September 2017

Now that both kids are in elementary, they demand that I routinely visit them for lunch.  i don't think it's me they're excited about, but rather the candy I bring them.

Arden started gymnastics.  She takes recreational  gymnastics at Basel's.  She loves it.  She is currently working on her back walk-over.  Her daddy was sweet enough to build her a balance beam at home, and along with her trampoline, she practices a lot. 

check out his duck lips.  He makes this face every time he's concentrating on writing or drawing.  HILARIOUS!

The kids got to meet Peyton List from "Jessie" and "Bunk'd".  Jack didn't really care, but the girls were excited.  We only stood in line for 1 1/2 hours to meet her.

Us during the hurricane.

No need to go into detail about the hurricane.  We all know how bad it sucked.  Thankfully, our house did not flood.  Even our neighborhood stayed dried.  We were stuck in our house for days, but we made the most of it and treated it like a surprise vacation.  The Greens stayed with us for five days.  We were so fortunate to not lose power, and we were able to get out and go to the store if needed.

the girls made the closet under the stairs their bunker, complete with all the essentials: blankets, pillows, and rainbow loom bands.

We busted out my old Nintendo.  Kids loved playing the old school Mario Brothers game.

Jack and Delaney, BFFs

We had pounds and pounds of pasta, canned beans, dried goods.  Turns out we didn't need any of it and ate regular food.  I still have TONS of baked beans in my pantry.....

once most of the storm had passed, the kids had cabin fever and were dying to go outside, even if it meant playing in rain.

So much to do afterward with all the devastation.  Brian and I were able to get out and go help with clean-up. 

 

School 2017

Jack started kindergarten.  I no longer am a mother of a preschooler.  That makes me sad and glad.  His teacher is Mrs. Thorsen, and she is wonderful.  She periodically takes pictures and sends them to me.  Unfortunately Mrs. Thorsen has been out for several weeks because of shoulder surgery, so he's has a long-term substitute. Overall Jack behaves at school, but he gets disciplined more for acting silly than my girls did.  He loves to make other kids laugh, so that is what gets him into trouble.  His favorite subject is Art.  When he grows up he wants to be a mower.  He plans to own a truck and trailer to handle all of his lawn equipment.   

Kindergarten

 
Arden started 3rd grade and has Mrs. Westgard, and Mrs. Pulido.  Mrs. Westgard is strict, but fun.  Overall, she does not really enjoy third grade because she says it's really hard.  She is making mostly A's and a few B's, so she is still doing great.  Her best friend at school is Kendall.  Arden was selected to represent her class in the spelling bee, but got out in the first round.  She was very disappointed in herself, but kind of relieved when it was all over since she was so nervous.  Her favorite subject is Science.  When she grows up she wants to be a famous American Ninja Warrior star.

3rd Grade

Halle is in her second year of IB.  Classes are ridiculously hard and she has hours of homework each day.  She started back at year-round swimming, but it took too much time away from her schoolwork, so she had to quit.  She still swims for the JV swim team at Klein Oak.  She is involved with Panthers for Christ, which she co-teaches.  She bakes cookies for that club every week!  She is also involved with Student Council, HOSA, among others.  She loves being involved in school.  Her favorite subject is  WHAP (World History AP).  When she grows up she wants to be a Physician's Assistant. 

  

My kids, because they're cute

some last pictures of me and preschooler Jack.

We had a building campaign meeting at church and the church used apples as an illustration.  The kids were all excited about the apples so we got a picture of them enjoying them.

Arden rooting on the Texans.

she loves coffee,  but most importantly she's a good coffee maker and server.

Arden likes icecream

Jack likes Chess

Halle dressed as Anna to help a friend with a costume shop commercial.

Jack likes ice cream.

Jack fishing on a rainy day

a bracelet Jack made for me

My gorgeous girls

My handsome kid.

Halle's 15th Birthday

She got her permit!

And I got a sign for my car..

She had a pool party with [gasp] boys.  It really wasn't a big deal.  We know all the boys and their parents😆.  She also got a guitar from a boy.....
We TRIED to have a Sundae bar but it all melted so fast (hello, Houston in July) that they turned into milkshakes instead.  I have no pictures from her party because they are all on her phone, I presume. 

