a good week for updates ...

We took the girls to Las Colinas so we could get some shots of them for Christmas presents. The weather was a little chilly, but we had fun checking out a new place. The scenery was really nice and I think the pictures turned out great.

We had such a fun Christmas this year...I don't think you completely understand the phrase "'tis better to give than to receive" until you have kids. They sure made it fun for us as they could barely contain their excitement for the things they got. I already can't wait until next year when we'll have three girls to "spoil".

Freezing in NYC ... some images from the weekend

1000 ft Over Dallas

Happy Birthday Rachel!

"Dear Mom,

I love you

I hope you have a great birthday

From

Kate"

When the Dad's away, the GIRLS will play....

Brian just left this morning for a quick trip to New York City. So, its official- GIRLS weekend! By girls, I'm referring to myself, Kate, Taylor, and the little girl bean in my tummy. That makes 4 of us, and thats quite a crowd!

So, we just got back from the grocery store and I bought for us all candy, chocolate milk, sugary Christmas cereal, E.L. Fudges (per Kate's request), Frosted Shortbread cookies (thanks to Taylor), and stuff to make peanut blossom cookies- you know, the stuff I never indulge in unless I'm completely without adult supervision. :) Ask me if I will feel guilty about the absolute gluttony I will indulge in for the next two days. Nope...after all, I am 8 months pregnant, without a husband, taking care of two toddlers solo for two days, and its the weekend of my birthday.

By the way, I'm being induced on January 12th- I thought I would mark this day as the one month mark. 4 1/2 weeks until I can breathe better, eat healthier, have an excuse to NOT wear jammies all day long, bend down far enough to put my shoes on, not worry about the people who stare at pregnant people everywhere I go, and hopefully being able to look at my backside in the mirror without shaking my head.

Santa is here ...

Our neighborhood had a Christmas Party today and guess who was in attendance? SANTA!!

Taylor was too scared to sit on his lap- but hey, 1 out of 2 ain't bad. I'm glad Kate got to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas- we wouldn't want him delivering the wrong presents! :) Kate and Taylor also got to ride in an antique fire-truck around our neighborhood while listening to some festive tunes. It was such a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun celebrating this time of year...I love Christmas!

On a funnier note...I took the girls Christmas shopping this week and wanted them to buy the other one a Christmas gift. We ended up at Target and I had Kate help me pick out a scooter for Taylor. So, I briefed Kate on the importance of keeping this a secret so it will be a surprise on Christmas morning. So, what does she do? She marches right over to Taylor (who was keeping busy with the dolls a few aisles away) and blurted out, "Guess what Taylor? We got you a Dora scooter for Christmas!" The next morning Taylor came into the kitchen and was telling me all about her Dora scooter- I guess Kate went into further detail that night after they were put to bed.

Then, I took Taylor to pick out some crocs for Kate. That afternoon, Kate was talking about the pink crocs that she really wanted for Christmas and Taylor says, "No Kate, they aren't pink, we got you the green ones". Oh well, better luck next year!

Rubsamen Family ...

This morning I had the chance to meet up with the Rubsamen family ... Dean and I go back a couple years and it was great to see his family and their new baby boy. Although the weather has been a little harsh lately, this morning ended up being pretty nice.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Break

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at Nana and Papa's house this year.  The meal was delicious...Kate and Taylor helped me make a pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and rolls (that was a fun one- they thought it was play-doh).  But, before all of the gluttony, we indulged in some 4-wheeling and leaf-throwing.  The four-wheeling, while it was fun, came at a cost- at least for Taylor.  She put her poor, little hand on the hot engine after hopping off and walked away with a pretty yucky burn.  Thank goodness for first-aid kits...we had her all bandaged up in no time.  You can see how precarious she is with her injury...girls!  There is certainly no shortage of drama in our house!