Sunday Funday at the Dallas Arboretum - 2013

Since Chad and I first got together, Sundays have always been our Sunday Funday.  With his always crazy, work-like-a-dog schedule that obviously keeps him at the restaurant during almost ALL Friday's and Saturdays, we like to make good use of our time together.  Now that our bear has graced our lives, these days are even more precious.  And now that the weather has finally started to cooperate with the idea of any sort of outdoor activities, we hit the Dallas Arboretum this past Sunday to check out the new Children's Garden I'd been hearing so much about.  :)  

I have to say, the new garden did not disappoint!  So many fun activities and teaching moments all around.  Walkways and trails and a very cool "sky bridge" over-looking the whole garden.  We, (as in Chad and I), LOVED it...Everleigh just liked all the pretty colors and people watching.  ;)  But there's no doubt that we'll certainly be coming back more often in the next few years as Everleigh gets older and can take part in all the fun and interactive displays.  :)  Kelley family APPROVED! :) 

She doesn't look so impressed here...but she really did enjoy all the activity going on around her.  ;) 

It was a beautiful day for a walk around the gardens.. 

Taking her through the "wilderness"  Ha!  

Love these two so much!  

Finally free of her stroller..Arm up and...YEAAAAAAHHH!!

The next set of pictures might be a bit of Everleigh Overload...but we both thought it was so funny how she reacted to sitting on the grass.  We realized when we set her down that this was actually only the second encounter with grass!  Is that weird?  Geez.. this girl needs to get her hands dirty.. STAT!  Lol..

She finally came around after a few "light pats" and foot rubs of the fluffy stuff under her.. So funny.. and CUTE!

Giving grass her stamp of APPROVAL!! YEAAAAHHHHHH!!! 

But still not entirely convinced.. Ha!  

Stinker Face! :)

And we're good.. lol..

And then she quickly tried to eat it.  :)  

Annnnnndddd... We're off!  

And of course no trip to the Arboretum is complete without the obligatory photos amongst all those PUMPKINS!!  Too bad she only looked up ONCE!  lol.. I think the sun was too bright and she was too distracted to look up for mommy and daddy.  Oh well, she's too damn cute anyway!  :) 

The one and only shot of her actually LOOKING at the camera!  :)  

What in the HELL is this thing?!  :)

A foot rest perhaps?  ;) 

Maybe I can chew on this part right here?  ;)  

Getting good at that STINKY FACE!  :)

Date Night at Spoon, Reunion Tower and Klyde Warren Park

For the last couple of months, life has been pretty hectic around our house.  Packing up the old to move into the new.. with a 1 year old that wants to get into EVERYTHING and "help" out where she can.  Sifting, sorting, trashing and resettling...moving is definitely not for the faint of heart!  Who knew 1,800 SF could produce so much CRAP?!  I never considered myself a hoarder until I saw how much JUNK I'd been storing in the tiniest crevices of our old house.  Lol..ok, maybe "hoarder" is a bit much, but you get the idea. 

With all the hub bub happening around us, it's not surprising that date nights with the hubs have fallen by the way side.  With barely enough time in the day to eat a decent meal (or dinner time snack rather), Chad and I haven't really had an opportunity to spend much quality time together. 

Enter my amazing husband, who never ceases to amaze me.  With no real reason at all (other than the fact that it had been too long since we did anything fun together), he took it upon himself to plan a surprise outing for us.  Knowing that whatever we ended up doing would involve a fabulous meal, I let the anticipation build for a fabulous evening with my love. 

First stop on our Sunday night adventure was Spoon Bar & Kitchen.  Named 1 of the 50 best new restaurants nominees of 2013 by Bon Appetit, this modern american seafood restaurant by Chef John Tesar definitely did not disappoint.

As part of the 7+ course tasting menu that both Chad and I enjoyed, here's a look at our offerings, in pictures.   

Amuse Bouche:  Poached Scallops, Cilantro Foam, Blackberry Puree, Caviar

First Course:  Cuttlefish, Jalapeno Oil, Yuzu & Pink Peppercorns

 

Second Course:  Day Boat Sea Scallops, Asian Mushrooms, Dashi & Trout Roe

Third Course:  Lobster Ravioli, Butter Poached Lobster Knuckle 

Fourth Course:  Maya Prawns, Kimchi Pancake and Kimchi Butter

  Fifth Course:  Swordfish, Parsley Puree, Tomato & Picholine Olive Vinaigrette, 

Wild Watercress & Toasted Quinoa 

Sixth Course:  Arctic Char, Pea Puree 

Pre-Dessert Yumminess:  Chocolate Pudding with a Salted Caramel Foam

Dessert YK:  Called "The White Album"

Coconut Tapioca on Mango Cream & Coconut Ice Cream

Dessert CK:  Called "Chocolate Textures"

After Dessert DESSERT!  

Assortment of Tasty Treats

 

Including Madeleine!  

Next Stop:  The recently re-opened Reunion Tower & Observation Deck.  

This stop actually had special meaning because there was an attempt to visit the Tower on our very first date in 2008 (not realizing it had been closed for almost a YEAR at the time).  It just reopened again for the public this past weekend.  :)  Surprisingly though, our Sunday night visit was fairly quiet, having most of the floor to ourselves.  :)  

   

Views from the top :)

Last Stop of the Night:  Klyde Warren Park.  

We'd heard a lot of great things about this park downtown but had yet to actually make it out there.  It was a beautiful fall night for a stroll.  :)

Entrance into the Children's Park.. 

Splash Fountain