Sunday, December 07, 2008
Morgan Channels Sarah Palin
While getting ready for the day, I left McKenzie alone with Morgan, who was in the swing, for about 15 minutes. McKenzie swears she doesn't know how this happened. I thought it was hysterical. Apparently, Maddie's eye glasses were left on the coffee table and proved to be too tempting to one 3 year old.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Madison Blesses the Food
Scripted: "God is good. God is great. We thank you Lord for daily bread."
Freestyle: "Lord, we want to say thank you for this family. Thank you for Morgan and bless those Chinese people who made this dinner ..."
Freestyle: "Lord, we want to say thank you for this family. Thank you for Morgan and bless those Chinese people who made this dinner ..."
Monday, December 01, 2008
We Love Gail!
Many thanks to my Aunt Gail, sister of Mom and resident of Maryland, for the fabulous holiday card that has provided my children with NON STOP fun since it arrived in the mail. I am proud to present my babies, in conjunction with Hallmark and the Pointer Sisters.
Thanksgiving 2008
Wow! What a Thanksgiving this was! Traditionally, Thanksgiving is held wherever Mom and Dad reside. In the beginning of our relationship, Kim and I traveled to Mississippi for my favorite holiday of the year. When Mom and Dad moved to Savannah, we were in hog heaven to combine Mom's cooking with a visit to Paula Dean's. Thanksgiving 2007 involved negotiating the sale of our house across the fax machine and we decided Thanksgiving would be spent in our new home for 2008.
On Carl, on Colleen, on Quinn and baby Riley, on Mom, on Dad, come dash away all to Austin Texas for the holiday. They arrived in small groups on Tuesday, the 25th. It took mere seconds for the chaos to begin. With 5 grandchildren of every age under 6, our house was a zoo! And did I mention that Kim invited our lovely British neighbors to join us for the big meal? Oh my! I can't believe they stayed for dessert in the midst of the craziness!
We took the family to Central Market on Wednesday for a lovely outdoor lunch and plenty of space for the kids to run. The weather was perfect and the food was fabulous. I received 2 thumbs from the North Carolina crowd. Here are Carl and Colleen with McKenzie. Dad took way more pictures than I did so stay tuned for more images.
I remember when Carl met Madison for the first time. She was 8 months old and we were having her baptized. I was sitting next to Carl in our living room when I went to pass Madison to him. He held up his 2 hands and said he was afraid too hold her. "She's too little." Look at them now. I saw such a sweet connection between the 2 of them. Carl is so sensative and she thinks he is amazing.
Dad met Morgan for the first time and, of course, fell in love as did Mom.
My very brave Uncle Mark, Aunt Laura, and their son Kevin drove down from Denton on Friday to see the family. If you were to ask them about the visit, they would probably tell you they survived some kind of freak November tornado. It was wonderful to see them and they have all my kuddos for surviving the visit!
Can you believe Mark is going to be 50 in a few weeks? This says to me - do what you love and you'll look great.
We had a wonderful dinner Friday night at the brand new Salt Lick in Round Rock. The food was incredible, though the service was a wee bit slow given the heavy crowd. Thankfully, Nanny had bubbles in her purse to entertain the little ones. And McKenzie and Riley were just the girls to catch those bubbles in their mouths. They played so sweetly together throughout the whole visit. Very sweet. Here are random pictures from dinner.
Everyone flew home on Saturday, leaving us in a very quiet house. It was quite a Thanksgiving, complete with a little drama, a whole lot of food, and a bunch of kids. I have to say I am thankful at this moment that we have 11 months to prepare for the next Thanksgiving, which I pray is back at Mom and Dad's house! I love you all!
On Carl, on Colleen, on Quinn and baby Riley, on Mom, on Dad, come dash away all to Austin Texas for the holiday. They arrived in small groups on Tuesday, the 25th. It took mere seconds for the chaos to begin. With 5 grandchildren of every age under 6, our house was a zoo! And did I mention that Kim invited our lovely British neighbors to join us for the big meal? Oh my! I can't believe they stayed for dessert in the midst of the craziness!
We took the family to Central Market on Wednesday for a lovely outdoor lunch and plenty of space for the kids to run. The weather was perfect and the food was fabulous. I received 2 thumbs from the North Carolina crowd. Here are Carl and Colleen with McKenzie. Dad took way more pictures than I did so stay tuned for more images.
I remember when Carl met Madison for the first time. She was 8 months old and we were having her baptized. I was sitting next to Carl in our living room when I went to pass Madison to him. He held up his 2 hands and said he was afraid too hold her. "She's too little." Look at them now. I saw such a sweet connection between the 2 of them. Carl is so sensative and she thinks he is amazing.
Dad met Morgan for the first time and, of course, fell in love as did Mom.
My very brave Uncle Mark, Aunt Laura, and their son Kevin drove down from Denton on Friday to see the family. If you were to ask them about the visit, they would probably tell you they survived some kind of freak November tornado. It was wonderful to see them and they have all my kuddos for surviving the visit!
