Starring the Stewarts

Dallas Zoo

2012-01-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

Since today was MLK holiday we had the day off, and Chels and I decided to meet at The Dallas Zoo. The temperature reached the upper 60s today, and zoo admission is only $5 for January and February! We got to the zoo right after it opened, and it felt like we were the only ones there for awhile! Carson and Cade stayed home to spend time with Nana, and that just left me with the girls! We had some great Mommy/daughter time, and we loved being with Chels, Carter, and Abby.

After getting there the girls spotted a Lemur!

throwing coins in the fountain

seeing penguins

The penguins were so cute and friendly!

We fed giraffes, which was the neatest thing! I could've stayed there all day to watch them!

We saw a precious baby chimp with his mommy and daddy.

Here the baby was riding on her back.

So sweet!! After seeing the chimps we rode the monorail. I hadn't been on it in years, and this was the girls' 1st trip!

We spent some fun time in the children's area until Emmy got her feet wet in the little river that they have. She became miserable and cranky, so we headed to McDonalds for lunch.

We had such a great time, and with the zoo being a 20 min car ride (from Arlington...who knew?), I decided to buy a 1 year membership! I can't wait to go back many more times this year!

Mavs vs Kings

2012-01-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Sam and I were invited to The Mavs game with his co-workers! I was excited to have a night out without kids, and thankful to not have to spend a penny!

in Victory Plaza pre-game

We ate at the buffet in The Jack Daniels club, and our table was right next to the window overlooking the practice court. It was so neat to watch all of the players warm up. I was a bit starstruck! Dirk kept looking through the windows watching the football game that was on the restaurant's tv.

I somehow managed to only get pics of Dirk, but we saw Jason Terry, Lamar Odom, and others. I was trying to be discreet, everyone else at the table was acting like this was no big deal!! To me it was a huge deal!!

Our seats were awesome, Sam's co-workers were so nice, and The Mavs won!!

My FREE ticket! Hope they invite us again! :)

The Cobras

2012-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Carson is playing indoor soccer this winter. He is on a team with a bunch of boys that he plays football with, and they are called The Cobras. Grancie and Robin came to their first game, and we stopped for a quick picture on the way out of the gym. These are the only pictures I have of his season so far...I'm planning on getting a few of him next weekend in action!

American Girl Store...1st Visit...For Sure Not the Last!

2012-01-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

We went to The American Girl Store at The Galleria today! Grancie got the girls their very own American Girl doll for Christmas, so Sam and I gave them a trip to The American Girl Store as part of their Christmas present from us! We ate lunch, and got some primping for the dolls! Chels met us with Abby, and we shopped after lunch. It was the best day I could have asked for to end the winter break! The pictures in this post are all out of order, but it's all about the memories!! :)
Chels took 2 pictures of our trio, and I liked both, even though Ellie had "scary eyes" on the 1st one! :)

Emmy got her doll, Emory's, ears pierced as her treat.

My sweeties waiting for the dolls to get primped.

At lunch the dolls got their very own high chairs.

$15 Spaghetti and meatballs that my girls didn't take 3 bites of! Ugh!! Oh well, Caden ate them for dinner tonight! :)

They had a spot to hold your doll in the bathroom stall! So cool!!

Abby!! Ate perfect, shopped perfect...couldn't ask for a sweeter baby!! Can't wait for another trip to The American Girl Store with this baby girl!

Emmy with her strawberry muffin! She loved this part of her meal! :)

Fruit kabobs that were shaped like stars and hearts! So fun!

Ella Cate!

Ella

Em giving her doll some "drink"

The girls with their sweet friend Abby

Ready for lunch!

Heading up to lunch at The American Girl Doll Store

This pic makes me laugh!! A girl of my own for sure!! Ella bought a watch with her Christmas $$ from Uncle Caleb. Soon after she realized her sissy was going to Justice to spend her $$ from Uncle Caleb. Seconds later El wanted to return her watch to have $ to shop at Justice! :)

Here are my hungry girls!! They didn't eat a bite of their gourmet meals at The American Girl Store, so we stopped at McDonalds in The Galleria! Ha!! :)

Ellie picking up her doll after she was finished having her hair styled. She also has the water bottle she picked at Justice with her Christmas $ from Uncle Caleb!

Sweet girlfriends for life!!

They watched The Galleria Christmas tree being taken down!! Kinda sad, but what a neat day that I will NEVER forget!!!

Bringing in 2012!!

2012-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

We had a great New Year's Eve!! First and foremost the temps that day reached the low 70's, and it was amazingly gorgeous! To make the most of our day we had a picnic at Hooper park. We didn't even have to wear jackets!! As you can tell, in our picnic picture it was a little sunny and windy, but still unbelievable weather!

This is out of order, but on NYE night we ate at Chuy's and saw Footloose at the $1 Movies! Fun family times!!

More park fun...Ella Belle with her new scooter that she got for Christmas!

Pic-nicing!

Mastering the monkey bars!

Trying to feed ducks that weren't the least bit hungry! :)

Walking the trails!

Soccer practice! Carson's 1st indoor game is this Saturday!

A little b-ball and scooter time! What a fun NYE!!!

Holiday in The Park...round 2!

2012-01-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Chels and I decided to hit Holiday in The Park one more time before it was over, and I'm so glad that we did! It was WAAAYYY crowded, but the kids still did plenty! We hung out at the park until dinner time, and then we headed to Mariano's for a yummy Mexican food dinner! Fun times and many memories made!! :) I'm sad I only took 2 pics of the evening with my phone! I need to be better!

The Mexican Hat!...maybe it's called The Sombrero...who knows!!

Orbeez Spa!!

2012-01-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

One of Emma's Christmas presents was an Orbeez Spa! That was the main gift that she asked Santa for, and it has been thoroughly enjoyed! Even her big bro got in on the fun! :)

Putt-Putt

2012-01-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

On Monday of our second week of winter break we spent the afternoon at Putt-Putt. We ate pizza, played games, and bought prizes with tickets! A fun time was had by all!

Ella spinning the wheel for tickets!

Dark i-phone picture, but Cade and Ella were working together! :)

Buying prizes!

Family Beach Pictures-Destin 2011

2011-12-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Destin, FL in August, and Chels took pictures of our family on the beach. I haven't posted any of the pictures because I was waiting to send out Christmas cards and frame pictures for some of my family members! Now since all of that has been done I can post the pictures! I'm so proud of them! Emma wasn't cooperating because she wanted to collect seashells, but you'd never know with the shots Chels got!! These pictures make me want to go back to the beach! Thanks Chels!!!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

The gang slept in late like they always do, and then woke up to gifts from Santa and Mommy and Daddy. Later in the day we headed to Grancie's house for a late lunch and more presents!

Here is Ellie with some of her goodies! She wouldn't pose for me because her hair wasn't brushed! Ha!

One of the girls gifts was lunch reservations and treats at The American Girl Doll store at The Galleria! This is a printout of their reservation! They loved this!

This year we had the kids draw names when buying their sibling gifts! Each person shopped for another. They had a $25 limit! It was soooo fun! Emmy chose a doughnut maker for Cade!

Carson's gifts!

At Grancie's Sam and Levi took a nap!

Grancie and Robin got the girls American Girl dolls, and they are SO proud of them!! Here is Emmy and hers!

Ella Cate headed back to Arlington

Carson

Grancie and Ella listened to books on the I-Pad while the other kids played in the backyard.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

Since we celebrated with Sam's side of the fam on December 23, it was just the 6 of us on Christmas Eve. We ate at Saltgrass, looked at Christmas lights, made Christmas brownies for Santa, and sprinkled reindeer food on the front yard! Fun times!
Emma sprinkling her reindeer food!

Ella sprinkling her reindeer food!

The girls got their reindeer food from school, and Carson didn't have one, so he sprinkled a pack of my peaches and cream oatmeal!!

dinner at Saltgrass...mommy's favorite!

