March

HAPPY EASTER! 

I know it's a little over the top, but I couldn't resist putting the boys in little seersucker suits to match Mark's.

 

 

 

 

 

Ahh! Beautiful bluebonnets.  On Good Friday, we drove to Belleville, TX for one of the best breakfasts ever and stopped by a patch of bluebonnets for some pictures (and flower picking)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Break lemonade stand

Over spring break, Mark took Emily on a long-anticipated trip to New York City.  They had so much fun together and took in "Newsies" and Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".  When asked the best part of the trip, Emily said, "Being with Daddy!" -- so sweet!

We played hookie from school one day and took the kids to the Houston Rodeo -- a huge deal in town.  We had so much fun petting the animals, seeing the baby pigs and chicks, and going on some of the rides. Will wore his cowboy hat around the house for days and asked every morning for about three weeks if we were going to the rodeo that day.

While Mark and Emily were in New York, I took the rest of the kids to Hermann Park to ride the train.  Will wore his little conductor hat and sat full of quiet anticipation for the train to start and was so excited during the ride.  He is obsessed with trains!

 

 

Emily turned 11!  It is our off-year for parties so instead we had a girls outing to get manicures and cupcakes and went to the drive in movie theater.

 

Emily's Favorites at 11:

Color: sea green

Food: mashed potatoes

Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

TV Show: Jessie

Treat: Donuts

Sport: Tennis

Activity: Just Dance on wii

Song: "You Don't Know You're Beautiful"

Place to Visit: New York City

 

 

 

 

January/February

Emily ready for the 5th grade Valentine's Day Sock Hop

 For the 100th day of school, Jane's kindergarten class dressed up like old fogies.

 Star of the Week in Kindergarten

 Making Valentine's

First Solids -- and he loves them!

December

 Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was perhaps rather ambitious for us to travel Utah after Christmas, but knowing that my entire family would be there and thoughts of being able to have fun in the snow proved sufficient motivators for us to make the trek.

 

 

 

 

 

November

Happy to be 6 at last!

 

Jane's Favorites at 6:

Color: Purple

Food: Pizza

Book: "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"

Movie: "Beauty and the Beast"

TV Show: Sophia the Princess

Treat: Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream

Sport: Tennis

Activity: play with friends

Song: Rolling in the Deep

 



"J" is for Jane

It was a special treat for Jane to have Grandma McLaughlin here for her birthday

James is 2 months old!

Jane had a Little Chef party this year.  The kids had fun making their own pizzas and decorating their cupcakes.

 



 

 

 

 

Before heading to Dallas for Thanksgiving, we drove to Natchez, Mississippi and had a wonderful time riding our bikes along the Mississippi River and taking in the sights (mostly beautiful antebellum homes) in this town full of southern charm.



Rosalie -- one of the girls' favorites of the antebellum mansions we saw

 



Ready to enjoy a little pre-dinner Razzleberry pie



 17  people at Thanksgiving in Dallas deserved 17  pies (3 chocolate cream, 4 pumpkin, 5 razzleberry, 3 apple, 1 grasshopper, 1 coconut cream.  At the end of the weekend, when everyone left, there was only 1/2 a pie left.  What's better than pie for breakfast lunch and dinner!

We enjoyed the life-sized gingerbread house and Christmas display at the Gaylord Hotel 

 As excited as, well, a kid in a candy shop

The girls having a visit with Santa