This past weekend was birthday weekend for the Faulk girls. Ana turned four, then Emma turned three two days later. The girls had requested a “bear party,” and seeing as how the closest Build a Bear Workshop was still an hour and a half away in OKC, it just made good sense to move the party south to Texas, adding an hour to the drive for us but seriously reducing everyone else’s drive. We had such a good time, celebrating the birthdays and watching all the kids make some very snazzy looking bears…

… and that’s our nephew, Connor, behind the Ariel bear that Ana’s holding. Even with him completely hidden, this was still the best picture taken. You try taking a picture with seven kids all under the age of five! It’s not the easiest task in the world!

The day after the party, Wes and I were able to go to the Rangers game, where they were hosting Dog Night at the Park. I lamented the fact that Charlie was at the dog hotel back in Oklahoma because he would have totally been into parading around the field with the other dogs. Oh, well. We had a good time despite his absence.

We had promised Emmy a trip to the zoo for her birthday. (Or the “animal zoo” as Ana calls it. Because there are zoos that have something other than animals…??? I don’t know.) They sure were excited when we woke up that morning and got ready to head out…

We arrived at the Fort Worth zoo right as it opened, and Emmy proceeded to say hello to every animal that lives there. Some of them even seemed to say hello right back to her!

Unfortunately, about ten minutes into our visit, Ana started acting strange, and before long, it was obvious that she had a fever. We were able to get it under control with some Tylenol, but it’s been coming and going since then. She did feel good enough to take a family picture with the cake that Emma requested, since we forgot to take a picture in the insanity that was the Build a Bear party with seven children under the age of five. (Did I mention that it was a little hectic?)

And about ten minutes after this picture was taken, Wes caught the fever, then I caught the fever, and Emma… is still fever-free. We’re all amazed by her apparent immunity this go round and are keeping our fingers crossed that her good health holds. (She’s not been without her trials and tribulations, though, as she had a run-in with a Zhou Zhou pet which resulted in some hair loss. Which was probably more traumatic than having a fever, now that I think about it.)

I should probably go and check up on everyone, give out some Tylenol, and maybe try to get some rest myself…