Thanksgiving 2011

We had the PERFECT Thanksgiving this year! We got to have my entire family here for a whole week! We made sure to do something memorable each day and also had plenty of time to just relax and let the kids enjoy playing together both in and outside. Our evenings were filled with shopping, hot tubbing, movie watching and a bit of crafting for the ladies.

Saturday was our first outing- to the Mercer Arboretum and gardens. A beautiful place to spend the afternoon- I think the kids played at the park for close to 3 hours! I didn't get a single picture, but I'll add some soon from my dads camera.

Monday we headed to the Houston Zoo- it was pretty warm and humid!
Tuesday it rained so it was the perfect day to pull out our kids craft- they made some foam turkeys for our Thanksgiving Day place cards.
When the rain lifted we raced over to ride the Trolly around the Woodlands and then meandered through the library.
That was also Caitlyn's actual birthday so we celebrated with the family. Don't you love her make-up job by Madisen?
Wednesday we headed to the Houston Harbor where we took a 90 minute boat tour. However, there is NO photography allowed on or near the boat. This was definitely a highlight for all of us.

Thursday morning while our feast was baking, we snapped a group shot. We've added 2 cuties to the mix since our last photos 2 years ago. Not bad for a self timer and 7 kids under 7, eh!
Dinner was lovely! Everyone had an assignment so it wasn't too much work for anyone. The kids were very well mannered and we managed to engage everyone in a delightful conversation for a while.
While our turkey settled, Aunt Kellie treated the kids to "Arthur Christmas", and we adults tagged along, too. Darling show!
Friday morning it was time for our parting. We sure loved having our family down for a visit!! The kids are still asking when they're going to come back. We hope it's soon! Being together was definitely something to be thankful for this year!

Happy Barrrrrrrthday Caitlyn

Caitlyn chose a pirate themed party this year- she finally chose a theme 4 days before the party. I still can't figure out where this came from, but it turned out to be really fun to plan and I think the girls enjoyed it b/c it was something different! Before the guests arrived, we had Lyndsie (C's little friend, whose mom took my 2 youngers home) snap this photo. I love these girls!-As the girls arrived, we tied their hot pink bandana on their head and they got to make their own spy glass. While they were creating, I asked each of them to tell me something they knew about pirates- they had some great answers, that I really should've written down. (Side note: we went foodless for Halloween this year and handed out glow bracelets. As Caitlyn was helping me open and assemble them, she requested to save the cases they came in b/c we might need them for her birthday party. Who knew she had such great foresight! This girls is ALWAYS thinking!)

-They worked at their own pace, so some enjoyed the play room while others finished. Glitter glue and alphabet stickers are just too fun!

{I love their pirate faces!}

-A new twist on the old game of Duck, Duck, Goose was first up- Pirate, Pirate, Arrrr while using the blow up sword was quite exciting & a little dangerous for socks + wood floors.

-We tried a game called 'Tick Tock Croc'- you know find the timer before it buzzes... it just wasn't that fun b/c you couldn't really hear the clicking timer with 10 4 & 5 year olds. So we improvised and played... "I'm Going on a Pirate Ship and I'm Taking _____________" It was fun to see hear their answers and watch as they helped each other try to remember what the others before them had said.

-Outside we did a bean bag toss into the sharks mouth (thanks to my artistic friend Amy!) and took turns being eaten alive while playing on the swing set.

-The birthday girl requested cake pops and no candles... don't look too closely at the pirate faces- my experiment of dying the white chocolate black did NOT work. The girls thought they were skeletons :).
-Pirates Booty was the perfect snack addition to our cake balls!
After presents it was time for the treasure hunt- it was definitely the highlight. There were about 6 rhyming clues leading them through the house. Before they could read each clue there was something they had to do to 'unlock' the clue. They were soooo into this; spinning in 5 circles, saying Happy Birthday to Caitlyn 5x, etc. and then deciphering the clues. I REALLY wish I would've had a video camera when they had to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" like a pirate, I was not prepared for their enthusiasm or ability to sound like pirates- swinging arms and all. It was absolutely priceless!
The treasure chest was in the tub and full of some take-home loot. Good times were had by all!
(Did you notice Briella & Olivia's matching pirate shirts... talk about perfect attire!)

Happy Birthday Madisen

One sunny Saturday afternoon in late October, we had a costume party in honor of Madisen's 7th birthday.

-As the girls arrived we pinned a Halloween object on their back. They had to ask their friends yes or no questions to figure out what it was. Once they guessed it I removed it & they received a small prize.
-While they were guessing and chatting, they were creating some Halloween finger puppets to be used later.
-Then they joined Bill for some Halloween pictionary!
-Perhaps my favorite part of the day was the bobbing for apples. It was the only thing that Madisen was really set on having at the party. While the guests chomped on their apples they were playing on the swing set. I was trying to capture a few photos, when one girl blurted out that she lost her tooth. So I asked Bill to bring us a napkin while I kept her calm and we made sure not to lose the tooth. While we were juggling the tooth/apple/camera the girl standing next to her announced that she had also lost her tooth. WHAT? By the time Bill arrived with the napkin I had 2 girls missing teeth... just in time to look like Jack-O-Lanterns. We never did find the other tooth in the grass, go figure.
-After all that excitement, we headed up to the media room where we split into groups of 2. Each team had 2 minutes to come up with a spooky story using their finger puppets. Then we turned out the lights and used a spotlight to tell stories in the dark. They were the perfect age for such an activity!
-Bill stepped in and stole the show for the final act.
-On to singing, cake and presents.
We sure love this girl! She's spunky and sensitive. She's the peacemaker, creative, a lover of music and dancing, and quite social! We're looking forward to this upcoming year when we get to help her prepare to turn 8-- it's going to be a great year!

Little Man

7 Months

There is something absolutely heartwarming about a little boy dressed in a white shirt & slacks for church. Last week it was a tie, this week it was a sweater vest.

William is curious. He reaches to and for EVERYTHING in his path- earrings, my nose, cheeks, food, etc. He has started scooting backwards. This morning I found him headed for the fireplace. I had placed him in the center of the room when I went to make breakfast. When I returned he was far from where he started.

Birthday Girls!

On October 23 our oldest daughter turned 7! She chose to have a costume party with her friends. They were at a really fun age for a costume party! I've got some great stories & pictures, but they will just have to wait.

This coming Tuesday, November 22, Caitlyn will turn 5! She chose to have a pirate party with her friends. (She keeps me on my toes- that's for sure!) It was actually probably the easiest party I can remember throwing. The girls were amenable, sweet, excited, & appropriately energetic. More details to come...

I'm not sure how they are growing up so quickly right before my eyes-- but I LOVE the ages and stages they are all in right now. If I could freeze time I would! Party details to follow after our next party.... Thanksgiving week with the Dodds family who will all arrive in only 15 hours! We are soooo excited!!!

He Sits!

About 2 days after William's 6 month birthday, he started sitting on his own. This is a wonderful stage because he'll sit and play with toys for a while... until he topples forward trying to get a toy or flops backward if he gets too excited. But mostly, he just sits contently and smiles!

Photos courtesy of 2 adoring older sisters.

I know they were the photographers b/c of the 2 photos below, they speak for themselves.

Why Not?

It was a BEA-U-TI-FUL day here- not too hot not too cold. We had some friends over & the older girls really wanted to swim in the hot tub. I couldn't argue... it was beckoning to them. The younger 2 were more timid, but enjoyed the warmth none the less. It must be noted that the spontaneous swimming meant they had to borrow some bathing suits & Weston, who is 2 days older than Brooklyn, fit just perfectly into Williams 9 month trunks. :)