The Hutton House

Life is Precious…

2012-01-25T17:52:00.001-06:00

I love you, Mom, and miss you more than I can stand…

mobile montage | vol. 6

2012-01-20T20:32:00.001-06:00

Exotic Zoo – Take 2!

2012-01-13T21:57:00.001-06:00

Last Friday, our friends, Jared, Tressa and Lily Jane came to spend the weekend with us! We had a great time catching up and the girls had a blast playing together! Friday night, our amazing babysitter was up for watching all three girls, so the big kids headed out for dinner and some music! Saturday morning, we headed to the Johnson City Exotic Zoo! (We took the girls there for the first time when they were 18 months, but this time, they were really into it!)

Trying to feed the short guys!

The buffalo loved Tressa!

What a herd!

Saturday night, Brad and Jared went out for some more live music while Tressa and I stayed in and watched a movie!

Sunday morning… books and iPhones!

Cutie Pies!

Can’t wait for them to come visit again soon!

Photography Fun!

2012-01-08T20:09:00.001-06:00

About a month ago, I got to play photographer and take some maternity pictures for my friends that are expecting twin girls in March! I had such a great time taking photos of people that were cooperative and did everything I asked them to! Here are a few of my favorites… she’s such a beautiful pregnant momma (and much smaller than I was at 29 weeks!)

She also promised me that I could take pictures of their sweet girls when they get home from the hospital! I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on those babies!

mobile montage | vol. 5

2012-01-02T14:00:00.001-06:00

Snapshots of 2011!

2011-12-31T20:25:00.001-06:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

We had a fantastic year! Alex and Avery turned TWO! They went from wearing diapers and sleeping in peapods to wearing panties and sleeping in big girl beds! They went from 4 word sentences to never ending a sentence! They grew three inches and went through 3 shoe sizes! We went skiing in Taos, spent the summer in Dallas, Colorado and Wyoming, experienced fall in Virginia, and visited the beach in South Carolina! When we weren’t on the road working, we spent our time off enjoying our family and friends at home! We’re looking forward to an equally exciting 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas Day!

2011-12-29T21:29:00.001-06:00

Ever since the girls were born, we’ve been able to celebrate Christmas Day at home, just the four of us! To carry on my family tradition, the girls opened their Christmas Eve gift…

The girls slept until 8:30am last year and we figured that was our last Christmas morning to sleep in, but the girls gifted us with another late morning… Avery was up at 8:15am and Alex slept until 8:45am!

The girls must have been good this year!

I guess Santa noticed that Alex and Avery had outgrown their tricycles! These new big girl bicycles are a perfect fit!

And the only thing they asked Santa for, besides a horse and kitty cat, were princess dresses! Time for a wardrobe change!

And MORE princess dresses! A girl’s gotta have choices!

Alex made sure the pups were healthy with her new doctor set!

Cruisin’ the house on her new wheels!

Daddy surprised Mommy with a Kindle Fire and new tennis shoes!

And Daddy got a new picture for his music room!

After breakfast, Nee and Pa came bearing gifts… a new trampoline!

And Mema and PawPaw came by that afternoon to see their girls on Christmas Day! We spent the day relaxing and playing and then headed to the Weakly’s house to see what Santa thought about those 4 kiddos! Santa had them on his NICE list, too! Check out one of the two sweet bunnies Kenedy and Hadyn got!

The next evening, we headed to Johnson City to check out the Christmas lights downtown!

We had an amazing Christmas this year and we’re feeling very blessed! We can’t wait to see what 2012 holds and we’re looking forward to hitting the road this spring and showing Alex and Avery more of the country!

Our Family Christmases

2011-12-27T21:21:00.001-06:00

The day before Christmas Eve was the Waites Family Christmas! It was very cold, but the kids didn’t mind a bit!

Sweet Garrison!

Kenedy and Alex waiting patiently for their gifts!

So were these two guys!

Brayson and Blaire disappeared quickly!

Aunt Kelli got crafty and made Alex and Avery a puppet show curtain for their playroom door with 12 puppets!

Checking out Hadyn’s pile of gifts!

Hadyn and PawPaw doing some drawing!

Hanging out in Hudson’s room with his new Rodeo toys!

Time out for some manicures!

Game Time!

Then on Christmas Eve, we headed to Bart and Tana’s for the Hutton Family Christmas!

Alex was intrigued by Hayes’ new helicopter!

Sneaking upstairs…

Mommy and Avery

Hula hoop time!

Presents!

Nee got Alex and Avery ballerina dresses, so of course, they had to put them on immediately!

Avery found some more gifts!

We had such a great time with our families during Christmas this year! Even though we get to see our families often, it’s always special to spend the holidays together!

Merry Christmas from The Hutton House!

2011-12-24T13:29:00.001-06:00

(Our card didn’t scan well but here it is anyway!)

I got brave and took pictures of the girls myself for our Christmas card! Here are a few more of my favorites!

Alex

Avery

Alex

The Weaklys were taking their pictures that evening as well! Here’s Kenedy and Alex:

And Hadyn and Avery!

We hope you and yours have a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fa la la la la… la la la la!

2011-12-20T22:18:00.001-06:00

We’ve managed to squeeze in a few more Christmas activities before Santa comes for a visit…

Wimberley Trail of Lights with the Weaklys!

Can’t pass up a train ride!

Aunt Kelli was hungry!

Nothing better than some live music and fresh doughnuts!

Writing last minute letters to Santa!

Next was visiting the Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne! Alex and Avery were excited to see Santa and his longhorn there!

Garrison and Alex checking out the buffalo!

Story time!

Kelli caught Avery on video singing some Christmas songs on the chuck wagon ride!

Watching the gunfight in the street!

The little ones got to be volunteers in the show!

Garrison and Alex are buddies!

Then to Gruene Hall to meet up with our friends from Florida! (The music was up front so the kiddos took over the stage in the back!)

And tonight, we met up with the Huttons on the Riverwalk for dinner and a boat ride to see the Christmas lights on the river!

Hayes and Alex – squinting at the flash!

Alex, Nee, Hayes and Pa

The Riverwalk is beautiful this time of year!

Alex and Avery were FULL of giggles the entire 45 minute boat ride!

Ryne and Avery

Now it’s time to get ready for a few Christmas celebrations with our family!

Hey Santa!

2011-12-19T22:28:00.001-06:00

Just a year ago, Alex and Avery weren’t all that fond of the big guy…

But this year, they finally understand what Santa is all about!

‘Tis the Season!

2011-12-13T14:44:00.001-06:00

Our central location in the hill country is ideal during the holidays because we are surrounded by lots of Christmas festivities!

We met up with the O’bannions in San Marcos for Sights & Sounds of Christmas (and LOTS of food! They should include that in their title, too!)

The girls were excited to see Ashlynn! (And we were, too! Just look how well she kept them in line!)

Mr. Liam is as handsome as ever!

Avery took over Ashlynn’s Chips-on-a-Stick!

And we couldn’t miss attending the annual Sattler Christmas Parade with the Weakly’s, even though it was really cold and wet! (We were in short sleeved shirts at the parade last year!)

The North Pole Village is one of our favorites! Not only because it’s indoors, but there are lots of activities for the little ones!

Decorating cookies! Alex and Avery’s favorite!

The girls got their faces painted for the first time! Avery picked a snowman…

And Alex (who refuses to go near Santa) picked Santa Clause!

