Panties? Or maybe not...

This was Brooke's outfit one afternoon while we were at the Frio. This girl and her outfits (or lack of outfits)! She ran around like this for about an hour, yelling off and on "hatty and shoes! hatty and shoes!"
I used this picture because she is obviously still in a diaper. I have been talking about starting potty training since we got back from DisneyWorld. That was 3 months ago! She would cry when I talked about panties, and she did not want to have anything to do with going to the bathroom on the potty. We decided that Santa was going to bring her "magic panties", and maybe that would help her get excited? Well, after all of our traveling over the holidays, I decided we were just going to do panties at home and see how it went. It's not going so well...she has peed and pooped in the potty a few times, but she has peed on the floor many more times! Granted, it's only been 5 days, but there have been way more accidents than successes. I know she will get it, but in the mean time...puddles, puddles, everywhere! Good thing we have mostly tile and wood :)
Edit: Today she peed four times in inappropriate places...the most annoying was right on my lap. And the worst part about it was that it dripped into my brand new cute and cozy slipper boots! Grrr...I sure hope that she gets it soon! Not enough patience and too much laundry to keep this up for too long!

First time on ice

We were invited to Emily's (Tracy's daughter) birthday party, and it was an ice skating party! None of the girls have ice skated in their lives, and Cory and I haven't been on ice for a very long time. I was a little worried about what might happen, but everyone did great! They had a little mini lesson at the beginning of the party, and Adilyn did pretty good. Kacy, on the other hand, panicked and made the instructor carry her across the ice in tears. I think she just freaked out a little bit. After a while, they were doing okay, holding on to the wall and marching along the ice. Kacy loved it, and even went away from the wall a little bit. Brooke loved getting taken around by everyone! I was amazed that she could even walk in her skates, but she did great. She kept wanting to go on the ice, and one time she got out of my arms and starting walking toward the ice. I thought surely, there was no way that she would try to go out there on her own. Before I knew it she was on the ice! I had to run after her to snatch her off before she got clobbered! Crazy, brave girl :)
It was a great experience, and I am glad that all the girls got to try it and had fun!

Shunned!

Brooke and I got all ready to go up and surprise Adilyn for lunch today. I usually don't tell them when I am coming because I hate it when something comes up and I can't come, they get so disappointed! Anyway, I made Brooke a little lunch, and we went up there all excited to see her. When I got there, I was a little late, and I noticed that she was eating lunch in the "Friend Zone". They get to pay Dillo Dollars and eat with a friend sometimes for a special treat. When I saw her over there, I figured that she might not want me to stay. She is usually so excited to see us, but this time she definitely did not look overjoyed. I got the hint, and I pretended that I was just there to look for her lost jacket. Nevermind the lunchbox that Brooke had. :) I asked her to come with me to lost and found, and when we were over there I asked her if she wanted me to leave. Her answer was, "That would be okay." But, she said it in a way that I could tell she felt a little guilty. I told her it was fine, and Brooke and I left quietly without making a scene. So there we were...it might have been the first time that her friends came before her loving mother and adorable little sister, but I am positive that it will not be the last time!

Family Movie Day

We went to see the "Penguins of Madagascar" one day over the break as a whole family. It was hilarious! I think that I laughed more than anybody. The girls and I have been to a couple movies, but I think this was the first one that we went to as a family. The girls got a gigantic slushy, popcorn, and some candy, and they were in heaven. I just can't believe how expensive movies are, especially when you add in some snacks and drinks! Anyway, it was a fun outing to break up the monotony of winter break. After the movie, I tried to get a picture, and the results were hilarious! I guess the flash was too  much for them to handle :) At least for everyone except Brooke!

The Frio Hike Pictures

 Taking a little break on the hike

We made it!!!

Our view from the top! Amazingly beautiful.

 Our property is down there...somewhere down there, anyway!

