How precious is HE? I miss you little guy... Driving the car for Greg....he's a big helper!:) Reese giving Tuff some water--he was so good with him! This boy needs a dog!!!! Abby's sweet baby! Tuff was built in entertainment the whole ride home. I believe we will be bringing a dog with us every time we drive long distance from now on:)
We have a new member in our family, it's a sweet puppy named Tuff. Now, sadly it's not actually our puppy but I sure feel like he is:) Here's the story: For about a month Greg's parents have been debating about getting a new dog. Their old dog, Baby, died a few months back and her absence just has left such a hole in our lives:( We all miss having a dog around at Maw Maw and Poppa's and I know they have missed Baby too! So they have been researching on what types of dogs would be the best and settled on getting a Havanese. Now this is not a cheap dog and it has been hard for them to find one that is affordable and is for sale here in Texas. Well, to make a long story short, they found one in Missouri near where I grew up. They asked us if we would pick the dog up on our way home from Kansas City after Thanksgiving and we said "Sure!!":) Now I know it might seem crazy to bring a puppy along for a 10 hour drive but it turned out beautifully and we fell in love with him in the process. (he did get a little car sick on Reese but it's all good--he got it out of his system early and was perfect the rest of the way home!) I honestly was almost in tears handing him over to Debbie and Jerry but I do predict we will have one for ourselves in the very near future;) --all I have to do is give Greg my puppy dog eyes and he gives in every time:) ha! ~if you know Greg this is laughable...he doesn't give in easy! Love you babe;) Well we got some great pictures of sweet Tuff while driving (Debbie and Jerry named him this because since he's so small he needs a masculine name:) It's perfect for him! Welcome to the family Tuff....you will fit in perfectly!
Greg and I being goofy:) We were the best skaters there by far;) Reese going to town...he's a rock star! Abby was just flying around the rink....she's a natural I tell ya, a natural:) Granny with Abby and Reese
On Friday while we were in KC we decided to go ice skating at Crown Center with Granny and PaPa. It's an outdoor ice skating rink and the weather was beautiful! I actually wasn't cold:) which is a first in November in Kansas City! We had such a blast and were pleasantly surprised that this time Reese caught on like a champ! He has been ice skating once before and hated every second of it so it was awesome to see him learn and actually enjoy himself! He was hilarious when he skated because it was like it was running on the ice instead of sliding! We got some great video so you gotta check that out--he's such a boy:) Abby, as you know, is a natural:) She was skating along with no problem and I even heard a few people say, "Wow, that little girl is really good!" She could have skated all day long. Granny and PaPa got some great pictures and it was so fun spending the day together with them! I have a feeling we will be ice skating again real soon:)
sleeping in the car--too cute! My sister and me in her classroom Grandparents day at Trevin's school Fritz Railroad Restaurant Papa and the kids at Union Station--Papa's dad worked at Union Station way back in the day--pretty cool what they have done with the place to restore it! Kids riding the mini train---they loved it even though it wasn't a roller coaster:) Granny and PaPa with the grandkids (that were present:) We missed you Tobey! Christi and me Monday after Greg got off work we hit the road for a LONG drive to Kansas City. We didn't end up getting in until 2am or so and Greg and I were so tired it was painful! I really do try my best to stay awake to help keep him awake but since I get car sick--pretty bad:( and I have a hard time being drugged up and all:) Ha! Anyways the kids did really great and don't seem to mind the long drive (I guess they are used to it after all these years:) They didn't fall asleep until 11:30 and we had to make them go to sleep or they would have stayed awake the whole time! Crazy kids! Well anyways we have had an action packed week so far (hence the reason I haven't blogged in forever) On Tuesday we slept in (well at least Greg and I did) the kids woke-up bright and early wanting to play! After we got up we got to go up to my nephew Trevin's school for Grandparents day. We even got to spent some time in my sister's classroom (she's a 5th grade teacher at Trevin's school) -It is always fun to see what everyone does from day to day and step into their lives for a little bit! On Wednesday we were pooped by the end of the day! I met my friend Kim for some shopping:) and everyone else went to the Steamboat Arabia Museum --I hear it's a really cool place...I actually did want to go and I'm sorry I missed it but I already had plans when they decided to go--promise:) Afterward we all met up at Fritz Railroad Restaurant. The