Rudolf got his nose painted!

All of the kids got to pick out a book in the library…

Fishing for chocolate!

Last night, the Tarrants were in Austin visiting family, so before they headed back home, we met them at The Salt Lick for dinner! Alex and Avery were so excited to see Maddie and Kinley… it had been about 6 months since they had seen each other!

We’re looking forward to more fun things to do and see before Santa comes for a visit in less than two weeks!

Daddy on Duty

2011-12-10T15:04:00.001-06:00

Last Monday, I hopped on a plane with my mom and sisters to spend 4 days in New York City! Visiting NYC has been a dream of my mom’s for a long time, so it was really nice to be able to share the experience with her! We had such a great time exploring the big city together!

I will definitely share more of our trip soon, but wanted to take a minute first to share some of the photos Brad sent me while I was gone!

They visited the bounce place a couple of times!

This was my favorite picture… showing off Daddy’s hair stylin’ abilities! Great effort, Daddy!

At the mall… their favorite place!

Breakfast on the go!

He even made sure that Francis, our elf, made it to and from the North Pole every night! (More on Francis later!)

It was nice to wake up one morning and see texts of my girls right after they woke up!

Brad sent me this video and I think I watched it a million times while I was gone!

I sure missed all three of them and couldn’t wait to get home! Unfortunately, the girls were asleep when I got in at 12:30am Thursday night, but they left a card and flowers out for me before they went to bed!

The next morning, they told me over and over that they missed me so much! Daddy took such great care of them while I was gone! Not only did he make sure that the girls had a great time, but I came home to a SPOTLESS house, NO dirty clothes, and freshly shampooed carpet in the playroom! I’m one lucky Mommy!

mobile montage | vol. 4

2011-12-02T22:58:00.001-06:00

We are Thankful!

2011-11-27T16:14:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful two days of Thanksgiving this year! Thursday was the Hutton Thanksgiving!

NeNe is always in the kitchen!

So glad we got to see the Morans! Meredith, Mandi, Klare, (Nee) and Cade!

Somehow, Hayes and Kolton weren’t a bit distracted playing their video games!

Staying occupied during the Cowboy’s game!

Friday was the Waites Thanksgiving! Kelli didn’t disappoint with yet another successful Thanksgiving turkey!

Oh Hudson… enough said!

PawPaw is still in recovery mode from his knee-replacement surgery, but wasn’t going to miss our get-together! He just didn’t get to chase kiddos like he’s used to!

YUM!

Blaire and I helping out!

Uncle Kenny and Aunt Ginger!

Lindsey and Hadyn doing a little supervising!

We had perfect weather… sunny and 70! (And we lucked out because the very next day was very cold and windy! And by very cold, we mean mid-50’s! Brrr!)

Game Time!

The night ended with a LOUD dance party in the laundry room!

And now we’re in Christmas mode! We’re almost done decorating the inside and now we’re trying to convince Daddy that we NEED lights outside, too!

mobile montage | vol. 3

2011-11-23T15:47:00.001-06:00

Go Bobcats!

2011-11-21T17:45:00.001-06:00

Saturday, Uncle Bart and Aunt Tana invited us out to the last home game of the Texas State University Bobcats (where Daddy and Uncle Bart graduated!) This was Alex & Avery’s first football game and they had a blast!

They loved sitting up high and Hayes made sure they understood what football was all about!

The girls quickly claimed the fruit tray!

They watched the entire half-time show and never moved a muscle! They were impressed when Mommy informed them that she played the saxophone in her high school marching band that were the state champs year after year and even got to march in President Clinton’s inauguration day parade in Washington DC! (Yes that was a long time ago but in my defense, I was only a freshman!)

Lucky little girls with cousins that think so much of them!

They had such a great time hanging out at the game with the boys! Alex tried to show off her quarterback skills by throwing Ryne’s friend’s football over the glass and into the crowd below! (Yes, she really did. And no, we were not impressed by her skills.)

Thanks, Bart and Tana, for having us out! Alex is still chanting “Eat ‘em up, Cats!”

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2011-11-19T20:50:00.001-06:00

Friday was Daddy’s birthday, so we headed to our FAVORITE little town to celebrate!

A trip to Gruene requires a visit to the Hall…

and who could pass up the Gristmill?!

Gruene is beautiful this time of year!

These girls would shop all day if their Mommy and Daddy could keep up!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! You’re one of a kind and we LOVE you!

Staying Busy!

2011-11-17T19:58:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday morning, Brad took the girls over to Uncle Bart & Aunt Tana’s! These girls always have a good time with Ryne and Hayes!

Tana got some great photos of the girls playing!

On Sunday night, we went to dinner for Pa’s birthday!

Mary and Maddie were in town for a few days (from Tennessee where they are working), so any chance we got, we met up with them and Kelli and her boys so the kids could play! (And Kelli, Mary and I got to stay up late chatting a couple of nights at our favorite Mexican restaurant just down the road!)

Avery and Maddie were determined to take a spin in the golf cart! Maddie had the wheel with Avery on the pedal!

Monday night, we went to Ryne’s basketball game!

#25 – He’s a great athlete and their team wouldn’t be the same without him!

Today, we took the girls to the hospital to visit PawPaw! He had knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and is doing really well! He should be home by Friday afternoon!

Our calendar is quickly filling up with holiday festivities… we can’t wait to get started!

She’s Over The Hill!

2011-11-14T15:56:00.001-06:00

Saturday evening, we gathered at the Cadillac Bar just outside of Marble Falls for a SURPRISE 40th Birthday Bash for my big sister, Lisa, along with tons of her friends and family!

“SURPRISE!” Darby did an amazing job planning this party over the last few months and she had absolutely NO idea! He even made all the BBQ for the party and SHE made all three of the cakes! Haha!

It was an emotional moment (for all of us!)

One of the first faces she saw was that of her best friend from high school that she hadn’t seen in years!

Darby had the brilliant idea of having a few random people order cakes from her for her own party! (There’s just no way we could have settled for anything less than a Lisa’s Cakery Cake!) One was very appropriate, “Happy Birthday,” but the other two said “Mazel Tav Joel” and “Mike and Luciana 22 years!” She cracked up when she saw her cakes on the cake table!

The Hambricks ~ Lisa, Blaire (13), Darby & Brayson (4)

Brad’s band handled the entertainment and Darby sang a song especially for Lisa, “She’s close enough to perfect for me!”

Alex loved watching her Daddy on stage!

Kelli, Hudson and Alex tore up the dance floor!

The girls couldn’t wait to dig into Lisa’s cakes!

Mema and Lisa serving the sweets!

I made a photo slideshow of Lisa growing up to share at the party, and added some great music along with it! If you’d like to watch it, click here. The first song is one of Lisa’s favorites “Beneath A Painted Sky,” the second song is by Blaire (at age 6) and the third song is by Lisa and Blaire!

Watching the slideshow…

John had his hands full dancing with Garrison and Alex!

Enjoying the music!

Our friends, the O’Bannions, came out as well! Their daughter Ashlynn is the best babysitter and the girls just love her!

We were finally able to talk Lisa into singing a few songs with PawPaw on the guitar!

And Blaire sang, too! She has an amazing voice, but that was a given coming from two people that are great singers themselves!

