A Christmas Tree Farm Success!

Last year, our annual Christmas Tree cutting down trip was a disaster. The trees were a mess, and we ended up going to the garden store to get one. I was not going to give up, so I convinced Cory to try again this year. We went to a new farm in Tomball, Spring Creek Growers, and it was awesome! They had lots of fun things for the kids to do - water pump rubber duck races, bike race tracks, a haystack, teepees to play in, and a huge tree house. Adilyn and Kacy had some fierce rubber duck races. Kacy was very determined, I think her competitive side was showing! We danced around like Indians in the teepees, and the girls thought that was hilarious. The best part for me was that the trees were beautiful, too! We found a fantastic tree, which made me sooooo happy. It was a warm day, so that was a little bit of a bummer because it didn't "feel" like Christmas. It wasn't too hot, and we had a great time playing around and finding the perfect tree. I love the holiday season! Bring it on!

Festival of Lights

I started using Groupon, and I found one for the Festival of Lights down in Galveston at Moody Gardens. It was for 1/2 price admission, so I bought it. I didn't really pay attention to the fact that it was only able to be used on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving. Cory had already planned on going hunting, so I was on my own if I wanted to go. It sounded like something I could do with all the girls, so I decided to go for it. Shane and Dana were taking the boys on Saturday, so I thought I would try to hook up with them. The girls and I got loaded up in the car around 2:30 and headed down to Galveston. We also had tickets to a craft show down there, so I thought we would do that first. I had never been down to Moody Gardens, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought there would probably be places for us to hang out until the light tour started. We got down there, and it was quite a little compound down there. There is a huge hotel, convention center, and all the museums and theaters. The craft show was super hard to maneuver through with the big, huge stroller, so I decided to get the heck out of there before we broke a $100 glass sculpture! I couldn't figure out how to get over to the outside part, but we eventually found a door. The problem, there were only stairs to get down, about 15 of them. I was holding Brooke, and Adilyn and Kacy were in the stroller. I told the girls to get out of the stroller, and I attempted (one-handed) to drag the stroller down the stairs. It was a pretty dangerous venture, but we survived. We found a little park to play at, but the girls had to go to the bathroom pretty quickly after getting there. We loaded back up in the stroller and went to the main area. It was insane there!!! After the restroom, we went back out to the park, but they had closed it. There was a sign that said it closed at 5pm, but I didn't believe them. I told the girls that we were just going to ignore the sign and play anyway. When we went to go back to the park a guy stopped us and told us that we couldn't go because it was closed. Adilyn said, "I guess you can't break the rules when you get stopped by a guard!" Life lessons were learned! :) Finally we decided to find a place to eat our snacks and hang out. After eating, we got in line for the light tour. The Hrobars were running a little behind, so we decided to get started. It was a little chilly, so the girls got all bundled up. I put Brooke in her carrier, and the big girls snuggled in the stroller. It was a lot of fun! We just walked the trails and saw the light display, then we stopped and got some kettle corn and watched a guy juggle and do other silly things. Adilyn and Brooke seemed to really like it, Kacy, at one point said, "Are we going home soon?" Nice...It was pretty funny to hear all the people's comments to me. "Got your hands full?" or "Hey, I'll strap mine on your back, if you need one more!" Luckily, the girls were all very good. There were no meltdowns, no emergencies, and no issues! I am very glad we went to get us all in the holiday spirit!

Thanksgiving

We got to have Thanksgiving here at our house with most all of Cory's side of the family. Only Holly and her family couldn't make it. I wish I would have taken some pictures, but I was busy taking care of everyone and cooking! Luckily, everyone brought a little side dish, so I didn't have to cook the entire meal. Cory fried up the turkey, and I made some side dishes also. It was fantastic to have everyone here in our new house! We had tons of room for everyone to hang out, eat dinner, and watch football. It was great to see Ashley, Gerad, and Cash since we don't get to see them very often. We enjoyed great food, watching the Texans win, and spending time with everyone.

Adilyn's First Friendships

Ever since Adilyn started riding the bus to school, she has buddied up with Skyler who lives one street away from us. She kept asking and asking if she could come over and play, but it's always such an awkward thing when you don't really know that parents. Skyler lives with her grandmother, so that made it a little more awkward. Finally, I decided to ask if they wanted to come over and play on Wednesday afternoon. They accepted the invitation, and Skyler, her grandmother, and her 4 year old brother came over for about an hour and a half. The kids had a fantastic time, and the girls went straight to having a "girl party" in Adilyn's room, playing dress up and being silly. In a short 90 minutes, every single bin, bucket, and box in the playroom was dumped out. Wow, what a mess! I was really glad that Adilyn and Skyler included Kacy when they played. I am sure that won't always happen, but I am glad it did. Of course, they left out Skyler's brother, but I think they were just doing that to be funny. Her grandmother, Brooke, and I stayed downstairs and chatted. It was very successful!
That night, I had some extra time at bedtime to talk to Adilyn about friends. I asked her about who she plays with at recess, and who she sits with at lunch, and all that. It was hilarious to listen to her talk about her social life. She got all worked up telling me about how Skyler didn't want to play with her at recess because Adilyn wanted to do something different than what they normally do. She said, "It just wasn't fair because Skyler is my best friend, and I hate doing the same thing all the time, and she should do things that I want to do also!" I told her to try to mix things up a bit and play with different people. She said, "Yeah, I don't know about that." There is also a girl named Kassie in her class that she plays with. Lara is another friend from her class. The only boys she talks about are Toby and Cooper. I love that she has friends, and I hate to think about the days that people will hurt her feelings and break her heart. It will happen, a lot, and I just hope that she has the confidence to get through all the ups and downs that come with going to school :)