kids love going there! They deliver your food by train and it's all junk food...which they LOVE! (everything in moderation I always say:) We then headed over to the Union Station where they had model trains, gingerbread house villages and tons of Christmas trees set up. We all had a great time but after the day was over we were all ready for bed! Coming to Kansas City is always so much fun but it's just hard to fit everything in in just a few short days! The kids have already said they want to go ice skating and so many other things...we'll see--there are only so many hours in a day:) *side note* As we were driving up here the other night we got out of the car in Kansas and I realized that I needed my coat. Went to find it and I forgot it!!! Can you believe it? It freezing up here and all I have is a vest--classic right?! Thankfully my good friend Krista lives down the road and she loaned me one---she has about 8:) Thanks Krista! And you want to know the worst part about it? I got a new coat for Christmas last year and I really don't get to wear it in Texas much and this was my chance!!!! Dang!:) I would say I learned my lesson but it never fails every trip everyone else has everything they need and I always forget something I need--that's the price you pay for being a Mother I guess;)
Abby imitating a prize fighter and exploring the Water Gardens
Nothing like sweet tea for breakfast; also, getting ready for the bobsled ride at Six Flags
***This is a guest post by Greg***
This fall has been very busy for our family. Reese played t-ball and I was a coach for his team. The rain caused the season to get drug out and we ended up playing about a month longer than originally planned. Abby was a good sport about it but she was definitely ready for the season to be over. I decided that since I had spent so much time with Reese during t-ball that I'd take Abby for an Abby and Daddy weekend.
My original plan was to go out of town, but then I figured if we stayed close to home that we'd get to do more and drive less. Sooooo....after I got off work Friday we went to downtown Fort Worth and checked into the Sheraton (they remodeled it recently so it's not a dump like it used to be...actually kinda classy). We dumped our bags and headed to eat. We went to the Love Shack over off 7th Street. Abby is a sucker for a cheeseburger and they make a pretty good one. I had the Dirty Love burger that has a fried quail egg on it. Mmmmm. They had a band playing so we listened to music while we ate, then Abby found chalk and a wall where you can draw. She thought drawing on the wall was pretty sweet.
After dinner we went to Casa Manana and saw "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". We sat 2nd row and Abby liked the show. I'm always glad to support live theater, especially when it's good for the whole family, but...I wasn't a big fan of this show. It had some corny numbers and it was kind of slow. I give it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.
The hotel had a pretty nice indoor pool so I figured Abby would want to swim after the show, but all she wanted to do was get a Dr. Pepper from the vending machine and play in the hotel room. So, for the next hour and a half she spent jumping between the two beds, drinking Dr. Pepper, and having a pillow fight. I think this was the highlight of the weekend for her. Then we watched a show on Food Network about Gravy and went to bed.
The next day we woke up, packed up, and checked out of the hotel. We dropped the bags in the car and walked across the street to the Water Gardens. Abby explored around there for a while until we got hungry, and then we drove down to the Paris Coffee Shop. I'd always heard of it but had never been so I figured it was worth checking out since we were so close and needed to eat. The food was decent, not the best, but the service was good and the place was packed with locals. It was a good change of pace from the typical chain restaurants. The best thing was the cinnamon roll-- Abby let me eat some of hers and it was pretty good. She said it was good until the seventh bite. Not sure what she meant by that.
After a big breakfast we headed to Six Flags. Abby is quite the thrill seeker so she was thrilled that we were going. She's never been to Six Flags but she's ridden a lot of roller coasters at Disney and with her grandparents in Missouri. It was a great day and there weren't many people so we didn't have to wait very long to ride. I think we rode everything in the park that she was tall enough to ride-- some of them we rode 2 or 3 times. I had been telling Abby throughout the day that there is a loop-de-loop ride that we could ride if she wanted to (the Shockwave). I didn't figure she'd want to but after we'd been there a couple hours she decided that she'd give it a try. She was pretty nervous when we buckled in, but we rode it once and she wanted to get back in line and ride it again right away. The second time she didn't like it as much for some reason so we set off in search of corny dogs.