Alex and Avery are all smiles when Ryne and Hayes are around!

The next rising star???

Or maybe it’s Kenedy? I see a band in the making!

We ended up leaving around 11pm and Alex and Avery partied until we strapped them in their car seats! Everybody had such a great time and I know that this is one birthday party that Lisa will never forget! And she deserved it! Happy Birthday… we love you, Lisa!

mobile montage | vol. 2

2011-11-07T21:24:00.001-06:00

Knock on Wood!

2011-11-05T17:26:00.001-05:00

We’ve spent the last 5 days stuck at home… any ideas why?

Yep! Big changes have come about at the Hutton House! With no sign of travel in our near future, we started potty training! Tuesday morning, we ditched the diapers and explained the process to the little ones and we were on our way!

Day 1: They exceeded our expectations! Alex only had two accidents that morning and Avery only had three! They woke up dry from their naps (wore diapers just in case), and didn’t have ANY accidents the rest of the day! A couple of times, they actually went completely on their own! FUNNY: I bought a small potty chair just in case they both needed to go at the same time, but they didn’t want to use it! Avery said, “Mommy, that’s for babies!”

Day 2: We survived the morning without ANY accidents from either of the girls! Avery even ran in the house from playing outside to use the restroom by herself! They woke up dry from their nap again and we decided to try panties. Alex had an accident pretty quickly, so we went back to bare-bottoms and they only had a couple more accidents after that!

Day 3: COMPLETELY ACCIDENT FREE! We were so proud of them!

Day 4: They spent the entire day in panties and Alex had one accident and Avery had three. They can actually go quite some time between restroom visits and are starting to tell us when they need to go, instead of us suggesting they go.

And today, Day 5, they’re doing great! Alex is accident free and Avery had had 1 accident first thing this morning, but she caught herself and finished in the restroom! Here are some pics of our diaper-free babies!

Alex:

Avery:

We hate that we’ve missed a great week of Texas weather, but so glad that we’ll be venturing out very soon, maybe even tomorrow! We’re just thrilled that this process that we’ve been sweating for awhile (2 3/4 years actually) has gone so smoothly! If we wouldn’t have been traveling all over the country for the last 6 months, we might have tried training them sooner, but I think the timing actually worked out perfectly!

UPDATE: We decided to visit the Weakly’s tonight and it was a success! They handled riding in the car and using a different restroom just fine! They looked so cute in their pants without diapers!

WE’RE SO PROUD OF OUR BIG GIRLS!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T20:05:00.001-05:00

It would be an understatement to say that Alex and Avery were excited about trick-or-treating this year! After a little taste of what it’s all about during our camping trip, they have been more than ready for Halloween night!

All dressed up and giving their Samba Dancer costumes a spin!

We headed to Mema and PawPaw’s for a little trick-or-treating with our cousins!

Avery couldn’t wait and got into Mema’s bowl of goodies!

And so did her sister!

We walked to the neighbors’ houses while we were waiting for the Weakly’s! Alex preferred to do the talking… “Trick or treat! I’m Alex!”

They caught on VERY quickly and RAN as fast as they could to each house! Alex stumbled and fell at almost every house… and I had to include this pic of her (on the right) in action! You gotta watch out for the rocks in hill country yards!

Finally, the Toy Story gang arrived! I have no idea how my sister comes up with the cutest costumes and even more challenging… a great picture of all of them together!

Kelli and I loaded up in the back of PawPaw’s truck with all the kiddos and John and Brad drove us around!

About an hour and a half later, we ended up back at Mema and PawPaw’s to ~~eat all of our candy~~ help hand out candy to the rest of the trick-or-treaters!

Here they come!

TRICK or TREAT!

mobile montage | vol. 1

2011-10-28T22:56:00.001-05:00

* Now that I’m finally using a real camera to document the lives of our littles, I’ve neglected to share those moments that only our phones could capture! So (along with many other bloggers), I’m going to take some time every now and then to share our favorite phone pics!

FALL FUN!

2011-10-27T12:56:00.001-05:00

Fall is our favorite time of year, mainly because of all the fun things to do with our family! And I haven’t kept up with what we’ve been up to, so I’m throwing it all here in one post!

I’m guilty of keeping an eye on the 10-day forecast and picking out the best days for… zoo trips!

Last week, Kenedy got her stock show pigs and we were there to welcome them to their new home!

We also carved our first pumpkin!

The girls were interested until it was time to clean it out… they said, “No thanks!”

But thankfully, Daddy finished it up and it turned out perfect! I’ve also taken a break here and there from organizing our house to do a few crafts! I saw a fall wreath on Pinterest and knew I had to give it a try! I’m not crafty at all, but it was pretty easy!

I recently stocked up on some solid-color bows, but when I saw a bow-making flyer in Hobby Lobby, I thought it was time to finally try and make my own! I was surprised that they only took me 15-20 minutes! Hopefully I won’t drive myself crazy making custom bows for all of the girls’ outfits!

Organizing gone WRONG! (This might have happened while I was busy crafting!)

On a rather warm day, we visited the Marble Falls Pumpkin Patch with the Weaklys and Hambricks!

And finally, the Boerne Pumpkin Patch with Nee and Pa!

I LOVE this picture of Nee and Alex from last year…

And somehow, captured a similar picture this year!

Nee and her girls last year…

And this year! They’ve changed so much, but were just as wild as last year running through the pumpkins!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-10-25T21:07:00.001-05:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a “Treasure It” post and honestly, there are several short notes I made on my phone to “treasure” and it was so long ago, I don’t remember what they were referring to. But here are some more recent things!

Admiring TEXAS in our backyard…

Often, I’ll ask the girls if they want something in a store and Avery will sometimes say, “No, those are for big kids!” The first time I heard her say it, we were in a convenience store a couple of months ago and they were both eyeing all the juice drinks. Alex said she wanted one and Avery said, “No Alex. Those are for the big kids.” It was kind of sad!

If the girls don’t want to go somewhere that I suggest, they insist that it’s closed! MOMMY: “We’re going to Walmart.” GIRLS: “No, Walmart’s CLOSED!” And speaking of responses, Alex has the cutest alternative to just saying “yes”… MOMMY: “Alex, do you want to go outside?” ALEX: “Of course! I’d love to!” It’s so sweet!

Lastly, we’re treasuring our bedtime routine, thanks to some little girls who love to sleep! Bath… then a few minutes of Sprout bedtime show… and then hop into bed (around 7:30pm!) We see their smiling faces again when their toddler clock shines green at 7:45 am (and often they’ll sleep later than that!)

Hopefully I can keep up with our “Treasure It” posts better than I have been!

Congrats, Daron & Samantha!

2011-10-23T21:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we headed up the road to San Angelo to my cousin Samantha’s wedding! It seems like just yesterday that Kelli and I were pushing her around in her stroller at our family reunions!

But she’s all grown up now and her and her husband have the cutest little two year old daughter, Addi!

Brayson really wanted a hug from Alex and Avery, but they both resisted!

Lisa made the cake for the event and Alex and Avery talked about it for the entire 3 hour drive to the wedding!

Finally!

Dancing with Daddy…

And we all fall down!

Lisa and her handsome little man!

Alex tore up the dance floor with Uncle Darby!

Front row seats while the Mr. & Mrs. (and sweet Addi) had their first dance!

Best Buds! (These outfits were made by my mom about four years ago for Kenedy and Hadyn!)

