Tate's Christmas program

Today Tate had his Christmas program at preschool. It was pretty cute and I thought he did a good job. (in past years he has sat down, not sang, picked his nose, or run around the stage)

Something's missing........

Today Tate lost his first tooth! He has been playing with it (gross, I know) for about four days now and while he was talking to aunt Carol on the phone it fell out and hit his tongue. He pulled it out and started screaming! He was so excited. Tonight he wants to hide the tooth under the doormat outside so the strange fairy doesn't have to come into our house......smart boy.

Let it Snow!!

We woke up this morning to find snow on the ground. It NEVER snows in Austin! The boys loved playing in it. Tate made snow angels and Grant liked jumping on the trampoline covered in white!

Northpark Trains

On Thursday David and I drove to Dallas for his company Christmas party. He had a meeting during the afternoon so the boys and I went with Carol to Northpark Center to look at the miniature train exhibit they had. The boys loved it, although Grant thought it was very loud. He kept one hand over his ear most of the time. Carol then took the boys over to Weatherford to stay with my parents for the night. It was so nice to have the night off and the next day was great too. We went to breakfast, the mall, and then saw Four Christmases. I highly recommend the movie for a light holiday flick. Thanks Carol, Mimi, and Daddo! We had alot of fun and were so glad you could watch the boys.

Gingerbread House

I found a cute Gingerbread house kit at the grocery store the other day and thought "Why not start this tradition? How hard can it be?" Well,not really hard, but the our finished product didn't look exactly like the one on the box. I really think they used two bags of icing and lots more candy than what the kit had but it was a fun family project I hope to start as a tradtion and the boys loved it. Grant ate lots of the candy and Tate kept asking "when are we going to eat this?"

Thanksgiving

CHLOE WAS THERE!!!! (along with Carol and Jimmy)
For Thanksgiving we went out to Whitt, TX to my dad's ranch. They have a "party barn" on it with picnic tables, a barn, a tractor, mule, and lots of cool things to hunt. We decided to be like the early settlers and have an outdoor thanksgiving, ( also, because mom and dad are selling their house and really don't want to mess it up.)

It was alot of fun and the weather was great! We had several aunts, uncles, and cousins to play with and talk to and lots of really great food. David was a hit with his fried turkey and okra and he also managed to throw a few steaks on the grill. It was a real feast and I am so glad we did it! My grandpa brought one of his horses out and the kids had fun riding on it. Grant's favorite thing was definitely the mule. He couldn't stay away from it.

Dad, Papa, Tate, and Grant getting the horse back after he tried to run off

Daddo with his boys

My cousin's son, Jordan, with Tate and Grant

David's fried turkey....yum!

Grant with Mimi

Daddo giving the kids a ride on the mule

Grant preferred riding on the mule or tractor

Thanksgiving feast

Here are some very LATE pictures of Tate's Thanksgiving feast at school. He participated for the most part and afterwards we ate some yummy food with all of the families in his preschool.

Halloween fun

On Friday we had our church play group over for some yummy food, games, and cookie decorating. It was alot of fun and most of the kids wore their halloween costumes.

That night the boys got dressed up as a policeman and a Texas Tech Football player. Grant was supposed to be a monkey, thanks to his good buddy Taylor, but threw a fit when it came time to put the costume on. I think it was good luck for him to wear that red and black ( if you happened to see the game on Saturday...sorry horns fans.) Grant really got into the trick or treating, so much so, that he would walk right into people's houses as soon as they opened the door!

He and Tate has so much fun and were very tired after walking so much that night!

Fun Weekend

This weekend we went to Weatherford to see my family. The boys got to meet their new cousin, Chloe, and I got to love on her alot! On the way we stopped at David's hunting lease in San Saba to fill a few feeders, paint a deer blind and let the boys fish. They had a great time. Grant had never been to the lease before and we decided it will be a while before he goes back. I had not been in almost two years and Tate had so much fun showing me what he and daddy do when they go. I think he realized that I am NOT an outdoorsy person this weekend but thought it was cool that I went. We'll see if I get invited back, I am fine to keep Grant at home for a couple more years.

Me and my little hunter.

My boys

Tate at the Pumpkin patch in Weatherford

Grant loves sitting on pumpkins

Aunt Carol with Chloe, Tate, and Grant

The cousins- her bow was bigger than her head!So cute!!!

The Littlest Cheerleader

Check out the littlest cheerleader for Texas Tech. Mom and Dad always buy little Tech stuff when they go to Lubbock for a game and I know they had fun last month when they were there because they were able to buy some girl stuff. She is going to her first game in November but Carol couldn't resist putting this on her while they watched TTU beat Kansas State on Saturday at the hospital. SO CUTE!!

CHLOE IS HERE!!!

Chloe Elizabeth arrived on Thursday afternoon! We were so excited! My poor sister had been in the hospital since Wednesday at noon and was ready for this baby to come out! She had been admitted for high blood pressure and they tried to get her to dilate but after 26 hours the doc decided she wouldn't dilate and she was born via cesearean. I know Carol is so happy she is finally here! I was fortunate to go up to Dallas on Wednesday and be there for all of it (not the actual birth although I volunteered to go in and take pictures!) David was great to stay home with the boys and I am glad they got some bonding time together. Here are a few pictures of the two days I was there. She is so beautiful!!! Congratulations Carol and Jimmy! Your life will never be the same!

Tagged!

1. How many kids do you have? 2

2.What are their ages? Tate is 5 and Grant is 18months

3.What time do you start your day? Grant wakes everyone up at 7 am, we love it because he used to always be 6 or 6:30.

4.What do you eat for breakfast? Tate always has cereal and Grant almost always has eggs of some sort, either boiled or scrambled. I often have a boiled egg and lately an apple...to keep the doctor away!

5.Do your kids watch TV? Uh, yes.....unfortunately we have on demand and that is a dangerous thing. However, lately we have really only watched PBS in the mornings. Tate loves Curious George and Sid the Science Kid. Grant doesn't really like TV. Every now and then he will watch Barney.

6.What are their favorite activities? Lately they have been playing outside on the trampoline alot and Tate is really into games. He got some great games for his birthday that he loves.

7.Do you get a break during the day for some down time? Lately, YES! It is so nice. Grant is finally down to one nap and it usually last around three hours. During this time Tate plays with the neighbor kids or outside. We often play games and if he has been at school or church that morning I don't feel too bad about letting him watch a few shows.

8. How do you end your day? We usually take baths and Grant goes right to bed. Tate gets two books and a bible story at night and is in bed by 8:30. We usually just hang out and watch TV or blog....just kidding.

9. What is your best parenting advice? Laugh.....alot! Cherish each day, they go by really fast!


*****I was supposed to post a picture of me with my kids, but couldn't find one. You all know what we look like.

I TAG:

Tanya W
Dallas
Andrea
Kim
Beth F and H

Who needs Build-A-Bear?

Today, Tate had been in his room for quite a while and when I came upstairs to check on him he had dressed his bear, Brooklyn, (the name itself is for another post) in his shirt, his underwear, and Grant's shorts. Maybe he has a future as a personal stylist. great.....

Trampoline Fun!

Tate got a trampoline for his birthday from Mimi and Dado. It is so fun to jump on ( I have been on it twice already) but it was also fun for the boys to help us put it up. Actually, the boxes were more fun.