Thanksgiving Fun

I have not been keeping up with my blog! We had a great Thanksgiving filled with lots of family and friends. I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled, so that was not too much fun. Mike had to work but they has Thanksgiving dinner for them. Here is some of the fun that we has.

EMMY

WOW! Emmy was coloring the other day and I asked her if she could write her name. She said yes. To my amazement, she wrote her name! The y looks like a 'T', but I was amazed. Pre-school is doing wonders for her and we are so proud of her. Check out how good she did!

The Perfect Tree

We went on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree yesterday. We went to the place we have been going for years to get our pumpkins, fruit, veggies, and Christmas trees. The girls like the white ones, real snow of course! We all agreed on one that is the biggest one we have ever had. I feel like a grown up! It smells so wonderful. I just love Christmas.
Reese did not like decorating the tree. She did not quite understand that the ornaments stay ON the tree, they are not toys. She screamed the entire time we were decorating it because she wanted to play with them! She takes the round ornaments off and throws them and screams "BALL". Oh well!

Marshmallow Pizza

This was too cute, so I have to share. I only grocery shop at Trader Joe's and the fruit stand. My kids go with me and so they are used to see things at those places. I had to venture out to Ralphs for some things for Thanksgiving that they did not have at Trader Joe's. The first exciting difference was the carts....they have ones with cars. We run to get the last car cart and load the girls in. I am pushing this cart, which is not easy, and trying to find the isle with the frosting. I finally find it and Emmy spots the marshmallows. "Wow mommy, they have marshmallows here!" I explained to her that they are used for baking around the holiday time. She then tells me that they have "Marshmallow pizza at this store". I looked up and looked at the marshmallows were in a display with the sweet potato pie recipe. It was in a round dish and the marshmallows were melted like cheese. I laughed and a lady shopping also laughed. It did look like a pizza with marshmallows on it! They loved Ralphs. There were balloons, toys, and so many colorful food items to point and look at. I never realized how much stuff they have at the "regular" market. I learned that I love Trader Joe's more and more because I know where everything is and I save a FORTUNE by going there!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all that you have. Wow! Where do we start? We have two beautiful, healthy, happy, and smart girls, a beautiful house over our heads, wonderful family and friends, school, marriage, and we all have each other. Mike has to work this afternoon, so instead of Thanksgiving dinner with the girls, we had Thanksgiving breakfast. I just got the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and made the "French Toast" with pumpkin puree. They all loved it. The cookbook has other great things that we are going to try as well. We all sat at the table and talked about Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. Great pumpkin French Toast, love, and laughs this Thanksgiving morning. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Reading to Dora

I always find Reese reading books to her dolls. The other day she was reading to Dora. Too cute for words!

Giving Thanks

Emmy brought home a card that she had made at school. Miss Lauren asked each child what they were thankful for. I was very surprised to see what Emmy had said. She said" I am thankful for my sister Reese". How sweet is that?! She doesn't seem to be thankful for her when she is tearing up her art projects, or when she wants her to go to sleep so I can read her a "big girl" book. I was very happy to see that she is thankful for her sister. Reese loves her to pieces and I will have that card forever!

Reese the Talker

Wow! Reese is talking up a storm. You know when this child is hungry because she says "more" in a high pitched scream while doing the sign for more with her hands! She loves to say "no, no, no" to everything. I found her the other day reading a book to her doll, so sweet. She is 17 months now and is growing up way to fast. I love how she cuddles with us, says I love you, night night, thank you, and yells 'MOMMA" when she is ready to get up in the morning. Parenting is amazing, but also exhausting. It makes it all worth while when they tell you they love you.

Smart Girl

We have known from the beginning that Emmy was a very smart girl. She loves to color and "do her homework" in a journal. We were in the car and she had her handy journal and pencil to keep her busy. I asked her if she could write the letter "E" and she said yes. I thought that she would scribble some and tell me that she printed an E. She proudly held up the paper and there was the capital "E"! I was so excited, proud, and amazed. It was better than some of my first grade students! She always amazes me and I can't believe how fast she is becoming a big girl. I blink my eyes and she is doing new things! Wow, children are an amazing blessing!!!!!

Pre- School Smile

I just love her smile! This is Emmy's first school picture taken last month at Joyful Noises. She absolutely loves school and her teacher. She is learning so much and loves to paint. I wanted to share the picture because it is adorable. Her eyes say it all! This picture made me cry because she is growing up so fast, right in front of our eyes.

