we know how to plan a good weekend

seriously, if you live out of town or out of state, we would love for you to come visit. our motto with visitors is if you get yourself here, we will take care of the rest.

last weekend the allens came to town. this is our second year in a row to host the now 5-member family in a one-bedroom apartment. was it a little tight? well sure but no biggie. did that make it any less fun? heck no! we watched football, played xbox, cooked dinner, watched a movie, and shared shipley's donuts in our cozy one-bedroom apartment. everyone even had hot water for showers (all in the same morning)!

we began saturday with lunch at pappasito's (emily's food request). (was their any doubt that place made its way into a weekend with us?!) lunch was followed by a trip to the zoo. we did go when they visited last year, but we were all interested in the new "african forest" exhibit that just recently opened at last month. all 7 of us made it about halfway through the zoo, including the slightly disappointing new exhibit...houston friends, we just did not think it lived up to all of the hype. overall, the zoo was as great as its always been. from there, walter, emily, emma, eva and i decided we were ready for cupcakes and outlet shopping.we headed to crave cupcakes so they could enjoy the deliciousness i love so much. and enjoy they did. after that, we drove out to the outlet mall in cypress where walter and emily found some great deals.while we were cupcaking-it-up and shopping, lee and jonah finished the zoo and then headed to the museum of natural science. this was a perfect choice for jonah. at 8, he loves animals and discovering new things. the rock/crystal exhibit was a huge hit for him as well as the gyro-meter ride. they capped off their night with the always delicious pappa's burgers.the main purpose for their visit was to purchase some new furniture at ikea. sunday, we all headed for that wonderful shopping experience. they left with the furniture they needed, eva found a new friend, and we even walked away with a new shower curtain (first one in our marriage). we sent them on their way back to louisiana with full bellies from lunch at freebirds (walter's food request).as always, a great weekend was had and we cannot wait to see all of you again. to everyone else, remember the invitation always stands for you to come visit! :)