A Visit from Grandpa

Clay and Carolina got to enjoy a visit from Grandpa (my dad) the week after Thanksgiving. Our visit included a downtown Lewisville festival (I left my camera at home :(), a nice dinner out and lots of visiting at home.

At the Christmas festival they had a 4 wheeler pulling four little colored barrels with the tops cut out (to look like a train). It was so cute and my dad paid for Clay to take a ride in it. While we were waiting our turn I tried to figure out what color barrel Clay would pick when it was his turn. His turn came up and much to my surprise (and the train driver's), Clay went straight for the 4 wheeler that pulls the whole thing! All those trips on the one at Nana and Papa's had him thinking HE was going to drive the train. So funny!

All in all, we had a nice relaxing visit and the kids got to spend some quality time with Grandpa. Thanks for coming to visit Dad!

Thanksgiving

As usual, we traveled to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. Carolina was just a month old so it was great to have a few extra hands on deck to help with two babies and we always love visiting with our families. We stayed with Mike's parents and Clay had a particularly great time (he always does!). Here's some of the highlights of our trip:

Clay got to ride on the tractor for the first time this trip

Clay and Papa



Another first: Clay got to play with one of Mike's childhood toys-the Quadro (tubing and platforms that can be constructed into hundreds of different things- slides, forts, etc.).


Sliding down the slide



Mama and Carolina on Thanksgiving

Clay and his cousins with Papa on Thanksgiving

One of the most fun parts of the trip for Clay was a trip to Chuck E. Cheese with my sister and her children: Casey, Kaelen and Brittan.

Clay and Casey

Kaelen and Brittan

Clay, Brittan and Stuart Little

"You talkin' to me??"

Carolina resting peacefully amidst the Chuck E. Cheese chaos

Clay found a new love: the carousel

The only hunting Mike did this year...

New Year, New Computer

Well, we are finally back from the holidays and what a wonderful holiday season we've had! Over Thanksgiving and Christmas we spent time with our families and enjoyed introducing Carolina to a lot of the special people in our lives.

We had such a great Christmas. It was definitely one of my favorites ever. One of the best parts of our Christmas was that Mike and I got a new computer. It's FABULOUS! Thank you Anita and Bobby! I haven't spent much time exploring it (I don't have much time these days...) but I love all of the parts I have seen.

Before our new computer came I had to take my camera's memory card to CVS, upload the pictures and an hour of work later I could bring the disk home and upload to my blog. Now you see why I didn't update with pictures more often! Now I can stick the memory card straight into the computer and voila! the pictures are there. I can even edit them - so exciting! So here's to a new year with lots more blog entries with pictures!


Lots of updates/catching up to come! Stay tuned...

He's Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty or Nice...

*I didn't have a chance to post this on the day it was written but it now has photos of the evidence- even better!*

Dear Clay,

You're down for your morning nap and we're going to see Santa Claus today. I've been telling you about it and teaching you how Santa says, "Ho! ho! ho!". You say it when you see our Santa decorations and you're adorable. That being said, though,let's get down to business. It's only 10:30 and you've had a pretty eventful day. Here's a recap:

-You climbed into the dryer while I was unloading all of the laundry.
-I caught you standing on top of the shredder (which is turned off) and trying to reach a picture frame while I cleaned up your breakfast dishes.
-You colored on the wall, the dining room chair and the hardwoods with purple marker while I was feeding your sister.
-When I went to start your bath, I came back to a little boy sitting in the middle of the kitchen table with orange marker tiger stripes all over his face (and today is picture day!). So much for putting the markers up on the table to keep them away from you...

Listen, little man, this new climbing on EVERYTHING business is getting old. Yesterday when you got too quiet while I was feeding Carolina I found you in the bathroom sink with a Q-Tip in one hand and pumping soap with the other. And you've learned if you climb on top of the coffee table and onto the recliner and slide down that you end up behind the gate blocking the Christmas tree- with wonderful access to the shiny ornaments.

Now you know that your daddy and I have always been strict with you that the furniture is not a jungle gym but suddenly you think it's okay to climb to the back of the couch and lean against the wall.

Clay, I am nearly always in the same room with you watching you like a hawk (and taking pictures of your nonsense). And you also know that you were within my line of sight when you've been on most of your little adventures lately. You're a brave one, baby boy. Lately, you LOVE when I'm feeding the baby because it gives you just enough time to get into a mess. Don't you worry, though, I'm learning. I'm on to your tricks.

I just want you to know though that I know something you don't. I know how to talk in complete sentences. Yep, we're going to see Santa today and I can tell him what you've really been up to. You can tell him all you want to tell him but just remember- I'm your translator... Have you been naughty or nice???

I love you orange marker tiger face,

Mama