Helena's Birthday and a busy weekend

She is 3 years old! It's shocking isn't it? How did we get here? Three years? I feel like I just blinked!

Ok, sobbing rant over. We had a quiet evening with a few friends for Helena's birthday on Friday, the 3rd. I managed to not get a picture of the rowdy crowd (that was so not rowdy) but we had a great time with Rebecca and Jackson, Mrs. Yarbrough and her daughter Lilly, and the five of us. The kids played outside for a while and then we had pizza (Helena's choice), watched a movie, ate a very odd cake that Daddy made (well, some of us ate it, most of us just tasted it and switched to M&M's), and opened presents. Everyone got to stay up late and we had several princesses running around trying to find a prince (poor Daddy). It was a lot of fun and a good way for Helena to kick off her fourth year of life.

It was also the kick off to a very busy weekend. Rebecca gave us tickets to the Houston Rodeo so Saturday afternoon we headed out to this Houston experience. I have never seen so many cowboy hats and boots in my life. It was different experience that pointed out just the "city-folk" we are. We saw bull riding (whatever possessed someone to get on a bull and hold on for dear life?), steer wrestling (I can see why you may need this skill as a cowboy), and barrel racing. There were baby chicks, pigs, goats, ponies, cows, calves, chickens, and more to see, smell, hear, touch and (in some cases) taste. Everybody was super friendly and the air was full of the most intriguing mixture of smells- I'm sure you can imagine. We only stayed about an hour and a half since I had to get to the gallery to hang a show but we had a good time visiting the cowboy world.

Sunday found me sick in bed most of the day but by the afternoon I had rested enough and taken enough drugs to go on the date with Jeremy we had planned three weeks prior. Heather Sanders and Aaron Walther came and watched the girls (thanks guys- the girls had a blast and keep asking when you're going to come back!) so Jeremy and I could enjoy dinner and Swan Lake performed by the Houston Ballet. A little more up our alley than the rodeo, Jeremy and I had a wonderful time. The orchestra was amazing and the performers stunning. This production was a new one by the Australian artist Kristian Fredrikson and was a fabulous end to his career (he died last year). Rothbart's costume was especially amazing, the best I've ever seen but the entire production and some new choreography was beautiful. The opening scene was fantastic with a tableau reminiscent of John William Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott and all the costumes and sets having that same feel. Just beautiful. Better than the production was the time Jeremy and I had together. A beautiful evening, thank you for those that made it possible for us.

Monday was the start of Spring Break for Ophelia and the girls have already had a great time enjoying the weather and playing together. This weekend was filled with beauty and this week will be full of fun with the three girls playing all together. Check out the pictures below from Helena's birthday weekend.