Christmas lights in DWG

Carson wore his vest from Ms. Groves to the Christmas Eve festivities! It was his first sweater vest, and he was proud!!

Christmas Festivities with Our B.F.F.s

2011-12-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

One of the many traditions that Chels and I have is to do something fun together the week before Christmas. This year we did The Gaylord and Holiday in The Park at 6 Flags! I love this day that we spend together!

Love this spirited bunch!

We ate lunch at The Gaylord! A little pricey when you consider a kids meal is $8.95 (my 3 shared), but totally worth it for the atmosphere!

Abby!!

Driving down Main Street in downtown Grapevine! Cutest Main Street around! I wanted to stop, but we had other plans... there's always next year!!

As soon as we were finished at The Gaylord we headed straight for 6 Flags! It opened at 4:00, and we were there just in time!

First stop...the Snowhill! It's a fun hill made of snow that 6 Flags always has at Holiday in The Park! They give you a sled, and you sled down the hill. I'm glad that we headed there first! We didn't wait long, but by the time we were finished the line was LONG! The view in line was great! On one side you could see The Tx Giant, and on the other side The Shockwave! The kids loved watching the roller coasters!

Gaylord pic...out of order!

Abby's first ride (I think) on The Looney Tune cave. She did great! That cave has always been a bit spooky to me!

We were front row in a Christmas show at The Southern Palace! Emmy even got to do a little dance with one of the performers during the show!

Ready to sled!

Shopping Trips with My Girls

2011-12-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

I took several Christmas shopping trips with my girlies this season! I think they might love to shop as much as their mommy! Uh-oh!! :) Ella had to pose with J.B.!

Funny polar bear in the mall! I thought he looked a little vicious!

Stopped for a bribe in Tom Thumb!

My sweet girls!!

Class Christmas Parties 2011

2011-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

I got to make a quick visit to the girls' and Carson's class Christmas parties! They all had a great time! Emmy wasn't in the picture taking mood...she was too busy!! :)

Ella and her sweet buddy Grayson

When I stopped in to Carson's party he was getting ready to enjoy a cute reindeer cupcake!

Mommy and Carson

Yummy

Ella and Quinny with their reindeer food!

Annual Austin Adventures!!

2011-12-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

Chels and I went on our annual shopping/girls trip to Austin/San Marcos the second weekend in December! Oh, how I love this tradition of ours!! We have always managed to keep this tradition alive, and I'm so thankful! This year we had a special guest come along! Miss Abby Paige came, and she did awesome!
We did something a little different this year. We spent Friday night visiting with our friend Beth from waaaaayyyy back in middle school! Then on Saturday Beth and her little girl Lakelyn, shopped in San Marcos with us!! We had a great time!
Before we hit the outlets we stopped off at a neat little store in San Marcos that I learned about from a co-worker. They had this little tree display that we posed in front of!

First stop Friday...Chuy's in Round Rock! We always do that, and I love it! Abby munched on tortillas and baby food and was all smiles! After that we headed to the Round Rock Outlet Mall to shop.

Abby and Lakelyn ready to hit the San Marcos outlets! It was a bit chilly!!

They loved the little riding toys that were positioned every 10 feet at the outlets!

Abby tried on a hat in Janie and Jack! Cute smiley girl!

On Saturday night Chels and I went to Amy's Ice-cream...another of our must-dos! I took this picture of the Lulu-Lemmon store just cause I thought it was great! I could totally move to Austin tomorrow!!

Our little shoppers looking cute and Christmasy!!

Loving the Leaves!

2011-12-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

On a perfect Sunday back in November my little 3 had a BLAST playing in the leaves that had fallen in our side yard! They played and played!! This little trio are truly best buds!

Carson and Emma

Sweet sisters!

LOVE!!

Carson and Emma

Emmy and El

Making a leaf angel...I think it's Emma, but I can't be 100% sure! Ha!! I waited too long to post these!

Impromptu Santa (and Mrs. Claus) pic

2011-12-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was Sam's birthday, and after school we headed into the mall to pick up his cookie cake from Great American Cookie Co. As soon as we walked in Miss Ella spotted the Santa set up, and she reeeeaaaallly wanted to go talk to Santa. I was all for it, because there was NO line! Carson was too big (or so he thought), and Emma was feeling a little nervous! However, after I discovered that the guy was going to let me take a picture with my phone I talked them into posing! I'm hopeful that I get to take them when they are all wearing something Christmasy, and Cade is with us! Just in case we don't, I thought this one turned out pretty good!!

Kindergarten School Pictures

2011-12-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Back in October the girls got their individual pictures taken at school! I loved how they turned out! Emmy is above and Ella is below! Carson's was good too, but I'm waiting to scan his! The colors on his pic looked crazy when I took a picture of it!

13.1

2011-12-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Today I participated in The White Rock Marathon for the 3rd year in a row, and I'm pretty sure after today's run I deserve at least the next 3 years off!! Ha!! I ran the half this year, and those 13.1 miles will forever be scarred into my memory!!
Compared to some of the "natural runners" I know I'm a wimp, but believe me it was BRUTAL!! It rained heavily the entire time, temperature was around 42 degrees (but felt like 35), and I was chilled to the bone!! I run mostly for exercise, and I'll be the first to admit that I don't love running like some of the gung-ho runners that participate in multiple marathons a year and travel cross country to do them. So mix a long run with weather like that, and I'd rather just skip it!! However, after paying my hefty admission fee, and knowing that 3 friends were relying on me to split a hotel bill with them there was no turning back! So my goal today was to finish! My time wasn't great (1 hour 59 minutes, which is 12 min slower than the 1/2 I did in 2009), but it's done!
I did have some fun on Friday night when I got to share a hotel at The W, and eat in Victory Plaza with some of my buddies from school, who also ran the 1/2. Julie, Jana, Carrie, and I had a great time!! It was the 2nd annual White Rock and W stay for Julie, Carrie, and I!
Of course we posed in the lobby of The W next to their tree!

Before we started! The rain briefly stopped while we waited to start, but picked back up as soon as the race began!

Jana's son drove us down to Fair Park to the start, held our heavy coats while we ran, and let us stop by his office downtown to change clothes in the very swanky fitness center's locker room!! Talk about treadmills with a view!!

Here we are picking up our packets at the race expo the night before the run!

Emma's and Ella's Kindergarten Feast

2011-11-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today the girls had their Thanksgiving feast at school!! They dressed up in their "Gobble Gobble" shirts and headed out the door!! We were all excited that our Thanksgiving vacation was about to begin!

Ella Cate at the feast!

Emma Claire about to dig into her yummy lunch! She ate green beans, apple sauce, and a roll...and that's it!! The turkey, mac n cheese, and mashed potatoes looked so yummy to me...come on girl!!

Mom and Em

Girlies and Mommy ready to leave for school!! We were loving that we matched!! I got my turkey shirt from Old Navy 4 years ago, and I just found a matching shirt for them last week! Old Navy is recycling their graphics, but I was so thankful!! We have never had matching shirts!

Grayson ready to eat!

After school the gang and Quinny ate turkey cupcakes in my classroom.

and they hid under my desk!

Ella Bella and Mommy at the feast!

8th Annual Thanksgiving in the School Cafeteria

2011-11-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

My mom started coming to our school's cafeteria lunch back in November, 2004 when Cade was in Kindergarten. She hasn't missed a year since then, so last Thursday made year #8. The kids were so excited that she came to eat with them! They weren't too hip on having turkey from the lunch line, so Grancie brought them Subway instead, and a bunch of books from her school book fair! They loved every minute of having her there! I got to sit with her and the girls, because Kindergarten lunch falls in my conference time.

Silly crew getting ready to head out the door to school!! I had no problem getting them up this morning!! They popped out of bed knowing that Grancie was coming to eat with them!

Posing with Mrs. Bogard, who always dresses up as a turkey!

