Rif Ram Bah Zoo Lickety Lickety Woo Woo

If that reads like nonsense to you, then you probably didn't go to TCU.  

I don't think the ol' chant/cheer is still in good favor because I didn't hear it once at the game this weekend and the university probably realized there was a little something in the sauce the night it was penned.

We're coming off one of the most fun footy-footy-football {name that movie} weekends of ALL TIMES. And that is saying something because I've enjoyed a lot of amazing football.

One element that added to the wonderfulness was having our fellow purple-blooded cousin, Rylie, here with us. She and her dad are professional Horned Frog fans, so her extensive player knowledge helped us a ton. 


Mark and Rylie flew in from Dallas to cheer on the Frogs in Colorado Springs at the TCU vs. Air Force showdown.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...every good game starts with an even better tailgate. Friday night unofficially kicked off our festivities while we canvassed Target in search of the perfect tailgate accessories and food.

We debated...

cute little grill or larger more functional grill {cute! i won!}


sliders or full-size burgers {sliders}

Doritos or Cracked Pepper Kettle Chips or Salsa Sun Chips or Black Bean Roasted Garlic Tortilla Chips or Cheetos {ALL}

And of course, we grabbed root beer for the sub-21 crowd.

The girls mostly liked hanging out the windows yelling "Go TCU!" to everyone who walked by.

I don't know if it's a sign of the times, but none of us had ever grilled with charcoal before. Or at least not in recent memory.

But the Big Man with the Little Grill made it happen.

 

The kids chugged root beer like it was super water {Parks & Rec fans??}. That was in-between football tosses, befriending fellow Frogs, and "hikes" in the "woods."

{Chillaxin'}

The friendly tailgaters next door even offered to share their posh food after they saw our leetle bitty grill and felt compassion for us. A full-on Asian Fusion buffet, complete with dipping sauces and a gorgeous Williams-Sonoma tablecloth awaited us.

One stray bean bag flew their way during Corn Hole, and suddenly we were devouring their skewered grilled scallops and setting up a love connection in Oregon for a very eligible bachelor friend of ours.

Isn't that the joy of the tailgate? The food, the camaraderie, the match-making? 

After downing a couple dozen sliders and a bag of chips {each}, we made our way into the game.

This was an official TCU "travel game," so the stands were packed with Texans! YES! And our cheering definitely out team-spirited the Air Force.

In their defense, the fighter jet flyover was pretty cool. The Horned Frogs left their F-16s at home this one time.

Of course, by the third quarter {Lilly kept calling them "innings"}, the Frog Faithful were getting a little tired.

But Rylie's Horned Frog spirit just cannot be put down. Even by exhaustion.
 

{would you be so kind as to notice the lady in front of us who was shielding the sun with her program? following an incredible catch, the girls got a little wild with the pom-poms and she shot us a death glare like they were PERMANENTLY displacing her hair. and then she rests a magazine up there like it won't mold her sweaty hair to her head in the shape of a tent. 

just sayin'.}

After the game, Tank Carder came over and high-fived his biggest fans.
 

And then I asked possibly the worst candidate in the stadium to take our photo with my phone. I should've denied his cheerful volunteerism when he said "so how do you work this thing?" but I didn't want to insult his lack of tech-savviness, so assured him he would be fine.

And other than not getting Lilly in the picture, he was awesome!

Indescribable

I think everyone will be glad to know that I have been talked down from the meal-planning related cliffs of insanity. My sister-in-law was laughing because we had this exact conversation exactly one month ago and I researched a bunch of websites that vow to help out with dinner/grocery shopping issues and emailed her some suggestions.


The difference is that she actually reads the websites and takes their advice. Her family is well-fed and happy. 

Mine are under-nourished, but forgiving. {Chocolate chip cookies will get you that, at least.}

A sweet friend really helped me find my cooking mojo again...knowing that I work on inspiration, not organization or planning. {This would explain a lot of decisions in my home, like the revolving door of decor on the main level and the pit of shame in the basement.} 

Anyway, she suggested I watch some cooking shows where they make amazing food, and pretty soon I'd be wanting to join their ranks.

