Tulsa State Fair

We checked the big kids out of school early today and went to the Tulsa State Fair! We all went, except Brad, poor guy had to work. I did feel bad leaving him out, but they say the weekends and evenings are crazy at the fair.
Bud and I took the Pilot and met Michelle there. We had 5 carseats and a stroller in the back. We were packed in there!! It was pretty loud on the way there. Brewer kept trying to have a conversation with Cole, but Cole wasn't really in the mood for chit chat. The big kids sang songs on the way there.
One guy actually laughed as we were getting out of the car. I'm sure he wondered what in the heck we were thinking.
It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of animals and the kids enjoyed looking at them and petting and feeding them.
Apparently Zoe was pointing out disgusting body fluids to Michelle in the "birthing center" section. Sorry I missed that!
Bomber and Cole checked out the chicks!




Michelle got all of the kids a cup of food for the petting zoo. Cole dumped his entire cup to the first goat he saw.

The little shovels tied to the fence are meant for you to put the food in and feed the animals.

Yes, Cole has it on his face near his mouth. Eww.

They even had camels, zebras, and kangaroos there.

This kangaroo cracked me up because it looked like she thought she was posing for a Victoria's Secret ad. It was one of those time I needed Vanwagner around. She would have laughed with me.

The kangaroo isn't the only one that loves to pose for a picture!

This tortoise was really grouchy. He reminded me a lot of Cole. He didn't want to be looked at or have anyone in his space.


There were a million cool things at the fair, but the pile of Legos was Cole's favorite part. He could have stayed there all day.


There was one little booth that let the kids paint for free and gave them a bag of chips.



Then we ventured off the to rides and the end of anything that was free.
We rode a sky ride. It was a cable car that took us across the park.
All of us were able to squeeze in one car. Michelle and Hads met us at the end.



There was a really strange guy working at the end of the ride. He let the car hit him as we came in and smashed his face against the glass. Then he continued to follow us off the ride talking like Donald Duck. Bud said he was glad they put the drunk guy at the end of the ride.
Zoe was really sweet and rode rides Cole wanted to ride.


Michelle rode the teacups with her kids. She buried her head the whole ride and we thought she might throw up.
Bud said, "I wouldn't drink out of the blue cup".
She survived.
Cole and Brewer loved riding in the police car. They are so cute together...when they get along.
Zoe and I rode the ferris wheel.
It felt good just to sit down. I carried Cole around the last 2 hours of the day. I was tired.

This was already written on the seat we were in, but Zoe thought it was funny.
It didn't take long for Cole and Brewer to fall asleep.

It was a fun, but exhausting, day.

Hodges in Owasso

Cole: "You yike my room Papa?"
Even though Papa didn't stay to sleep with Cole in his big boy bed (Cole said he was going to), it was still a fun visit.
Cole showed Pops the robot in the backyard (it's a utility pole) and the goldfish pond at the entrance of our neighborhood.
We had a lot of fun playing with Nan, Pops, Charity, and Blake today.

We were all tired from our late evening last night and playing hard today. Blake carried Brewer back home from the pond.
I wish we could talk Mom and Dad into moving to Owasso. It would be fun to all be here together!

Odd Group of Rock Stars

It was Homecoming week here in Owasso and Thursday was Rock Star Day. Zoe and Hayden got really into it. Bomber, not so much.He didn't want Bud to spike his hair, but he did wear a tshirt instead of a button-up shirt and tie. Zoe asked why he wasn't wearing the bandanna she gave him and Bud said Bomber's the type of rockstar that just blows his nose on his bandanna.
Hads wanted a part of Rock Star Day too. Bud had the kids in 3D glasses for sunglasses. Whatever works I guess.This was Zoe's favorite dress up day. Friday she said the band and pom squad came through the halls of their school. She liked that too.

Walk in the Woods

Thursday Bud and I took Brewer, Cole, and Hads on a nature walk. They have some trails near the zoo. Cole was excited to "walk in the woods". He said, "We might see some snakes!" I said, "I'm scared of snakes", then he said, "Me three". (instead of "me too", he got that from Brewer). Bud tried to lead them along the trails, but they were so excited they ran ahead of us most of the time. Bud tried to convince Brewer that it was a bad idea for him to make decisions without him. I'm not sure Brew is the type of guy you want leading you through the woods.We saw a mama deer and two baby deer. Cole loves to tell people about them.
I pushed Hads in the stroller. It was a bumpy ride.
We fed some fish and turtles. They liked that too.
They even had some fun things to do inside.

We didn't stop to look at anything very long. Those boys ran the entire time. Cole took a nap when he got home and when he woke up he said, "I want to go back to the woods with Uncle Bud!"

What a Huge Honor

As many of you know my dad is being inducted into the MO Coaches Hall of Fame this December. It's a big deal! Last night at Homecoming they surprised him and named the Seneca football field, "Tom Hodge Field"!!!! I could tell it meant a lot to dad. The crowd was cheering and I think all of the coaches' allergies were getting to them. They all seemed a bit emotional.

Since it was a surprise we didn't tell Dad we were coming. Cole saw Pops for the first time while he was on the field and he ran out to him. They presented Dad with a nice plaque then they told him to look down by the scoreboard and they cheerleaders held up the banner that said "Tom Hodge Field". They are planning to put up a permanent sign soon.

Charity told Bud, "Sorry you didn't win the trophy". We all met at Mom's before the game. Cole did not want to put on the jersey. I made him anyway and he eventually got over it. He hates crowds of people he doesn't know so the game was pretty much a nightmare for him. He liked it better once we got back to Nana's after the game.
Grandpa Boots (who is 89), Aunt Sue, Aunt Patty, Uncle Charlie, Mom, Charity, Bud, Bomber, Hayden, Brewer, Brad, Zoe, Cole, and I all walked over to the game together. Blake was with Dad at the game and my cousin Felicia stayed with Hadley at Mom's. Michelle is in New York. We were bummed she wasn't with us. She would have LOVED it!
Zoe was excited to see all of her friends at the game. Mallorie was adorable. She ran and jumped on Zoe and wrapped her skinny little legs around Zoe's waist and gave her a huge hug. It was so good to see everyone. I forgot how much I missed knowing everyone when you go somewhere.
Zoe spent the majority of the game walking around looking for Mia. She wanted to call her ahead of time to see if she would be there, but we didn't want to ruin Dad's surprise. We didn't get to see Mia, but we'll make sure we do next time!Don't be nervous, Michelle! The Hodge kids buddied up with the police officers. They were giving away suckers and stickers.We LOVED seeing Steph, Matt, and Taya. I hated that we didn't get to visit with them though.We were all really proud of Dad. He is an amazing man and deserves this honor. Thank you to all the people who put this together. It was a fun night!!