Carson's Last Football Game 2011

2011-11-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Carson had his last 1st grade season flag football game on Saturday. I know he will miss playing, and we will miss watching him, but next Saturday I'll be thankful to not have to be anywhere at the crack of dawn! :)

He's had a great season. Most of the team has been together since pre-K.

The cheerleaders cheered one last time after the game.

They got cute foam fingers from the cheerleaders, and Carson posed with his longtime buddy, Ethan.

This one is out of order, but after Carson's game, I cleaned out Cheddar's cage, and she got a Little Debbie's cake as her treat. I guarantee she will savor it all week! So funny!!

Car on the field...#5

End of Season Cheer Party 2011

2011-11-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

The girls had their cheer party last Friday night. It was held at a personal training gym, and the party was conducted much like an ASI party. We had a shared party with the football players that the girls cheered for, and one of the football parents owns this gym. The girls loved it!! The girls got this cute bag of goodies from the football team.

Ella climbing the ropes

Emmy climbing the ropes

Their cheer sponsors gave them Highlander pillowcases, and they've slept on them every night since the party!

fun in the aerobics room!

Yummy pizza

getting their gifts!

playing on the track!

Ella's Mall Date With Mommy!!

2011-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

Ella and I had an unplanned mall date earlier this week, and we had so much fun!! I can't even remember why I needed to get to the mall, but everyone except Ella wanted to stay with Sam. So Ella and I headed to the mall...we had time to hold hands :), take in the scenery, get a sweet treat, and even write a letter to Santa!! She was feeling so special, and I soaked it all in!!

We found these pins that looked like our Slicky, and it made us both feel pretty sentimental! He was a good boy!! El confessed that she's been wanting a girl "Slick dog" for a long time, and I told her that's going to have to wait. :)

Macy's had their "letter to Santa" station up!! No one was there, and Ella took her time writing a good letter!

:):):)

Here she is sending it off to the North Pole!!

She loves the gumball machines!!

In Gap she found a stuffed Sophie!! Ha!!

She picked a pretty frosted cookie...

played hopscotch in JC Penney

and spent a loooooong time looking in the junky mall toy store!!
We both had so much fun. Spending time with 1 vs 4 is so different!! I want to be better about taking everyone on individual "dates"!! So special!

Celebrating a Successful Season!

2011-11-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

After competition last Sunday we headed to our staple Sunday afternoon restaurant, McAllisters! We love it! It's easy, quick, everyone can find something they like, and they have 99 cents kids meals! The girls got GIANT cookies to celebrate!!

Silly Ella Bella!!

My Emma Claire...who lost another tooth last Friday 11-4-11. I can't keep up with all of the teeth that are falling out around here!! The tooth fairy did come, and she was given $5, neon crayons, and a bottle of Arielle (the princess) hand sanitizer to clip on her backpack. I'm not sure how the tooth fairy who visits our house comes bearing so many surprises!! It's getting pricey! I think I got a half dollar coin (whatever those are called) for my teeth!!

They LOVE Taylor!!

2011-11-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

I love that all of my girls' idols are selling perfumes!! Their advertisements greet us every time we walk into a mall department store, and the girls love it!! They were soooo excited when they saw Taylor Swift in Dillards last week! They were the ones who asked me to take a picture of them, and that never happens!! When they hear her singing on the radio, no matter what song, they always know it's her...true fans!!! :)

Cheer Competition 2011

2011-11-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

With the end of cheer season comes the annual ACA cheer competition at Martin HS. Last Sunday the girls participated in their second annual competition! They did great, and they loved every second of it!!

They had a really sweet team this year...great girls, great sponsors, and sweet coaches (all 7th graders, that did a really good job with them!)

walking into competition...ready to perform!!

cheer portion!

so precious!! Out of 600 cheerleaders they were 1 of only 3 Kindergarten/pre-K teams!! They did so good!!

A sweet mom on the team made all of the girls these signs!

dance portion of the competition! They changed into their "spirit wear" for this number!

They got really cool trophies!

The whole team with their coaches and sponsors

out of order....walking into the dance number, performed to Selena Gomez's "Round and Round"...the girls don't call her Selena, they call her J.B.'s girlfriend... :)

Trick-or-Treat 2011

2011-11-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

A whole conglomerate of Halloween pictures that are all out of order...This year Ella was a Barbie Fairy Princess, Emma was a Spanish dancer (I think), Carson was that scary Scream guy, and Cade decided not to dress up (for the first time ever) aside from a little scary makeup. This was the first year that I've given them free reign on costume pick out. I was sad, but they have their own ideas now! One night at Party City...and this is what we got!! Car scared himself with his costume, and he said he's putting it away til he's 10! Ha!!! We took pictures at home before we headed out to our annual trick-or-treat in Carrollton with Grancie, Robin, and Uncle Caleb!

Em the Spanish dancer!

Love this picture of the sisters! Em left El right

El did her heart unprompted!

eating pizza before trick-or-treating at Grancie's

Sam applying Cade's make-up...his 13th Halloween!!! CRAZY!!!

Uncle Caleb came to the rescue when the fancy shoes caused blisters!

with Levi!

Here is Car with the favorite house to trick-or-treat at in Grancie's neighborhood! The couple is sooo into it all! This year they got special donuts and punch!! They always look forward to this house!!

The loot!!

Before the school Halloween party the girls prepped with pink rollers for the 1st time ever!!

Car and his light up Vampire teeth! His souvenir from Great Wolf Lodge!

Ready to leave for school on Halloween morning!! Kindergarten...the only year they'll get to wear costumes to school! They loved it!

Our 1st Trip to The Great Wolf Lodge

2011-11-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had our first Great Wolf experience! It was so fun, and it's been a long time coming!! I've been wanting to take the kids since it first opened at least 4 years ago! We finally got the chance to go...and it was FREE!! We signed up for a time share presentation at a Mavs game last season, and after completing the quick time share presentation we got a free trip to Great Wolf!! I love free!!! I could've never justified forking over what it would've cost us to stay there!! Fun times were had by all!!!
All pics courtesy of the trusty I-phone!! I had charged my good camera's battery, and it was all ready to go, but I forgot it!!! Again my handy phone saved the day...picture quality is terrible, but it was documented! Zombie eyes in every shot, but it was the weekend before Halloween! Ha!!

Checking in...getting ready for fun!

These pictures are out of order (as always), but before we checked in we stopped at La Hacienda Ranch in Grapevine for a yummy lunch! Em looks so grown up to me here! :(

The lodge!!

The lobby decorated for Halloween!

Out of order...here they are pre-GWL getting ready to eat at La Hacienda Ranch!

More decorations at Great Wolf!

Here is a pic of our elevator ride! They were in full Halloween spirit there! Fun!!

Em's elevator ride!

Car and Em getting ready to head to our room! El was in a mood at the moment, and Cade never wants his picture taken, so it was these 2 who posed! Ha!!

Sweet boy was soooo excited!

We settled into our room and got dressed to swim!

Car was ready...snorkle and all!

On our way into the water park we stopped for a few photo-ops! Now El was ready for pics, and all Em wanted to do was swim!! Car is always ok with Mommy taking pics! Love my boy!

Sweet swimmers!! No crowds!! They had the park pretty much all to themselves!

Mommy with Carson and El

Ella Cate

Car and El

After swimming we headed back up to our room, and we changed. Then we trick-or-treated in the hotel, went to story time in the lobby, and that's when my phone died! Boo! I hadn't packed a charger, so I got no pics of our fun on Sunday, but we really did enjoy it to the fullest!
story time

the wolves

Car with The GWLodge in Legos!!

Sitting at the bar waiting for Mommy and Daddy's margaritas!! Ha!! Daddy got our dinner from Chik fil A and brought it back to the hotel! $17.00 for a child's buffet meal at GWL...I don't think so!

More story time!!

Rangers Fever!