Well, she was right.

I didn't even have to watch the shows. I just had to think about them and click around on the Food Network website and...HEALED!

Tonight, one of our primary food groups of summer was re-visited: The Burger and It's Many Wonderful Variations. All it took was a little caramelized onions and jalapenos, swiss cheese and spicy barbecue sauce before I was shunning the pizza/pot roast combo forever.

In the name of accountability, here's our menu for this week:
M-burgers {check, glorious check.}
T-chicken & mozzarella ravioli
W-spicy chicken & sausage jambalaya
Th-chicken cordon bleu
F-Hot Dog Quesadilla Wrap {OH, I KID}


********************************************


We did have a particularly awesome weekend...and yes, it involved food.

After living in Colorado for NINE entire years {approximately 7.5 longer than we ever imagined}, we've grown tired of being the shame of the entire state.

This is amazing, beautiful country, and we rarely leave our suburban campsite that could  double as suburbia anywhere.

Brad and I came to the terrible reality that we spent more time in the mountains--as vacationers and skiiers--before we lived here.

On a clear day, you can see Pikes Peak from our house, and we decided this would be the weekend we summited the mountain.
 

If you're thinking we hiked, than you've never visited Pikes Peak. But if you saw the photo above and immediately knew Lilly devoured a donut with awesome puffing capability due to the altitude, then you are a veteran.

I'm a little hesitant to post so many "scenic" pictures, because I'm picturing an old blue floral velvety picture album at a nursing home opening up, while the reader gets a look of panic and dread while wondering how long MeMaw is going to bore her with an unending narrative of Pikes Peak{!} and eleventy million pictures that don't even contain people.

But we're not at a nursing home and you can click away RIGHT NOW, so be my guest:)

But in defense of a lengthy photo montage, our little excursion was really cool.

Just ask Lilly. 

The beauty of the uphill drive, the extra-tall mountains, the glimpses of thousands of miles of land were so gasp-worthy, that I could totally see how Katherine Lee Bates could write "America The Beautiful" while hanging out up there.

I'm not even a songwriter, and I wanted to write something or sing something or just run around freaking out because it was so beyond words.

{I am wondering a little about the "fruited plain." Didn't see it. Even the "amber waves" seemed more like dead grass and trees, but the beauty of poetic license is that she could've imagined it to be grain, but I saw on the drive up the mountain that it was clearly NOT.} 

Instead of getting patriotic, we cranked up the David Crowder and had our own little worship time in the car.

And we talked a lot about the geologic chicken or the egg-- "mountain or the rocks." Did God create mountains and then they crumbled some and then these huge rocks were created? Or did he just create rocks as sprinkles on top of the mountains?

Either way, it was great to see this beautiful state from a brand new perspective.

I tend to be a little indoorsy, and find no shortage of opportunity to praise God for a clearance item at Target or a just-reduced pair of jeans at Nordstrom Rack. 

But it's humbling to thank Him for creating rocks that cry out His praise and to stand on mountains that were clearly carved by His voice. It brings a different joy to see the dimension of clouds a breath away and the awe on a diverse community of faces as they collectively revel in what no man could make. It reminds me that I am so small and He beyond what I can even conceive of as "big."

But since they don't have trampolines on top of the mountain, we had to come back down.

And if you haven't read Psalm 19 in awhile, you just might:)

And...Exhale

It's not with any pride that I admit Blogger has had me beat for a week. We battled over uploading pictures and it got so ugly that a dark side of my heart that I haven't seen for a long time almost longed for some scrapbook paper and a glue stick so I could create print out pictures, create a little page, mail it to Blogger, and force THEM to upload it to the blog.

{sigh}

But don't worry--I'm not missing the irony that the 8 month overdue birthday party also has some overdue picture reporting.

Common theme = ME :)

So, let's start with the part of the party that was most important to the kids...the decor.
In what can only be described as God's favor, red, aqua, and yellow were clearanced at nearly every party store. Whoo hoo! It was perfect for a boy/girl combo party.

Like most parents, I am a vocal hater of party favors, but I am a lover of party favor tags.

Backpack size Nerf guns for the boys.