Can you believe Mark is going to be 50 in a few weeks? This says to me - do what you love and you'll look great.
We had a wonderful dinner Friday night at the brand new Salt Lick in Round Rock. The food was incredible, though the service was a wee bit slow given the heavy crowd. Thankfully, Nanny had bubbles in her purse to entertain the little ones. And McKenzie and Riley were just the girls to catch those bubbles in their mouths. They played so sweetly together throughout the whole visit. Very sweet. Here are random pictures from dinner.
Everyone flew home on Saturday, leaving us in a very quiet house. It was quite a Thanksgiving, complete with a little drama, a whole lot of food, and a bunch of kids. I have to say I am thankful at this moment that we have 11 months to prepare for the next Thanksgiving, which I pray is back at Mom and Dad's house! I love you all!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Madison's Thanksgiving Birthday
November 20 was a busy day! The birthday girl awoke excited to spend the entire day celebrating the first day of her 6th year. It was a warm day and she picked out her own outfit that met the needs of the First Thanksgiving production, PE, and birthday celebrations. Here she is on her way to school.
Kim and I joined dozens of other parents in her kindergarten class to watch the First Thanksgiving production. It was very cute and every child was just precious. Here is Madison with many of her friends, some of whom are still in costume.
A Thanksgiving "feast" followed the production and we enjoyed turkey and mashed potatoes with other parents in the classroom. Maddie loved having us there, and little Morgan too. Kim went back to school and I raced to the airport with Morgan to pick up Nanny, who hasn't seen Morgan since she was 3 weeks old! Talk about exciting! Nanny had a fit over the baby and Morgan just beamed. We took Nanny to lunch and then back to the kindergarten class for the first of two birthday celebrations. There was even a child in Maddie's class with the same birthday! So there was double the celebration! Here are the two birthday girls.
Thursday was a lot of fun, but not nearly as much fun as Saturday's birthday extravaganza on the cul-du-sac! The moonwalk arrived early Saturday morning, much to the children's delight and gave me a chance to "test" it without too much embarrassment. I figured if 10 40 lb children could get in there and I am a mere fraction of that weight, certainly I could jump. So I did. It was fun, despite having to crawl through an opening only slightly larger than the birth canal! Fortunately, there are no pictures of this so let that dream go. Here are some pictures of Maddie with her Mt. Sinai pre-school buddies.
It was a great day and here are random pictures of her new friends, our friends, and the neighbors.
We had hoped to win $100,000 on America's Funniest Videos with a pinata, but it went beautifully. I hope to have video soon to share with you. The kids had a blast and we are forever thankful to Aunt Becky Bumpass who was able to hang the pinata from a tree. Plan B was to have someone far thinner than me to hold it for the kids to hit. Not!
Our friend, Leigh, brought her daughter, age 2, to the party. Madison loves Lija because she is small enough to be a doll, but not too small to seriously injur. McKenzie and Lija had so much fun at the party and I plan to get them together more often.
It isn't very often that anyone takes my picture, since I am usually the one with the camera. However, Misty took control of the camera when presents were being opened so I could visit with some parents I haven't seen in a long time. She caught this sweet moment with McKenzie and I am truly thankful to have these images. I love my children more than words could ever express and I think you can see it here.
Kim and I joined dozens of other parents in her kindergarten class to watch the First Thanksgiving production. It was very cute and every child was just precious. Here is Madison with many of her friends, some of whom are still in costume.
A Thanksgiving "feast" followed the production and we enjoyed turkey and mashed potatoes with other parents in the classroom. Maddie loved having us there, and little Morgan too. Kim went back to school and I raced to the airport with Morgan to pick up Nanny, who hasn't seen Morgan since she was 3 weeks old! Talk about exciting! Nanny had a fit over the baby and Morgan just beamed. We took Nanny to lunch and then back to the kindergarten class for the first of two birthday celebrations. There was even a child in Maddie's class with the same birthday! So there was double the celebration! Here are the two birthday girls.
Thursday was a lot of fun, but not nearly as much fun as Saturday's birthday extravaganza on the cul-du-sac! The moonwalk arrived early Saturday morning, much to the children's delight and gave me a chance to "test" it without too much embarrassment. I figured if 10 40 lb children could get in there and I am a mere fraction of that weight, certainly I could jump. So I did. It was fun, despite having to crawl through an opening only slightly larger than the birth canal! Fortunately, there are no pictures of this so let that dream go. Here are some pictures of Maddie with her Mt. Sinai pre-school buddies.
It was a great day and here are random pictures of her new friends, our friends, and the neighbors.
We had hoped to win $100,000 on America's Funniest Videos with a pinata, but it went beautifully. I hope to have video soon to share with you. The kids had a blast and we are forever thankful to Aunt Becky Bumpass who was able to hang the pinata from a tree. Plan B was to have someone far thinner than me to hold it for the kids to hit. Not!
