Bat Family (and Bjorn Borg)

Halloween was a huge success!

Our little trio dressed up as Bat Family, complete with Batman, Batgirl, and Batbaby. (Daddy, of course, couldn't resist pulling out his Bjorn Borg get-up!)

Our neighborhood always has a huge party where we eat dinner together (Texas-famous Frito Pie!) and then head out to trick-or-treat as soon as it gets dark.

Little Lila

Lila looked so adorable the other day, all bundled up in her little sweat suit (a hand-me-down from Savannah, given to us by the Stapleys--we still love it!) It's tough for me to capture on camera how completely adorably sweet & beautiful she is. Lila is such a treasure. She is so content & already growing up WAY too fast.

Is This Really My Family??

Last Saturday we decided to go, as a family, to the Arboretum. It's absolutely beautiful at this time of year & we were all excited to spend a crisp autumn day outside together.

On our way to our lovely family outing, we stopped for lunch...at Taco Bell.
I'm not a fan. So, I didn't eat, but I sat & watched (& laughed) as my family completely embraced the entire experience that is Taco Bell.

This picture says it all...


Rod is teaching his daughter the "true art" of taco eating. Specifically, to tip her head sideways as to get the biggest bite possible with the least amount of shell breakage.

Will is standing with his shirt off, devouring his pintos & cheese. Every time he takes a bite, a little pile of beans lands on that cute round belly.

Definitely not our proudest moment but, I have to admit, everyone was happy!

The Lady Bugs

Savannah is wrapping up another fall season of soccer.

She officially carried on the Hinze family tradition (started, I believe, by Uncle Matt) by wearing #57 (as in Heinz 57.)

Good work Savannah--you sure look great in that uniform!

GO COUGARS!

Every other year, the BYU football team comes to Fort Worth to battle it out against TCU (Texas Christian University).

We were so excited to go this year, especially since we've added 2 new members to the Hinze family since the 2006 BYU/TCU game. (I was pregnant with Will the last time we went.)

The traffic was terrible, parking was crazy, the kids were wild, our team lost...but it was all part of the experience & we were so happy to go & support our beloved BYU & reconnect with a lot of old friends.

Future Zoobies?


Savannah loved posing with "The Big Kitty".


More fun with Cosmo


Lila enjoyed some game-time refreshment...


Then burped like a real football-watching pro


Go Cougars!

Siblings helping Siblings

Since our family's recent expansion, it's been so much fun for me to see the children interacting with one another.

Will is a fantastic helper with Lila. If she's crying, he runs straight to her and tries to solve the problem himself. If he can't sooth her with a pacifier, he makes sure that I take care of her RIGHT away. He loves to hold her, feed her, hug her, and love her.

While Will has been busy taking care of Lila, Savannah has been busy taking care of Will. Savannah loves to give him little assignments (especially throwing away her trash) & Will loves to please his big sister.

Last night, Will came in to my bedroom with no diaper on. When I asked him where it was, Savannah informed me that "Will needed to go poopy, so I took off his diaper & put him on the little potty." GENIUS! Will was proud, Savannah was proud, and I was thrilled. I got so excited that I told Savannah that if she potty trains Will, I'll give her ANYTHING she wants. She thought hard for about 5 seconds, and then announced that, more than anything, she wants...CANDY CORN.

It's a tall order, but I think I can manage to scrape up some candy corn in exchange for potty training assistance. Thanks Savannah!!!

Thomas Pajamas

About 3 months ago, my parents sent Will a package in the mail. It contained a very cool pair of Thomas pajamas. I'm not one for letting my kids run around with characters on their clothes, but I'm happy for them to wear any kind of pajamas they like...and Will LOVES wearing his Thomas to bed.

So, you can only imagine Will's excitement when Papa showed up in Texas with his very own grown-up Thomas pajamas! What a super-cool Grandpa!!

Finally a Texan?

I've lived in Dallas for 7 1/2 years now. The Texas State Fair comes to Dallas every fall, and it's a VERY big deal. The kids get holidays from school specifically to attend the fair, and everyone goes crazy over the food, the fun, and the general fantastic-ness of the whole event. So, I go to the fair every year, but always with a sense of obligation--just because it's a tradition & just to feel like I can talk about corny dogs & Big Tex with everybody else. I'm just really not a fair person.

But something in me changed this year.

Rod & I took the kids to the fair on Thursday evening. The weather was crisp & cool, we were all in great moods (no kid meltdowns!), and somehow it just felt different this year. I REALLY liked it. I guess I've finally lived here long enough to feel like a real Texan...and it feels great!

Posing in front of Big Tex

Will couldn't get enough of his fried turkey leg!

Savannah's proudest moment! She has begged me for cotton candy at least a half dozen times, and I have never let her have it. She was THRILLED to have her first taste of the pink stuff.

My favorite event (of course) is the pig races. They're so cute!

Savannah watched the parade from Daddy's shoulders

Rod, Savannah & Will all braved the slide...the kids are still begging to go back for more! (And I think I just might take them again!)