Annual fall pictures

I know I need to change the top banner on this blog... it's been a good year and a half since we took that picture. I figured there wasn't a better time than now. I love everything about the fall... cooler weather, the beautiful fall colors, pumpkin bread, college and pro football, Christmas fast approaching, etc.

So I envisioned getting a nice fall picture of all the kiddos as we entered the pumpkin patch today... creating a new banner on top and being set for yet another year.

Well it just wasn't meant to happen today. This was the very first picture I took that day. Obviously it wasn't going to be that great anyway with the cars and auto shop in the background.

but they didn't get much better.




I laugh as I upload these pictures. I honestly don't know how most people can get their kids happy at the same time. We bribe and bribe. Didn't work today.

Didn't work last week either.

I know when they're teenagers we'll look back on these days and laugh.... and wonder why on earth we thought it was so difficult at the ages of 8, 6, 6, and 1. And one day I'll get them looking like the sweet children they really are (usually).

Here are some ok pictures from the rest of the day

Toothless!

As I was helping out in Emily's class yesterday, she lost her first front tooth!

She cried hysterically... and lost what I thought was a crazy amount of blood for a tooth. But she was happier after the tooth fairy brought 5 bucks. I guess the top 2 teeth are worth more than other teeth. And I won't go into the drama that happened before that... let's just say Abby is a little jealous of the fact she hasn't lost any teeth and then the tooth went missing. All was better after it was found.

I don't know how it's possible, but I think Em may have even gotten a little cuter.

Here's a before... who needs fancy toys when you have boxes everywhere?

And after!

Dear Smurf

Abby loves the Smurfs.

She doesn't watch the cartoon, but saw the movie a few months ago. I won't even share how many Happy Meals we bought this summer trying to find a plastic Papa Smurf or Smurfette. We never did get them, but luckily a good friend gave us their Smurfette. We ended up with tons of loser smurfs... you know the ones that don't even have a big part in the movie.

We go walking/running quite a bit in the evenings since our apartment is close to some nature trails. It was then that I found out Abby's biggest dream:

She wants the Smurfs to fall from the moon, get lost, and find their way to our apartment... where we could then care for them. They could eat dinner with us, play barbies, go to school in her backpack, etc. That would be the coolest thing "evah" as she would say.

She sat down yesterday and was writing a letter... I assumed it was to Santa. I was thrilled I might be getting some shopping done early this year... although I really have nowhere to store it at the moment. Anyway, I was wrong.

Instead she invited the Smurfs over for a dinner party.

Texans star

This is the first morning in awhile that Cole and I have been home.... so I thought I'd share some pictures of our little Texans star!

Austin is really good at soccer - we love watching him play. This is the first year that he is in a league with real professional coaches, and I think it has made a huge difference. We practice 2 nights a week for 1.5 hours and then games on Saturdays. They also have games on Sundays, but we declined... just a bit too much at his age I think.


Even Cole made a new (territorial) friend out at the fields.

He kept stealing the ball from that big kid.

Goal!


So besides soccer, Austin's favorite thing is fishing now. James takes him out to Galveston about 2 times a month in his kayak. Well I'm not sure how much fishing James actually gets to do, but Austin loves it.

Oh and James went by the house today... look at the progress now. Can I get a WOOO HOOOO!?!

Cheer Clinic

I am horrible about updating this blog lately. We just have so much going on... and this has taken a backseat to everything else.

It looks like I haven't put a recent picture of Cole up lately... so here he is.

Cutie pie but little stinker! He is either sweet as pie or throwing a fit these days. There is no in between. And when we are out in public he is usually not that sweet. I don't remember my other kids throwing fits this early, but holy cow... he can throw a fit with the best of 'em. He has hit the terrible 2's 7 months early. This too shall pass, right? But he really does have the sweetest little spirit, just no one would ever know it that sees him in person. HA.

So the girls did a cheer clinic at the local high school Saturday. They had a blast! One of Emily's best friends was there... so glad because if she wasn't, I don't think there was a chance she'd perform in front of all the parents!

Here they are... a little nervous I think!

Then there's Abby... totally not nervous at all.

hugging the cheerleaders...

Dancing with the cheerleaders...

Abby was in a different group... and little miss popular with all the high schoolers. She said they were laughing at her the whole time... when I asked why - she said they were laughing when she was doing her moves. I wouldn't be shocked to discover a youtube video of her somewhere. We couldn't even leave without someone saying "Abby, Abby!" I don't know where she gets it from.