Texas ya’ll.

Texas is hot.

It’s also in a different time zone.  (But of course everyone knows that – right?)

And it’s home to one of my favorite families and my favorite Emma.

We have eight kids all together here and we are enjoying the high volume chattering and the endless snack consumption and the book reading and good times.  We’ve been using incentives to encourage them to clean up – like offering them tokens that they can later exchange to buy popcorn with toppings for movie night.

The boys ended their baseball seasons this weekend and we were able to watch a couple of games and see Colton wear his official catching gear and Beckett conquer a few solid hits in the lovely sweltering Texas sun.

We dined upon Texas’ famous Hard 8.  So good.  Chicken poppers.  That’s all you need to know.  Chicken wrapped in bacon.

The kids might say their highlight this weekend is the enchanting pool Jon’s parents have in their backyard.  It is pretty dreamy.  And completely refreshing.

I like seeing the normal stuff.  (Don’t get me wrong – the pool is a highlight for me too.)  But I really like the regular stuff of life.  I liked attending church with Emma and Jon.  Sitting in their living room after lights out for the kids and just chatting.  Watching the kids play with the new boxer pup Stella and her love of the red laser light.  Visiting the family video store with Emma.  (A family video store, you guys.  Where we rented and started watching a ridiculous movie which we didn’t bother to finish.  It was that ludicrous.  Try to guess it if you want.  It was starring two people who have made at least three other films together – all romantic comedies.  Two actors who seem to never age and seem to always be doing kind of the same stuff.  It was a terrible film.  I’ll save you three bucks and let you know now – don’t rent it.)

I like driving the familiar-to-Emma roads and passing spots where they eat sometimes or ride their bikes.  We biked/rode scooters to pick up the boys from their last day of school. It felt very suburban to me.  (Is suburban the word I mean?  Or suburbian?  Is suburbian even a word?  Apparently it’s not.  Can I make it one?)

I’ve worn cowboy boots in Texas.  It felt right somehow.  I borrowed Emma’s but I have a feeling I need to own a pair myself.

Who knows what the rest of our visit will contain.  Probably donuts.  It seems there is a fascination with donuts here.  There is a shop on every corner.

I wish it would include a little sleeping in.  It seems our kids are on South Carolina time still.  Or are just too excited to sleep late when their buddies are sharing a room with them.

London has made a cake shaped like a castle and I made Rice Krispie treats and milkshakes in the same day.  I think we drank the milkshakes for brunch.  We’ve been living on the edge, I tell you.

I like to rearrange and organize Emma’s pantry.  (I have a problem, I think.)  Also, Emma and I have been like two tired old people.  I mean, if two tired old people keep forgetting their possessions back at the house and continue to talk gibberish to one another and ask the same question to the other one just after one of us makes a statement saying that same thing already.

As in – I say, while making the Rice Krispie treats, “Want to let the kids start a movie and we go rent a movie to watch at the same time?”

And she pauses.  Looks away.  Eats a Rice Krispie treat.  And then says, “Hey, want to rent a movie?”

Yeah.  If that’s what two old people are like – Emma and I have that covered.

So.  Texas.  That’s how we are rolling down here in the Lone Star State.