"Under the Big Top"

When I was a little girl, one of the highlights of the year was going to the El Karrubah Shrine Circus. Tonight, you two got to live the magic that is the circus! Landon, you've been one other time when you were about Shelby's age, but you don't remember it, so essentially this is your first trip too. Poppie and JuJu scouted out some great seats right at the center ring only a few rows up. When we all arrived, I was a little worried about you, Shelby. At the top of the stairs down, you started to fret a little, so we took it very slow. We watched from afar before we started the descent to our row. With so much noise, such bright lights, and so many people, you weren't too sure at first. But as with anything and you, it just took a little warming up to. Once the show started, the pretty ladies in sparkly sequins and lush feathers caught everyone's attention. And then out came the tigers! You both were very interested in the show now. Landon, you stared with such curiosity, while Shelby made her growling sounds and pointed. Shortly after the tigers was Bo the elephant. As soon as he came out, Shelby continued with her animal sounds, curling her arm around, just like you did when you were her age, for the trunk. It was really amazing to watch him lift his entire body and stand on his front legs. Landon, at Intermission, you even got to ride an elephant around the circus ring! The clowns were entertaining too. There was one that had a little dog dressed up in an elephant costume that he had to "wind up" to get him to run around. It was the cutest thing ever. We had cotton candy, cracker jacks, chicken and french fries, nachos, and cokes. It was the best dinner in a while! And of course no trip to the circus is complete without souvenirs. Shelby, you chose the stuffed elephant (the EXACT one that you had, Landon!) and Landon, you chose a light saber thingy. As soon as we got back to our seats, Shelby wanted that. So of course, Daddy bought her one too. They finished the show with some really neat trapeze artists and a crazy motorcycle man. Based on the looks on your faces throughout the whole show and in the car on the way home, the circus was an exciting, magical experience for us all.

"Freeze Time"

This is a silly picture, I know. But tonight, after y'all had your bath, and I was cleaning out the tub of all the toys, I looked down to see both pairs of tiny shoes sitting right there together on the floor. It made me stop and think about how y'all will never be this age again, and how quickly you two are growing up. I wish I could freeze time, and keep these shoe sizes forever..

"A True Romance"

So...it has been brought to my attention, that you, Landon, have a girlfriend. Her name is Jenna. She is the cutest little thing, with curly hair, who has her own sense of style, and rarely smiles for a camera. Jenna's mom, Kara, came to me to see if I knew you two had been kissing at school. You had told me that she kissed you when you left the table, but that was it. So we talked about how kissing was just for your family and it spreads germs, and overall hugs are just better. When I asked you if she was your girlfriend, you acted all silly, and said she wants to marry you. Kara wanted to give Mrs. Sorenson a 'heads-up,' about the 'issue,' and she went to the school to talk to her. Mrs. Sorenson acted like this was no surprise. She said, "oh yes, everyone knows they are boyfriend and girlfriend.." She even went as far as to tell Kara that every few years, she gets what she referred to as a 'true romance,' and she classified you and Jenna as one of those couples. You are quite the ladies' man, but I never dreamed we would be talking true love and marriage at age four!

Here she is, your bride-to-be!

"I Wanna Hold Your Hand.."

Shelby, you're settling right in to the "drop Brother off in the morning and pick him up later" routine. You load up every morning, clearly knowing where we're going (most of the time, you're still in your pj's). When we go back to pick Brother up, it's getting close to lunch and you've usually just gotten up from your nap-not the best of moods. But as soon as Landon gets in the car, your mood instantly changes. You are so happy to see him! And more often than not, you extend your chubby little arm and reach your hand out to his. You love him so much.

"Take Me To The River"

We've been housing Geno's boat at our house since the vacation, and we thought we would put it to use; so we loaded it up on the trailer and made a day of it. We went down to the Red River with a couple of 'river-wise' guys to cruise around. It was a gorgeous, although very warm, day for boating. Shelby, you were not real thrilled with the life-jacket wearing, but it wasn't anything that your bankie and paci couldn't help. We docked the boat on a sandbar, and Landon, you had a blast. Sliding down the sandy bank, getting all covered in mud, then racing down to the water to rinse off and do it again, was so much fun. Shel, if you weren't being held by Mom or Dad, you weren't happy. Wet sand, dry sand, it didn't matter. You HATED all sand. I tried to get you to touch it and play with it, but you weren't having it. You decided that hanging on the boat and eating some snacks was more your speed. We had a lot of fun together as a family. Hopefully one day we'll have our own boat, so we can go out cruising and playing anytime.