Indian Princesses

Texas has a ton of traditions...
yellow ribbons tied to the trees in town
in support of the high school sports teams,
school signs in front yards to show your pride,
the Red River rivalry every fall during football season...
the list goes on and on.
It's really pretty cool!
But one of the sweetest traditions is surely Y Guides/Indian Princesses.
From kindergarten through second grade,
girls and their dads join an Indian Princesses group
with other kiddos in their grade.

There are meetings filled with father-daughter activities every few months,
a father-daughter dance and holiday events.
But the highlight is, without a doubt, the fall and spring camping trips.

Sometimes these take place at YMCA camps about an hour from Dallas.
Other times they're at personal ranches or lake houses.
Always they are filled with super excited 6 year olds
who spend their weekend running, squealing,
trying every outdoor activity under the sun and 
having the time of their lives with their friends and their dads.

They all come home a little stinky, a little tired,
a little (lot) bath deprived and a little sun burned,
and they wouldn't have it any other way.
Lexi's best friend was part of the fall camp out,
so that made it super special,
especially because it was the very first one.
Any guesses as to which girl kept her cabin mates up til midnight
that Friday telling ghost stories?

The weekend was filled with fishing, archery, bb gun target practice,
hiking, horseback riding, canoeing,
and of course the traditional cookout and s'mores around the campfire. 
Then, the girls crash in their cabins will the dads sneak some much needed
wine/beer and toast to a really fun time.
The spring trip let them try out an amazing zipline course through the woods,
shooting off rockets and a giant climbing wall.
What a wonderful tradition - for both the dads and their daughters!

 

Words to live by...no matter your age

"Regularly learn and play new sports"

Open Door Policy

You can call March the month of visitors.
We were so happy to welcome some of our very favorite faces to Dallas.
Nanny and Grandpa Mike flew in over spring break,
and we enjoyed time with them here and then in Austin for an overnight stay.
Highlights include a visit to the Bush Library
(where this guy looked like a natural),

the JFK 6th floor museum -
We got to see the actual window/part of the street
where the assassination occurred,
an adults night out in Bishop Arts,
some exploring along the Katy Trail

and then of course a visit to Austin.
The weather wasn't super cooperative -
but we made the most out of sight seeing in a new city
and really enjoyed the children's museum,
South Congress and the Omni Barton Creek.
I'm thinking 6th Street isn't really geared for either the
under 7 or the 70 and up crowd,
so Vic and I will have to return another time to get the real flavor of ATX.
We were so happy to spend Spring Break with the grandparents though -
the girls adore cooking and reading with their Nanny
and having scavenger hunts and listening to Mrs. Lockhart stories with Grandpa. 

No sooner did they fly home to New Jersey,
then we welcomed Grandpa Tom.
He brought along a new fishing pole that they put to good use right away.

Lexi was very proud to have her Grandpa in as "special reader"
for her kindergarten class
and then invited him for lunch in the cafeteria. 
Perhaps his favorite part of this activity (other than seeing Lexi in her big girl
school) was being reminded of the world with little kiddos - he witnessed
some serious nose picking, paper ball throwing, shoelace tying and lunchroom antics
for the first time in a really long time - and got the biggest kick out of it all!

Tom was also a huge help to Vic while I caught up with my college friends
in Nashville for the weekend.

He was able to see the home we are building for the first time,
work on Lexi's baseball swing with her and even take the girls to
Cinderella all on his own.
No visit to Dallas is complete without a Hamilton-Hutchison dinner,
so that's just how we ended Grandpa's trip!
Then, just when life began to feel ordinary again,
Aunt Wendy and Courtney flew in for some girl time under the Texas sun.
Not much delights Alexis and Ryleigh more than their "big girl cousin",
and it was great to get to show her a little bit of our new city for the first time.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect.
We spent the days visiting the Dallas Zoo,

doing some sight seeing and museum touring,
having lunch with Lexi at UP, hitting the gym and going for long walks,
shopping, eating and visiting Southlake.
We were even able to turn on the sprinkler for some old fashioned fun.

As luck would have it, Nanny's sister and her husband
were driving through town for a wedding,
so we welcomed them one afternoon also!

Being so far from family is hard for us all,
so last month, filled with so many of the people we love,
was a true blessing. 
Now, come back and visit again after we move!

Hoppy Easter