian food. The best part of this restaurant…they have a host of Champagne cocktails! When I learned this I knew I had hit the jackpot! Roxane and I enjoyed a nice refreshing cocktail before ordering our dinner. I loved my nicoise salad with seared ahi tuna, it was perfectly delicious.
After a relaxing dinner we headed over to Nordstroms for some ohhing, ahhing and shopping! And to make the night even better we ended it with grocery shopping at Central Market – again right up my alley!
It was so nice to enjoy a night out and not have to worry about getting back to my baby. I look forward to doing it again Roxy!
While I worked the last week of my contract at school Dean traveled to Houston to spend the week with his AWESOME grandparents. Ronny and Carla met us in Centerville, TX on Saturday, after enjoying some lunch we passed Dean off and headed back to Ft. Worth. Dean enjoyed 2 nights with his Honey and Pops before being passed of to Grandmother and Papa for the rest of the week. We met again in Centerville on Thursday where I was able to get my hands back on my boy!
Matt and I enjoyed our kid free week. We made sure to live it up each night with dinner, dates, and fun. We are looking forward to July when Dean will spend another week in Houston.
Here are the pictures the grandparents captured during the week:
Dean is now the proud owner of one cushy ride. After he got his tubes on Friday Matt went and purchased Dean’s big boy car seat. He has traveled to Houston and back and seems to love the spaciousness of his new chair.
I don’t miss lugging the infant carrier around but I do miss the luxury of having a contained baby. Those quick in and out trips have taken on a new spin now that I have to get Dean out and then buckle him back in.
After 6 ear infections in 4 months Matt and I made the decision to have tubes placed in Dean’s ears. We really felt that the decision was a no brainier considering how many infections our poor baby has had. Towards the end of May Dean was diagnosed with his sixth infection. Dr. McCoy and Linda referred us to a highly recommended ENT in the area. Thankfully Dr. Murray was able to see us the next week. We weren’t able to get on the surgery schedule right away and were prepared to wait 3 weeks for our appointment. Five days after our initial visit we returned to the office for Dean’s hearing test. The audiologist determined that Dean still had fluid in his ears, despite being on antibiotics, and should see Dr. Murray for a consult. Dr. Murray wasn’t happy with what he saw in little D’s ears and quickly moved his surgery up to the closest date (2 days later). I left the office that Wednesday thinking, “My baby will have tubes in his ears on Friday!” I looked forward to Dean finally being pain free for more than a few days.
On Friday Matt and I arrived at the surgery center with Dean bright and early. He was one of the first surgeries scheduled. My friend, Martha, was sweet and came to keep us company during our morning wait. She even brought us yummy breakfast burritos! Thanks so much M.S. it was great to visit with you. Dean was a trooper, he was easily entertained during our hour wait in the pre-op room and even managed to fall asleep on my shoulder. He was sleeping soundly when the nurse came to take him back for the procedure. Matt and I were only in the waiting room for a few minutes before they called us back to talk with Dr. Murray and see Dean.
Dean was sure to tell us all about the surgery as he came out of the anesthesia. Many tears were shed but Matt had the magic touch as was able to help D calm down enough for breakfast. After Dean finished is bottle we headed home exactly one hour after the surgery began. I was amazed at how simple the process was by the time we got home Dean was back to his old self. I think the day was harder on Matt and I than it was on Dean.
“Aunt” Glenda and “Uncle” Bill came to visit “Fred” on Saturday after his surgery. They brought him a set of bongo drums as a reward for being such a big boy on Friday. Dean LOVES his drums – he sings (or screams) along with the music! Thanks Glenda and Bill!
Dean has been doing great since the procedure. We have noticed a few changes after the tubes; Dean has found his voice -it’s quite loud and he’s rolling from his back to front now! Hooray for Dean and the progress he’s making. We go back for his followup at the end of July. I only expect to hear great things!
Matt is working on editing our video footage of the day so check back to watch the play by play!
Dean began his time at the ECDC on January 6th 2009. Although we were nervous parents when we dropped him off in January we quickly fell in love with all the school had to offer Dean. Dean loved his teachers Ms. Gina and Ms. Linda and they loved him back. On June 11th Dean celebrated his last day of school. Matt took a few pictures to commemorate the occasion.
In a few short weeks he’ll be back for his second year with new teachers and a new classroom. I can only imagine how much he’s going to learn during the 2009-2010 school year.