Give me Patience.......PLEASE!

My patience is running thin, and I mean thin. My girls are so demanding right now and I don't have much patience left to keep up with them. Emmy needs this, this, and this, as Reese needs that, that, and more that! Reese must love to hear herself cry....that is all she does these days. I have found myself leaving the room, trying to calm down before I walk in to see what she needs. She is getting teeth, and it is no fun. Emmy is having poop issues and is scared to go on the toilet. She was potty trained and now.....this. The time change is not helping out the girls either!I guess this is what motherhood is about. Ups and downs and in between! God can only give you as much as you can handle, so they say.

Halloween Time!!!!

Emmy passed out after a long night
Sweet Ladybug Reese Girl!
So cute!

Milton and Molly dressed up too!


Halloween was so much fun this year. Emmy was so excited to dress up as Alice and Wonderland....she asked me everyday for a month if she could wear her pretty dress. The day finally arrived and she was so excited. Last year she did not really get it......but this year it clicked! Trick or Treat= CANDY! Reese was an adorable ladybug.We has so much fun and got way too much candy. We went with Trey, Grace, Emmy, and Reese around my mom's neighborhood. Reese had fun as well but was terrified of the "Scream" character and anything that has a mask. She ate her way around the neighborhood, including an apple that a lady was handing out. I enjoyed watching Emmy excitedly run down the blocks and getting candy. It brought me such joy to see how much fun she was having. She had been looking forward to it forever! We also saw her dog cousins, Milton and Molly. They were dressed up as a bee and a ladybug!

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday to my dad! My dad is an amazing man. He is a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He is a hard working man who has taught me a lot about life. He taught me how to never give up when you put your mind to something. I learned to love my work and and be a hard worker, even if nobody else notices. He looks like a big tough guy, but deep down, he is a big teddy bear. He would give anyone he knows the shirt off his back. When someone needs help, they call on him. I hope that your birthday is more than you expect, because you deserve it. My girls adore you and love to get cookies from you when they come over. I hope your 56 holes of golf made you feel as young as you look! We love you dad/grandfather! You have taught me more than you will ever know!

ENC Fun

Sorry I have not kept up to date, but we have been very busy around here. A few weekends ago, the girls, my mom, and myself went to the ENC Fall Fair. It was so much fun. There were crafts, pumpkins, music, food, and fun for all. Emmy loved making the crafts and Reese loved walking through the nature center. She did not care for the scarecrows! I hope that you enjoy the pics!

Sunny Delight

Ok........my doctor told me that Sunny Delight is worse for kids than soda, the amount of sugar is way more than soda. I had never given my kids soda or Sunny Delight, so it was ok. Well.......leave it to a Meemaw to give Emmy some Sunny Delight. Much to my "un-delight", Emmy loved it and always asks for it when we are at my mom's house. We were getting into the car with my mom and she said to us, "When we get to Meema's, can I have some Sunny Sunny Day?" How cute is that!

Pumpkins

We went to a "pumpkin patch" in search of the perfect pumpkin for our front door. Emmy liked the huge ones and Reese liked the little ones. Reese also like playing with the rocks and straw, almost more than picking a pumpkin. Emmy found the one that she wanted to decorate with her "Mrs. Potato Head Princess Pumpkin" kit. We all had great fun!

16 Month Stats.

Reese had her 16 month check up today with Dr. Curtis. She weights 20 pounds 9 ounces (10th percentile) and she is 31 1/4 inches tall (70th percentile). She is small and long. She can say ball, mommy, daddy, dog, more, hi, bye-bye, baba, night night, juice,papa, no, yes, and many others. Reese is a strong willed, loud, crazy, and loves to eat. I can't believe that my baby is 16 months old! Where does the time go?!

Big Sur

Lanterns in the trees.......

