Neighborhood Porch Crawl

This weekend our neighborhood said Good-Bye to summer with our first annual "Neighborhood Porch Crawl"! We were put in groups of 3 to host a 30 minute time in our yards. There were 6 stops total and each stop had a location theme. We provided an appetizer, drink and craft/game for the kids to go with our themes. The kids also had passports they were given at the beginning of the night, and they got a sticker at each stop to add to their passport.

Here we are, where it all began, in the Caribbean. They had a pirate theme, with pineapple, Pirate Booty and dip. The kids went fishing and then had to follow a map on a treasure hunt.

Our next stop was Switzerland, where I apparently took no pictures. There, we ate yummy chocolate fondue and the kids made their own Swiss flags.

The next stop was Hawaii! The served up some frozen blue drinks, with umbrellas, and delicious Hawaiian chicken and rice! The kids did the hula on the dance floor and then had a limbo contest.

The next stop was Mexico, which I missed because I headed home for a minute to feed Gracyn and put her down for a nap. Tommy is to blame for no pics this time! From what I heard, they had yummy street tacos and the kids played with a pinata!

Next stop was our house and our theme was Texas. We had little smokies and the kids had stick horse races. By this point, the kids are all wearing various pieces of costume.....including cowboy hats, hula skirts, and pirate patches. They were quite a sight, and any neighbors not participating, must have wondered what in the world was going on! My little Reagan took her stick-horse racing very seriously!

Finally the last stop was New Orleans. We ate Po-Boy sandwiches and the kids made Mardi Gras masks. Gracyn had a great time hanging out in the grass and munching on some beads. Uncle Mike ventured outside and got a taste of life in the suburbs!

We hung at the last stop until it got dark and cold. What a fun night!!! We live in the best neighborhood!

And, we're done! But, we partied hard....all the way up till 7:45!!!

Let's Bowl, Let's Bowl, Let's Rock-N-Roll

Can you name that musical? It is one of my all-time favorites, and that song was in my head all day on Friday, because the girls had a bowling party to go to. One of Addison's favorite school friends, and a fellow 3-girl family, invited us to a birthday party. Their mom was so sweet to have coloring and things set up for the younger siblings and pizza and cake for the whole family.
We had a blast watching Addison bowl....Reagan even snuck her way into the lanes before it was all over. Gracyn loved the people-watching, and we all had a great time. I think we will be heading back to the bowling alley soon.....seems like a great, fun family activity!

Well Hello World

Gracyn has a new view of the world this week! She has been working on sitting up for the past two weeks, but in the last few days, she has gotten it down! She can sit and play with toys for a long time, without falling over! And, at the same time, she has suddenly gotten amazing control of her hands. She is after everything....her toys, my food, her sister's hair, the dog.....anything she can get her hands on. Her most favorite toy to date, has been the stick-on name tag. I have been somewhere twice this week, that required me to wear a name-tag. It has been her great joy to rip it off, check it out, and try to eat it. I eventually take it away, stick it back on my shirt, and we repeat the process. Judging by the soaking wet shirt.....we may have teeth soon!

And, here is my girl when I put her down for her nap. I know, she looks anything but tired. She kicked her legs, flashed big flirty smiles, and turned her monkey music on....anything to keep me in the room. I eventually ducked out and as I type this I am listening through the monitor to her singing, talking and blowing raspberries! This is the new naptime routine. She plays herself to sleep.

And, finally, here she is with 2 of her biggest fans. They love their baby so much. The are the first ones to help her sit up, bring her toys to play with, or talk to her in bed, when she is supposed to be sleeping. They never complain about helping with her.....they just love her and are eager to be a part of everything.

A Question....

Disney fans, I need your help. We are all set to sail on our 3rd Disney Cruise in January. This time, we feel like the girls are ready to do a few days at the park in addition to the cruise....we have never done this before. We are going down 2 days early. One, will of course be Magic Kingdom. My question is for the 2nd day. It is January, so the waterparks are out. Do you like Animal Kingdom or Epcot? The girls will be 4, 2 and baby. What do you think offers the most for them. I would love to hear your thoughts, as I prepare to book that part of the trip. Thanks!

The Weekend

We laughed at this little girl's perfect Mohawk, which refuses to be brushed down.Addison took care of her little sister.

And, she wrestled her Daddy.

Gracyn practiced sitting up.

We read lots of stories.

The girl's snuggled.

We posed for pictures before church.

We wore our cute new Gymboree fall clothes.

We ate Ring Pops.

And, we visited Uncle Mike, before he moves away!

Sweet Gracie

My neighbor took these sweet pictures of Gracyn on Labor day. What a sweet baby....love this little one to pieces!

Labor Day

We had lots of great, spontaneous fun on Labor Day! It started around 4:00, when the girls came outside to help me unload groceries and saw the neighbors across the street playing. We headed over to let them play with their friends for a minute. Eventually 3 families had gathered and moved into the backyard. We pooled food items, made a quick trip to the store and began grilling dinner. I say it all the time, but we are so blessed to live in the neighborhood we do. We have such fun, generous, friendly neighbors....something I was warned not to expect when leaving Texas.

Here are the kids jumping away after the bounce house was brought out!

Here is Gracyn sucking her thumb, getting ready for a little nap in my arms.

After dinner, there were Popsicles.

And, finally there were sparklers.

Money Management

Today Addison told us, "You can't spend too much money in one day, or else your wallet will get really small!". Good advice, really.

Quote of the Day

The girls had lots of fun time hanging with Daddy this weekend, while Mommy was getting things done around the house. From somewhere during this time comes these words of wisdom from Reagan.

I was stepping out of the shower this morning when she said, "Mommy, Daddy don't have boobies like you, him just have tweeters!".

That's right folks, we are hard at work around here, teaching our children all the proper human anatomy. Our girls won't go out into the world without a clear understanding of the difference in the male and female body.....thank you very much!