We enjoyed lunch at Mi Cocina and loved getting the opportunity to catch up with Courtney. After lunch we headed over to KXAS to see Matt and catch a glimpse of his new office. Dean loved meeting all of Matt’s co-workers and I enjoyed seeing the new set that has consumed so much of Matt’s time. Our visit to KXAS was brief but fun. I’m glad Dean was able to check out the studio and see daddy’s office!

I am thankful for the holiday break so Dean and I can enjoy fun trips like these! Now we are gearing up for our big trip south for Christmas! I can’t wait!

On Thanksgiving morning we picked up Matt from the airport and set out for Austin. After enjoying a leisurely drive we arrived at Inks Lake State Park and rendezvoused with Ronny, Carla, Adam, Genie and Mason. They arrived early and scored a fabulous camp site. We enjoyed 30 hours of the great outdoors! Carla fixed a yummy turkey chili for our Thanksgiving dinner and we played a heated game of Texas Hold Em before turning in for the night. On Friday morning the boys were eager to play. Mason and Dean LOVED being outside and having the freedom to play in the dirt, with the leaves, and run. After breakfast the guys loaded up the boys and took them fishing and to feed the ducks. Dean and Mason had a great time on he pier with Matt, Adam and Ronny. Dean learned how to feed ducks and was surprised by the boldness of many of the birds. They were not afraid to eat right out of Deans hand. All of the fishing fun brought back tired and hungry boys. They enjoyed naps in their tent while we began to break camp. Unfortunately the weather report was predicting severe thunderstorms for Friday night and Saturday morning so we decided to seek out other accommodations for the evening.

After breaking camp we headed into Marble Falls for dinner and a trip through the city lights. Dean enjoyed looking at all of the Christmas lights on the river. It was a great way to get us into the Christmas spirit. We spend the night at a fabulous hotel in Marble Falls – completely opposite of our camping accommodations! Dean was very confused by the hotel. He wanted to know if they would have beds and pillows for us to sleep on and towels for our shower. He was too cute. After Dean went to sleep Matt and I spend the evening playing Left, Right, Center with Ronny and Carla while Dean snoozed peacefully.

We had a great time playing in the hotel on Sunday morning. Dean and Mason ran, played and jumped on beds while the rest of us relaxed. After we were all dressed we headed out to a nearby state park for one last sight seeing tour before we headed home. I was sad to see the trip come to an end. Dean really loved camping and I enjoyed watching him play. Matt and I have decided that we should plan a spring time camping trip and I feel that the Hopkins Thanksgiving Camp out will be come a tradition. Cheers to the holidays and a great time with the Hopkins family!

On Friday, November 4th Dean celebrated his birthday with his class at the ECDC. They have a party the first Friday of each month and celebrate with ice cream, party hats and fun! Dean enjoyed spending this time with his special friends as well as Addison and Leslie Walden.

After Dean’s school party we headed home to see Uncle Layne and Logan. In addition to celebrating Dean’s birthday there were events planned to celebrate Layne. One part of Layne’s birthday celebration was the NASCAR truck races on Friday evening. Matt, Logan and Layne met up with some friends and enjoyed watching the trucks run in circles. A second day of races were enjoyed on Saturday with the entire male family – Layne was in heaven! While they were enjoying the races Dean and I spent time with Granny and Pop. Granny and Pop came up early on Friday in order to go to the Winstar with Glenda. After a full day of fun for them we enjoyed Babes chicken and a relaxing evening. I was thankful for the time with my grandparents and their help getting things ready for the party. I know Dean enjoyed having them here for the night.

At exactly 5:00 PM Camp Hopkins began. Dean enjoyed having his friends from church and school over to play in our backyard and enjoy a performance by Mr. David. The birthday celebration was a blast! Matt and I were able to enjoy the party and hang out with Dean’s friend’s parents thanks to our awesome servant team of grandparents and Glenda! I think Camp Hopkins was my favorite birthday party. I’m sure they will continue to get better and better but for now, this was the best! Happy 3rd birthday Camper Dean!

On Monday morning the ECDC held its annual costume parade. Dean’s class made Cat costumes. It was fun to see the children march around the school in their costumes. They were all so proud of their creations!

On Monday afternoon we hit up chick-fil-a (again free kids meals) with Gavin, Miranda and Matt. The boys enjoyed their nuggets and playing on the playground with all of the other excited, costume clad children. After fueling up we took the boys to the Compass Colleyville carnival. They loved every minute of it! There were more inflatables, horse rides, tons of games and a puppet show! The boys were in heaven. On our way home we made one special trick-or-treat stop by Glenda and Bills. They had bags full of treats of the boys. Of course both boys had to open their treats, enjoy a snack or two and put on a show of excitement for the Cherry family! Miranda, Matt and I brought home two very tired boys! Halloween 2011 was the best yet! We’re off to fight more fires! Until then!

Friday morning we headed out for the opening day of the Texas State Fair. Mason and Dean were such troopers! They were in great moods and enjoyed seeing the animals, playing on the steps of the Cotton Bowl, and riding in the Texas Star. We all enjoyed corn dogs as well as a few other Sate Fair foods like turkey legs, fried kraut balls (not Genie’s favorite), the Fried Bananarito (not my favorite), and piping hot funnel cake. Dean shared a special moment with Pops as he went through his first fun house. We returned to the car with 2 VERY tired boys. Adam joined us on Friday night just in time for our traditional Friday night meal of burgers and beers.

Game Day Saturday brought high hopes for each of the respective teams. This was the first year there were not any babies to take to the game. We hired a sitter to come play with the boys and the mommies and daddies all set out for an afternoon of relaxing fun. We had a great time enjoying the INTENSE game together. Sadly, my dear Aggies ran out of time and were defeated with a score of 42-38. My Razorback family was very excited about the victory. We arrived back at the house just in time for a Babes chicken dinner with Matt’s cousin Sarah and her friend Jason. It was a great night of reminiscing and story telling.

We surprised Ronny and Carla with a Sunday morning photo shoot. Genie and I have been eager to get Hopkins’ family pictures and figured this was the perfect weekend. Ashley came and shot our family for 2 hours. I can’t wait to see the photos she capture. I think the suspense over the next few weeks might kill me! After our lengthy photo shoot we enjoyed lunch before everyone loaded up and headed back to Houston.

2011′s Southwest Classic Weekend was certainly the best yet! We had a great time and ended the weekend completely exhausted. Time with family is so good and I always hate to see it come to an end. There are such great memories made when everyone is in one small house together. I’m already looking forward to our next family weekend! Until Then.

Saturday morning my mom, Glenda and I hit the town of Grapevine for a little bit of shopping. We had a great time trying on jewelry, buying items for craft activities and chatting. On Saturday afternoon we headed into Ft. Worth to take my parents to Coopers BBQ. Matt thought the authentic pit experience would be fun for my dad. We invited Kerry, Glenda and Bill to join us for lunch. It was so much fun and I am glad we all went to experience what Coopers has to offer. We made it back to the house just in time to watch the Aggie’s crushing loss to OSU but that’s another story… Mom and I drowned our sorrows in sewing and crafts (thanks Pintrest).

Thanks Mom and Dad for making the trip. We loved having you all to ourselves. We are already looking forward to your next visit. Until Then!

Dean’s studious look