This is Ephraim. I suppose I'm doing the blogging this time before I head back to Iraq (or Irat as Max calls it). I've been home for two weeks of R&R (that's the supposed rest and relaxation) and it's been great to see Heather and the boys and spend some time with them. We got to do a lot of fun stuff and we managed to take a few pictures to prove it.
We spent a day in Waco, eating at a seafood place on the river and checking out Baylor's awesome Mayborn Museum. They have really cool hands-on kid exhibits that the boys loved. 
Our next major adventure was an overnight trip up to Dallas to see a baseball game. The Orioles (my favorite team) were in town to play the Rangers so I told Heather that we had to go. And the Orioles decided to win a game and the boys even lasted through 10 innings without any major incidents. We also had the unique opportunity to see a working replica of Back to the Future's DeLorean outside a BBQ place in Arlington. Man those doors are cool.
The next day we went to the Fort Worth Zoo and saw lots of cool animals and lots of kids on field trips. The boys had a great time on the carousel. 
Here are the promised birthday party photos, the Imagination Movers cake being the highlight. Although it became increasingly wobbly as the party wore on, it was a big hit. As was the pinata- no pun intended! Max had a great time with his friends and everyone loved the bubble wands.
We headed to San Antonio for a few days and stopped in the BBQ Capital of Texas, Lockhart. We ordered food from these two famous places then proceeded to have a head-to-head comparison. After mulling over every bite we decided they were pretty similar and we later found out they're owned by the same family. So much for the competition. In any case, that was one delicious lunch. Have we mentioned we love barbecue?
We always enjoy feeding the deer at Ft. Sam Houston. Max was really into it but Ezra didn't want to give up the carrots. Max and Ezra are both really funny these days. They have a great time together (for the most part) and sure keep us laughing. 
Our annual trip to Sea World was a hit this year. It even included a Nascar photo op especially for Grandma and Grandpa. Forget the killer whales or dolphins, the boys' favorite part was digging in the sand at the playground area.
It was a busy two weeks but we had an awesome time and we can't wait til we're together again.