The Pretzel! Brayson opted out of that one!

Sitting still… I guess they’re growing up! (tear!)

Brayson showed off his moves… notice that the crowd in the back couldn’t keep up with him!

Cousin Randy with Avery, Alex, and Addi…

We had a great time at the wedding! Congrats, Daron and Samantha! We wish you the best and can’t wait to see y’all again soon!

Bittersweet…

2011-10-17T20:27:00.001-05:00

While we were in Virginia, I was connected with a sweet girl in our hometown who is expecting twin girls in March and happened to be looking for some nursery furniture! We decided that we’d meet up as soon as we got back home! So this is what our breakfast area looked like for a few days until we could take it to her (she is on bedrest at home for the remainder of her pregnancy due to complications.)

At first, I couldn’t wait to get it out of the way, but every time I walked by that chair, a different memory would pop into my head…

The last month of my pregnancy, I spent many hours lounging in that chair, staring at those two cribs, imagining how exciting our life was about to get…

And feeding sweet, tiny Avery before her sister came home from the hospital…

Daddy enjoying ALL of his girls…

Their first “monthly chair photo”…

Their last “monthly chair photo”…

I almost called her to tell her that we were going to have to hang on to the chair, but decided that these photos will be here forever and the chair would be put to better use rocking two new sweet baby girls!

And before we loaded it up in the trailer, I walked in to see this… my baby was now feeding her baby in the same chair that I fed her in so many times!

I can’t wait to go visit those new baby girls in the spring and see Alex and Avery’s entire nursery (even their cribs, bedding and curtain) getting enjoyed all over again!

Happy Birthday, Mema!

2011-10-16T21:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mema! We actually had a big celebration last Sunday for Mema’s birthday and a belated birthday for Kelli and I!

We were excited to get to catch up with Lisa, Darby, Blaire and Brayson! And Lisa brought a couple of cakes, thank goodness!

Brayson has grown so much!

My sisters and I surprised my mom with a trip to New York City for her birthday! And of course, Lisa, Kelli and I will be tagging along with her in December and we can’t wait! Happy Birthday, Mom! You’re the BEST and I hope that someday my girls will look forward to a trip with their mom as much as I’m looking forward to going with you! We love you!

Halloween at Jellystone!

2011-10-10T22:10:00.001-05:00

We FINALLY made it home! We left Myrtle Beach on Tuesday and drove 18 hours and then finished with an 8 hour drive on Wednesday. But instead of “moving” back into our house, we headed to Jellystone Park for some camping with the Weaklys for the weekend! It was the perfect opportunity for all of the cousins to catch up, plus it was Halloween weekend at the park and there were lots of activities to keep us entertained! (Excuse the photo overload, but with 6 cute cousins together, it’s hard not to include them all!)

Kenedy, Hadyn and Hudson made the cutest “Welcome Home” cards for Alex and Avery!

It was nice to actually know our neighbors for a change!

Garrison has grown so much since we last saw him in June (posing with Alex!)

And Hudson is still as silly as ever! He kept us laughing all weekend!

One morning, the kids planted pumpkin seeds in hopes that it would rain and they’d have pumpkins to pick that afternoon! (And it did!)

Carnival time!

Kenedy climbed to the top while it was raining! Luckily it stopped long enough for me to snap a picture of her at the top!

Laser Tag!

Look how fast our pumpkins grew!

Saturday night we went trick-or-treating to all of the campers!

I guess I should mention that while Kelli, Kenedy Hadyn and I were setting up our trick-or-treat table and John and Brad were grilling burgers, Alex and Avery decided to head into the Weakly’s RV and FLOOD THEIR BATHROOM! At least 3 inches of water flooded the bathroom floor while they were washing Aunt Kelli’s makeup in the sink! Little stinkers! They have certainly learned how to sneak away and get into trouble when they see that we’re distracted!

Movie Night!

Gem Mining!

The rain must have followed us home from Virginia because it rained ALL day and night on Saturday! But it didn’t put a damper on our weekend! We had a great time and can’t wait to head back for their Christmas activities!

We spent the first night back in our house last night and it’s GREAT to be home!

Myrtle Beach 2011

2011-10-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

*** DAY 2 ***

Day 2 began with a Family Festival!

And to Alex and Avery’s surprise, we picked up Pa at the airport around lunch! Pa flew to Myrtle Beach to drive our suburban home so that the girls and I could ride in the truck with Daddy back to Texas! Thank you so much, Pa! It was good to see you and we can’t wait to see you again back home!

The view from our RV window…

Beach time!

After dinner, we took the pups back to the beach for some exercise! Kassi and Sophi LOVE the beach and Avery and Alex had a great time running around with them!

*** DAY 3 ***

Polka Festival!

Beach Time!

To our surprise, the girls were excited about riding the Sky Wheel!

Alex loved it!

Avery was ready to get off after the first time around! We had a great view of the area 200’ above sea level in the glass gondolas!

These girls are always acting silly!

*** DAY 4 ***

Ripley’s Aquarium!

I’m not sure what this thing was, but Daddy dared me to pick it up!

Beach time!

We ran back into town for some ice cream and souvenir shopping!

Then it was back to the beach at sunset this evening for one last walk…

We had a great vacation, but can’t wait to hit the road back to Texas tomorrow! We miss our family so much and can’t wait to see everybody!

Goodbye Virginia…

2011-10-01T19:04:00.001-05:00

Hello Myrtle Beach!

We finished up work in Virginia yesterday morning and hit the road 7 hours south to beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! After we parked the RV last night (just behind those palm trees), we ran to the beach for Alex & Avery’s first sight of the beautiful ocean right as the sun set!

The weather is perfect… highs in the upper 60’s with lots and lots of sun! We have a fun-filled schedule for the next four days and hope to squeeze in a little relaxing here and there before we head back home to Texas!

A distant celebration…

2011-09-27T19:27:00.001-05:00

Today was Mommy’s birthday, so we had a party at a bounce place here in Richmond! The girls were thrilled, of course! Daddy had fun, too!

When we were paying to bounce, the lady asked if we wanted to bounce along with the girls… we said, “Oh no, we’re good!” But within 30 seconds inside, Daddy turned and headed for the front saying, “I want to bounce, too. I’m going to go pay the lady!” and I hollered for him to pay for me, too! Haha!

Avery… all smiles (and looking way too grown up!)

Alex took a break to skim the latest issue of Parenting magazine.

After we were all bounced out, we headed back to the RV for a nap and then back out for some shopping and dinner!

It wasn’t a Lisa’s Cakery cake, but if I know my sis, she’ll have one ready for me when we get back to Texas! (hint hint!)

And a BIG Happy Birthday to my hermana gemela, Kelli! (That’s twin sister in Spanish, if you’re wondering! And I’m sure I got a chuckle out of her by calling her that!) If my memory serves me right (and at 34, there are no guarantees), we’ve only missed celebrating 3 birthdays together! I hope my girls enjoy sharing a birthday over the years as much as I have with my sister!

Science Museum!

2011-09-21T19:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, with another rare day off for Daddy, we explored the local science museum! There were 4 stories of exhibits, including some outdoor things to see!

Building a bridge with Daddy… that we never did accomplish! (Shelby – we needed help from Jess and Josh!)

The girls LOVE trains, so we had to check this one out!

