Visit with Alabama Family

This past weekend, we made the long trek to Alabama to visit Wes' side of the family. It's takes about 12 hours with limited stops but with two kids, it takes longer. We had a short but good visit. We packed a lot of fun in a very short time!

In the car on our way there

Ready to see Nana and the family

We left our house early (6:00 am) on Friday and arrived around 9:00 pm. When we got there, we reviewed what everyone was going to wear for picture day on Saturday. Saturday morning, we got up, ate breakfast and picked up some last minute stuff for the pictures. That afternoon, we met a photographer with 17 members of Wes' extended family. Because we were in Alabama, we couldn't use our favorite photographer, LiaLezon and had to go with someone else. We spent about an hour taking pictures and playing in the park. After the pictures, some of us went to get ice cream. Saturday late afternoon into the evening, we played with the dogs, ate yummy food, visited with family and watched football.

Playing in the park after pictures

Wes and the girls

Sunday, we got up and had breakfast out. In the afternoon, we went to a pumpkin patch in Tennessee with Nana and Wes' cousin Brande. The kids all had a blast. We had four kids total with us; Lizzie, Gracie, Huck and Kinsleah. By the time we were done, I had hay in my hair and Lizzie was filthly. We fed animals, watched pigs race, road a "train", walked a corn maze, bounced and went down slides.

Getting ready to go in to the pumpkin patch

Riding the "horses"

Lizzie's horse kept falling over

Kinsleah, Brande, Huck, Lizzie and Gracie

Waiting for the pig races

All aboard! Riding the train

I can't believe he can still carry both of them.

The Big Chair

Brande and Huck

Reading the clues to the corn maze

All weekend, we talked about the cotton field across the street from Wes' grandparents house. On Sunday, we took the girls picture in it. They were so excited!

Cotton Field!

Sassy pose

Cuties

Grace

Lizzie

Wes and the girls

Wes and I

Nana and the girls

Energetic Gracie

Sweet Lizzie

 On Monday, we ate breakfast with Nana and Wes' grandparents. After breakfast, it was time to pack up and head out. We had a really good time. The girls loved playing with all the cousins and seeing their great-grandparents. 

Sydney's Birthday!

This past weekend, we went to Oklahoma to celebrate Sydney's 11th birthday. I can't believe she is that old! Anyway, it was a busy weekend. We found out Thursday that Sydney was going to be in a parade. This was exciting to the girls for two reasons: first they were going to a parade and two Sydney was in the parade. They thought she was awesome.

Saturday morning, we ate breakfast and then went to watch Sydney in the parade. All the girls could talk about was the parade and Sydney. We met my sister there and took my grandma with us. My brother-in-law got us all some cinnamon rolls from the church that was making them. They were yummy. It was a fun parade and the girls loved chasing the candy.

Waiting for Sydney with Sammy

Sydney with the banner

After the parade and lunch, we headed to the skating rink for the party. This is the second time the girls went skating and they loved it. Wes loves to skate too and enjoyed showing the girls how. Little known fact about Wes; he is an awesome skater. He started ice skating when he was 5 and played hockey through college. To improve his form, his coach made him take figure skating lessons (yes, just like the dorky movie Cutting Edge). He is really graceful on ice. Sydney had a really fun party and all the kids had a blast! 

Lizzie with her walker

Gracie with her walker

Wes with the girls

Sammy

 

The birthday girl - Sydney

After the party, we went back to my mom's house for naps and then over to my sister's for pizza. My cousins Chris and Angie came over with Kassidy and baby Dawson. He is such a happy baby. We had a fun evening! Kassidy is sweet and gave the girls some of her old dance costumes. Both girls loved the dresses and Lizzie couldn't wait to put it on! She loved twirling in it.

Today, we had lunch with everyone again. It was a nice time with family. We remembered to get a pictures of all the kids together!

Baby Dawson with Wes

Kassidy and Gracie

Sydney, Crazy Sammy and Lizzie

All the big kids. Love this one of Sammy.

All the kiddos. Love them all. Such good kids.

I can't believe my baby niece is 11. She is acting so grown up. All these kids are getting so big! I can't believe it. We had a really good time celebrating with the family.

First Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

Today was the girls first day of preschool in the 4s class. They are in separate rooms this year and did great! They were both very excited about starting today. Wes went in late this morning so he could go with me to drop them off. While they were in school, I walked down to my office and worked.

Around lunch time, Gracie's teacher found me in the hall and told me the girls were doing fine. A little later, I saw Gracie walk by and she waved at me.

After school, we picked up the girls and took them in McDonald's for ice cream. It was nice. After McDonald's the girls were so tired, I told them to rest in their room. They both fell asleep in no time flat. It was a big day for them!

Really excited!

With our backpacks

Lizzie with her name

Gracie with her name. Her hair is covering it up

Gracie in her room

Lizzie in her room

Sundae's after school

Yummy

My mom use to take my sister and I to McDonald's after school when I was a kid. It was nice to continue a tradition.

Labor Day Weekend 2012

We had a great holiday weekend. We decided to stay around the house and just hang out. It ended up being fun and busy.

First up, was a birthday part for our besties, Reese and Riley. We had so much fun and got to see some of my other twin momma friends. We had so much fun it!

Posing

That evening, we made a trip to the hardware store to get branch trimmers. Our live oak tree's limbs were hanging over the sidewalk full of acorns. Everyone who walked by our house had to duck to avoid getting hit in the head. The girls liked watching Wes trim the branches and then helped by moving the branches to a pile.

Watching Daddy

He is fun to watch

Wes in action

 Sunday, we went to church. The girls wanted to wear their cowboy boots and new head bands. I got creative on Friday and made them some headbands. They were very excited to wear them (they wore some on Saturday too).

