Zoo Date

 We had our second trip to the Zoo before the cold front blew in this week.  

Sunny and 78 degrees in January. I'll take it!

Dallas Zoo, here we come.

Dylan and Jenny met us there and both kids were SO excited.
First up, Cami introduced Dylan to Rafiki!

Then we were on to see the elephants.
Both kids said that these are their favorite animals.
I get it.
They are just really cool to watch.

Pure sweetness.  So cute I can hardly stand it.

Next up--visiting our old friends, the giraffes!

Dylan and his mommy fed the big one first.  Look at that tongue!

Cami and I went next.  She wasn't as fearless as last time and insisted on me feeding him.

I understand why, too!  It was pretty intimidating being face to face with a hungry giraffe!

Making memories while we still get to spend three days a week together--priceless.

We said goodbye to these majestic creatures...

and then went to say hello to the cheetah.

We also spotted the sleeping lion...

but these kids were WAY more into sitting on the elephant statues.  They both "rode" the baby elephant...

and then Cami even asked to get on the big one all by herself.

When we couldn't see the gorillas very well, she appeased herself by getting a piggy back ride from this one.  

We ate our picnic lunch, then waited for our train to arrive.
This little girl was "on top of the world!"

We zipped around the zoo, going under waterfalls...

looking at chimps, and even catching a glimpse of Dallas.  "Hi Daddy!"

We ended our afternoon by playing in the Children's Zoo.
The water was freezing cold, but she didn't care!

"You can do it, Dylan!"

What a perfect way to spend our day.

This big girl even took a nap on the way home, in her dry clothes:)

Little Baller

Warning--PROUD PARENT alert!  As many of you know, this is Lila's very first season of basketball.  None of us parents knew what to expect when we signed our girls up for this new adventure.  Quite frankly, I wasn't too excited.  I was so very wrong, though!

All of us simply love watching the Murphy Magic play their hardest every week.
#18 is my favorite.  This weekend they played two games.  In her 5th game of the season, Lila scored a basket and played some mad defense.  This girl got so many steals!  She even got called for a few fouls, but that's the way we like it.  She's the good kind of aggressive.  

She's started running point guard sometimes and is building up her confidence in taking command of the game.  Lila made some great passes to Brooklyn, who then scored.  

Murphy Magic won 14-6 on Saturday night!

Best game yet for this little girl.

The next day these girls were back at it.  They had a tougher opponent, but hung in there and got the win!  Lila was the first one to score, for the second game in a row, and Brooke made both of her free throws.  So fun!

Last night, it was time for the Bees to show what they are made of.  They played the Queen Bees, who are all older and much bigger than our girls.  Any need to worry?  Nah.
Our Murphy Bumblebees beat them 13-0!

Coach Dad loves watching Lila play her best and enjoy it.
I love it that they share a passion for soccer.

Sports Are Life

We love sports.  

Our family is totally bananas about them. 

In four days, Jackson either played or watched four games.

These boys used to all play baseball together. Only two are still on the Fury now, but we're still good friends.  We got to play each other in basketball last weekend.
The Mavericks won, but everyone had a great time!

A few hours later, Jackson was sitting front row at the Dallas Stars game with Cole and his parents.  SO cool!  The Stars lost in overtime, but it was still an exciting game.

The next afternoon, Jackson and Tucker were front row at the Dallas Sidekicks, for some good indoor pro soccer.  Jackson got three tickets for Christmas from Memaw and Poppi and took his daddy and friend.

Two days later, they were at it again, this time at the Stars game with their daddies.  Another fun Christmas present from me and Tucker's mom.  They were high on life!

It was such a fantastic game and really exciting, especially towards the end.  It went into overtime again and still no one scored, so they had a shoot out.   Unfortunately the Stars lost, but our boys had a wonderful time.

This week's agenda: Basketball practice and Jackson's soccer game tonight
Football practice on Friday
Lila's basketball game on Saturday
Lila's basketball game on Sunday
Lila's soccer game on Sunday night

And this is our "Off Season!"

Our baby is 3!

Her shirt said it all--"Oh Happy Day"
When she woke up on Sunday, she asked me, "now is it my real birthday?!"
Why, yes, big girl, it is.  The biggest grin came over her whole face.

 A few hours later, our family began arriving for her birthday lunch.  Memaw and Poppi brought this beautiful personalized rocking chair, that she immediately fell in love with.

Lyndsie brought this beautiful Frozen inspired birthday cake.
"Oh, I love it!" was Cameron's reaction.  It was perfect!

We had a full house to celebrate this little lady.  Two aunts, two uncles, two grandmas, two grandpas, one cousin and us four.  After Cafe Max for lunch, it was time to light the candles.

"Happy birthday, dear Cameron.  Happy Birthday to YOU!"

It took a few tries, but she blew out all three candles.  Yay!!!

How in the world did we get here so fast?

Just last year we were celebrating her big sister's 3rd birthday, right?!

Then somehow we went from 3 months old...

to 3 years old!
We love this fabulous girl so very much and are thankful she completed our family.

She got lots of fun presents, including her very own ball and glove from Bubbie.

A princess should have royal clothes to wear, so Gigi gave her a Cinderella gown...

and Belle gown, too.  Her two ladies-in-waiting were so sweet with her.

This girl is loved by so many and is thankful to have Aunt Lyndsie and Uncle Scott.

She also loves Aunt Maria and Uncle Andrew and was really happy that they came to her party.

And she always loves a good hug from Memaw and Poppi.

Thank you to everyone for making our little girl feel so special all weekend.

Gifts, Games and Good Food!

After Cameron's party at the gym, the fun definitely wasn't over.  

We took her gifts home and she got to open them!

First one--a FurReal kitten!  It meow, purrs and moves it's face.  She loves it.

Other favorites were this personalized leotard from the Shubzda girls...

and this Frozen microphone, which she immediately began to use.

She got a talking Moana doll, as well.  Loves this, too!

Maybe her favorite, though, was this fairy costume.  She insisted on wearing it right away.

"Hey Cami, we really need to change to go to brother's Mavs game, now."

"I'll just wear it to PSA, mom."

And she did!  

Who doesn't wear a tutu, wings, crown, polar bear boots and carry a wand when they go watch basketball?  This kid cracks me up.  She entertained a whole lot of people with this outfit, and the Mavs won!

An hour later, we were back for Lila's basketball game.

The Murphy Magic won big, 25-6!  Lila Lou is getting the hang of it and improving every game.  Very cool to see.

Two wins plus a birthday girl = dinner at Frankie's!  They brought out the sombrero for Cami, but she quickly and swiftly declined.  No fear, brother's here!

It was the perfect way to end our day.  Feliz cumpleanos, my big girl!