They even had a submarine on display! (Or a spaceship, as the girls called it!)

The girls stayed an exhibit ahead of us the entire time!

Look! Mommy was there, too!

This was hilarious… it was a reflection demonstration! I should have videoed the girls with it! It was quite confusing to us and them too, I think!

Playing with prisms!

This was our favorite exhibit! They explained hurricanes and more specifically, the ones we worked in 2004 & 2005! Don’t the girls look thrilled?! I think we might have spent too much time in this spot!

After a nap, we took Daddy to our favorite mall for dinner! We always love dragging him around on his days off and are so thankful that he has just as much fun as we do!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-09-20T08:07:00.001-05:00

** iPhone Video Edition **

Watermelon for Breakfast?

2011-09-16T19:27:00.001-05:00

If your Friday starts like this…

…you might want to stay home! But we had been waiting for this day for 10 days when we saw the forecast of a high of 67 and sun! We loaded up and headed to an amazing nature park and children’s farm!

Thanks to Mommy making a wrong turn and having to cross a toll bridge (cha-ching) and then having to turn around and drive back across the toll bridge (cha-ching), we finally made it to the park! We unloaded and entered the park, only to find that the farm was on the opposite side of the park! We’d have to load back up in the car to drive around, but let’s take a few pictures first… and oops! No camera card in the new camera!

We drove around downtown and finally found a store, unloaded and ran in to buy another camera card… then back out to the car… and surprise, Avery is missing a bow! Back inside, we found the bow and finally headed back to the park!

“Yippee! We’re finally at the farm that Mommy promised us over an hour ago!”

Within five minutes, Alex got going a little too fast on the downhill path and crashed!

Back on track and waving at the animals…

We walked… and walked… and walked… down the nature trail…

After about 30 minutes of walking, and seeing the owls, eagles, fox, deer, cows, goats, and bobcats, we ran into a park employee and asked if the path continues around, back to where we started. The lady said that if we want to walk for another 2 hours, keep going. If not, turn around and head back the way we came! Lovely! The girls were not very excited about turning around and walking back uphill all the way to the car!

But thankfully, this peacock appeared and put smiles back on our faces!

[AVERY]: “Come here, purple turkey!”

We should have stayed home and lounged like these fellas!

But to make it all worthwhile, this is what I heard when we got back in the car:

[ALEX]: “Avery, you have fun at the farm?”

[AVERY]: “Yes! I did have fun at the farm! You have fun, Alex?”

[ALEX]: “Yes! Mommy… you have fun at the farm?”

Absolutely, Alex! I did have fun at the farm!

* I guess I should be thankful that this kind of day isn’t the norm for us!

Traveling Sand Box!

2011-09-14T12:36:00.001-05:00

The girls had such a great time at the water table at the museum yesterday, so I thought that we’d make our own with a tub, some toys, and water! But then I decided that maybe sand would be a better option…

It’s a hit! They love it (and Mommy likes to get her hands in it, too!) Well worth our shopping trip this morning to Walmart (tub), Dollar Tree (sand tools), and Home Depot (sand!)

Daddy will be so thrilled when he gets back to find that we have yet another item to tote around in the RV with us as we travel!

* For those that asked: My new camera is the Nikon D5100 and I absolutely LOVE it! I’ve taken a couple of photography classes, but honestly, this camera takes amazing photos even in the auto setting! These pictures were taken with my 35mm lens that I bought to use with my Nikon D3000 that just happens to work with my D5100 as well! The quality of the photos is even better than how they upload through Windows Live Writer. I’ll have to work on that!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-09-13T20:26:00.001-05:00

Today’s “Treasure It” Tuesday is brought to you from the Toddler Children’s Museum of Richmond via my early birthday gift… a new camera! (Which came about with very little begging – Thanks Brad!)

Avery begins almost every sentence with “Hey everybody…” It’s the cutest thing! For example, she’ll say, “Hey everybody… I see a school bus!”

Alex has lost her shyness and if someone speaks to her, she’ll say, “Hi. I’m Alex. I’m a teacher!” I have no idea where she got the teacher part, but one time when she said it, Avery said, “I’m a doctor!”

Recently, the girls and I bought Daddy some sour gummy worms (he loves them) at the store and Avery got so excited to give them to him when we got home! So regardless if we bought him something, every time we walk in with our shopping bags, she’ll grab something out of them and say, “Dad! I got you something!” His last gift was Mommy’s 12 pack of Coke Zero.

Over the last 6 months, the girls have learned the names of quite a few stores, and will point them out when we drive by them! Here are the stores they can visually identify: Hobby Lobby, Petco, Home Depot, Walmart, Marshalls, Target, Kmart (and we don’t even have a Kmart back home), Ross, TJMaxx, McDonalds, Burger King, and best of all… Texas Roadhouse! They also easily remember the surroundings of certain places and when we get near, they realize where we’re going (or to their disappointment – where we’re NOT going!")

* On a side note: These two girlies played at this water table for a little over an hour before we got kicked out when they closed! I got bored when I ran out of blogs to read, so if you’re reading this and you’re not sure if I read your blog, please leave me a comment so I can add yours to my list! I’m not really into reading books… but LOVE reading blogs! Thanks!

My favorite picture with my new camera so far… this beautiful butterfly (Alex!)

First week in Virginia!

2011-09-09T21:33:00.001-05:00

The girls and I have had a blast exploring Richmond! And there’s much more on our list to do!

Bass Pro Shops is right across the street, so we’ve already been a few times! The girls call it the aquarium!

The water is cold at the RV park pool, but that didn’t stop them!

We’ve visited a few nearby parks!

And we found the most amazing outdoor mall! Everywhere we go, it seems like the malls just get better and better! And these girls are definitely fans of the mall! If you ask them what they want to do, they ALWAYS say “Go to the mall!”

I love this mall because with it being an outdoor mall, all of the stores have doors, preventing the girls from ducking into a store and disappearing in an instant! It’s not often that we can go to a mall without a stroller!

One of the many perks is a huge fish pond with ducks!

The landscaping is crazy!

The girls had almost forgotten what a bounce place was because Cheyenne didn’t have one! Luckily, there are plenty of them around here! I love these two photos… they can be so sweet to each other! (Yes, we had the whole place to ourselves!)

And thanks to this guy for working so hard so Mommy and his girls can have such a great time together all day, every day!

(It’s 11pm and he just asked me if I thought it would wake up the girls if he went in their room and rubbed their heads for a minute. He’s the best Daddy in the world!)

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-09-05T20:35:00.001-05:00

I can’t keep up with all of the funnies and sweet things these girls are saying! Here are a few of the latest, taken from recent texts to our family back home (and some photos from today mixed in!)

This afternoon during a rainstorm, the girls watched a movie in Mommy & Daddy’s bed. During the movie, Avery came walking into the living room with Alex’s juice cup and said, “Mommy… she wants some more!”

Lately, we’ve been working on our full names and where we’re from and a few days ago when I asked Avery what her full name was, she replied… “Avery Texas!”

At the start of our long journey to Virginia, I told the girls several times where we were going. The next morning, they asked if they could go to “Jenny’s house”… it took me a few minutes to realize they were saying “Jenny” instead of Virginia!

About 4 days after our Denver Aquarium excursion, out of the blue, Avery asked, “Mom… you have fun seeing the fishes, and the sting rays, and the jelly fish?” Their memory AMAZES us!

