Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Halloween/ November

We had our 3rd annual Cow-o-ween at the store this year. It was so much fun and we had a huge crowd come out for it. We had the petting zoo, face painting and coloring stuff along with pictures with the cow. It was a fun event for everyone who came out. On actually Halloween, we went to downtown with the kiddos to see the games and all, then we went up to Pecan street to do our normal trick or treating up there. We always go with Bill and Cheri and Bella and that was a lot of fun. Rylie somehow banked on the candy. Not sure whether she took extra candy from people buckets or just looked extra cute, but her bucket was twice as heavy as everyone else's. Her favorite thing to say right now that we love is "last morning or yestermorning." It is so cute. She also went golfing with Bret recently and Carly gave her a pink tee and she called it her "sweet tea". So cute. Apparently they had a good time golfing until the end of the 7th hold and Rylie declared she was done and ready to go home. She definitely knows what she wants when she makes up her mind.

The boys finished up gymnastics this month and they had a great time doing that. I am so thankful for something fun like that for them to try together. Next month they are going to do basketball together, so I can't wait to see how that is for them! We took family pictures the first weekend of the month and had a blast doing that. We signed up for a campfire session and it was so fun to make smores and hot chocolate while taking pictures! The pictures were on our photographers beautiful property and that was a blast to take pictures and get to ride on a ranger out to the pictures. The kids ate that up.

Carter had an award ceremony recently too, for straight A's and perfect attendance! He is doing so well in school this year. His teacher told us recently what a great kid he is and how blessed she is to have him. I am so thankful for the amazing teachers he has had these first two years of school.

At the beginning of this month, we got a call that Carlos was leaving. It was hard, for all of us in different ways and the kids still talk about him, so we just hope and pray that he is okay and is safe and happy wherever he is.

The first weekend in November we got to go see ADELE!! It was amazing as I hoped it would be. She was amazing and HILARIOUS in concert and we had such a good time. We went to Torchy's tacos beforehand and then went to the concert. Our sweet friends the Clardy's watched all the kids for us.

The next week Bret was out of town most of the week, so that was a long week for us. He had an operator retreat and had to go to a servsafe class in Atlanta, but we made it and that weekend his mom and dad and Aunt pat came and visited, so that was great to see them. Bret and his dad took the kids to a car show downtown and we just caught up and had a good, nice relaxing weekend with them. The next week it was so hot, Rylie and Tuck were asking me to go swimming, so I filled up the little pool we have in the back and they went and had a blast. That was a lot of fun. One day when the boys were at school, Rylie and I went to the outlet malls to go shopping since we were having Christmas with my family during Thanksgiving. I love days like that with her, we had so much fun and she was so sweet and listened so well while we were shopping all day. So proud of that kiddo.

Bret spoke at Carter's career day at his school, and Carter was a scientist for his career day parade. He always gets so shy at things like that. I love seeing his sweet smile though, and he was so happy to have daddy there at school with him. The kids got out that same day for Thanksgiving break and we had our friend Nat come visit us that weekend and we had a wedding to go to that weekend for a girl who worked in our store. It was a fun time of catching up with Nat, and she came to church with us that Sunday too. The weather all during Thanksgiving week was perfect, so we played outside and met friends at the park all day Monday, went painting with friends and CFA on Tuesday and then we headed out to the river for Thanksgiving on Wednesday.

It was one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever. It was so relaxing, and fun and we just laughed and played the whole week. My mom and her brother and sister, all rented cottages on the river for the week. It was so fun to get to spend extended time with everyone. The guys went to go play golf, the kids played and fished by the river (Tuck also fell in the river), we did puzzles and played card games, played Kahoot, and ate so much good food. It was such a fun week. I am so thankful for our family and friends. Our kids were obsessed with the bathtub in my moms room, and they filled that tub up with bubbles one day and Titus could not get the bubbles out of his mouth and it was probably one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. Oh we were dying laughing so hard. Most everyone left on Saturday, we were the last ones to leave that evening since we only had an hour drive.

Sunday we decorated our house for Christmas. Our first Christmas to have a real tree! So that was fun to take the kids to do that, and then we also went to CFA and the boys got to get on the roof with Bret to put up lights. They were so excited about that! Rylie and I went to the grocery store while they did that. It was a busy Sunday and we were wiped by the end of the day.

Carter has 2 and a half more weeks till we get out for Christmas break. We will head to my dad's before Christmas, and then to see Bret's family for Christmas. So we can't wait for all of that with Christmas parties coming up and getting to see so many people this month.

