Joshua's Trick

I didn't get any pictures on Thanksgiving, but I did manage to get this one lone video. The "trick" had already gone on a few times before I knew about it and this video is our attempt to get him to perform one more time.



When the kids were younger, we used to put marshmallows on their bellies or in their ears and have them lay very still. Then we'd tell our dog Pudge to get the treat. Too funny! I guess since Pudge now lives in Austin with my brother, we'll have to make do with my dad getting the treats. =)

Thistleberry Farm Trip

On October 30th, my parents and I drove about 5 miles to a local farm to have some fun with the kids. It turned out to be the neatest place!

Warning: This is a picture heavy post!

My dad took about 5 different shots, but Aulora was doing something weird in every single one.

We were trying to leave, but the girls just kept wanting me to take pictures of them.

The big guys did a Disney movie trivia corn maze.

Joshua and the girls did a storybook maze. After this small sampling of a corn maze, I'm pretty sure I will never want to do a normal one. I'm afraid I would get lost and never find my way out. The kids enjoyed themselves though.

Patiently hunting down the bunnies.

Still hunting....

The concession stand was a very important part of the day.

Julia befriended a very sweet kitty.

Being 10 is very tough.

Joshua's very first maze.

I think we may have found a new yearly tradition! (As long as we live around here, anyway.) If you're a local and haven't gone, you should!

Little Ones Go Out in the Snow

The first big snow of the season has come (and is still coming!) and the kids have been so happy about it. Joshua has been waiting and waiting for snow so he could wear his snow boots. For some reason, he wanted desperately to wear those things!






PS. The snow seen in these videos is nothing. It was only the beginning of things to come. ;)

Nugget Trumps Barney

I need to be leaving to run errands, BUT I'm procrastinating because it's cold and snowing outside and, while that may sound so beautiful and Christmas-y to those in the South, it doesn't work out so beautifully when you go out IN it with two little ones in tow. My van is working hard to drive on these roads, but it's a Texan at heart. Like us, he's not equipped for winter weather!!

I shoveled our very long driveway last night. And then I did it again this morning. It always looks so easy when you see other people doing it. It's not though. At least now I don't feel bad about not working out. (Or about all the baking I've been consuming.)

One of the things on my shopping list today is a Zhu-Zhu pet named "Nugget". It's for a birthday party gift. Who invented these Zhu-Zhu pets? I'd like to high five them because now, when our kids beg for a pet, I can give them a Zhu-Zhu pet and not feel bad at all. You want a pet? Here, have five!!!

When I was a kid I had a real hamster. I loved him until he bit the crud out of my finger and made me bleed. He probably wasn't too fond of me either since I remember him always trying to escape from his cage. He was successful a number of times and he lived in the back of our closets and ate our shoes. That was life with Barney the hamster until one day when my mom cleaned out his cage and left it out on the back porch to air out. Which was all fine and good except for the fact that the porch was in Arizona. Barney looked a little like one of the chicken strips from Chickfila after that. Poor Barney. RIP.

Okay, enough procrastinating. I'm going to look for Nugget......

Aulora Gets Her Prince

Anytime I put music on, Aulora dances. Usually, she will put on her ballerina dress - unless she's already wearing it, which is pretty likely.

Lately, she's been mourning the fact that she has no prince to dance with. Of course, I've danced with her but I am no prince.

A couple of days ago she was dancing and Joshua came in the room. She asked him if he would be her prince and dance with her. When he said okay I grabbed the camera as fast as I could!



The Christmas tree was only partially decorated and the beautiful tree skirt is a tree bag that is now covered up with something a little prettier. =)

Thanksgiving Mantel

I didn't decorate much for Thanksgiving other than the little bit on the porch, but I did find this banner online. I loved just adding this one little thing to the mantel, lighting the candles, and calling it a day.

(It was quite a day, by the way. We stayed home and my parents and grandma drove over from Chicago. Only their car broke down and they were stuck on a tiny shoulder of a bridge for two hours waiting for a tow truck. Then they had quite an adventure trying to get a rental car from the airport. They didn't arrive until about five hours after their anticipated time. But, they made it. And we ate. And ate. And decided that Black Friday shopping was not worth it because sleep had to be worth something, right?)

Notes to future self when preparing for Thanksgiving:

• Lots of dvds from the library to keep the kids happy - yes! good idea!
• Buying a gargantuan turkey just because it doesn't cost too much more - ehhhh, not so much. I almost couldn't fit that bird in the oven! ("bird" reference for my father's sake)
• Adding lots of extra, unnecessary side dishes is.....unnecessary. Keep it simple please.
• Bread pudding - I love you.
• Please put the dressing in the oven earlier. Two years in a row I have been waiting on dressing to cook.
• Make the kid table much more exciting and enticing. Put a huge bowl of candy and fudge in the middle of it if necessary. Just make it better than the big table.
• Make place cards. They're pretty, practical, and I always wish I had when it's over.
• Take pictures! Of people and of food. (yes, the food. I want to see it for years to come after all that work that goes into it!) I have NO pictures of our Thanksgiving day this year. =(

I think that's all. Now, if I'll just remember to read this next year.....

Switcheroo

Every once in awhile the girls come down from their room dressed as each other. It's always so funny to see! In these pictures they've switched pajamas, Aulora is wearing Julia's glasses, Julia made herself shorter, and they were trying to talk different too. It doesn't matter how busy I am - when they do this, I always have to stop and laugh.....

Little Red Wonder

Joshua, AKA "Little Red Wonder", makes me laugh so much these days. He's always had a cute personality, but now he can talk really well too and, well, he's smart.

A couple of days ago in Kroger he was sitting in the basket as a lady was walking our way. He shot his eyes over towards her, pointed his finger at her and hollered, "Hey you lady! Hold it right there!" I think he meant it too.

Tonight at Chickfila - I took the kids there for dinner because there was NO way I was cooking dinner after doing Thanksgiving cooking all day long - I put him up on the changing table to take care of his diaper. (Yes, he's smart, but not smart enough to have the potty thing down yet. He prefers to spend his time doing other things that don't include bathroom business.) As soon as I laid him down he covered his eyes and said, "Keep me safe, God! Keep me safe, God!" over and over again.

In the picture above, you can see him holding the kitchen sink sprayer. There's a chair on the other side of that pass-through and he likes to get on it and turn on the sink. He'll do it again and again, laughing the whole time. At least he can entertain himself, right?

At night he stalls bedtime by asking to scratch my back. How can I say no to that? I love having my back scratched and he's really quite good at it. He's found my weakness and he's only two.

Speaking of "two", we only have a couple more months left before "three", but I don't think this little monkey is quitting the monkey business anytime soon.

And I love it.