Greetings from Virginia!

2011-09-02T22:01:00.001-05:00

Yep, you guessed it! Irene invited us to the East Coast!

1700 MILES ~ 9 STATES ~ 3 TIME ZONES in 3 DAYS!

We left Tuesday morning to head to Virginia! I had already packed up Dory, the girls’ fish, for travel and as soon as they got up, they noticed that she was missing! I had to show them that she was just fine in her “travel” aquarium!

We spent the first night in Lincoln, Nebraska! Boy, was it HOT and HUMID! Cheyenne spoiled us!

Then on Wednesday morning, the girls and I headed out before Daddy to meet up with a good friend of mine that I have never met in person! Our paths crossed online 3 1/2 years ago and we have kept in touch (sometimes daily) ever since! We had our girls 2 weeks apart and she has since had another little girl!

Alex, Avery, and Sage!

They acted like they had known each other forever!

Sweet baby Georgia and I!

My friend, Mindy and her youngest!

Brad had a rough time getting past the Missouri River due to flooding, so we ended up playing at the park with Mindy, Sage, and Georgia for 2 1/2 hours! It was a nice break from being stuck in the car! Thanks, Mindy, for entertaining us!

We drove until 3:30am that night! The girls, who stayed awake until midnight, enjoyed seeing the cities at night, including the St. Louis arch!

We found some fun McD’s along the way!

And even did some late-night shopping! We definitely got some dirty looks carting two barefoot toddlers in pj’s around at 11pm!

These two little girls are the BEST travelers on the planet! They rarely complain in the car! As much as I hate driving long distances, they sure make it as easy as possible!

Late last night, we finally pulled into our final destination… Richmond, Virginia! We were so glad to get out of the car, and so was Dory! Yes, she survived 3 days in a pitcher bouncing around in the RV! (She is really a he, but she’s a she to the girls!)

Irene made a mess of Richmond, but we’re here to help!

Finally settled in! We think we’re going to like it here!

We miss you, Nee!

2011-08-25T23:13:00.001-05:00

We had a fantastic time with Nee these past 7 days! Sadly, we took her back to the airport this evening and the girls have been asking “Where’s Nee?” ever since! Here’s a peek at some fun things we did!

Brad had planned on driving down to Denver to pick up Nee, but the girls and I decided to leave Daddy behind to do some work and surprise Nee at the airport!

Here we are at the Farmer’s Market, stocking up on fresh bread and sweets!

Shopping with Nee… thank goodness this is just an illusion!

Nee stayed at the hotel next to our RV park and the girls were thrilled to try out the indoor pool!

Alex taught Nee how to play some iPhone games!

Squeezing in some time at McD’s!

We took Nee to the botanical gardens!

Silly Avery!

We left for Denver early this morning to visit the Denver Aquarium before we dropped Nee off at the airport this afternoon. This was the girls’ second time there. We went a year ago on our way home from Montana!

Same picture in Sept 2010:

The girls were just as wild this year as they were last year!

Same picture in Sept 2010:

Petting the sting rays!

Same picture in Sept 2010

Avery gave it everything she had to make her penny souvenir!

Lunch with the fish!

Nee, we are so thankful for this time we got to spend with you! We already miss you so much! The girls have asked about you a thousand times. When the girls spotted your hotel this evening on our way home, they both asked where you were. I reminded them that you flew back to Texas in a big airplane and Avery said, “No. She’s back at the RV!” They were both disappointed when they realized Avery was wrong. Thanks again for flying across the country to come to see us! We love you so much!

Shh - it’s a Surprise!

2011-08-18T15:37:00.001-05:00

This:

Plus this:

Will equal some very happy little girls tomorrow!

I sense some spoiling going on for the next 7 days! We can’t wait for you to get here, Nee!

“Wow! You have your hands full!”

2011-08-14T22:38:00.001-05:00

I have always appreciated people stopping us in public to tell me how precious our baby girls are and even chit-chat about their great-grandmother’s aunt’s set of twins girls, but lately, it seems that the main thing I hear is, “Wow! You have your hands full!” So… do they look like they are “handfuls” or are you basing it on the fact that there are two of them at age 2? My response? “Oh they’re very good girls… we are very blessed!” But here’s what I would like to say:

To the man in the pet store who said, “Wow! You have your hands full!” when watching Alex and Avery run from the kittens to the snakes to the kittens to the puppies and back to the kittens (the kittens are their favorite!): Hang around another 5 minutes so you can see them hop back in the stroller without saying a word when Mommy says, “Girls, it’s time to go!”

To the lady at the arts and crafts show who said, “Wow! You have your hands full!” when seeing Alex and Avery going from booth to booth on foot!: Follow us for 10 minutes and you’ll see that these sweet girls enjoy looking but rarely pick anything up! They appreciate the ability to walk and “shop” on their own that much!

To the table of gentlemen next to us in Taco Bell who said, “Wow! You have your hands full!” after they jumped out of their seats when Alex almost turned her chair over!”: Watch these sweet girls hold hands as we walk across the parking lot to our car, crawl up in their car seats on their own, and say “Thank you, Mommy!” when I buckle their seat belts! We hear “please” and “thank you” all day long for handing them their juice… putting a bow in their hair… tying their shoes… they appreciate everything we do!

To the lady in Walmart who says, “Wow! You have your hands full!” as she passes our shopping cart full of two girls inspecting all of the items stuffed around them!: These two girls, up until 6 months ago, had never been out of a shopping cart in a store and are as content as can be strolling along! Cruel? No… they never knew any different, so they were just fine with that! Now, they appreciate getting to get out of the cart on the toy aisle every now and then to see what’s new, but they never refuse to get back in the cart when it’s time to move on!

To those people who say, “Wow! You have your hands full!” when they’re actually thinking, “Wow! I bet you haven’t slept in 2 1/2 years!”: Come over around 7:40pm at bath time and watch these girls go from the tub to their toddler beds with smiles on their faces as they tell the puppies, Mommy and Daddy, and each other goodnight! And as a bonus, they usually sleep until 8-8:30am, but if they wake before then, they stay in bed until their toddler clock glows green at 7:45am! (I saw the toddler clock work it’s magic on another blog and knew we had to have one! It has taken the mystery out of wake-time for the girls! If one or both of them are awake at 7:45am, I’ll hear “It’s green! It’s green! The clock is green!” over the monitor! We have it mounted to the side of their TV cabinet.)

To the few people who use the term, “Oh the TERRIBLE TWO’S!”: We can count on one hand the number of tantrums that we’ve seen in the last couple of months! Other than a 15 second fight here and there, tantrums are few and far between (for now anyway!) Most of the girls’ toys are different colors and Alex and Avery never forget which color is theirs, eliminating the need to argue over something!

Am I bragging on our sweet girls?: Yes, and they deserve it! Daddy and I mention how sweet and well behaved they are at least once every evening! They are such a joy and a blessing!

Oh – and to the couple who passed us on the trail at the RV park and said, “Wow! You have your hands full!” as I tried to keep up with Alex and Avery who were being led by Kassi and Sophi on their leashes!: YES! Yes I do have my hands full!

IF YOU THINK MY HANDS ARE FULL, YOU SHOULD SEE MY HEART!

2 1/2 Years Old!