Our friend, Leigh, brought her daughter, age 2, to the party. Madison loves Lija because she is small enough to be a doll, but not too small to seriously injur. McKenzie and Lija had so much fun at the party and I plan to get them together more often.
It isn't very often that anyone takes my picture, since I am usually the one with the camera. However, Misty took control of the camera when presents were being opened so I could visit with some parents I haven't seen in a long time. She caught this sweet moment with McKenzie and I am truly thankful to have these images. I love my children more than words could ever express and I think you can see it here.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Peas and Carrots
Madison and McKenzie are truly sisters. They fight and then love each other in the blink of an eye. The two of them can play so sweetly together and then rip each other's hair out. I can't imagine one without the other now. I can't remember a time without McKenzie, though I know it wasn't too terribly long ago.
Now we have Morgan, who is showing us everyday what a sister she will be. Only Madison and McKenzie can make this baby howl with laughter, by doing the silliest little things. Kim and I can stand on our heads while juggling fruit with our feet and she smiles. Maddie and McKenzie can hop up and down or wave their arms and Morgan can barely catch her breath!
Here is Morgan sitting with McKenzie on the couch in what appears to be an artistic consultation.
Eventually, Morgan went to sleep. Here she is holding thev very first doll Madison ever had. It was a gift from Nanny and we re-discovered her this weekend while cleaning out the game room. Ain't she sweet?
Now we have Morgan, who is showing us everyday what a sister she will be. Only Madison and McKenzie can make this baby howl with laughter, by doing the silliest little things. Kim and I can stand on our heads while juggling fruit with our feet and she smiles. Maddie and McKenzie can hop up and down or wave their arms and Morgan can barely catch her breath!
Here is Morgan sitting with McKenzie on the couch in what appears to be an artistic consultation.
Eventually, Morgan went to sleep. Here she is holding thev very first doll Madison ever had. It was a gift from Nanny and we re-discovered her this weekend while cleaning out the game room. Ain't she sweet?
The Last Day of My 5th Year
As Madison prepared for bed last night and we discussed the coming day's events (today), she pointed out that today would be her last day as a 5 year old. Apparently, this was exhausting because she fell asleep at dinner tonight!
She is very excited about turning 6 and believes she will immediately be advanced to the 1st grade. I hope she isn't too disappointed tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, it is going to be a big day! Nanny is coming! Nanny will get to Austin around noon and will miss Madison's performance in the production of the first Thanksgiving at her school. That is ok because the entire day will be action packed. The line up looks like this:
Thanksgiving Production at school
Thanskgiving feast in cafeteria
Pick up Nanny
Birthday party at school for Madison
Birthday dinner with Nanny
I am exhausted! My goal is to just get out of the car at some point tomorrow! I am so proud of Madison and the young lady she is becoming. She isn't perfect, but she is damn near close. And funny too! I love her more and more every year and I am thankful beyond measure for her place in my life. Happy Birthday Baby!
She is very excited about turning 6 and believes she will immediately be advanced to the 1st grade. I hope she isn't too disappointed tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, it is going to be a big day! Nanny is coming! Nanny will get to Austin around noon and will miss Madison's performance in the production of the first Thanksgiving at her school. That is ok because the entire day will be action packed. The line up looks like this:
Thanksgiving Production at school
Thanskgiving feast in cafeteria
Pick up Nanny
Birthday party at school for Madison
Birthday dinner with Nanny
I am exhausted! My goal is to just get out of the car at some point tomorrow! I am so proud of Madison and the young lady she is becoming. She isn't perfect, but she is damn near close. And funny too! I love her more and more every year and I am thankful beyond measure for her place in my life. Happy Birthday Baby!
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Weekend
I visited a new church this weekend with Madison and McKenzie. We have always loved St. James Episcopal Church as they sponsor our Parenting Across Color group. We know several members of the church and decided to give it a try on a Sunday. I felt so guilty visiting another church since MCC has been our home for almost 10 years. Our family has grown so much and our needs have changed a lot over the years. St. James has a very strong Christian education program and more diversity than I have seen in a while. The congregation is predominantly black, upper middle class, with both gay and straight in the pews. D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. Of course, Maddie wanted to know why the service took 2 hours. Welcome to the black church. I loved every minute and am looking forward to going back. There is a children's choir too!
Here are my babies dressed in their Sunday best!
It has been interesting to discover how often we get Morgan to laugh vs. how often Madison and McKenzie get her to laugh. Kim took this video over the weekend of Madison making Morgan laugh sitting in my arms. The same scenario played out this morning with McKenzie, but we didn't get it on film. What a ham!
Here are my babies dressed in their Sunday best!
It has been interesting to discover how often we get Morgan to laugh vs. how often Madison and McKenzie get her to laugh. Kim took this video over the weekend of Madison making Morgan laugh sitting in my arms. The same scenario played out this morning with McKenzie, but we didn't get it on film. What a ham!
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