Christmas in Dallas - Part II

Monday was the beginning of what I now call Cookiefest 2010. My mom always has a large assortment  of cookies laid out all day long, every day, around Christmastime. Now, I normally don't indulge in too many sweets (since I do count every calorie very closely), but there's something about holiday tradition that I can't escape when it comes to my Mom's cookies. The first few days in Dallas, I was able to avoid the extra sugar because she hadn't made her usuals yet. I was not going to have that luck any longer....

To begin the week, I helped my Mom with a new addition to the cookie assortment - reindeer cookies! She got the idea from the newspaper. We decided on a Burch cookie favorite for the base - snickerdoodles - and then decorated with pretzels, M&M's and chocolate chips to make our reindeer face. They turned out very cute!

Reindeer Cookies

After our baking was done, we wanted to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in Dallas (especially for folks coming from Boston) and do something outside. Since Texas still has flowers in December (something that's been long gone from Boston), we ventured out to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

We walked around, toured the children's Texas pioneer homes, enjoyed the artwork and water features, and viewed the large Santa collection in the DeGolyer Estate. Dylan had a great time "ho ho"ing at many of the various Santa's.

The Family and White Rock Lake

My Sweet Boy!

Appreciating Art

Tuesday was the day my brother, Jody, and his family were going to arrive. To spend the morning outdoors on another warm day, my Dad took Mike, Dylan and myself to tour some of the new additions of our neighborhood lake - White Rock. It has been many years since I biked or walked around the path so it was very nostalgic but with a lot of new features to enjoy.

Dylan was more interested in looking at the ducks on the lake than at the camera.

We walked along the path for a while taking in the sights and made it to the playground on T.P. hill. Dylan had a great time on the swings, slide and enjoyed running around with his Pipaw.

To try and keep Dylan's naps somewhat regular, it was time to head back to the car. We took the new path by the lake which used to be a train line. I'm not sure how goods get in and out of Dallas now because all of their train lines seem to be defunct. All the ones I knew about are now walking paths or DART rail (public transportation) tracks. In any case, I love seeing walk\bike paths like this developed in any urban areas. I'm a fan of cities encouraging active lifestyles.

Me, Dylan and Pipaw Walking the Path

After a nap, a trip to the mall (with Dylan sleeping in the car), and heavy traffic home, we arrived back at the house just a few minutes before Jody and his crew!