For her present we moved her out of her old room and into the much more spacious guest bedroom.  We made her a bed out of pallets, repainted some furniture, and changed all the colors.  It looks like a fun, chic teenager room.  Again, no pictures, sorry!

July 2017- July 4th and Colorado trip

I'm desperately trying to catch up on my blog so forgive the monthly photo dumps!

Fourth of July we went and visited PawPaw.    

That evening we went to Lake Conroe and hung our with Papa Mike and Gigi.  We had dinner and watched fireworks at their friend's house.

the kids feeding the catfish by the dock.  They were huge catfish!

Later in the month we visited Aunt Sarah and Uncle Adam in Colorado!  We had a blast with daily outings.  We went to a zoo on the side of a mountain, white water rafting, hiking, and more!

Here are some pictures from the rafting trip.  All seven of us plus a guide went on a level 3 trip (not too scary, but still lots of fun.)  Jack sat in the middle since he was the lightest, and the rest of us sat on the edge of the raft.  The water was soooo cold at 37 degrees.  Eventually it didn't bother me anymore since I think my toes went numb.  At one point we hit a big rapid, and the guide, trying to keep Jack in the raft, fell out!!!  Poor guy, all the other guides knew he fell out, so he had to pay a "beer tax" to them, meaning he had to buy a case of beer for the other guides.  I had so much fun; it was definitely my favorite part of the trip.

Halle with her new Chacos that Aunt Sarah bought for her birthday.  Looking like a true Coloradoan.

The Cheyenne Mountain zoo was very enjoyable.  The kids fed the giraffes and we all laughed at their super long tongues.  The zoo has a lift that takes you to the top of the mountain, so we got to see beautiful views.  

One day Sarah and Adam rented a Suburban and we drove up Pike's Peak.  I was sooo stressed out going up the mountain because of all the switchbacks.  When we arrived at the top it was super windy and cold.  They had a cafe at the top so we warmed up with coffee and hot chocolate.  I could hardly breathe because the altitude was so high.

My second favorite part of the trip was the Manitou Incline, which is old railway tracks that go up a mountain.  The climb is a mile long and a 2000-foot elevation from the base.  We all, including the kids, did this extreme climb.  It was hard!  We all made it to the top though!  Going back down the same way you go up is dangerous, so there is a four mile trail that takes you back down the mountain.  It became completely dark during our descent, so all we had were the flashlights from our phones (those of us whose phones didn't die) to lead us back down.  That was almost as scary as the climb itself!  We were completely exhausted at the end, but we got in a GREAT workout!

When we weren't out doing something in Colorado, we were hanging at Sarah and Adam's with Brutus and Jake, drinking coffee, watching TV, eating, eating some more, and playing games.

Brutus sitting on Halle!  He doesn't understand too much about personal space.

Jack with his cap gun.  We had to buy him something to keep him entertained..

Arden wearing a facial mask that Aunt Sarah got her.  Creepster.

Embarrassed Arden

So 8 year old Arden is getting to the age where she cares about what others think.  So cute to watch her get embarrassed because she's never cared about anyone's opinion before.  Don't get me wrong, she still marches to the beat of her own drum, which I love.

Ex 1:  We had plumbers come over one day because my bathroom fixtures needed to be changed.  Arden told me she was so embarrassed because our house was a "disaster" and the plumbers would see how dirty it was. In reality, it was picked up, but not spotless.  But, it wasn't a disaster.  I guess I've trained my kids to make sure the house is beautiful before any guests arrive, so she felt like it was subpar.  :)

Ex 2:  So Arden loves butter.  So much so, that she took a BITE out of a stick of butter.  Halle was about to bake, and found stick the of butter with teeth marks.  Halle and I were both making fun of Arden about it.  I took a picture of it and posted to Instagram because I thought it was funny.  Well.... Arden was not having any of that!  She demanded that I remove the picture because it was embarrassing.  I told her that only my mom friends would see it, but she was afraid that the moms would tell their kids.  LOL.  I ended up removing the picture.

Ex 3:  Thanksgiving came around and we were hanging out at Papa Mike and Gigi's.  Kellie's boyfriend, Colton, was also there.  After we left Arden told me she felt so awkward and embarrassed.  The reason she felt awkward was because she was giving everyone hugs goodbye and came around to Colton.  She didn't know whether to hug him or not, because she didn't know him, but didn't want to be rude.

Hmmmm, I wonder if she'll be embarrassed by this post....