2011-11-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

I can finally say that my little man is a Ranger's fan!! The World Series was soooo cool for him to experience this year! He watched the games, loved all of the Rangers wear days at school, and just totally embraced it! He wants to play baseball this spring for the first time since his mediocre t-ball experience at age 4...ha....I'm not holding my breath! I really did love seeing him so excited, since he gets no sports interest from his mommy's DNA! I try to be interested in it all, but it's just not usually there for me! Car asked for a Josh Hamilton jersey for his birthday present from Grancie! He loves it!

Posing in front of the Ranger's display at the mall. We were on our way in to get some more Rangers gear!

Ella's 2nd Visit from The Tooth Fairy

2011-10-17T20:15:00.001-07:00

Ellie lost her second tooth...other bottom center. Mrs. Binford pulled it out, and El was oh so proud! El and Mrs. Binford came up to my window when they were at recess to show me, and it made my day!! She wrote a note to the tooth fairy to leave with her tooth, and the sweet tooth fairy gave her some sweet loot in return! :)

Cause These Pictures Make Me Smile...

2011-10-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

After cheer pictures last week we made a quick stop at WalMart for milk. When we were walking in the girls spotted the "pumpkin patch"...ha!! They wanted to stop and pose for a picture!! I of course obliged! I'm used to having to beg and bribe them to pose!

Sharing a drink at McAllisters today, and again they asked me to take this! So sweet!

Another one at The Walmart pumpkin patch! Cute, but we are still definitely planning on making it to an actual pumpkin patch to get pictures! :)

My Carson is 7!!

2011-10-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Carson is 7!!! He enjoyed a perfect birthday! Right after he woke up he opened his first presents from Mommy and Daddy. He was so excited to see his new Nike shirt, shorts, socks, and Nike shoes! This boy loves him some Nike!! He was so sweet and appreciative!! He kept saying..."I'll always remember these presents"...! So he headed off to school all decked out in his new outfit!
His name was called on the announcements, and he got to go to the office to get his birthday ribbon and treat. His Daddy brought him a yummy Subway lunch and ate with him in the atrium. Mrs. Wilson, his teacher, wrote him a special note, gave him a crown, and a little goodie bag.
After school we headed to Caden's football game. It was beautiful outside, and he played his DSI and watched a little football. Nana and Grandad came, and had an extra present for the birthday boy (he had already gotten presents from them the day before :) ). He was so excited and sweet!!
Birthday boy and his sisters!

What a treat!! A present from Nana and G-Dad in the stands at the game!

Watching Cade #62. Cade celebrated his b-day only days before on the 7th. I can't believe he's 13, and he wanted nothing to do with me taking a bunch of pictures. However we celebrated at Joe T. Garcia's, and he had a great birthday!!

When the game was almost over the girls, Carson, and I headed to McDonald's for happy meals! For his big b-day dinner we ate at The Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine the day before his b-day, so we kept his actual b-day dinner simple! They ate, and had lots of fun on the playground!

He chose an icecream cake!! He's been asking for one ever since Colt had one at his party! For Carson's b-day party he's requested a cookie cake, so he's getting a pretty good deal!!

blowing out SEVEN candles!!

Opening more presents from mommy, daddy, and his bro and sisters.

Out of order, but here is Cade in the huddle #62, on Carson's 7th b-day.

His favorite present from us...his Beyblade set!!

Sweet boy sharing his present with Em.

His new Ranger's shirt!! He's loving baseball with everything that's going on with The Rangers!!Carson is looking forward to his party with all his buddies coming up Saturday. Can't wait to post about all of the fun!

state fair of tx 2011

2011-10-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went to The State Fair! It was fair day for multiple school districts, so that made it pretty crowded, but it was manageable! We normally take a day off of school and go during the week, but with Caden being in junior high it's hard for him to miss football, and he and I both have heard that the makeup work is horrendous! So, anyhow...today was our fair day. We skipped out on the Midway due to the crowds, and we did a few different things that we don't normally do. The one thing that I'm sad we missed out on was our annual Big Tex picture. We didn't come upon him til the end of the day, and we were all way too tired to have to fight the crowds to get a picture with him. Oh well....there's always next year!!

One of our first stops was The Food and Fiber Building. Here we saw Borden's Elsie the cow and her baby, we got free and ice cream, and we were each even given an Oak Tree sapling to plant!

We tested out a new golf ball, and got some nail art done on our fingernails!

We almost waited to see this cow be milked in a milking demo, but it was taking too long!

We enjoyed looking at all of the cool things that people entered into the creative arts contest! Carson LOVED all of the Lego stuff!

And the girls loved the more girly stuff!

We got to see the scene made from butter!

We got yummy snacks like chocolate covered strawberries...

and cotton candy

Carson and the girls posed for silly pictures...

Emmy chose chocolate covered strawberries too.

We went into The Hall of State and saw some really neat things, like the 1st margarita machine!!!

A replica of The Alamo, weapons from The Republic of TX days...

and we even saw Santa Anna's vest!!!

Cade had a funnel cake.

The kids played pianos!

We had a little bit of fun at the car show before we headed to a really late lunch at our favorite Chuy's on Knox-Henderson.

We walked down to Pottery Barn Kids after eating, and the girls spotted their favorite books!

What a great day!!! We love the state fair!!

Fall 2011 is here!!!!!

2011-10-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

These pics got waaaaayyyyy out of order, but here our some shots from the start to fall 2011!!! We are welcoming the cooler temperatures!
The girls had a blast cheering at the Arlington vs Lamar football game!! This was something that they got to do for being in the AHS cheer camp!

Ella took this of her sissy in the car!

More sideline pics AHS vs LHS!

Quinny with the girls under the Friday night lights! 9-23-11

Grancie and Robin came to a game to see the girls cheer, and we got to eat at Krispy Kreme between the girls and Carson's game! Here is Ella's soccer ball donut...she didn't eat it ???, but it sure was cute!

Chels and I at Lewisville Western days getting ready to see Pat Green!!

Pat Green putting on the best concert I've ever seen him do, and it was FREE!!!! Thanks Bren! :)

Random pic of Smurfette! A fave of the girls! Sam won only ONE out of the claw machine at Spaghetti Warehouse, and they often fight over her! I need to invest in a second one, but I dislike spending $$ on stuffed animals!

out of order...but here is El's pic of the soccer donut at Krispy Kreme! She didn't like it either!

On the first Saturday in October we headed to Fright Fest at 6 Flags! We haven't gotten near enough use out of our season passes this summer due to the extreme heat, so we figure we will make up during Fright Fest and Holiday in The Park!! Carson spent the night with Noah, so it was just Cade and the girls! We had fun, and the weather was great!

Walking in

The girls were a little wary of the people dressed up and the sun going down!

The first stop was a trick-or -treat path in Looney Toone Land where they got candy!

Out of order.. Halloween display in Wal-Mart! Very creative! I will always love Wal-Mart, no matter how much I complain about it!

Bcak to Fright Fest...waiting to ride The Conquistador!

I will never wear my nerdy running hat to a place where light can reflect off of it in pictures again!! I'm still thankful I got a moment with my girls!

On our way out we saw a Halloween dance show!! Love that 6 Flags does special things, and that we can go on a whim!

Daddy and Em

Cade could've smiled!!! Oh 13!!!

The funny dancers!

Of course we had to ride the tram back to our car!! To the girls it's another ride!!

Tonight we enjoyed amazing weather at Carson's flag football practice!! Em even climbed her 1st tree!

Carson's coaches brought water balloons to throw when they were finished with practice! What a special treat!

Here he is on the far left getting ready to chunk his!!!

Late Summer 2011 and Destin Details!

2011-10-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

My Mom got me Brad Paisley tickets for my 33rd b-day, so late July we headed to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco! It was hotter than Hades, but I couldn't go wrong with Brad :)...he is one of my all time faves...and Sam was a TROOPER!!
mom and me

Brad!!!

