Thanksgiving Weekend

We were able to drive up to my parents' the day before Thanksgiving. And of course a visit to Papa's and Grandma's never disappoints. We enjoyed some Fall weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some pictures that help highlight our weekend...

So, here's what we were up to Thanksgiving morning... The girls love playing in the playhouse that Grandma sets up for them:

Enjoying the outdoors:

After raking up some leaves Andy demonstrated to the girls how to jump in and Rachel took right to it:

I really don't want to be sitting in this pile of leaves!
Rachel loved it!
Having fun with Papa in the leaves:

We really enjoyed the drive up to my parents' as we got to enjoy some Fall beauty. The leaves at our place don't really change colors and they'll probably fall off at the end of January and new ones will grow at the beginning of March. We don't really get seasons here, so it's fun to go a bit farther north and enjoy it...

Riding bikes:

Helping Papa and Daddy with a dirt pile (a bit of deja vu here - another post to follow!):

On Friday we headed to Longview (the closest decent size town to my parents) and were treated to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls pretty much expect this when they are with my parents! And then after pizza Audrey headed back home with the guys to take a nap. Grandma, Rachel, and I went to see Tangled, which is definitely going to be added to our collection. Such a cute movie! Friday evening Rachel mastered tying shoes - she picked it up so quickly and was determined. She's been eyeing some shoes for a few months now and Grandma caved in. So, I told her she needed to learn how to tie them if she was going to get them (I've never bought her shoes with laces). Anyhow, she was determined and she succeeded! :)

On Saturday there were lots of tractor rides with Papa and Daddy:

A random (really cute) picture of Rachel at dinner Saturday evening:

After the big boys worked hard all afternoon burning away leaves and a dead tree that they cut down, we all made good use of the burn pile to make smores:

The girls loved it!
And of course we celebrated Grandma's birthday a week early:

Rachel helped me pick out a dress for Grandma. Rachel was so good the whole weekend to not ruin the surprise. Grandma wore the dress to church the next day and she looked FABULOUS! Grandma spoils us all rotten, so it's fun when we get to spoil her a bit...

Finally on Saturday night Grandma showed the girls how to break apart a wishbone. Rachel won the wish!

We headed back home on Sunday. Like most trips, this one flew by. It sure was nice to be with family for Thanksgiving again. We've missed that the past couple of years... And we are definitely grateful for much. It's hard to put it all in words. But the overwhelming conclusion is FAMILY and the precious time we get to spend TOGETHER, whether it's our own little family or our extended family.

My Target Girl

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Target. So, I had to smile when I had the following conversation with Audrey today:

Audrey: Put on jacket please.
Me: Why?
Audrey: I go bye-bye.
Me: Where are you going?
Audrey: The store.
Me: What store?
Audrey: I going to Target store!

Love it! We went to Home Depot yesterday and once we entered the store she yelled, "Home Depot". So, her daddy has her trained as well... :)

The Cockrell Butterfly Center

Last weekend I went shopping with some friends without the little ones and it was fabulous! :) Andy planned his own little outing with the girls that day. Rachel has wanted to go see the butterflies for a few months now. So, he took them downtown to the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Of course once she had the opportunity to have a butterfly on her finger, she wasn't such a fan of the idea... But I believe the girls did enjoy time with their daddy, the butterflies, and other creatures. Here are a few pictures of their fun:

I pledge allegiance...

Rachel surprised me the other day when she had a friend over to play and they were saying "The Pledge of Allegiance". So, I wanted to share it:

I love how Rachel comes home with new information and abilities every day. It's so much fun to watch her enjoy school and learning. Rachel came home from school this past week so excited about being able to be an Indian. She had made her own little costume at school and even got to bring a drum (an empty Folgers can) home, which she was thrilled about. I am especially enjoying this year as she gets to celebrate the holidays at school, which won't happen so much in years to come.

Come in!!!

The first place at the Oil Ranch to pet some animals wasn't a very successful one. These goats wanted nothing to do with us and Audrey wasn't too happy about it. Luckily the second petting zoo area was more successful...