We got 2010 Six Flags season passes for our whole family and they have a special where you can come for the rest of 2009 for free on your 2010 pass. So Becky and Reese came out there too and we rode a couple rides with them before Abby and I set back out on our own. Becky later reported that she and Reese rode the Judge Roy Scream seven times in a row. There weren't any lines so they just stayed on the ride all the way through.
At the end of the weekend I was worn out but it was a great time to give Abby some one-on-one attention.
Today Abby and Reese have been begging me to make some apple cider...ALL DAY! :) I told them I would as soon as I got a few things done. Well they didn't get the hint that it might take awhile so after them asking a hundred times I told them not to ask again and to just trust me that I would get to it. Well while I was "getting some things done" Abby walks up to me and gives me this piece of paper. It reads: how long is it gonna take for the apple cider to bake
She says, "Mommy, I didn't ask!" Then when I began to laugh she walks away saying, "I knew that would work!" -Sneaky little snake:) Well it did-- I made some apple cider and it was yummy! Guess my kids know me better than I thought;)
Last night Abby came home from school and told us that she was going to read for Mrs. Hyde's class. Mrs. Hyde was her teacher last year and her cousin Charlie is in that class this year! Well first let me say- Abby is not our most outgoing child...now she is pretty nutty, sporadically crazy;) and has a wonderful personality but she's not the "front and center" kind a girl if you get my drift:) (So we were shocked to say the least:) Anyways Greg and I were thrilled to hear she initiated the whole thing! She practiced ALOT last night and decided to read "Marley-The Big Adventure" She is reading so well and has been learning so much lately-- it's amazing! So anyways today went really well and tonight when I got home I had email from Mrs. Hyde. It was so sweet and I wanted to share and let someone else brag on Abby for a change;) We absoluetly LOVE Mrs. Hyde and hope next year that Reese has her too!!! Thank you Mrs. Hyde and Mrs. Piland for letting her do this...she will never forget it!! Here's the email:
Wow! Do you know how proud of Abby I am? She came to read to my class today, and I was so impressed with her reading! She did such a great job of reading so everyone could hear, and also remembering to show the pictures after each page (because you know they freak out if you forget to show a picture... :)). And Charlie was so proud to show her off- he kept saying, "my cousin Abby is coming to read to us today," and when she knocked on the door he said, "I bet that's my cousin Abby coming to read to us," and then when she walked in he said, "That's Abby. She's my cousin." It was really cute. I miss y'all and I can't wait for next year! ~Mrs. Hyde
Rock Star with wet hair! Nice pose! What are you looking at?:) Got Bubbles???
Putting the kids to bed is always action packed here at our house. I am honestly super tired by the time it rolls around but the kids always have something up there sleeve to put a smile on my face:) Abby got some new PJ's from Maw Maw and she LOVES them... well except she told me before bed that she didn't like that I couldn't scratch her back as easy...not sure why she thought that?? In the pictures she is posing...she's such a ham! Oh and no worries about her back because I was able to scratch with no problem;) Silly girl! Anyways--Reese had a little too many bubbles in his tub and he was in heaven! Abby started the bath for me and she put about a cup of bubble bath....geez!!! Reese sure didn't seem to mind and Greg had fun decorating Reese as Santa Claus! Fun, fun....gotta love bedtime! Ha!
Kortney got so many great pictures I will be posting forever!:) These are some of my favorites of the kids. They had such a great time posing for all the pictures and can't wait to do it again!
Yesyerday my friend Kortney took our family pictures at Nash Farms! I wanted to post a few or the many great pictures she captured!!! I am so excited how great they turned out and can't wait to get them all up here for you all to see---enjoy!
This past weekend while my Mom and Dad were in town we went to Joe T's to eat (great Mexican place) Every time we go Abby and Reese want to go take pictures by all the fountains and plants. My dad brought the camera and got a ton of adorable pictures....they both love posing for the camera:) This next weekend we are gonna have family pictures taken and we are all so excited....it should be tons of fun! I will share those pictures real soon!