She dressed herself, and was pretty proud! Miss Em thought the sucker made her look more country..ha! Reminds me of my Denim and Diamond teen nights days at age 17...yikes!

VBS Super Hero Day 8-2011

Sam and I at Brad Paisley!

When I was downloading pictures from my phone tonight I realized there were many pics on my phone from our trip to Destin, that I almost deleted!! Most were taken by the kids...little details that I never would've thought about capturing , but I'm so thankful that they did!
The picture above was taken in Hattiesburg, Mississippi! We ate lunch there on the day we arrived in Florida! It was a precious college town! I saw multiple families with their kids in matching smocked ensembles, and it just seemed so Southern! It made my heart happy!! Sam knows if we ever move to Mississippi we are going to Hattiesburg! Plus...that's where Brett Favre went to college and is living right now...added bonus! :)

A little out of order, but we got to go to Gage's party the day we left for Florida! Such fun!

Cade took this of the littles in our room with an amazing view!

Ella Belle on Carson's float that got a hole before it ever made it into that water! :) Than goodness for Targets stellar return policy!

A pic from our window view by one of the little ones! They have my phone more than I do!

Out of order, but here we are in a McDonalds in my favorite Mississippi town!

This giraffe print was in our room! Love that they thought it was nice enough to take a picture of!

Bren and I enjoying a beach morning with Abby Paige!

My Coach crab key chain that I love! :)Beach themed!!

ACTION!! Hope I wasn't fussing at the photog for snapping pics nonstop!

Our balcony! Miss it!!

We headed to the beach within minutes of pulling into the parking lot...here are the 1st shots!

I took this one on a peaceful morning after I ran!

Abby an I with a box of Fruity Pebbles!! :)

Told you my little ones were the main photographers for this set of pics!! ha!!

The beach ball that they got every pennies worth!

They even took a pic of momma's tummy!!

and our bananas in the gorgeous condo kitchen! :)

the duck floaty

and Chels and her baby girl!

capturing their snack of choice...Ritz peanut butter crackers!

Mommy doing who knows what in her new green cover up

another beach view that looks beyond amaaaaaazzzzing!

Cade and Emma

Emmy at Baytown Wharf!!

Ella

Ella Cate at Baytown Wharf!

and their mommy's legs enjoying balcony time....glad they cared enough to catch details I never would've though about catching...I knew there was a reason I give them free reighn with my phone!! I love their innocence!

Sisters

2011-09-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Because, lately these 2 are the only ones that will have anything to do with my camera....here are some sister love pictures! I love that they have each other!

Breakfast after cheering at their 1st game!

These next 2 are Emmy by herself, but I wanted to capture her love for clipping coupons! She loves Sundays when the paper comes full of coupons!! She will spend hours clipping!! Love her!

Push pops in the backyard...in their Barbie car that they barely fit in anymore :(

Ella Belle

Miss Em!!

I-phone Randomness!

2011-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't downloaded the pics off my phone for quite awhile!! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw some of these! Many of them have been posted on Facebook, but I like to put them on the blog so that hopefully someday I can publish them in a blog book! They make me smile!! What I would give to recreate the picture above this very moment!! I was laying on the beach BY MYSELF!!!!! It was wonderful!!

The kids at a really fun restaurant called Fudpuckers in Destin!

We were all ready for pictures on the beach, and it started storming!!! I was frantic! Chels knew just what I needed to calm down! :)

Our last night in Destin! Emma and Mommy

Our view during our last beach dinner

On our way home from Florida we made one last stop at a Cracker Barrel right outside of Canton. At this point we were soooo ready to get home, but at the moment I'd take that drive in a second to be back at the beach!!

This shows how much the girls love Sophie!! No one touches their Raffis!!

Sophie sleeping with her art!! Both puppy pics were a surprise when I downloaded pics! The girls took them, and I'm so glad they did!!

Emmy took a pic of her back to school letter from Mrs. Binford! :)

First day of school fun!

Emmy's first lost tooth in the tooth treasure box!

Em colored this bag that Grancie got her!

Uncle Caleb and Carson after our last swim of summer 2011. :( Labor Day at Rosemeade Pool

Caden's first game at Gunn

My biggest boy and me after his first 7th grade football game!

Carson and El at Colt's party at Jumpstreet! Coolest party place ever!! Wish I would've thought of that business to start!

Girls at Jumpstreet

A quick dinner at Target after cheer practice

First football game 2011

And ending with a nasty battle wound! When I got a pedicure last Saturday and the polish came off, I finally saw the damage that a desk caused to my toe on my first day back during teacher in service week. That day sucked!! I'm hoping that it doesn't fall off! I chose a really dark color to keep the bruise hidden!! I think this might have been the introduction to the theme of my year this school year! I have no more visible wounds, but it's been a wild ride this past 5 weeks, to say the least! Hoping we got all the kinks out this first 6 weeks!! ;)

A Day Full of Cheer!!

2011-09-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday kicked off the first day of the 2011 football season for the girls and Carson. Car is playing flag football for the 1st grade Highlanders (3rd year in a row!), and the girls are cheering for the pre-K/Kindergarten Highlanders (2nd year). I will start by saying there are way too many pictures of my mini cheerleaders, because I had a real tough time narrowing them down!! Also, there are no pics of Carson in action, because of one little cheerleader that is suddenly scared of thunderstorms!! Post-Destin FL...ugh!!! The sky got a little scary, and there was so much drama that I had to pack the cheerleaders up, and miss Carson's game that was right after theirs! Emmy is pictured above before the skies got dark!! :)

Ella Belle and Quinny

Carson was supporting the sissys
The following are a bit out of order, but the girls attended the AHS cheer clinic on Saturday afternoon! They had a great time, and they get to perform at the Arlington/Lamar game this Friday night on the big field!!! I took a couple of not so great pics on my phone.

Big girls performing for the parents

The really cool thing was that I had more than 3 of the AHS cheerleaders when they were in 3rd or 4th grade!!
Back to the fields bright and early Saturday morning...
tunnel at half time!

Emmy in action

Ella Belle

Ella...she got to be in most of the pics because Emmy was a little out of my picture range! It's Emmy's turn next week!

Good moves girls!! Ella and Quinny!

Emma

Quinny and El

Emmy getting ready to toss spirit sticks!

We've got Spirit, Yes We Do, We've Got Spirit, How 'Bout You?!

Emma Claire in action!

Push 'Em Back!!

Sassy Ella Cate

Love this sass!!!!

Emmy Lost Her 1st Tooth!!

2011-09-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Labor Day started off with a bang for us!! On Friday before our long anticipated Labor Day weekend, I went in for my daily Kindergarten lunch visit (my conference period happens to fall in their lunch time :)), and my Emmy was missing a tooth!! I could see her gums were a little bloody, so I asked her if Mrs. Binford had pulled it before they came to the cafeteria. She told me that it had just happened. I asked her where the tooth was, and she gave me a little smile and shrugged her shoulders, so I began my search! I first looked on her tray with no luck, and then I went to the floor! Under the table was a little ball of chewed up pizza! I picked it up, and hidden inside was a perfect pointy tooth!! I guess she was chewing and felt something hard and just decided to spit that bite out!! Niiiicccceeee, not a manner I taught her!! Anyhow, I was so glad that I found it! By this point there was a little bit of a scene at Mrs. Binford's cafeteria table! The lunch monitor took Emmy aside and gave her a special pink treasure box to keep her tooth in! She was on cloud 9 and glowing with pride!! I couldn't have been more thankful to be a part of that moment!!
Showing off after we came home from school!!

The tooth fairy brought her $5 and a note with her name in glittler! She was so excited!

We did a little impromptu session in the girls room that is in bad need of a decluttering!!
Here are Car and Emmy (J.B. necklace and all) Sweet Car was so happy for his sissy and her 1st tooth loss!! :):)

Mommy and the proud girl minus 1 tooth

Car and mommy

Ella Belle and a desk that holds all of my miniature hoarders goodies!!