2011-08-12T21:50:00.001-05:00

Montana ~ August 2010

Wyoming ~ August 2011

What a difference a year makes!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-08-09T22:30:00.001-05:00

(Wordless Edition!)

Exploring the Capitol City!

2011-08-06T23:21:00.001-05:00

Daddy got a break in his work schedule yesterday, so we hit the town to do a little sight-seeing! First stop was to see Ol’Sadie 1242 – Wyoming’s oldest steam engine, built in 1890!

Stop 2: The Cheyenne Botanical Gardens!

Stop 3: The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum!

I was excited to see that they had an exhibit for Quail Dobbs! He is a famous rodeo clown that my sisters and I happened to get to know very well growing up in the horse business!

I love these photos of the stunts he used to do in the arena! After the rodeos, we would go visit Quail at his trailer and sit on his donkey (in the top left picture!)

This wagon was open for guests, so they climbed on in!

Stop 4: The Cheyenne Train Depot for lunch!

Stop 5: Walking to the western store!

Alex ditched her sandals for a new pair of boots!

Stop 6: After a good nap, we visited the discount catalog store for Sierra Trading Post! The girls colored while Mommy and Daddy shopped!

Stop 7: Downtown for some live music on the square! Little Divas in action…

Avery has all the moves! She loves to dance!

Stop 8 was for dinner and shopping at the mall until bedtime!

We had a super FUN day with Daddy! (And what a great Dad to spend his rare day off running all over town with his ladies! He’s a keeper!)

Wyoming!

2011-08-03T22:29:00.001-05:00

We moved up the road to Wyoming a few days ago and it’s even cooler than where we were staying in Colorado! The mornings and evenings are in the 60’s!

Before we even made it to our RV park, the girls and I stopped at this park in town to play while Daddy set up the RV. There are acres and acres of this plush grass… we couldn’t resist kicking off our shoes!

And the mall here in Wyoming is perfect for us!

Complete with a pet store FULL of puppies! (Not sure that’s such a good thing with 20+ puppies, but the girls sure enjoy watching them play!)

Our new RV park is perfect as well!

Daddy likes it, too!

We’ve been wondering if Alex and Avery were going to be mirror twins like Kelli and I (I’m left handed and she’s right handed), but we’re almost certain they’re both right handed. You can tell a little about their personalities in this photo (Avery in pink and Alex in green)… haha!

Shopping, yet again! The girls ask to go to the mall at least once a day! It takes both of them twisting my arms to take them (wink-wink!)

It rained for several hours this afternoon! After the girls woke up from their nap, they were amazed at what they saw outside!

After the sky cleared, we put on our “puddle jumping” shoes and took off!

We LOVE Wyoming!

More Friends & Family!

2011-07-31T22:04:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, the girls and I headed an hour south to Denver to meet up with another twin mama, Meghan and her sweet girls, Kyla and Avery! They are just 13 days younger than Alex and Avery (and were born at 27 weeks at just a little over 2 pounds! They were “momo twins,” meaning a very rare and risky pregnancy, so they are truly miracles!) Meghan used to blog and that’s how we met, so when she saw that we were in Colorado, she suggested that we get together! We went to a children’s museum and we had a blast!

Alex, Avery, Avery, and Kyla after lunch! They’re obviously identical, too!

All of the girls put on tap shoes and put on a show!

They got along so well together!

Thanks for meeting up with us, Meghan! Hopefully we can get together again soon!

And another surprise today… Uncle Bart, Aunt Tana and Ryne & Hayes were passing through today and we got to meet up with them for dinner! Alex and Avery were SO excited to see their cousins!

Avery and Hayes giggled through our entire dinner!

Playing games with the big boys!

Avery and Ryne

It’s not typical that we get to see family so often when we’re this far away from home… we are very thankful for this time with them!

Cheyenne Frontier Days!

2011-07-29T22:27:00.004-05:00

When we found out that we were heading to the Wyoming area to work, we quickly realized that we’d be there just in time for Cheyenne Frontier Days! My dad roped in the Cheyenne Rodeo nine years in a row back in the 70’s and I was excited that Alex and Avery would get to visit that same rodeo almost 40 years later! Here’s a couple of photos of my dad roping in Cheyenne…

(I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that our neighbor here at the RV park ended up knowing him!)

Alex and Avery were more than ready to check out all the booths at Frontier Days before the rodeo started!

For the first 30 minutes on the grounds, Alex hollered for Pawpaw. If she sees cowboy hats, she expects Pawpaw to be there!

Rodeo Time!

They loved the chuck wagons!

Avery was on “clap patrol”… if you weren’t clapping when the crowd clapped, she told you about it!

Exploring the carnival!

We had a GREAT time at Cheyenne Frontier Days! Hopefully we can go again someday, but Pawpaw will have to join us next time!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-07-26T15:11:00.001-05:00

On our way to Colorado, we passed through an area full of wind-energy windmills. Avery had woken up from her nap by then and was amazed at the sight! She then screamed and hollered, “Wake up, Ax! Wake up! Look, Ax! Look!” She couldn’t stand that her sister was missing it!

The girls learned what pinecones were first-hand when we were in Montana last summer but apparently Alex forgot what they were. She took off barefoot into the grass and stepped on one! She immediately started crying and when I asked her what was wrong, she said, “Stepped on a poconut!” (I guess that’s a cross between a pinecone and a coconut!) So now we all call them “poconuts!”

After that incident, Alex, even with shoes on, is hesitant to walk in the grass. Avery was playing on the concrete pad next to us and hollered at Alex to join her. Alex stood at the edge of the grass and said “I can’t!” Avery quickly came over and said, “Hold hands, Ax! I help you!” and they walked together, holding hands across the grass!

Alex is always asking us: “What’s your favorite color, Mommy?”… “What’s your favorite color, Avery?”… “What’s your favorite color, Daddy?” She even asked Aunt Lisa over the phone what her favorite color was and she hasn’t forgotten Aunt Lisa’s answer!

This past Sunday, Nee and Pa stopped by on their way back home from Wyoming! We were thrilled to get to see them! They surprised Alex and Avery at the playground and they were all giggles and smiles!

We miss all of our family so much!

Colorado: Day 3!

2011-07-22T22:41:00.004-05:00

We made it! We left Dallas/Ft Worth Tuesday evening and drove 6 hours before we stopped for the night, and then drove 9 hours to North Colorado the next day! But before we left, we got to see Mema, Aunt Kelli, Kenedy and Hadyn who arrived in DFW for a horse show a few hours before we left. We met up at the mall and Alex and Avery got to bounce with Kenedy and Hadyn! We were so glad that we got to see them before we left for Colorado!

The girls were such good travelers! They hardly ever complained the entire trip! We spent most of the drive giggling… they are so silly!

We’re staying at a great RV park, but even better is the weather! The girls are thrilled about being able to play outside again!

They are right at home in this little playhouse!

And I’m pretty comfy watching them play from this swing! (And our RV is just right across from the playground!)

We ventured out with Daddy before he had to start work again! We visited a local farm…

And then, of course, checked out the local mall!

We’re so excited to get to spend some time in the mountains like we got to do last summer, too!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-07-19T08:30:00.004-05:00

Alex and Avery’s expanding vocabulary catches us off guard every day! They’ll say a certain word or phrase and Brad and I just look at each other in amazement! It’s so exciting to listen to them these days! (They have both been under the weather, so we’ve been laying low… meaning no new photos, but I’m going to include some old “never before seen” iPhone pics for grins!)

