Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Family Pics

We got our family pics taken by the most amazing photographer- Angela Weedon. Here's a sample...they mostly do children shoots, so we may not have a Christmas card here, but we think they turned out great. If you want to see more of their work, go to weedonphoto.blogspot.com.



Friday, October 26, 2007

Game On!

So, I've been "tagged"- I've been seeing people get tagged all over the place and finally I am now in the in-"tagged" crowd. Thanks to Nora! Here goes: 6 facts about myself - I'll try not to bore you.

1. I absolutely LOVE where I live. If anybody is looking for a great place to raise a family- check it out. The church is really strong (but not too strong), great family atmosphere everywhere you go, and fairly decent weather (that might be a stretch come July/August).

2. I have learned more about myself, the gospel, love, and well, just everything in general since June 2, 2004 than I have in my entire life combined (thats in the last 3 1/2 years- or since my first daughter, Kate, was born)

3. I come frome a family of eleven children and I'm a twin. Wait, the fun doesn't stop there- I was also a middle child. Hmm, so basically I had no identity of my own growing up, as I was simply referred to as "twin".

4. I love to exercise- its the one thing I do everyday that I feel is just for me- but it also gives me more energy, enthusiasm, and just plain go-ism, which in turn, makes me a better (and well, lets face it- less cranky) mom. Lately, I've taken up running and I love it- there is a major rush following a 10-mile run with no running partner and yes, no ipod! And, I might as well post this too- I'm starting up an indoor soccer team and if anyone is interested, we still need a couple of players. Let me know ASAP!

5. My husband is my best friend- if I had the choice of hanging out with just one person every moment for a week straight (no kids!)- it would definitely be him. Eternity will probably be pretty nice...

6. Like my sister-in-law, Natalie, I LOVE giving birth. Sounds crazy, right? It is the coolest, most amazing, thrilling thing that can happen to someone (provided an epidural is involved- I'm a wimp!) I guess it helps that I have had two very quick (under 4 hours) labor and deliveries. Its the stuff that follows that can get a little crazy (Kate is our exhibit A). But, so worth it!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm



We made the annual family trip to the pumpkin patch- the very fancy (as pumpkin patches go), very popular, Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina. We had a great time- on account of the amazing weather (wind excluded), beautiful drive, fun farm animals, the ever-popular hayride, and of course, picking out our prize pumpkins (or "punkins" as Taylor adorably refers to them). Brian couldn't get enough pictures and the girls couldn't get enough of the cows, goats, donkeys, and sheep that were corralled all over the place. The best part of the day was when the girls got to pick out their very own pumpkins to take home. Here's a peek into our day at the "punkin catch" (Taylor's words- again).








Kate loved feeding the goats- but it was a delicate process. If you let the goats get a good grip on your cup, they'd rip it right out of your hands. Fun nonetheless!














Daddy and his girls on the hayride.



Taylor would have taken every pumpkin home, if only she could have lifted them all- you gotta admire her for trying. She hefted this one up just long enough to say, "Momma, its heavy" and then dropped it altogether with a big thud.











Needless to say, we took two of the smallest we could find. The girls had a blast painting them right after we got home.



I apologize for the over-abundance of pictures- if you know Brian, then you know why...'nuff said.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Family Home Evening...

We held FHE last night- we are trying to make this a regular occurrence as we have not been great at doing it thus far. So, here goes the first week- I taught the lesson on "Being Kind". Teaching two and three year olds can be intense for a parent who's trying to get a lesson across- Taylor lasted about one minute (this picture was obviously taken within that time span) and Kate is our star student- always aiming to please and very attentive- so sweet. I taught them what "kind" meant, then read Luke 6:13, and finally we sang "Kindness Begins with Me" from the Primary Songbook. I actually drew pictures to help them remember the words- but I'll spare you those-they were pretty bad (I am NOT an artist).


I don't know why Kate has this scared look on her face-maybe I was being a little too intense! :)

There's something in the water...

For anyone looking for a cheap, fun way to entertain your kids this time of year, here is your answer: go to Wal-mart, have a $5 bill with you, and buy a blow-up pool. They are so much fun- and they are on clearance right now. So, I got ours out yesterday and the girls had a blast. I took tons of pictures b/c I was having fun watching them have so much fun. Taylor- who is a wimp in a normal pool- would do nose-dives right into the water, roll around a few times, and then come up beaming. Kate is a fish already, so she is clearly in her element here. I hope I caught enough of their happiness on camera for you to see.



Monday, October 8, 2007

Six Flags

K- so Six Flags is fun, but its so much more fun when its totally free! Intuit paid for all of their employees to go to the park this past weekend with their families. Parking, tickets, lunch, and extra spending money were all included. We had a great time with the kids and the thick humidity! It was pretty hot and very sticky- but isn't that what theme parks (in Texas) are all about? Hope these pictures give you a taste of what we did.




















Mommy and Kate rode the parachutes- this one was our favorite.






Can you say intense?

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Us, as of Late

Here is the latest pic of the girls...thought Rebecca would like this one since Taylor is wearing the cute leggings she gave her for her B-day!