My girls!!
We enjoyed the rest of Labor Day. Sam took everyone to see The Smurfs while I had a hair appointment Saturday, and the kids spent the night with Grancie on Sunday. They got to go see Spy Kids 3, eat at McDonalds twice, and get toys from WalMart, while Sam and I ate dinner, shopped, and saw a movie!!! Sooooo nice!!
On Monday I met up with everyone at Rosemeade Pool for the last swimming day of the season! The kids didn't seem to mind swimming in freezing water when it was in the mid 70s outside, but no adult touched the water! :) I won't complain though after all of the unbearable temps we've had this summer!! It felt amazing!! Now if we only had one more day off work and school!

Ending with a few random pics that someone other than me took on my camera!! I love seeing what my kids choose to shoot pics of!! Their favorite subject has to be their Sophie-girl!!

Ella

Emmy took these of Ella Cate and Sophie!

School Starts 2011!!

2011-08-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late posting this, but we started another school year yesterday! This year Cade started 7th grade, Carson started 1st grade, the girlies started Kindergarten, and I began my 11th year teaching! Time flies, and this "back to school season" has been way difficult for me! I know it's the fact that my babies started "real" school! I just wasn't ready! Even though it's saving me a house payment in school tuition! :) Also, Cade started junior high at Gunn JH yesterday, and that's a whole 'nother animal! As you will see in this post he's not in any picture. :( This is the first time since he started school in the 3 year olds class in 2002 that I haven't captured him on his first day. He just was too nervous about his first day to even ask to be in pictures, and I totally understand 7th and 8th were some pretty nerve-wracking years for me too!! He had a rocky first day, but today was better!! This morning he started his football practices at 6:45 am ugh!! However he had a positive attitude about it, and came home with good things to say! I was so relieved!!
Gosh!!! The emotions of starting 2 in Kinder and one in junior high have really gotten the best of me!! I saw a good friend in Wal-Mart last night at 9:00 pm (junior high gives supply lists the first day of school-who knew??), and poured my heart out to her. Poor Stacey! I was bawling and laughing for over an hour with her on one of the school supply aisles, but it was just what I needed!!
So here's the story of the 1st day....
After everyone was ready for the day we went out in the front yard of dead-dying of dehydration grass for some back to school pics, and who did we see???? of course the little flock of 4 guinea hens!!! :) We love them! They make little annoying pits in our yard and squawk when the sun comes up, but you have to appreciate how they never leave our neighborhood! In Arlington TX of all places this kind of thing is rare!! Kinda makes me feel like I'm living in the country!!

My sweeties!!! Ellie snuck Raffi into the pic!

Mommy with the babes!!

So-So had to get in on a pic! Emmy is holding her!

New backpacks!!!!
After pics I headed to school on my own. Sam always takes the kids on the first day because I have to be in my classroom to greet my kiddos. However, I always make sure Sam makes a stop at my classroom before he walks them to their rooms!! That's when we get our family pic next to my room. I have a family pic like this of Cade every year from K-6th!! I love that we spent those years together!

Sam snapped some pictures of Carson and the girls getting their days started!

Ella

Emmy wouldn't give him a smile at that moment! :)

When Sam was leaving the school he passed the camera off to me, and I got to head to their lunch to get more pics!! It just so happens that Kindergarten eats lunch when I have my conference period!! I'm so lucky!!! I can walk 10 feet and see my girlies eating!! I've been a little of a hoverer these past 2 days!! I told the girls tomorrow I'm just going to peek in the cafeteria and wave! :) Here is Emmy with Quinny!! They both brought their lunch on Monday, but today they bought lunch! They loved going through the line and getting trays!! They even got to put in their lunch numbers in the keypad!! I would've loved to capture that, but decided not to be annoying with my camera for a second time in 2 days!

Ella and Grayson

Mommy even got lunchtime pics with the girls!! Ellie first..

Then Em!!

Right after the girls eat 1st grade comes in, so I got a picture of Car-man!

After school in the hundred bajillion degree heat we got a 1st day of school pic in front of the marquee.

Then we came back to the room for popscicles!! I'm so lucky!! I will never forget these days with my babies!

A First Day of Kindergarten Letter to My Girls

2011-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet precious angels, how can it be? In 5 days you will start Kindergarten. I can't believe the time is here. It truly just hit me yesterday that this day was coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm certain that y'all are ready. You are going to be perfect little kindergartners! However, your mama might not be ready to accept that her babies are going to "big kid school".

It seemed like just yesterday that I was getting a sonogram, and the dr told me that I was expecting twin girls. I know it's cliche, but time flies by so very fast. I cherish every single memory I have from that day in October 2005, to the present.

I know y'all will love school! I am beyond blessed that you get to come to school with me. Y'all truly began in Key Elementary!! Ha!! I got pregnant with y'all in May 2005, during my first year teaching at Key. I taught through my pregnancy, until the day before I had you. A week before I had you my tummy was so big I couldn't see my feet, and I tripped while walking up the stairs near my classroom. I have so many good memories of my pregnancy with y'all inside the classroom where I am still teaching!! I always thanked God that y'all were a picture perfect twin pregnancy, and I never had to go on bed rest. My perfect angels, you've always been healthy!

So next Monday, the 2 of you will begin your journey at Key!! Everything is ready to go! We shopped for school supplies and backpacks in July. You both chose the same precious backpacks from Justice, but y'all picked different lunchboxes, and I love that! Emmy, you picked a "big girl style" lunchbox with peace sign hearts, and Ella Belle you really wanted Justin Bieber, but since they didn't have a JB lunchbox you chose a Disney Princess one. I love that you can love JB and princesses at the same time sweet girl! Your "first day of school dresses" came in the mail today! They are precious!! Em yours is pink, and El your is purple. They say "Kindergarten Rocks" in little jewels, and they are precious!! Y'all are so proud of them! The 2 of you decided the dresses would look more fashionable with a belt, so off to Target we went! You both found skinny silver belts that are going to be the perfect accessory to your dresses. Twinkle Toes were both of your choices when it came to finding a new pair of school shoes. They sparkle with every color of the rainbow, and they light up when you take steps. Your daddy worried that they might be distracting at school, but I assured him they were ok...ha!! :)

Looking back on the last few years, I never imagined that things would change so quickly! The days when your pacis and Raffis were the most important things to you, have quickly turned into days where you are dancing to your Justin Bieber cd and fixing your hair by yourselves. However, both of you still sleep with your Raffis. He's a pretty sad creature...tattered, torn, and dirty because y'all don't want me to wash him. It's ok with me if y'all sleep with your Raffis for the rest of your lives. I love seeing you snuggle with him...

I know both of you will exceed every expectation that Daddy and I have for you! Always know that the 2 of you are an amazing blessing to us!!
I love you girls!!!
Love, Mommy

The Drive to Destin!

2011-08-13T16:29:00.001-07:00

We headed to Destin Saturday (8-6-11) at 9:30 pm with hopes of driving through the night and arriving in Destin by Sunday morning. However, that didn't work out. By 2:30 am Sunday morning Sam and I were both exhausted!! We stopped in Vicksburg Mississippi at a pretty shady Super 8 Motel and slept til around 8:30 am Sunday morning. We ate the hotel's continental breakfast , and we got on the road to finish the 6 and a half hours that were left of our journey! The first thing we saw on our journey was a grass fire in Vicksburg! I decided to break out the camera for the first time on our trip! I wish I would've captured our wary souls at the Mississippi Super 8!! I don't think any of us have EVER been soooo tired!
It was actually pretty nice to split the trip in half...it made it much more bearable! We stopped in Hattiesburg MI for lunch, and then headed to Destin to meet up with our friends!

Here we are about to cross over the Mississippi River!!