The kiddos are really into board games right now. They love sorry, guess who,crazy 8,  and love to play the game Kahoot. We have really enjoyed getting to play games with them so much. They are at such fun sweet ages right now. They love to play outside with their friends and ride their bikes and scooters. Rylie got all kinds of super girly stuff for Christmas and was SO excited about it. She got a crib for her baby and stuff to feed her baby, new dress up clothes and shoes and chapstick and nail polish. Which she ate one of the chapsticks the other night and then threw up all of that and her dinner. So that was fun. She is just so girly and she has been all about her daddy right now. They do the sweetest things when he leaves and she just blows him a million kisses and repeats how much she loves him, she also will say to him, "hey mr. chick fil a" and he will say to her, hey chicken nugget. He also calls her sweet pea. Its fun to see them interact so sweetly. Carter is still the sweetest, kindest kid. They all are. Carters teachers and people from his school are always telling us how sweet and kind he is. I sure do love that about is little sensitive heart. Tuck is still our strong willed kid, but he has been so incredible lately. So sweet and sounding so big. He has been a rock star at school this year. I can't believe he will be five soon. He loves building with his magna tiles, he is writing his name like a champ and he loves to do what big brother is doing.

My sweet boys

family pic :)

campfire session

Rylie girl 

Cow o ween

Lego men!

Getting ready to go to Fall fest!

Tuck at the fireman park

Sweet Carlos on Halloween

Carter and Gibson celebrities 

Awards day

ADELE

I was pretty much that happy all night

My silly babies

My little pilgrim

Nap time

Rylie feeding her baby brownies

Swimming in November

cannon ball

Just some reading after bath time

shopping at the outlets with mommy

Career day

Career day

Sweet Carter left me this after my run

The boys making their bed and wanting to show me

fun at the river

Shelby and R

BUBBLES

Train ride at panda park

Nap time with Itsy

She was SO excited about catching a fish

Double Trouble

and best buddies

Tuck and baby Ellie

having so much fun

getting our Christmas tree

Ready for Christmas!!


Sunday, October 23, 2016

Well, 2 months later

Painting with daddy

So serious

Rylie girl

He loves to play golf with daddy

foose ball time

Father/son weekend at camp

play time

HOT MESS

Look Daddy I can swing with my eyes closed!




Here we are 2 months after I posted my last post. One kid more. Life a little busier. Life a little more fun and crazy, and life more full than we have ever had it. 2 and a half weeks ago, Carlos joined our family. It has been such an up and down journey so far. He is such a sweet kid. A big kiddos. He turned three in July and is SO tall! We have watched him talk more and more in the few weeks we have had him. My favorite part so far has been watching Bret and our kids with him. Bret is the best dad there is out there and it is so cool to watch how he patiently loves him so well and plays with him. I have seen our own kids gifts come out over these past few weeks, how Tuck will patiently teach him something or help him. How Rylie will mother him and how Carter will make him feel included like the big brother he is. It has made me so proud of our own kids and how well they have loved him. We are a little more tired at the end of the days, but we are so glad he is safe and loved in our home. He even got to come to Houston with us last weekend For Titus's birthday and that was so fun getting to see all my family get to meet him and love on her. We had such a fun weekend getting to stay at Amy's and get to see everyone at the birthday party. They jumped on the trampoline, bounced in the bounce house, ate pizza and cake, and went nonstop all weekend.

Tuck started pre school in September and is doing great in school again. He is loving that is writing his name like a champ this year. It is fun to see him grow so much these past few months already. The boys did a 6 week gymnastic class and really enjoyed getting to do that and it was a fun activity for them on Thursday afternoons. Rylie got her first haircut and looks adorable and was so excited and loved every minute of getting a haircut. One of my best friends, Amelia, got baptized and that was the best getting to watch her do that. We took the kiddos back to Barton hill farms a few weeks ago and they had a blast on everything there. We ran out of time at the end because they were still having so much fun. Our friend Nat came home from Uganda and we got to welcome her home from the airport. That was such a fun night with her. Today we got all the boys haircuts after church and went into Austin, and yesterday we spent a whole day at camp at TBarM 35th reunion. What a cool day for our kids and getting to see so many amazing friends and people.

Rylie says really cute phrases right now like "last morning' and the ranger "doesn't have any chargery" or "down the stairs or up the stairs" instead downstairs and upstairs. She will also tell he boys that is inappropriate, even when she will say that minutes earlier. She also calls nachos "machos". We got a foose ball table a few months ago and Tuck will be playing and instead of saying stop it daddy, he will say "stop it babe" and last week when Carter and Tuck were helping Bret pick up Carter said "daddy is working us like soldiers" LOL. These kiddos. They are so funny and so sweet and keep us on our toes every.single.day.

Before we got Carlos, Carter came home from school with a project about family. Every single picture of our family had six kids. He said "I wanted to show the new kid that he was apart of our family and I want him to be happy.  Gosh I sure do that love kid. He also last week got another knight award this year for Respect. He blows us away.

Sweet baby fast asleep

I like her sleeping right now

Goobers in the jumbo

Tuck's first day of Pre-K

Getting questioned for foster care

My boy with all the personality



Carter's pic of our family

T on the bar in gymnastics

C flipping away

Christ came thru town

1st haircut!!

Sweet baby girl

All done

Cheesing it up

Wore out

Tuck does whatever C does

Baptism day

Barton Hill farms

Sweet big brother

The loved this

Bouncing away

Donut date with my girl 

Carlos first night here

Baby dedication day


Passed out

Nat is home
Titus Birthday!!

Haircuts 10/23