Christmas Eve

My Mama and Dad arrived just before lunch. We made sandwiches and played for a bit before getting ready for church. We sent Jadie to the nursery, expecting her to throw a fit when we left her. However, she couldn't get rid of us fast enough. Ashlyn went to the service with us and did AWESOME!!! She was so good. She participated in the Children's Sermon and even did communion with Grandma. We were sooooooo very proud of her! When we went to pick Jadie up they said she was soooo good. She played "Grocery Store" the whole time. It's so heart warming to hear when our girls are good! I think that was one of the best Christmas Present a Mom can get!!! After service, we came back to the house. Johnathan cooked us some delicious ribeyes. I made sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, ceasar salad, corn on the cob and sweet rolls. I think we have found our new Christmas Eve Dinner tradition. It was sooo good. None of us even had room for dessert! While everyone cleaned up, Jadie watched a Christmas movie, and Ashlyn and Grandma made fudge! YUM! And of course....after all was done...we sat down and opened presents! Ashlyn was so excited...she was the first one finished! (Even opening one of Grandma's gifts....oops!) The girls were finally sound asleep at 10. The grown ups finished watching the movie Elf! (I love that movie!!!) And we all headed to bed to wait for Christmas morning!

Decorating Cookies!

Johnathan and Ashlyn baked and decorated cookies today. Jadie and I helped out too. It was quite an event!!! After we bathed the girls and enjoyed a movie as a family!

if you look close....at the middle left of this picture...you can see a portion of Jadyn's masterpiece. She buried her cookie under about two cups of icing.

Ashlyn's Christmas Program at School

Let the Christmas Shopping Begin

Jadie and her Hats and Jackets

Here is our little Fancy Nancy!!!

Winnie Rice Festival

I forgot to post this...but back in October, Ashlyn and I went to the Winnie Rice Festival. Her school let them out on a Friday...just to promote the fair. It was so nice with so few people there. There weren't any lines or crowds to fight. We stayed from 10-6. We were both exhausted. Ashlyn thought it was so neat seeing people from her school! I got to meet a few parents too...so it was extra nice for me since I still haven't gotten to know alot of people out here.

Turkey Day

For Thanksgiving we drove to my parent's house for the weekend. My cousins were going to be there along with my Aunt and Uncle. One of my cousin's Ross, I haven't seen in almost 2 decades! My other cousin, Joleen, lives in Kingwood but I am lucky if I see them once a year. My Uncle Bud and Aunt Arleen live in Iowa. It was great getting all of us together. Everyone has at least two kids...so it was quite busy...but so nice to get to catch up.

Here are two pictures of Jadie. The first one she is attempting to fish. The second she is playing in her favorite place at Grandmas...the sand box! (It's just a big tub filled with play sand.)

On Saturday morning we drove to Mamaw and PawPawpaws. Ashlyn wanted to see PawPaw's garden...so the girls and I went with PawPaw and got the tour. Ashlyn and Jadie both got a kick out of it. Jadie was super excited about the Brocolli that was going to go in her Mama's Fridge. Too bad she won't eat the stuff!

After we left MaMaw's and PawPaws...we headed over to see Grandma and Grandpa H. We stayed for a few minutes and visited. The girls were sooooooo good. I even got a picture of them wrestling together. It makes me smile everytime I see it!!!

Free Birds Dinner/Birthday

For the past couple of years, we have had a dinner at our friends' Troy and Stefany's House. They cater using Freebirds. (YUM!!!!) Everyone on the invite list are Aggies, (where Freebirds started.)

Since the date always falls close to my birthday, I typically get lots of birthday wishes!

Thank you Troy and Stefany for the invite!!!

Gift Ideas

If you are in need of gift ideas....look to the right and you should find "links" to our individual wishlists!

The Day Before Thanksgiving

Today Jadie has had a fever and an upset tummy. Ashlyn has been pretty mopey herself. This evening we found out why....she threw up. We are hoping Jadie's fever is something simple as a new tooth....and Ashlyn's as just she ate something that didn't settle well. Time will tell!

Our Little Comedian

Ashlyn's School Picture

Ashlyn's Battery Operated Scooter....and Jadie's Fun

Our old neighbor gave us his daughter's scooter. Johnathan has been trying to teach Ashlyn how to ride it. (Of course she couldn't ride her bike without training wheels a few days ago....and now she can. I think the scooter helped her figure out her balance.) This little scooter can GO! So today, the day after she learned how to ride her bike without her training wheels....Johnathan decided to hook Jadie up to the back of this scooter in the girls wagon. Johnathan called it a "Train" and Ashlyn was the driver. Both girls were thrilled! You could hear them singing on their "Train Ride", even when I was inside! It was awfully sweet!

