Thanksgiving Thankfulness

I'll start out with pictures but read on to the bottom for my thankfulness list!

This was right before we left for my parent's house. This was the only picture of them both looking at the same time.

I LOVE this picture of Caleb. It's rare that I catch his big toofy grin on camera.

Ethan actually wanted me to take a picture of just him...and he smiled on cue!

Here's Caleb enjoying his scrumptious Thanksgiving lunch...after everyone else had already eaten. He napped through the whole thing which was nice because Mondo and I actually got to eat together.

I've given up sippy cups for a while. He chugs them and lets the milk spill out all over his shirt.

It was a nice day so the kids ate outside which meant it was nice and quiet inside! I barely caught Ethan before he bolted from the table.

He's walking everywhere now.

Ethan had so much fun with his cousins. The stayed outside ALL day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year to think about what we are thankful for. I asked Ethan the other day what he was thankful for. His response..."What does that mean?" Ok, I forgot, he's 3. I told him being thankful was being happy for things that you have like a family, a house, etc. He then said, "I'm thankful for toys." There you have it. Typical 3 year old answer I guess. :-)

What don't I have to be thankful for this year? Here is my list of Thanksgiving Thankfulness:

-I have two beautiful, healthy children. Just search some blogs of sick children...you'll feel very

blessed.

-I have a wonderful husband who I love more now than the day I married him.

-I have a home that we can all grow old in located in a wonderful, close-knit neighborhood.

-I have a job that I love that allows me to work "full time" (weekend nights only) so that I can

stay home with my kids during the week.

-I have a close family who see the importance of being together on holidays.

-I have a church home.

-I have my health (sort of). ;-)

-I have a husband who goes to Mission Arlington every Thanksgiving morning to deliver food to those less fortunate...unlike his selfish wife who wants him to stay home.

Everyone ready for Christmas???

Look Who's Walking!

I've been trying for days to get a video of Caleb walking. He has been able to take a few steps for the last month but just decided to go full force this weekend. Here is a video of him dancing to the Wiggles then doing a little walking. Mondo was literally holding back Ethan on the couch so I could get just Caleb in the video.

First Ranger Game

We took Ethan to his first Ranger game a few months ago. (We left Caleb with Nana and Papa since he was a bit too young to enjoy it and we were going to get home after his bedtime.) For some reason Ethan latched on the player Josh Hamilton. Throughout the entire game he would yell "Go Hamilton!" and constantly ask where "Hamilton" was. It was pretty cute...and a little annoying. I didn't get too many pictures. He had fun and is ready to go again...too bad we went to the last game of the season. We'll go more next year.

Look, mommy is actually in a picture!

He spent the whole first inning like this. He said it was too loud but he got used to it. He has very sensitive hearing. That's probably why he's such a good musician. ;-)

It was pretty empty so we roamed to different sections to check out the view.

He loved running through the misters. Luckily it wasn't too hot but it was still fun.

Octoberfest!

Every year we go to Octoberfest in the Southlake Town Center. This was the first year to bring the kiddos. There were bouncy houses, train rides, face painting, food, and lots of stuff to buy. We went with Colton so Ethan had a blast with his buddy. All they wanted to do was the bouncy houses. I need to invest in one of those!

This was the train ride...it was attached to a tractor.

Enjoying some french fries and lemonade.

The usual picture of Caleb eating fruit puffs. I swear that's not all I feed him! He snacked on some french fries too...and a hot dog.

They loved the ferris wheel.

Ethan is always so silly when Colton is around. This was the best picture I could get of them.

Fair Day!

We were looking forward to the fair all year. So what did we do?....pick the one day out of 13 days that it rained! We did see the forecast for rain but it was Mondo's only day off from work. We thought it would just lightly rain off and on. It was ok for the first hour we were there. Then once it started, it didn't stop! At first we laughed and we shuffled the kids in and out of buildings while all trying to stay dry under Mondo's big golf umbrella. But it quickly became too much to handle with the kids. One of us would hold Ethan while the other pushed the stroller trying to keep everyone dry. Each time we went from one building to the next we were more soaked. Then the wind started picking up so we got cold. We stayed for a few hours and did have an ok time (tried the fried bacon...aweful!!!) but it would have been MUCH more enjoyable if it wasn't raining. As you might imagine, I didn't get many pictures. Here are the few that I got:

This was right when we got there. Ahh, nice and dry.

They look thrilled...maybe they could see the future!

In line getting a corny dog...they're so cute.

This will be here before I know it!