Heather's Wedding

Heather got married a couple weekends ago, and it was so beautiful! I really don't think I have ever been so excited to be part of a wedding as I was for this one. I am so happy that Heather and Michael found each other! They were married outside at an amazing ranch type place in Magnolia. The weather was perfect, and everything went great! It was so cute to see the girls out in the crowd while I was up front. They just thought I looked like a princess. Compared to my normal t-shirt and shorts, I pretty much was. A dress, high heels, make-up, fancy dangling earrings and a professional hair do = princess for sure in my world! The girls had a fantastic time dancing the night away. I think Nammie and Cory got a serious workout in dancing with them for hours! It was a most memorable night, and I am so glad I got to be there to see the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Kacy's Thanksgiving Feast and Adilyn's Pizza "Feast"

It was a busy week, and unfortunately, it was also the first week that Cory has been out of town in a long time! We had book fair at Adilyn's school on Monday night, Kacy's Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday, dinner with friends on Wednesday, and Adilyn's Pizza with Parents on Thursday. Wow, I am tired just thinking about all that we did :) Luckily, being that busy made the week go by quickly. Kacy's feast was very cute. They had a potluck where everyone brought the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. The kids had little headbands with feathers, and they sang two sweet Thanksgiving songs. Kacy was very proud! She told me the names of all her friends in class, and she wanted to stay there for the day. Many of the parents took the kids with them, and I thought I would take her so I wouldn't have to drive back. She said, "I don't want to go home. I want to stay with my friends and my teachers." Well, alright then! 

Brooke was having tons of fun watching all the kids! I thought it was hilarious that Kacy wanted her to sit in her seat. Then, she said, "Don't worry, I can still eat with her in my lap like you do!"

Adilyn's school had a pizza lunch instead of the cafeteria turkey and dressing, which was a little odd, but whatever! It was equally as cute. The kids dressed up like Indians, and they had made shirts with their "Indian names" painted on the backs. Adilyn ironically got the name "Flying Duck". Cory has been duck hunting the last two weekends, so she thought that was pretty funny. She was happy to have Brooke and I there, but just like Kacy, she was more concerned about her friends. She kept talking about where her friends were sitting, and she wanted to go say hi to them. At one point, I told her that I would just go home if she didn't want to hang out with me. She thought I was serious, and she got a real concerned look on her face. I told her I was just kidding, but I don't know if she believed me :)

Halloween 2012

This is a little late, but better late than never as they say! We had a fun Halloween in the new neighborhood! Adilyn and Kacy were Power Rangers...quite a change from my sweet little princesses on 2011 :) Because they were Power Rangers, I didn't feel right making Brooke a flower or ladybug so sometime girlie like that, so she got to be a SuperBaby! Thank goodness for the Internet because I couldn't find a yellow power ranger suit anywhere except for eBay, and Brooke's SuperBaby onesie came all the way from Australia! Anyway, the girls got ready, and I made a special Halloween dinner - mummy dogs and brains. The girls thought it was great. They could barely contain their excitement. Grandmother Henderson came over, and they were going crazy jumping and running around doing Power Ranger moves! Finally, it got dark and we started trick or treating. There were not many kids in the neighborhood, so the neighbors who were giving out candy were quite generous! The girls did great this year. They weren't nervous at all, and they always said thank you. We did see a couple creepy outfits, but they kept saying, "That is just a costume. It's not real." The Hrobars had an event at their TaeKwonDo gym, but they caught up with us eventually. We had a great time, and got tons of candy. Another successful Halloween!

Adilyn Update

I thought it was time to post some updates on my baby girls! Adilyn is of course not a baby, but she will always be my first baby girl. I am so proud of how well she is doing in school. I was so nervous about the transition to the new school! I was worried about her little nervousness and shyness as she got used to things in a new place, but she did absolutely fantastic! She has never once said that she didn't want to go to school. She never hesitated to get out of the car or get on the bus in the mornings, and I am so thankful. Those rough morning goodbyes were torture! There is a little girl named Skyler that lives a street down from us that rides the bus with her, so I think that helps a lot. It's so nice to have her jump on the bus every morning at the corner, which is just one house away! There was a fun run called the BoosterThon at her school for a fundraiser, and it was so nice to her in her element with her friends. She walked and ran (kinda) with a couple different little girls. It was really cute, too because she got to hold the flag for the national anthem. As Cory and I walked up to the crowd, we heard them talk about the national anthem, then we heard the announcer say, "I have a volunteer, Adilyn, could you come up to the stage?" My heart stopped, I thought, "There is NO way that she is going to sing?!?!" Luckily, no singing, just flag holding. She looked so proud. :) We met with her teacher last week, and she is doing fantastic. She is already reading at the level she is supposed to be at at the end of her Kindergarten year. Her writing is where it needs to be, and she is doing just fine socially. What else could we ask for?

