Nieces, a Nephew, and Horse Racing!

Happy September everyone!  Does anyone feel like the late Summer months have been busy?  Sheesh...it's an ordeal to manage our calendar and the Fall is getting more packed with each passing day.  Never-the-less, I am thrilled that the Dallas area got some rain today and I can smell Autumn in the air!  'Tis the season for football, sweaters, candles, beautiful boots, and backyard fires!

I want to share some pics with you guys from our trip to San Antonio the last week in August.  We traveled to see Jordan's side of the family and to celebrate our gorgeous niece and nephew birthdays!   Mady is officially 5 years old and Austin is officially 3!  Between the two of us, Jordan and I have 7 nieces and 1 nephew plus 1 on the way (that's a lot of girls)!  I love being an Aunt, but I must admit that I don't nearly live up to the aunt-spectations that my own Aunts set for me.  I have an abundance of good memories with my Aunts and Uncles!

Bare with me...I'm not adept at photographing kids.  They run fast, ya'll!  I was lucky just to capture the smiles that I did!  Most of my pictures turned our blurry or garish.  
Top Left: The amazing cakes that Tiffani had made for the kiddos.  WOW!  I've taken the Wilton courses so I know how much work it took to make these beautiful confections!  So pretty!
Top Right: Jordan and I! - That's a jumpy house behind us.  Too bad adults weren't allowed to jump. 
Bottom Left: Austin and Brooklyn laughing in the jumpy house.
Bottom Right: Brooklyn seemed to be enjoying herself so much!

Top Left: Mady blowing out her candles!  She had a pink ballerina cake!
Bottom Left: Jim, Jordan, and Kathy
Top Right: Brooklyn and Kevan - I mean, that face just makes you want to smile, right?
Middle Right: Kathy and I (Jordan is so lucky to have TWO Kathys in his life!)
Bottom Right: I got several pictures of Austin but this one just made me laugh.  He's smiling with a mouth full of cake.  He is a big Thomas the Train fan.  I thoroughly enjoyed a piece of both cakes (guilty)!

Saturday night was, sadly, our last night in San Antonio so we all had a lovely meal and decided to hit up the horse races at Retama Park!  Jordan and I were newbies and had so much to learn and see!  
Left: The program was extremely detailed.  I mean...people were literally sitting at a table studying the program and determining what they would bet.  Entire tables were covered with papers and such!  It's a serious business ya'll!  I'm not much of a gambler but got a kick out of the horses names.  
Top Right: Mady and I right up next to the fence looking for glimpses of the horses.
Middle Right: Kevan and Mady petting the horses.  
Bottom Right: #3 for the win!  Jordan and I made a small $10 bet and won about $2.50.  

I don't know why I was surprised to see all the sweat dripping off the horses.  They work really hard to get around that track fast!  It was almost as much fun to watch the humans setting up the race and taking it apart before the horses came around the track.  The whole thing was well orchestrated.
Top Left: This is the overall view from the ground up.  I mean....this is where it's at people.  Good entertainment, cheap entry, kids are enthralled, and best of all, it's all after the hot Texas sun has set!
Top Right: Brooklyn petting a horsie.
Bottom Left: This is the middle level of the spectator area.  It is a very nice facility.
Bottom Right: A LIVE band people!  These guys were good in my book; they played plenty of Luke Bryan.  

Thank you to all our family for a lovely visit!  We had such a great trip and wish Mady and Austin a happy birthday!  Love ya'll!

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