Texas Style

This is what happens when you live in Texas...80 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next!! :) Chase came out of his room today dressed like this...

 

The New Boats

Gabe starts basketball tonight...his first practice. He is SO excited. He left for school this morning and said, "Bye Dad, see you at practice tonight." Dad is coach and all the kids on his team are in Kindergarten with him at his school. Does it get any better? O I forgot to mention that Chase and I are default cheerleaders for games AND practices. We went to get him some new basketball shoes, since the ones he got in Sept no longer fit! Check out his new boats, I mean shoes! That tall boy is in a size 4! Did I fail to mention he turned 6 in Sept!! Gonna go buy some stock in Nike.

 

Our New Year's Eve Party

A New Year's Eve tradition was started after Gabe was born. My dad and step mom came up for New Year's Eve, which was almost 4 mths after Gabe was born. Shane and I had not been out together since Gabe was born, so they came up to let us go! It has since become a tradition that they come up every New Year's Eve and babysit for us!! What a WONDERFUL tradition, because everyone knows how hard it is to find a babysitter for NYE. Well this year they had an opportunity to go to Colorado for the week, so of course they went! We decided we would have a little party since we couldn't go out ourselves and I couldn't imagine not going to or having a party for NYE! We invited our friends and their kids over for a NYE Party at our house. Gabe is always mad when we have "adult" parties and he has to go to bed or stay with a babysitter, so we decided to have a party for the kids! They dressed up in khakis and put Shane's ties on with tshirts! I dressed up and Chase helped me put the shiniest makeup, brightest red lips and shiniest jewelry, which he did! I had on 2 bracelets (one as an arm cuff) and 2 flashy rings! Our friends came over and the kids made their own pizzas, ate cookies and played Wii. We turned all of our clocks forward from the actual time 5:30pm to 9:30pm and let the NYE countdown begin...so when it was 11:57 (really 7:57) the kids were in their pjs, we all ran outside blowing horns, and shot poppers! Then of course the kids had to go to bed because it was MIDNIGHT! (or 8pm). The kids had a GREAT time and were so pleased to attend an "adult" party!!


Gabe, Lauren, Chase and Gavin ready to party!



My "fancy" boys ready for the party!


Chase and Gavin in matching Speed Racer PJ's that Gav brought over for the sleepover!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas at Our House

Shane's brother Steve and his family came from Florida for Christmas this year. The kids had a BLAST...did I say the kids had fun? I mean a BLAST!! Stevie is 4 just like Chase and Aidan is 8, just old enough to tolerate and enjoy Gabe!! ;) Stevie and Chase immediately took off and were joined at the hip the entire time! The first few days were yucky cold and wet, so we were confined to the house until the kids went to a bounce house place while Landis (my SIL) and I made Chex Mix! (which was supposed to be given to friends and neighbors, but we ate it all!) We all went to Christmas Eve candlelight service and then to Pappasito's for dinner. (a restaurant that every major event has been celebrated at in most of our lives) We heated the hot tub on Christmas day, cranked the Christmas music on the patio and let the kids swim! (We adults hit the hot tub later that night!) The weather cleared up and we LIVED outside. Kids played street hockey with their new gear, rode bikes, drove remote control trucks and rode scooters. It was a great time and sad when we had to say goodbye. Kids are bored now!! :)

Aidan's 8th Birthday

My niece was in town for Christmas and her bday is Dec 22nd, so I took her to get a mani/pedi! She kept saying "this is the life!" They learn fast! ;)

 

 

 

 

Gabe's Christmas Party

Gabe had his "Winter Party" aka Christmas party at school with 5 fun stations, making reindeer food, decorating a cookie, christmas bingo, making christmas cards and making an ornament!



Gabe making a Christmas Card.


Gabe eating his decorated cookie


Gabe with me at the ornament station.



Gabe making reindeer food

Pajama Day at School

Gabe got to wear his LEGO Star Wars pajamas with his robe as a jacket to school! He didn't want to fix his hair either because "you know you dont fix your hair when you are in your pajamas!" What was I thinking?

 

 

 

 

Chase's Christmas Program

 

 

Chase had a part in his Christmas program that we all know so well due to his excessive practicing, "Look in the sky, there's a star!" that he said BEAUTIFULLY! ;)

Santa's Village

Santa's Village is a group of about 12 mini-houses (sheds turned into mini homes) that are turned into a village, there was Santa's house where the kids sat on Santa's lap, Mrs. Claus' bakery where she handed them a cookie, The North Pole Fire Station, where they could dress up like a fireman, and lots of others. It is really a neat place. Santa also is brought in on a firetruck with sirens blaring!! Pretty cool! We went with some good friends Jaime and Jared, and their kids Jenna and Jonah.

 

Gabe, Jonah and Chase climbing on the nutcracker that almost tipped over...hey! they were quiet!! ;)

 

The kids waiting impatiently in line to see Santa.

 

Jenna and Chase looking through the window of Santa's house. Seriously, these two were seperated at birth!

 

Breakfast with Santa

 

 

 

Gabe's school had a breakfast with Santa where all the dads show up and make pancakes and Santa comes. Grandma Wanda and Nana came too! Gabe got to eat with all his friends and Chase even saw some of his buddies! In the gym there was also a store set up for the kids to shop for their family. Elf Land had tons of gifts for the kids to buy. Gabe was SOO excited to shop. We gave him some money and he shopped away. He came out with a gift for everyone wrapped with a gift tag. He then went over it step by step adding at the end that he "felt cheer shopping." Now he understands why I like to shop!! The funniest thing too! Chase went and sat on Santa's lap and Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he looked at him and said "I told you last week in Atlanta!!!" Santa recovered well asking Chase to remind him again!! :)

Thanksgiving in ATL

 

Here is a pic from Thankgiving in ATL. That is Estee reading a book with the boys. Surely I can find some more pics from that trip...I will post more if I can get some!!

Christmas Elves

 

 

 

These christmas elves came a little early this year! We were headed to Atlanta to see my other 2 children (my gorgeous twin neices) for Thanksgiving, so I decided I HAD to decorate for Christmas so when we got back it would be done! Chase found the hat and aprons and had to wear them. Oh and don't let the picture of the boys decorating the tree fool you...I nicely took them off and decorated it later, everyone knows, no one touches mom's tree! ;) They did have a blast decorating thier upside down tree in the toy room though!!

Gabe Time

We had a great day out with Gabe by himself! We went to the Heard Museum Dinosaur exhibit. They have dinosaurs throught the nature walk that make noise and move and one even spits water on you! He had a blast! Its been awhile since we have been able to take Gabe by himself to do something!!

Luckiest Girl

 

My handsome boys!

The Great Pumpkin

So you know once you have a big pumpkin one year, the small ones just won't do! Here is last year's pumpkin and this year's! And a candle is so last year...this year we have the strobe light in it!! Super cool! ;)

Halloween 2006




2008