Decorating the Christmas Tree

Boy, was that fun! Zade kept trying to take out the red ball ornaments and throwing them like balls. He eventually got a spanking - he's kind of stubborn! Gracie was able for the first time actually hang the ornaments. They had fun!

Thanksgiving Day

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We first had lunch with Matt's family at Grandma Darters. After lunch we walked down to the school and the guys played football (some too old to play - no names - Danny!) and the kids played on the playground. While there Zade found interesting ways to slide down the slide. He refused to sit down and tried to walk down which put him on his head going down and he decided that was a blast and kept on!

Just as the Cowboys started playing we got in the car and headed south to my Nanny and Grandad's house. Zade immediately fell asleep and Gracie refused since she had a drink to keep her occupied. Just as we entered Godley city limits Zade woke up and Gracie dozed off. My mom, Nanny, and Uncle Doug had the food all ready to go so we pigged out! My Nanny makes THE BEST stuffing ever - it was so good. The guys ate in the back watching the Cowboys. After dinner Crystal and I played Uno w/Tristan and Kennedy then Nanny and Mom brought us all the ads so we could make our Black Friday Strategy. After those plans were settled we piled in the living room to watch the Longhorns beat the Aggies (Woo-hoo! Hook 'em!) while Zade came in periodically to show off and entertain us. He's such a ham these days! By the time the game was over we were all so very exhausted. Matt and the kids and I headed to my parents to spend the night. Mom and I got up at 4a and were out the door to pick up Nanny and Crystal for our traditional shopping adventure. We got lots of stuff and stayed gone until 1p. It was fun and exhausting as usual. By the time my family made it back home - we were all pooped. I love my family traditions!

The birthday that lasted a week

Happy Birthday!

I can't believe my baby girl is 4 years old! It's completely throwing me off. She's a big girl now! How weird is that?

Today's plans consist of doing whatever Gracie wants to do. She's played cook, dress-up, blocks, babies and is now watching the Dora marathon that apparently Nick Jr. planned just for her! We had her fav for breakfast, pancakes and for lunch we're going to McDonalds for a Happy Meal and to of course, play a while. Happy birthday, Gracie!

Top 10 Ways the Lord has blessed me in 2008....

10. A nice house, that although it seems as if it's falling apart around me and is in constant need of cleaning...it's nice, it belongs to us, and it is sufficent for my family. It has seen Matt and I get married, go through Matt's career changes and struggles, bring home 2 brand new babies and watched them grow. It's our home and will always be. Thank you, Lord.

9. For the opportunity to be somewhat of a stay at home Mom. I love spending time with my kids. I begged the Lord for this job as soon as I got married and 4 yrs. ago He saw fit to give it to me. It's a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I never knew the constant work that it involved but I'm so privileged to do it.

8. A part-time job that I sooooo love. I love teaching preschool. I've always wanted to be a teacher and this job helps me scratch that itch. It's taught me so many lessons and afforded me the ability to make some lifelong friends.

7. The fact that my kids get to go to preschool with me - for free! That's a huge blessing. They learn so much from at the preschool. They've had so many wonderful and caring teachers and made tons of friends.

6. Gracie's school! I have no idea where she would be without it. I'm so thankful there is a program like PPCD in this great state of Texas that allows young children go to school and get the help they need to develop properly and prepare for Kindergarten.

5. Gracie's awesome, sweet, and loving teacher! I'm thankful for her loving attitude she has and that she realizes that children learn best when they feel loved and comforted. She is a great teacher to Gracie and a huge part of my support system. I couldn't have picked a better person for this role in our lives. Thanks, Ruth!

4. Zade's "too-big for his britches" personality. With his independent attitude - it allows Gracie and I to have some one on one time to work on things she's trying to learn. His low maintenance makes up for Gracie's not quite as low maintenance.

3. Gracie's major sucesses this year. My previous posts have explained all of her progress but it bears repeating. She is growing up so fast before my eyes that it pains me to think about it. I'm so proud of all the hard work she's put in to get where she's at now. One day all of these learning struggles will be a distant memory but the work ethic she's developing will last a lifetime.

2. My friends! I have the greatest friends ever! They keep me sane and grounded. I don't know what I would do without them. I love you girls!

1. My wonderful, awesome, sweet, and handsome hunk of burnin' love, Matt! He is such an awesome support to me. He keeps me on track when I need it and throws me off track when I need to loosen up! He's a great Daddy to our babies and loves his kids so much. He's a hard worker and dedicated to his job. I love him more and more each day.

Gracie's Birthday Fun!

This weekend we celebrated Gracie's birthday even though her birthday isn't until Wednesday. Her cousin Kennedy's birthday is two days after hers so we took them both to Build-A-Bear on Saturday. We had so much fun. Gracie was very insistent on her choices and what and how she wanted things done. She named her bear "Gacie" which is how she pronounces her own name.

On Sunday we had our annual Thanksgiving stew lunch at Matt's parent's house and had birthday cake for Gracie. Her and her cousin Levi hadn't seen each other in quite a while and were unusually sweet to one another.

Happy Birthday, Gracie! I love you!

The Wild Adventures of Matt and Gracie

This story has to be published! Ok, so every other Wednesday Matt works only an 8hr. shift rather than his normal 12hr. So on that Thursday since he doesn't have to sleep as late he picks Gracie up from the elementary school and instead of her going to preschool they have a Daddy Day. This past Thursday they went to eat lunch w/his parents (Ma-maw and Pa-paw) then came home got Big (our Rottweiller) and headed to the park. Matt was smart and made sure Gracie went potty before they left. However, while playing hard, Gracie runs up to Matt and says, "I gotta go poo-poo!" He said it looked really urgent cause she had this panic look in her eyes and was holding her rear. The park they were at didn't have a restroom so he took her to a nearby bush pulled down her pants and held on to her legs while she squat and did her business! He didn't have anything to wipe her with so he took his sock off and wiped her with it, then used the sock to pick up her poop and throw it and the sock in the trash! Gracie happily went back on with their business, Matt and Big sat in shock - grossed out by what had just happened. He called me at work to tell me all about it. I couldn't stop laughing!

Gracie Update

Today we had Gracie's annual ARD (Admissions, Review and Dismissal) meeting at her school. She mastered all but one item on her original IEP (individual education plan) and got a brand spankin' new one. Her progress has been remarkable within her first year in PPCD. Her teacher is so proud of her as well as (of course) Matt and I are.
We're getting excited about the upcoming holidays and Gracie's 4th bday! I can't believe I'm about to be the mom of a 4 yr. old! I teach 4 yr. olds! It just blows my mind. But, I'm a proud mama!

Halloween 2008!

Halloween was so much fun this year. In fact, it lasted a couple of days for us. The kids were able to dress up in their costumes at preschool for the Fall Festival on Thursday. Gracie was a Swashbuclking Sassy Pirate and Zade was a rockstar. Then on Friday Gracie dresses up for her school. After school both kids were sure to get a nap to rest up for the fun to come. After naps we re-dressed and headed to Ma-maw and Pa-paw's and then we went with Matt to his off-duty job. After that we headed to a friends house for a fun Halloween Party. The kids had such blast running all over the place playing with their friends. Needless to say, by the time we got home they were both tuckered plum out. Here's some pics!