Hula hoops for the girls. {I keep wanting to type 'hula hupes.'}

They are best used jump rope-style on the trampoline.


After we got back from the pool, some drinks were waiting...

The kids couldn't stop commenting on the cute signs everywhere and how it all coordinated!!!

One of my strongest gifts is copying things I see on the internet. Especially here. All of these signs were printables inspired by one of her featured summer parties.

On the menu: sliders, hot dogs, chips, and watermelon...all served in those adorable red fry baskets.

I'll never go back to paper plates again {until next week.} They are perfect for kids to navigate through the chow line.


And kids who have spent two hours at the pool are hungry with a capital starving.


All of the boys chose root beer...there is something very man-like about drinking from the bottle:)

It was awesome having Jackson & Lilly's party on the same day...one crazy day, but we are blessed to have lots of friends and neighbors who are like family to us, so it was more like a wild family dinner with intermittent trampoline action.

This face is soooo Jackson...


And that is my girl with the ketchup on her face.

And of course, we had the cake:

Before last week, I didn't even know it was possible to pour a blue jell-o pool in the middle of a perfectly good cake.

It was definitely a construction triumph, from the baking point of view. Jackson and Lilly always get wild ideas about what kind of cake would be perfect for their party, and I'm supposed to figure out how to execute.

Again, thank goodness for the internet.

Yes, that is Polly Pocket sunbathing away the day on an Airhead raft, while being pursued by a snake. Chewbacca and the Storm Trooper are paddling/blasting each other by the water slide.

And the blue jello? GROSSNESS. But they loved it:)


"Tomorrow" I'll post the rest of the pics...including our fun photo booth.

Thank you for not believing me and lowering your expectations:)

What Else Would We Be Doing in August...

...besides having a double birthday party for two people whose actual birthdays are in May and December?

It was pretty awesome to have a pool party, sprinklers on the tramp, and water balloon fights.

In the past, it's snowed for our camp-outs, the yellow brick road has blown away, and I beat myself up for throwing parties 7 weeks late.

Lilly is definitely closer to eight than 7. But whatever.


God blessed us with an amazingly sunny day:) I felt the love.

I'm sure you're curious about the colors.
Red, yellow, and aqua. It was perfect.

The birthday boy was perfect, too.

And so was the girl.

But these people are nuts.

More details tomorrow :)

Swallow Your Coffee Before Reading

So yesterday, I was vacuuming Jackson's room while the kids were at school, and stumbled across a little orange note scattered on the floor between a nerf gun and smelly t-shirt.

Before I share it, you need to know...

Lilly does NOT need personal space.

Or public space.

She likes to be touching, holding hands, snuggled up, scratching your arm, playing with your hair, close as a breath, in your space {which she actually thinks is hers.}

ALL THE TIME.

{I think they're 3 and 4 in this photo.}

She rode her scooter home from school today one-handed to free up the other one for some hand-holding with mom.

Lilly also loves her brother to pieces. Of course, that doesn't mean she treats him well all the time.

{As a total aside, just moments ago before bed, she was in a tearful fit..."It's like my brain turns off sometimes and then I say something horrible to Jackson and then it turns back on when it's all over. Why do I hurt Jackson with my words when I love him more than anyone in the world? I don't MEAN to, my brain just goes OFF."}

Oh sweet girl.

If Jackson should ever try something audacious, like stealing a moment to read, breathe, or think alone, Lilly can be immediately found in his presence.

{Disney World}

Begging him to play, trying to make him laugh, and using whatever persuasive wear-down tactics she can, Lilly will not let it rest until he angrily gives in.

The frustration in his voice explains that he's weighed the outcomes of joining her ploy and that playing whatever she wants is less painful than fending off her persistent interruptions.

Back to vacuuming his bedroom...I reached down to throw out an orange piece of paper, glanced at the handwriting, then vaguely recalled shouting up the stairs earlier that morning that Lilly should have "NO physical contact with Jackson whatsoever while he is innocently trying to read a book."


Lilly will annoy--through words, touching, or pen.

And Jackson's response perfectly captured his personality.

And then I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.