Kanuga

Ellery has been obsessed with "sleep away camp" for a while now. Alan's mother went to an all girls camp in Texas, Camp Mystic, and now our niece goes there too. Alan grew up going to camp Longhorn (he has already taught Ellery the Longhorn camp song.) On any given day, Ellery can be found packing her bags and pretending she is going to sleep away camp. The truth is that it will be a while before Ellery ventures off to whatever camp she ends up going to.

One day last August, I was reading our Church bulletin and I came across a Parish Retreat to Kanuga. I was curious...I made a few calls and signed us up. The girls were insanely excited to go to sleep away camp - they asked about it for weeks, counting down the days.

Kanuga is a conference center affiliated with the Episcopal Church. In all honesty, we were a little unsure of what we were getting ourselves into. Were we going to be holding hands and singing cumbaya all weekend? Were we going to spend the day praying together? What would we be doing?

In the end, we had a great time. We arrived and were greeted with cocktails and a sunset (gotta appreciate the Episcopalians love of wine.) We had a great time playing bingo, canoeing, hanging out, hiking, having a beach party, enjoying the D.J., watching our kids dance and dance and dance and have the times of their lives. We ended the weekend with a short service Sunday morning overlooking the lake. It was peaceful, relaxing and rejuvenating.

Of course, I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures!

Maybe next year?

Happy Birthday, Ellery

Oh sweet child, how is it that you are FOUR years old. I looked at you this morning, as we were preparing for your party, and I realized that your legs have lengthened and your face has slimmed. You are suddenly no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, merely a little girl.

You are independent and opinionated. You are persistent and persuasive. You teach me to be a better person every day.

I love preparing your birthday parties for you. I look forward to your bright smile when you see the decorations.

Your enthusiasm upon seeing your friends at the door is contagious.

If I could freeze time for a while, I would. I know that I will not always be your best friend. I know that sometime soon you won't think I am cool, you won't try to be like me, to copy me, to cling to me. I am dreading that day.....and until then, I am soaking you up!

Happy Birthday my love!

Birthdays

Today is Ellery's birthday celebration!

There have been a lot of birthdays to celebrate the past few weeks as well as a family trip to Kanuga. Stay tuned for fun pictures.

In the meantime, picture this child giddy with excitement at the prospect of a party with all of her friends.

Happy Friday

Hope this is the start to a great weekend.....see you Monday with lots of fun pictures.

Latham McKnight Ranch

The ranch is about 1.5 - 2 hours outside of Austin. We flew into Austin and stayed for a night to catch up with some friends. The Lammes were kind enough to take us in....the girls were thrilled to see their kids. So much so that Ellery lost all interest in the ranch and stated quite confidently that she wanted to stay in Austin with Brady and Tilden.

After a slow start, we made our way to the ranch on Friday. Many have asked, "what do you do at the ranch?" The short answer is NOTHING and I suppose that is what makes it so nice. After thinking about this question a bit more, I have realized that is not exactly true.

The kids love checking out the animals. Vaughan convinced herself that she wanted to ride a cow. It broke my heart to tell her no so for a while I played along as we tried time and time again to get close enough to a cow for her to "hop on." There are horses to feed and sometimes pigs to observe.

There is a lot of hiking and exploring that takes place -- especially down by the creek. And many mule rides to pass the time. There is always a bonfire at night and often the evening ends with smores. There is little/no tv. It is heavenly.

We can't wait to head back.

Mr. Lea Upton McKnight, esq.

We arrived home last night after spending a fabulous weekend in Fredonia! We had a great time hanging out with lots of cousins, chasing cows, petting horses, hiking, roasting marshmallows, etc. I have a lot of pictures to share.

In the meantime, a number of you have been asking why this blog is called Fredonia Falldown.

Alan's family has had a ranch in Fredonia, TX for 135 years. His great, great grandparents built the ranch house that we stay in today. Fredonia is a small town (can I even call it a town) nestled between the bustling Mason and Brady (boasting about 2000 people.)

Alan's dad, Sam McKnight, had 3 brothers and a sister. The youngest, a brother, Lea Upton took a liking to the ranch :-) He managed the family properties and ranch from Fredonia. These ranchers live a hard life. Taking care of a ranch and trying to make a living doing so should not be underestimated. This area of Texas has come to be called "Alcohol Valley." Let's just say that there is a LOT of drinking going on in Fredonia.

Lea was a very creative man. In fact, he created the Fredonia Falldown. This is not a drink to be taken lightly - Lea had a drinking strength that most of us probably lack. Please proceed with caution.

Fredonia Falldown

1 ounce Vodka

1 ounce Kahlua

Shot of 151

Pour ingredients over ice in a chilled old-fashioned glass.

Fredonia Flyaway

1 ounce Vodka
1 ounce Kahlua

1/2 ounce Cream
Shot of 151

Shake and pour ingredients over ice in a chilled old-fashioned glass.

Consumerism

Consumerism....has a hold on me right now.  Someone please talk some sense into me.  I have had my eye on a few key items (see images above.)  Aren't they the perfect fall accessories.  Must close computer now...no more online shopping...