Welcome to Mississippi!!! I was a gung-ho picture taker at that point! :)

Ella
Emmy in the back with Cade (who refused to let me take his pic!)

Carson

Our first full day in Destin...Monday 8-8-11

2011-08-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

Let me just begin by saying that every single picture in this post is way out of order! I'm blaming it on the way they uploaded!! :)
Our Monday in Destin was absolutely amazing! Our agenda went something like this...
1. I woke up to a sunny room at 6:00am and headed to the spa for a much appreciated run while my fam slept. I even got a small walk on the beach, and a trip to the grocery store by myself!
2. Came back to the amazing condo, and everyone ate breakfast, got "beach ready" and headed down to the white sandy shores.
3. Played on the beach for an hour (Chels and I were insisting, despite little ones who were way ready for the pool).
4. Pool time for quite awhile!
5. Bath time, hair-dos courtesy of Chels and headed for Baytown Wharf.
6. Dinner, yummy drinks, and play time at Baytown Wharf. I didn't take pics, but thank goodness Chels did!!
All in all a totally perfect day!!
Now for the slew of out of order pictures that I love!!

Waking up in our room with a million dollar view!

Happy girl!!

Bedroom window view!

Ella

Emma

Fun times burying Colt!

Pool time at our condo!

another view from our room! AAAAAHHHH!!!!

Posing!

Hair courtesy of Chels!

Ella posing on the balcony in our bedroom before heading to Baytown Wharf!

Day 2...Tuesday in Destin!

2011-08-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Day 2 in paradise!! The kids wanted boogie boards, so Sam took them first thing Tuesday (8-9-11) to get them. I got a whole hour and 45 minutes on the beach by myself! It was wonderful! I soaked it up!

Before long my gang was back, prizes in tow! Emma and Carson opted for a mask/snorkel set

while Ella and Cade got boogie boards.

sweet sisters!

We had lots of fun finding (pieces of) shells :)!

Washing the sand off before we spent a little time in the pool.

Em and Car

Ella Cate

For dinner Tuesday night we headed to a fun restaurant called Fudpuckers!

Their main attraction was alligators, and we even had our picture taken with one!

Here are the alligators sunning

Sam snapped some pictures while we were waiting in line to have our picture taken with the alligator.

After our alligator pic, an evening storm came in, but we still managed to get a couple of pictures before we had to take cover!

They had some more fun looking at some alligators in a tank, all the while waiting for our table! This place was definitely the happening Destin spot! We waited for over an hour and 45 minutes!

Daddy and Ella

Mommy and Em

Finally we sat down and enjoyed a yummy dinner! As an added bonus we got balloon animals!

After we finished we headed to Baytown Wharf to watch fireworks. We were running late, so we watched from the sidewalk!

Day 3 in Destin

2011-08-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

On day 3 we headed to the Hilton's pool! It really reminded me of a tropical resort! Very nice!! I worked out at their spa each morning, and I had checked out the pools, so I knew my kids would love them! I took my gang for a quick sea shell collecting trip on the beach first thing Wednesday morning, and then we met up with the others at The Hilton!

Ella Belle and her boogie board. She was all smiles during pool time!! :)

Colt!

The bathing beauty, precious Abby Paige, with Ma in the background!

Hilton pool!

After pool time we headed back to the condo to get ready for beach pics, and we ate Subway because we were short on time!

Getting ready for beach pics!

There was a bit of a scare (maybe more of a panic on my part) when a storm moved in! Chels fixed that by giving me a mixed drink, and before we knew it the storm had cleared! Chels got some wonderful each pics of our fam! I can't wait to share them!!

She tried to snap a few of Abby and Carter, but before we knew it the storm was back!!

We wound up getting locked out of the condos gate, and we had to walk to the condo next door! Emma was really scared!! She's never been frightened of storms, but we were stuck out in it, and over the ocean it did seem pretty intense!!

Safe and sound back at the condo we were able to see some of the shots Chels captured!! Can't wait for our Christmas card to be a beach photo!!

Destin Day 4

2011-08-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

We had a perfect day 4 of our vacation!!

It began with a morning trip to the beach, after I insisted! :) I really couldn't stand the thought of spending the vacation at the pools, even though the little ones would have been perfectly fine having it that way! Sam had to do some work back at the condo, and Brenda stayed home with Abby, so it was just Chels and me.

The big boys had fun boogie boarding the waves, and Carter, Emma, and Carson dug in the sand.

Ella on the other hand had a boo boo that hurt when it touch salt water, and so she rested in the shade of the waaaayyyy expensive chairs that we hadn't paid to rent! ;) She was a grouchy girl!! I just hope as she gets older she enjoys beach days much more!

Cade and Colt going out with the boogie boards!!
After the majority was finished enjoying the beach we headed to The Hilton's pool. After only a little while it started to rain, but it wasn't anything that the Hilton's indoor pool/hot tub couldn't fix!!!

Happy as clams in the indoor pool

When Daddy was finished working he brought us Subway sandwiches for lunch, and we headed outside to swim because the storms had passed.
After a bit we decided it was time to head back to get showers before dinner. Cade and Emmy rode back in the car with Daddy, but El and Carson decided to take the beach route with me!!

I tried to get them to walk next to the coast, but again the boo boo that hurt when it touched salt water came in the way of that! UGH!!
Oh well, we had fun running in the sand.

Silly faces, per their requests!!

Running with boogie boards!

When we got back to the condo it was bath time with bomb pops!!

While I was getting ready we noticed dolphins surfacing outside the window, so Sam took the kids to see them closer. You can see the 5 of them on the dock in the distance! :)

After everyone was ready it was time for a beach side dinner at Whale's Tail.

It was yummy, and we even got to feed the birds!!

After dinner we headed to the Destin Outlet Mall for a little back to school shopping. We didn't find anything, but we still had fun!!

My fashonista wanted this scarf!! :)

After shopping it was time for frozen yogurt at TCBY! This was one of our favorite places when Cade was little, but all of the TCBYs in our area have closed, so we were happy to see one in Destin!!

Rainbow!!!

After TCBY we headed to the souvenir shop where Carson got a shark tooth necklace, and the girls each got a t-shirt, plus one other small thing. Em got a sand dollar, and El got a dolphin key chain. Cade opted for some Blockbuster bucks when we got back home! :)

Destin Day 5....the trip home :(

2011-08-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Welllllll.....as the saying goes "all good things must come to an end", and sadly enough our Destin trip ended on Friday, 8-12-11. We headed out at 7:30 that morning on our long trip back to Arlington. Brenda snapped a quick pic of me with the girls before we headed down to the car to load up.

Within an hour into the drive home I had given up on the "no food and drinks in the new car" rule. We were careful, but if we were going to get home without going insane :) I was going to have to let them snack!

I snapped some pics of one of the hi lights of our journey....the really cool bridge! I'm not sure what state it's in :), but this was always my favorite part of driving to summer trips in Florida with my Mo and Wiss, and my kids loved it just as much!

This was the only place in our journey that we lost XM radio reception...a definite must for road trips. I'm now spoiled, and my free subscription only last for 3 months! :)

We took some pics over a neat bridge in Baton Rouge Louisiana, cause that's where Nana was born! :)

And 11 hours 12 minutes (driving time) later, we were finally home!! Can't wait for some more beach time...hopefully next summer! We loved our trip!

July Flew By!!!

2011-07-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that in 4 days July 2011 will be gone!! :( It truly did fly by! We have kept busy, and I guess that made it feel like it went by really fast! The only pictures I've taken this summer have been on my phone. The phone takes decent pictures, but I should really make more of an effort to take pictures on my good camera! I will for sure take it to the beach with us!!
This month we took several trips to the library! Like the day where Ella Cate dressed herself and picked out a Justin Bieber DVD.

We got a new roof!! The kids watched the roofers work one day before we headed to the pool with friends!