No More Training Wheels

Third time is the charm, so they say! Ashlyn tried 3 times to ride her bike without training wheels....and she got it! Now she just has to learn to start without Daddy holding the bike...and learn how to turn, and to use the breaks!

She was SOOOOoooooo proud of herself!



Click here to see her video

Trick or Treating

One of our neighbors invited us to their house for a hayride and trick or treating. It was a good time. Jadie really got into the whole trick or treat thing. Ashlyn made me so proud helping her sister from house to house! Ashlyn asked to pass out candy...so we wound up leaving the hayride a little early. Jadie enjoyed eating her candy and Ashlyn had a blast passing out candy to all the kids!

Jadie Dresses Up for School

Red Ribbon Week

At Ashlyn's School the entire school let go of red balloons. Each balloon had a message written on an index card saying something about drugs. Ashlyn's said..."Say No". She really didn't know what that meant she said. They had one man call a few days later saying that he found a third graders balloon in VIRGINIA!

Pumpkin Carving

Who Needs Monday Night Football?

Who needs Monday Night Football when you have Jadie Ann!!!
Here is the link to the video of her dancing and singing.

youtube.com

Pumpkin Patch

We went and picked out our pumpkin at our church's Pumpkin Patch. The girls had a great time. They even had a bounce house there. It was all fun until one of the little boys started chasing the girls around in there....only problem is....he had blood dripping from his nose!!! So John got our girls out of there as fast as he could and we headed home to enjoy the beautiful weather at the house. It was a perfect Sunday!!!

Careyland Here We Come!!!

Ashlyn's Best Friend Carey turned 6 on Sunday. Her party was Saturday. It was called Careyland instead of Candyland. But there was by no means a shortage of Candy at Careyland!!!!! Ashlyn and I went and had a blast.

Thank you Stefany for such a great Girl Weekend!

It was the FLU!!!

We are pretty certain...Ashlyn had the flu and not just strep. We battled her fever for 4 days. The first two days it was between 103-104...with Tylenol and Motrin being alternated every 3 hours.
The next day it was between 101-102, again alternating Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours. The last day it was back and forth between 100-101....no Medicine.

We started her on Tamiflu within 14 hours...so I'm assuming that is what helped! I can't imagine how bad it would have been without it!

Here is a picture of her, while she was sick. This is how she spent the first 2 days of being down and out!!!

Strep Strikes

Ashlyn came home from school today...laid on the couch....covered up with a blanket and said she was cold. That was a Red Flag. I took her to her doctor. He diagnosed strep, but didn't rule out the flu. He gave her an antibiotic and prescribed tamiflu so if we needed it...we would have it. Only problem is...everyone seems to be out of tamiflu!!!! Hope that's not what she has!!!

Ashlyn lost her first tooth.

Well....here is the story!
Ashlyn woke up Saturday morning and showed me how far she could move her tooth. She could literally bend it almost perpendicular. To be honest...it gave me the chills because that's just not normal!!!!

She had a soccer game in about an hour...so we ate breakfast and started getting dressed. I was packing myself for a photoshoot in Houston. I didn't even think about it when I told her to go brush her teeth. She went in there...and seconds later came back out. I told her...that that wasn't near enough time for her to brush every single tooth and to get back in there and do a better job! So she went.
It was about 15 minutes later...I started to think....she is going to lose this tooth while out there playing soccer. She is going to demand we stop the game and start searching for her tooth! So in order to prevent the drama...I asked her to come see me so I could sneakily (is that a word) pull it! When I went to grab it....it was gone! So it is either in her tummy or in her drain!

Johnathan told her to write a note to the tooth fairy...and Ashlyn said she already knows. So she went to bed. Ashlyn woke up and said she didn't think she came and that maybe she did need to write a letter. I told her to go look under her pillow...she came out saying..."I GOT 5 CASH!" She was so thrilled.

The very next day....baby tooth number 2 came out. Johnathan pulled this one so we wouldn't lose it! We put it in a little ziploc baggie and put in under her pillow. The toothfairy came again for the second night...although this time Ashlyn was quite surprised by her magic...because she didn't just put the money under her pillow...she put it under HER! (Haha....she is such a squirmer at night!) When I went in there before the toothfairy's arrival....that little stinker had the baggie in her hand! :)