Kacy Update

Kacy is hilarious, as always. She is a fantastic story-teller. Sometimes her stories are true, sometimes they are false. She is becoming quite the little liar, and she always makes up stories about things that happen to her. She likes to say that whatever happens to Adilyn happens to her. Like, "I have a Skyler in my class to like Addy." "My teachers told me to bring apples to school like Addy." I try to tell her to not tell stories, but she insists that everything she says is true.
Her leg has gotten better, but she still has a little limp. Every time she sees anyone like Dana or Sonja, she has to show them how "good she can walk." She also told Sonja the other day that she can jump, run, and do lots of cool tricks, too. Walking is pretty good, but I can still notice a little limp. I hope that she will get over that pretty soon because I would for her to have any issues with her development. I hate to overreact about stuff, but I also worry that sometimes I will ignore something that is actually serious. Still, it hasn't been that long since the cast came off. I guess I will just keep an eye on it and hope that it goes away.
She has been freaking out about me touching her when my hands are wet. Of course, anytime that I do dishes or wash my hands I never have time to fully dry them. When I touch her with them, she completely freaks out and gets so upset. It's so strange, but to avoid unwanted drama, I am trying to dry my hands a little better these days :)
Her stuttering has gotten much better, and she still says funny things all the time. Here are some of my favorites - "When Daddy is on his cone falls, I be berry, berry quiet." For some reason, she always calls phone calls, "cone falls". The other day, she was playing in the garage, and I had to go inside for something. When I left I said, "I'll be right inside if you need anything." She said, "Don't worry, Mommy, I will be a good little monkey." I asked her why she said that, and she told me that what the guy who wears that hat always tells George (in Curious George). She hates getting her hair dried, and anytime I have the hair dryer on she always screams, "Don't put it in fast gear, Mommy. Use slow gear!" Adilyn supposedly hit her when they were fighting one day. She came out and said, "Adilyn just hit me, you need to come in here and really yell at her!"
I love my little Kacy. She always keeps me on my toes, and she always keeps me laughing. I am so glad I have this extra time to hang out with her!

Brooke Update

Wow, Brooke is 7 months old. I can't believe how the time has gone. She is by far the happiest of our babies, but now she is officially the worst sleeper. I thought Adilyn was crazy to be waking up at 6 months, but now Brooke, at 7 months, is still waking up at least twice a night! I know without a doubt it has to do with how chaotic our life was for the last two months, and I know that because she never got into a good sleeper routine while we were moving and living with others that she just hasn't adjusted yet. But, knowing all that doesn't make the sleepless nights any easier! I know that it will all work out, and that she will eventually sleep. I just don't know what to do in the meantime. I never really believed in the the "sleep training" methods because I think kids will sleep when they sleep, but I am about to try anything. She usually wakes up between 12am and 1am to eat, then she will wake up again around 5am. I tried not to feed her at night, and I had Cory go upstairs and hold her, but it didn't really work. Oh well, we will get it all worked out, eventually, and hoping sooner rather than later. I would love, love, love to get a full night sleep one of these days. :) Unfortunately, her sleep habits don't get much better during the day either. She doesn't nap very well, and she usually only sleeps in the car or when I am feeding her. Yikes! We have to get this girl on a schedule!
Brooke is also learning to move around really well! She can sit up on her own pretty well. She just figured out how to get herself sitting when she is laying down on her belly. She can get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth, but she can't quite get coordinated enough to move to crawl. I can tell she will be moving soon, for sure! She can definitely roll and twist to get where she wants to go!
She loves to be right in the center of all the action. If Adilyn and Kacy are running around being crazy, she just stares at them and thinks they are hilarious! Even though she likes to be where the action is, she also is a pretty good independent player. She will sit in the middle of a bunch of toys and just play around with everything.
The girl is still a noisemaker! She will sit in the car and just squeal and talk and makes all kinds of noise. Brooke is always moving her hands. I remember Kacy moving her feet all the time, and I think Adilyn always kicked her legs. Brooke is always moving her hands around like she has "jazz hands" :)
I started feeding her solids about a month ago, and she is doing pretty good with all the new foods. She pretty much ate everything that I gave her at first, now I guess she has realized that she doesn't like certain foods. Anytime I give her something that she doesn't like she will literally gag on it. I thought it was the consistency at first, but then I realized it was just with carrots and peas. Another drama queen on our hands?!?

The girl loves to swing!!!