We spent most of our time in the car show area staying nice and dry.

Ethan was obsessed with climbing in all the cars.

This was right when it started raining. We made it to a car tent just in time for it to downpour.

They did get to ride the carousel right before we left. Mondo was a good daddy and rode with them. It makes me sick...and it was spinning really fast for a children's ride!

10 Reasons Why 30 is Old

Well...it's here...the big 3-0. Yep, I'm 30 years old today. I know some of you out there are rolling your eyes and wishing you could be 30 again. But to me, it just sounds old. Here are my reasons why:

1. It takes me longer than it should to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom.

2. I have wrinkles that I used to call laugh lines. Oh yes, botox is in my future!

3. I'm totally exhausted. (Wait, maybe that's because I have two young kids.)

4. I thought Ethan's lifeguard for swim class was 15 year old....she was in college.

5. I was embarrassed to wear my shorts this summer because I thought they were too short.

6. My nightly skin care regime almost takes longer than my shower.

7. I can only play chase for a few minutes before I have to take a break due to joint pain.

8. I have to dye my hair every 4 weeks to cover the white ones.

9. I own a minivan. I love it, but let's face it...at 21 I wouldn't be caught dead in one.

10. If my phone rings after 10pm I get mad.

At least I have accomplished my goals I set for myself for turning 30. I am happily married, I have a house I plan to live in forever, I have my two kids, I have a job that I love, and I have my health...well, most of it.

And, last but not least, thank you Mondo for the spa package. It is much needed and will be much enjoyed. And thanks for putting up with me for 13 of my 30 years.

Party Like It's 1978

Mondo put together a suprise birthday party for me on Friday (my b-day is actually next Wednesday). Unfortunately, the crowd was smaller than expected but we had an awesome time. We ate at N9ne Steakhouse in Dallas (my favorite place) then went across to the "Living Room" at the W Hotel. I had the best time...thanks Mike and Traci for helping me ease into the big 3-0. I'm old and feeling it...but that's another post.

The beginning of the evening checking out the menu...like we have to.

The party crowd. Notice how we coordinated without even trying...yeah, we're cool like that.

My other honey, Mike.

My favorite dessert...smores cooked at the table! Thanks for a great dinner Mondie. :-)

My BFF Traci. Thanks for ditching your kids for me...like you had to think about it...screaming 2 month old and 3 year old or fun night with the Hernandez's...wise choice, Traci.

Me and Mondo outside at the Living Room. What a cool, happening place.

Poor Traci was cold...but the birthday girl wasn't giving up the sweater.

What the...that's not his wife!

Happy Halloween!

This is kind of a double post. It starts with "Halloween Nights." I think it might have been new this year. It was out at the Air Hog's stadium and had games, balloon animals, food, and lots of light displays. We left Caleb with my parents since it was going to be late and cold. We met up with Ethan's friend Will. They had a great time running around and getting candy. The light displays were neat. It was a fun thing to do for Halloween since there is usually too much scary stuff that you can't take kids to.

Ethan and Will checking out the displays.

Ethan's balloon animal. It was supposed to be a horse.

Ahh, no pic with Caleb. It made me a little sad that he wasn't there.

Daddy and Ethan playing basketball.

I love this picture. Ethan looks so safe and secure in Daddy's arms.

Shooting webs from the top of a rock he just climbed.

Ethan, Mondo, Will, and Eric.

Ethan loved climbing this "web".

Playing soccer for candy.

Of course they wouldn't look at the same time.

This was at the end. Ethan loved running through the webs with giant spiders. He was shooting his own webs at them.

Halloween

I was lucky to be able to go trick-or-treating with the kids. (Thanks for working for me, Beverly!) We went around the block with the other super heros from the neighborhood then went back to our house to hand out candy. Ethan loves to pass out candy and see the other kids. We had to close down by 8:15pm because the kids were crashing. Lucky for me we had some candy left over. :-)

Spiderman and the giraffe had a little jam session on the piano.

Here's a side shot. Look at the tail...so cute!

Lexi fighting off the giraffe.

There's a smile!

Spiderman looking oh so happy.

Our trick-or-treating group: Ethan, Caleb, Tyler, Maddie, Will, and Maggie.

Caleb's Halloween treats...fruit puffs.

All of the super heros flexing their muscles.

No one is looking except for Caleb but I thought his face was cute. Wow, check out those awesome begonias in the background. :-)

Here are our pumpkins. The kids could've care less about carving them. I thought Ethan would be into it but he just kept holding his nose saying "they're stinky!"