The hill behind us is the one we climbed, believe me, it is MUCH higher than it looks! :)

Looking Back on 2014

14 memorable moments of 2014...in no particular order! :)
1. Gulf Shores, July 2014 - That huge cave we dug was amazing! I will never forget hanging out in there underneath the blue tent with the girls and pretending we were mermaids.
2. Memorial Day - It rained and rained and rained like I've never see if rain before at the Frio. The kids were running around in the mud and the mud would get completely caked on their shoes. Kacy and Brooke kept coming over to get their mud high heels scraped off. We got stuck in the mud, and had all kinds of ridiculous muddy fun.
3. Saying goodbye to the old faithful Tahoe!
4. The heart wrenching morning of Kacy's breakdown about going to school. Oh my, I didn't think I was going to make it after that screaming, crying morning!
5. 4th of July at the Griffins - We celebrated 4th of July at the Griffins as we had for so many years, but it was different this year because we knew that they would be moving to Dallas. It was a wonderful day, full of good food and fun! We were supposed to leave in the afternoon so they could go to a neighborhood party, but we just stayed and stayed until the night!
6. Caddo Lake - The scenery was beautiful there, and I loved watching everyone canoeing through those amazing Cypress Trees. I didn't go because I stayed back with Brooke, but there was something magical about it.
7. Brooke's Messy Art party - I had planned to have everything outside, hoping that it would be a beautiful day. It was rainy and cold, so I had to improvise and change some things up. Luckily, nobody cared, we did a little art, and the kids just played like crazy all day. I love days when we have everyone that it close to us in one place just hanging out!
8. Impromptu October swim get together - We hadn't seen Tracy and her family in a while, so we had them come over for one last swim dinner. It was great to catch up with her, and the kids swam into the dark of the night. I don't know why, but swimming in the pool at night has always been one of my favorite things. I love to see the kids playing for hours together in something as simple as a pool.
9. Blessington Farms - It was a beautiful day when we went out to the farm. We had never been there, and it was so much fun! I could not believe how much the kids loved going down these crazy slides. They wanted to stay forever, and we actually closed the place down! So many giggles!
10. Polar Express - We loved the Polar Express, but one of the funniest things was when we were all trying to go to sleep. Mom wanted to switch pillows with me, and she threw the pillow at me. It hit me right in the face! I started laughing hysterically, then all the kids started laughing hysterically. We all got the case of the major giggles. Pretty soon we were all laughing so hard! The minute it was quiet, someone would let out a little snicker, and it was all over again. I love laughing!
11. We Will Rock You! Chad and Kristen won tickets to go see "We Will Rock You", Queen's Broadway show, and the invited all the Henderson ladies. I didn't want to go at first, but I am so glad I did! It was the best, most entertaining show, ever! I loved singing along with all the songs, and it was wonderful to do something different like that for a night out.
12.Coaching Adilyn's volleyball team - It was such a great experience to coach those little girls. It was ridiculously stressful and irritating, but they were such a sweet group of little ones. They all tried so hard, and it was great to see them get better as the season went on.
13. Kacy's Frozen Party - I love decorating for the girls' parties, but that Frozen party was especially fun to decorate for! Once again we had a rainy day, and since it was a swim party it made things extra interesting. It was still great to have everyone here! Brandon even made it down for that one. The Ice Cube pool toy was definitely a hit!
14. Disney World!!! I don't need to write anymore about it, but our trip to Disney was amazing. I will never forget it, and I am so glad that we splurged and went for it. It was great to share the experience with the Hrobars, and I loved every minute of it!

I am so grateful for this life that I get to live everyday. Of course, there are annoying moments and phases that you just can't wait to end, but overall, the love that I have in my life is more than I could have ever imagined. My family and the friends (that are like family) bless my days beyond measure, and I can't wait to see what amazing experiences we will get to have in 2015.

New Year's Resolutions - Kid Style

I like to ask the kids to make goals every year. I should have asked them separately because they seemed to like each other's answers.
Kacy - ride a bike, read better, play volleyball and basketball, have play dates with Marley, and clean up when asked.
Adilyn - ride a bike, get good grades, play volleyball and basketball, be nice to new kids at school, and be nicer to my sisters.
Brooke (these are my goals for her, and we will work on it everyday!) - work on being potty trained, not cry when I go to school, make new friends, stop hitting my sisters, and stop throwing things.
We shall see how things go! I sure would like to get the two big ones on bikes, it's getting a little embarrassing! I think learning to ride a bike has been on Adilyn's list for about 3 years now...oh boy!