Taking a moment after the ceremony...look at the water!
As the sun was going down
This was the view from the wedding location
My cousin Chelsea got married to her long time boyfriend, Jason, on Saturday up in Big Sur. I can't even begin to explain the beauty of this place.
Mike and I drove up on Friday, with no kids! I was wondering what we were going to talk about on a 7 hour drive with no kids to interrupt us! The view was breathtaking. Vineyards, to cows, to rolling hills, elephant seals, deer, whales, and the most amazing view of the coast. There are so many cute towns up the coast of California that I never even knew about. We had plenty to talk about and plan a trip back up the coast with the girls.
Ok.....back to the wedding. Chelsea is a fashion designer/jewelry maker, and has the most amazing flare and taste. The wedding was on a cliff, and I mean cliff. The pictures do not do this place justice. I have never been to a more beautiful wedding in my entire life. The view was amazing, the decor beautiful, and the bride and groom shared the most amazing handwritten vows. We all had such a great time and can't wait to go back up the coast with the girls.
Congratulations to Chelsea and Jason, the most amazing wedding!

Lunchbox

Emmy had her first day of "Bunch For Lunch" at her school. She stays after school and eats lunch with her friends and plays. I picked her up and asked how it was. She said "I had fun and I ate my whole lunch box"! Wow Emmy, you ate your lunch box. Did it taste good? I love kids!

Mr. Ray

First Lesson....look at Trey's face
Third Lesson: They are so happy!

Emmy took swim lessons in the summer through the City of Huntington Beach. She did not like it at all, but her teacher was the best. After the first week, she decided that she liked it and did much better......she did not cry for the entire lesson. I asked him if he did private lessons so that Emmy could keep up on her skills. Mr. Ray, mind you he is in high school, has been teaching Emmy and Trey for a month and the progress is amazing. Trey calls him "Uncle Ray". Trey cried the entire first lesson, but at the end he was going under water! The pictures say it all....... the first lesson and then after 3 times with Mr. Ray. It is amazing to see the progress and how much they enjoy it.

Disneyland Fun

We went to Disneyland for fun and for Mike's birthday. The girls had so much fun. It was a great day to go because there were some clouds and a little wind. I always wonder when we go there if people work....so many people there on a Wednesday! They were probably wondering the same thing about us! The Halloween decorations were up and so cute. Emmy was able to see her favorite Disney character.....Ariel. Reese loved the teacups and didn't like Pirates because of the dark. Overall, it was a great day at the "Happiest place on Earth"! I can't believe how much everything costs......4.00 for a drink. They make so much money at that place.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 32nd Birthday to our daddy and my husband. May the year ahead be filled with many fun new memories. We love you so much and had a great time at Disneyland with you. We even liked "Pirates"! We made you your favorite chocolate cake to celebrate this special day. Have a fun birthday and we love you!

Blanket

My girls each have a "security" object. Emmy has pink bear and Reese has a pink silky blanket.
She takes is everywhere and sleeps with it every night. Well................yesterday we were out to lunch with our friends Nicholas and Kindra and we lost the blanket. I had the girls loaded in the car and began looking for it because Reese was calling for it. I began to panic, it was no where to be found. I retraced our steps and called the store we went to. With no luck, we did no find the blanket. I immediately started to panic.......bed time, nap time, crying times, no pink blanket. What were we gong to do. I called stores and my mom looked at 3 stores, no pink silky blankets. They have other colors and styles, but that won't do. I began to look on line, and I found one similar to hers at the Right Start. I wish my girls like pacifiers, they would be so easy to replace! Here is the last picture taken with Reese and her blanket. I hope the new one fills the void, or the Walker family is going to be sad!

Soccer Fun

Trey throwing in the ball Reese walking!
My nephew, Trey, had his first soccer game on Saturday. It was so funny to see a bunch of 4 year olds running after the ball. Some even picked up the ball with their hands and put it where they wanted it and continued to run. Too cute! Emmy and Reese had fun watching, although Emmy wished she could be on the field with the boys. Terence is the coach, and that was also funny to watch........ 6foot 7 inches trying to tell 4 year olds where to be and what to do! Reese also liked to walk all over the field! I even got a picture of it, finally!

First Day of School

Miss Lauren and Emmy

Today was Emmy's first day of school at Joyful Noises (love the name!) Emmy was very excited as we were driving in the car to school. I was the one who was sad, excited, nervous, and shed a few tears. I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up. Her teachers name is Miss Lauren. She is very caring and nice. Emmy said goodbye and ran off to play with play-doh. I went off to a parent orientation to learn about the rules of the school. I know that I can't be late or it is $1.00 a minute if you are past 12:00! I am excited for her because she is having fun, learning, and making new friends. This new chapter of her life is exciting, even if it is a little sad for us!