The Oil Ranch

Last Saturday the weather was fabulous! And you can't pass up fabulous weather days, so we decided to take a little trip to the Oil Ranch. We all had a fun time on the ranch. They have lots of different activities and we spent the bulk of the day there. We packed a picnic lunch and just enjoyed being outside and seeing all the animals.

The ranch was decorated for Fall:

Rachel surprised us all by showing us that she's mastered pumping. Any parent knows what a fabulous day this is! I had just taken her to the park recently and she was still having me push her. Who knows how long she's hidden this ability of hers...

There were pony rides. It took a bit of convincing to get Rachel to go. But once she went for a ride, she loved it...

Audrey not sure what to think at first, but she enjoyed it:

Farmers Rachel and Andy:
Having fun walking through a haystack maze:

Audrey checking out the rooster. The girls got a kick out of all his cock-a-doodle-doing...

Going on a hayride:
We fed some cows on our hayride (yes, that's the cow's tongue!):
A Texas Longhorn:
Audrey in the barn:
Having some fun:
Rachel figured it out:
Playing in the hay:
Petting a pony:

Rachel milking a cow... She was terrified to do this. But once she did it, she thought it was the coolest thing. We even went back a second time. And let me tell you, she was one calm cow to let all these kids milk her.

A fun train ride:
Miniature golfing:
The petting zoo:
Audrey loving her shoulder ride:

One more pony ride... And Rachel was so proud of herself because Dad didn't have to walk alongside her this time.

A snow cone mess (the picture doesn't do it justice):

We enjoyed our day at Oil Ranch. As we were leaving Rachel informed us that we needed to come back every day Daddy doesn't have to work. So it was definitely a hit! :)

Super Heroes

Rachel is surrounded by boys here - boys outnumber the girls at church and school. I was a bit worried moving back here, since it was the opposite in Holland. But Rachel has done just fine. One of her favorite boy friends is Jace, which definitely thrills the moms! :) Well, after Rachel got to see all the super heroes that her various boy friends were on Halloween she told me she wanted a batman costume. I informed her that was a boy costume. So, she told me we could look for a bat girl costume. Too smart! Where does she get this stuff from??? So, the Monday after Halloween we headed out to check out the clearance racks. We did find a bat girl costume, but 2 out of the 3 pieces were no where to be found. However, we did find a super woman costume and Rachel was thrilled. I'm such a sucker! I think Andy may have rolled his eyes at me that evening when he got home from work. Needless to say, Rachel's loving the costume to play dress-up in. The other day Jace came over to play and brought his batman costume. So, they had a blast playing "super hero squad" in the backyard.

(Don't you love the pink tights underneath?)

October Adventures

October was full of traveling and Halloween fun. We did squeeze in some good, old-fashioned fun as well. So, here are a few of the highlights.

The girls have graduated from being obsessed with their daddy's closet. Now, it's the jetted bathtub. They love to play picnic with all my oils, salts, and bubble bath containers. And then after a picnic, of course they have to take a nap:

We had some pretty warm days in the beginning of October. So, one afternoon I put out a hose sprinkler and the girls had fun...

Even though it was in the mid-80s, it did get a bit chilly for them once they were wet since our backyard is quite shaded in the afternoon. So, here they are warming up:

Getting some sun:
Pretending to be asleep - love Audrey's grin!

We also made it to the Children's Museum early in October. And this time I finally caved and let the girls paint their faces. Audrey insisted on doing her own:

Rachel loved it so much that she insisted on not washing hers off until bath time. So, when we had to run an errand to Target we got a few double takes, but Rachel didn't seem to mind.

Audrey pretending to shave her legs one morning - this girl keeps it real! :)

After church on Halloween we went for a walk at a nearby park. The girls loved seeing all the turtles as we crossed the bridge. The girls:

The parents (courtesy of Rachel):
Audrey being a goof:
Having fun playing frisbee:
October definitely flew by!