The roofers worked so hard, and despite the horrible heat, got it all done in 1 day!

We've watched lots of J.B. videos on YouTube, but Mommy's favorite is Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" video! I love it!

Chels found a great pool in Grapevine for us to meet at. Abby napped on my lap in the shaded splash pool! I hope we get to go again before our summer is finished!

Carter and Ella

The girls had a start of the season cheer leading swim party. They were fitted for their uniforms and the practiced some cheers with Coach Kendall! They are so ready to start cheering again!!

I got a new car!!! We weren't planning on it, but my van failed inspection, and it was going to cost $1,700.00 to fix the emissions problem. We didn't want to put that kind of $ in my 6 year old van that had tons of miles, and other cosmetic issues, to say the least. So we said goodbye to the van that drove the girls home from the hospital (I had a few tears), and said hello to my new 2011 Nissan Armada!!!!! I love it! After driving around a 2005 Quest that had no bells and whistles, I now feel like I'm driving in luxury! :)
Sooooooo happy!!!!

We've gotten school supplies, backpacks, and lunchboxes taken care of! The girls didn't want their name monogrammed on their backpacks this year :(, so instead we opted for a Justice backpack with their first initial on it in glitter. They are so proud of it!

The girls had a photo-op with Justin Bieber in the Dillards fragrance department! Ha!!

The girls did an afternoon of cheer camp at the rec, and they loved it!!

I turned 33!!! I woke up to streamers and a happy birthday banner, and I couldn't stop smiling! Sam made my day! I spent the bulk of my 33rd birthday at the Arlington ISD professional development center in training, but my friends that I'm in training with did take me to lunch! :)After I got home from training I got homemade cards, and we headed to downtown Fort Worth to eat! Emma wore her birthday shirt in honor of Mommy's big day!!
It was HOT, but we walked around for a little while before heading into Mi Cocina to eat!

Ella and Mommy at Mi Cocina! After we ate we headed to get yogurt at Yummilicious! My favorite!!
We head to the beach very soon!!! I can't wait to do lots of beach posts!!

Casino Trip with MoJo

2011-07-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove to Texarkana and picked up MoJo (my grandma), and then took her into Oklahoma to play the machines at The Choctaw Casino. I've decided after my first time gambling, that it's not my thing! :) I lost my $20 in less than 30 minutes, the smoke drove me crazy, it was freeeeeezing, and it stressed me out to watch people put their $ into those machines (I saw one lady go to the ATM 3 times). However, my MoJo is right at home at the casino, and this trip was all about her. While she played the machines we walked around and people watched for a few hours. My lucky Mo came out $100 richer!! We had lunch at the casino, and stopped off at a roadside snow cone stand. I loved driving through the tiny little towns and visiting in the car! Sooo happy I got to tag along on such a fun little day trip!

Beth's Dress Up B-day Party

2011-07-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

The girls got to go to Beth's birthday last weekend, and they loved it! They cheered with Beth last fall, and they have reconnected with her, because Ms. Aimee is watching Beth this summer.
They got to pick our a fancy dress to dress up in, and then they got their hair and makeup done. After that, they had a real tea party! Very fancy!!

Emmy getting her hair done

Rhianna's Loud Tour 2011

2011-07-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Friday 7/8 Sam and I went to see Rhianna at The AAC. I found out that the tickets were $20.11 each (cause The Mavs were 2011 NBA champions), and I couldn't pass them up! Plus I love Rhianna!! My Pandora station is always set to her when I run, cause I love her music! We had a bit of trouble finding someone to keep the kids, but Uncle John and Aunt Madonna saved the day and watched them for us. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe before the concert, and then headed to The AAC. We thought Cee Lo Green was opening for Rhianna, but apparently he dropped off the tour about 10 days before our concert, due to another commitment. J. Cole??? opened for her...1st disappointment...Rhianna was great!!! However, sadly, only about an hour after the concert a spotlight caught fire on stage, and we had to evacuate. Boo!! I was having so much fun watching her! Apparently we aren't getting a refund, and I don't think she's coming back (even though she tweeted that she would). Oh well...we had fun, and we weren't out alot of $$ for the tickets! I'll take a night out any day, even if it ends with having to evacuate the AAC..ha!
My favorite drink in the world...pickled tink at The Hard Rock...soooo yummy!!

Rhianna and I...ha!!

Strolling Sophie

2011-07-13T10:10:00.001-07:00

The girls have had a ton of fun this summer pushing Sophie around in their strollers. Sweet Sophie is such a trooper! She just lays down and seems to enjoy the ride!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

We started our 4th of July late on July 3. We decided to go to 6 Flags the night before the 4th. The show that they do at park closing time has fireworks. While the fireworks were minimal, they were still fireworks! The show also had The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in it, and my cheer leading loving girls thought that was the best thing ever!
With a late night at 6 Flags, getting up for Arlington's annual 4th of July Parade was a bit of a task!! So...needless to say we had a frantic morning trying to get to downtown Arlington by 9:00 am!! We couldn't miss it though! We've gone every 4th, except 1, since Carson was a baby...plus we had friends saving us a spot!!
By the time we got to the parade area, traffic was a nightmare!! We had to park far away, and I'm pretty sure we walked at least a mile and a half!! Carson's face (in the pic below) shows just how much he liked the hike!

Finally we were ready to watch!! Thankfully the Williford fam found a spot next to another teacher at our school who had put up a canopy...the shade was wonderful!!

This one remained a major grouch for the rest of the day!! He doesn't do late nights and early mornings well at all!!

Our friends who saved us a perfect spot!!

The front of the parade

The clown who spotlighted Brian for some laughs!!

Ellie was the only one up for a group pic!! My gang was grouchy with a capital G!!!

a little bribery to take pictures, as we were walking back!! Cade still wasn't up for it!

After the parade we headed to Chik fil A for lunch and to cool down!

Ellie was all smiles with her cookies and cream milkshake!

and this is why my firstborn was in no pictures!! He hates when I pull the camera (or in this case-phone) out!!
After lunch we came home, rested, and later went to the splash park. I caught the NYC fireworks on TV, and we were in bed by 9:30 pm! I heard the fireworks going off just miles from our house, but I was too tired to venture out!!

My 18 days are Over!!

2011-07-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

After 18 days of teaching summer school, I am all finished!! We did some celebrating when I was almost done, and then once again when I was all the way done! I was so ready for my summer! Getting June, July, and half of August off is a major perk for my job. This year and last year I gave my June up to make some extra cash. Thankfully I worked with very nice people, and I had a sweet class, but I am soaking up the rest of my summer for sure!!
During the final week of summer school we took the boys to the track one evening. Carson rode and rode around and around, and Cade did some running. The girls were with Ms. Aimee that night, so the boys had Mommy and Daddy all to themselves! You can tell just how hard Carson was working (and how hot it was) in the picture above.

I did some celebrating with friends at Blue Mesa too!! I hadn't seen Julie all summer, so it was fun to catch up!!

My delicious swirl! Yummy!!

The Thursday that I finished we had a yummy dessert at Braum's!

And then finally last Saturday we had a kid free night!! That hasn't happened for a loooonnngg time! We had fun! Mall massages, The Hangover 2, Saltgrass, Yummylicious, and the gym Sunday morning before we picked up the gang!! Thoroughly enjoyed!! :)

Besties

2011-07-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my very own live in besties. These 2 are together every waking (and sleeping) hour of every day, but summer always gives me a chance to observe their sweet little relationship more than usual. Don't get me wrong...they have their MOMENTS, but for the most part, they are true besties.
In the picture above Ella Cate was showing off her newly lost tooth, and Emma was sooooo proud for her! A very happy sissy moment!

Here are the sisters watching their big bro practice his swimming with Ms. Stacey.

And one of my favorite summer memories (so far)...the girls let me watch them as they danced to Hannah Montana! So much fun!!

They were really getting down! :):)