Sweet sissies sharing a banana

 After church and nap, we went to see a FC Dallas soccer game with our class from church. We had a great time! Soccer is a bit lost on me but Wes loves it. Gracie loved watching and clapped and cheered when other people did (even though she didn't know what she was cheering about). Lizzie, on the other hand, loved playing with her friends. We ate a ton of junk food - hot dogs, cotton candy, pretzels and pop corn.

We took up almost two rows!

Cheeks full of popcorn

Watching the game

 On Monday, we got a text from some of our church friends to meet up at a splash park. We met the Blackwells with sweet Chandler and baby Alysse. The big kids all had fun playing in the water. After the park, we went to lunch. It was a really fun morning.

The girls and Chandler

Chandler and Lizzie

After lunch, we went to the mall for a new outfit for the first day of school tomorrow. We made a record trip into and out of the mall. We usually don't get the rented firetruck stroller but I was considering it. As we were walking in, a family was walking out and asked it we wanted theirs. Of course, we said yes! It was great. The girls loved riding in it. 

For dinner, Wes and the girls went and picked up a pizza. After pizza was bath time and then heading to bed. Wes read a couple of stories, we all said prayers and then lights out.

Daddy reading to the sweeties

Tomorrow is a big day for the girls. Its the first day of school. We start our new year of preschool.

Time with Daddy

Lately, Wes hasn't traveled as much so he is spending a lot of time with his girlies. Just this week, they went to the park twice and a trip to the store because they informed us we were out of Dora snacks. The girls love spending time with Wes and Wes does too. He is the greatest daddy and husband.

This past Sunday, he had to get the girls ready by himself for church. I had to go early because we were having a big breakfast before services and I was helping. He got the girls ready, up to church, fed breakfast, played games with them and did everything that usually takes two of us to do. He didn't ask me to help with anything because he knew I was working.

Its been nice having him home. We really love him and like to have him around.

Phone Pics

I was going through my phone last night and found some cute pictures of the girls.

Washing dishes

Monkey and Dinosaur

Posing with monkey and dinosaur

 Yes, the girls are posing with their friends in the bathroom on the toilet. We must spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

Can you tell Gracie fixed her own hair and then found my phone?

Sleeping in momma's bed

 When Wes has to travel, we have a slumber party in momma's bed. One night, the cat came in too and tried to sleep on top of Lizzie. Lizzie did not appreciate that. The girls love slumber party (and I do too).

Lizzie

 At lunch one day, the girls had grapes. Both girls had to put them in their cheeks and wanted me to take a picture.

Gracie

Its been a fun and busy summer. One more week left before we go back to school. The big kids go back this week. This time next year, we will be starting kindergarten!

Barbies

Lately, the girls have been playing Barbie. So far, they have made Grandma and Wes play with them. It is their favorite thing to do. They will play for hours with them. The girls take after their aunt and myself. My sister and I loved Barbie as kids and would play with them forever. We had a screened in porch and every summer that's where we spent a lot of our time with our Barbie pool, Barbie car and a doll house my dad made.

Barbie in a toilet paper roll

This cracked me up the other day. Fairy Barbie in a toilet paper roll on the back of the toilet. I asked Gracie why she did it. She told me she didn't want Barbie to fall into the toilet and she figured she wouldn't fall off this way. Amazing how their minds work.

Conversations with Lizzie and Gracie

We have had some interesting conversations with the girls lately. I thought I would record a few.

My sweeties

Gracie - "I didn't nap momma instead I prayed to God."
Me - "What did you pray about?"
Gracie - "All the things I want God to give me for my birthday."

Me - "How did you get that sweater, it was up in your closet? Did you get a step stool?" (why would you need a sweater when it's 102 degrees outside, I don't know.)
Gracie- "No, I was on my tippy toes."
Me - "You aren't that tall."
Gracie - "I can when I want to be."

Me - " Did you have a good time at Grandma and Papa's"
Lizzie - "Yes"
Me - "Did you give them trouble going to sleep at night like you do for mommy and daddy"
Lizzie - "No, well maybe just a little bit of trouble but not that much." (very matter of fact)

Lizzie - "Mommy, make Molly (our dog) lick Gracie."
Me - "I can't make Molly lick anybody."
Lizzie - "Well, it hurts Gracie's feelings. She always licks me and not Gracie"

Some other things that make me smile about the girls.

• The way they automatically hold hands
• When they say to each other "we're friends, right?"
• How they play sweetly together
• They watch out for each other everywhere we are

We still have challenges but four is a fun age.

Parent's Anniversary

Today is my parents anniversary, they have been married for 45 years. My parents taught me what marriage should look like. It's not perfect, sometimes its hard and it takes a lot of work. My parents taught me how to love and led by example. They don't always agree but they showed me its OK to disagree. You should always fight fair and communication with each other. 

My sweet parents

When I think of my parents, I think of love and acceptance. That's always what they gave each other and their children. They took my sister and I to church and taught us by example what Jesus meant by giving to the naked, the hungry, the sick, and whoever else was in need. My mom is a retired teacher. She was the kind of teacher who loved every child, even the worst kid in the class. She tended to love them the most because she knew they needed it. Looking back, I see all the little things my parents did to teach me how to be a good person.

They took us on vacation and taught us to learn about the world and not just our own backyard. My sister and I were exposed to so many things. Both my parents are teachers by nature and logical. One of my favorite stories to tell on my dad, a retired Geo-physicist, is when my sister and I would ask questions like why is the sky blue, his response was always scientific in nature. We got responses like "its the reflection of the sun light on particles" not "because God made it that way".

I consider myself very lucky to have the parents I do. I hope that I'm half the parents they are to Lizzie and Gracie. Love you mom and dad.