Out of the blue one day, we were having lunch and Alex said, “I make a funny face!” and poked her fingers into her cheeks and grinned! She’s so silly and we love it!

She also points and says the phrase, “Stay here… I’ll be right back!” way to often!

A few days ago, I heard Avery giving orders to Alex from their room! Apparently Alex had thrown their crayons everywhere! “Pick up crayons, Ax! No mam! Here’s one (pointing)… here’s nother one!” And to my surprise, Alex was picking them up! *Note:Avery has finally started calling her sister by her name (Ax = Alex), instead of calling her Avery!

We promised the girls a sucker for taking their medicine. Alex went first and took her meds quickly to get her sucker! Avery, on the other hand, decided that she wasn’t going to take hers! She wanted her sucker so bad, but it wasn’t worth taking the medicine. When Alex realized we weren’t going to give in and give Avery a sucker, she grabbed it off the counter and gave it to Avery! We took it back and Alex was so mad at us! They almost always take up for each other and love to gang up on us!

Last night, we were eating seafood and the girls had hushpuppies for the first time and apparently Alex liked them because she said, “More doggies, please!”

And my FAVORITE Mommy moment to date: We were at the pool a few nights ago and the girls had been playing with another little girl there. The little girl’s grandmother came over to get her when it was time for them to leave and she asked Avery what her name was. Avery didn’t say her name, but she pointed at Alex and said, “This is Ax…” and then pointed at me and said, “and this my friend, Mommy.” Gotta admit that I giggled and teared up at the same time! Love these girls SO much!

We’re loading up today and leaving this Texas heat for a new destination… 850 miles up the road! We’re super excited! Stay tuned....

Latest Happenings!

2011-07-14T21:56:00.001-05:00

We’re still here… exploring DFW! We haven’t done anything too exciting, but someone special requested a blog update (Aunt Lisa!), so here’s a week’s worth of iPhone pics!

The girls LOVE visiting the nearby pet stores! Somehow we’ve managed to come out empty-handed every time!

The girls ask to play with Madelyn and Kinley every morning, so we met them at this splash park one day!

And enjoyed dinner together afterwards!

We did a little shopping before seeing a movie with Madelyn and Kinley last week.

The girls were stoller-free and loved it!

We also broke down at McDonalds! (Not to point fingers, but it turned out that Avery got a hold of the keys in our bag and popped the back glass, causing the interior lights to stay on and run the battery down!) Luckily Daddy came and saved us!

But we had to kill some time before he got there!

Alex and Avery provided some entertainment in Guitar Center while shopping with Daddy!

And this was Tuesday… Avery had an unexplained fever for 12 hours, so we lounged in our pj’s all day while watching movies and playing games on our phones!

That’s all, folks!

"Treasure It" Tuesday!

2011-07-05T20:49:00.002-05:00

We are definitely treasuring the “sister hugs” that have been happening quite often over the last few days!

As we were about to walk out the door the other day, Avery refused to come with us, so I tried the “Well you stay here then! Bye, Avery!” trick (which I’m not fond of, but was in a hurry at the moment!) Alex looked at me like I was crazy and said, “NO!” and went and sat down next to Avery! She wasn’t going anywhere without her sister!

Avery is quick to give you a “Good Job, Mommy!” (or Daddy or Alex) when we do something to her satisfaction!

Alex loves to jump in the pool from the side, but Avery is a little more reserved. When she finally jumped in, Alex said, “I’m so proud of you, Avery!”

If someone has something that Alex wants, she says, “Share with Alex!” She said that to a boy with a balloon at the mall today!

And last… we’re treasuring our BIG healthy girls: Avery currently weighs 34.2 pounds and Alex weighs 39 pounds! Alex is 37 inches tall and Avery is just under 37 inches. I guess it’s also a good time to mention that I’m thankful that they can finally crawl into the suburban and get into their carseats by themselves!

Fun-Filled Fourth with Friends!

2011-07-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

We had a GREAT 4th of July weekend with our DFW friends! On Friday, we had a playdate with the Tarrants!

Then Saturday morning, we met our friend Britni and her girls, Adde and Clare (who were in town from Houston visiting family), and Liz, Madelyn and Kinley for some fun at the mall!

The whole gang!

That night, we met our friends Nan and Ana (who are expecting a baby girl next month) for some dinner at the Stockyards!

We couldn’t pass up a stagecoach ride!

And a little shopping!

Sunday morning, the girls and I headed out for some shopping and lunch while Daddy worked! And here’s something new: SISTER HUGS!

Sunday afternoon, the Donaho’s had us over for burgers!

The backyard entertainment!

Monday started off with a trip to the mall, at Alex’s request!

Identical down to their feet!

Daddy enjoyed the mall, too!

We ended the day with dinner and sight-seeing…

… swimming and watermelon!

And last but certainly not least, we celebrated sweet Kassi’s 11th birthday today! Not sure what we would do without her around!

“Treasure It” Tuesday!

2011-06-28T21:41:00.004-05:00

Awhile back, I mentioned creating a post once a week to have a place to collect our special moments! Until now, I haven’t made enough of an effort to make a note of things, but time is getting away from me, so it’s time!

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I’ve said before that I never call Alex and Avery “twins,” so it was a surprise to me when Alex saw two girls dressed exactly alike, pointed, and said “twins!” My first thought was, how in the world does she know what twins are? They actually weren’t even twins, just sisters. That was a couple of months ago, and now, anytime they see two of the same thing, it’s always “twins!”

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My mom says that Kelli and I were never quick to confess who “made the mess” or “broke the lamp” – we would say “you tell her you did it” and the other would say, “no you tell her YOU did it!” But Avery has her own technique: Anytime I walk in on the girls getting into something they aren’t supposed to, she points at the mess, looks at Alex and says, “You did this? You did this? No mam!”

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Alex melted her daddy’s heart two nights ago as we were walking out of Baskin Robbins… she looked at him and said, “Thank you for ice cream, Daddy!” And today, as I put her down for a nap, in a sad voice she said, “Mommy…. Mommy!” I asked her what was wrong and she said, “Hold hands.” Yep, she has us wrapped!

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Hopefully I’ll keep a list in my phone of things I want to share and can make a post each week!

Back To Work!

2011-06-27T20:51:00.003-05:00

As of last Wednesday, we’re back to work in the DFW area! We’re staying in a different area this time, so there are lots of new fun things to do! Here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to through the lens of my cell phone… I haven’t even gotten my camera out yet!

The girls are enjoying their toddler beds in the RV!

The bounce place in the mall (1.4 miles from our RV park!)
More mall activities!
After swimming snacks!
Late evening nap at the mall! Oops! Mommy and Daddy enjoyed their quiet dinner though!
Tearing up the toy store!
Balloon weenie dogs at the park!
More stuff to do at the mall!
At the mall way too early!
Here’s Alex singing “You’ve got a Friend in Me” at the mall!

Decisions, decisions!
Backyard playdate with Garrett and his buddies!
Our park pool! We’ve taken a dip every day so far! The girls are turning into little fish very quickly!
Our friends Liz and her girls took us to a neat water park but my phone stayed packed away so I don’t have any pictures! I’m sure we’ll go back soon! We’re having a great time!