Happy Hanukkah

The kids were so excited for the first night of Hanukkah and it didn't disappoint. We had a nice dinner and then got right to candle lighting. Bryce wanted to light the candles and did a good job teaching us all about the shamash and the menorah and everything he has learned in Sunday School.

Kids loved their presents and the best part..

Russell brought home doughnuts! Hope the next 7 nights are as fun as the first.

Happy Thanksgiving

The holiday kicked off with chili at my parents' house. The kids enjoyed some one on one time with Mimi before everyone showed up. Mimi impressed Bryce with her soccer skills and made Ivy happy by holding her while they took a long nap together on the couch.

Thanksgiving lunch was at our house for the first time this year. I don't know what the fuss is, hosting Thanksgiving for 12 is way easier than having a kid's birthday party. I cooked my first turkey and it was really good! The family left early afternoon and we took the kids to the Muppet movie.

We'll end the weekend with a birthday celebration for my grandmother at my great aunt and uncle's house. Good thing Russ and I are going to Hawaii next week, we need a vacation from this one!

Happy Halloween

The dog still hates Halloween but everyone else had a great time. After school the kids magically turned into a bat and a butterfly. I could barely keep them in the house. We killed time at the neighbors until we saw people begin to trick or treat. Each kid grabbed a friend and were off. My friend and I made the mistake of sending the dads to walk around with the kids. They were gone much longer than expected and came home with bags a lot heavier than anticipated...at least this craziness is only once a year.

Butler Park Refresh

Last year we took the kids over to Butler Park near Town Lake once the weather cooled off...well cooled off for Texas. We got a great shot of the kids with the skyline in the back so this year we thought we'd keep the tradition of the fall park visit. While the water fountains were off this year because of the drought, the trails provided some great bike riding opportunities. And...we got an update of the skyline pic. Check back in another year or so...hopefully by then they're not too cool to pose for a picture with each other.

Then...

Now

Soccer Season Finale

Hard to believe that the soccer season has come and gone. Bryce had a great time running around with his friends...some of the time the soccer ball even got in the way of their running. The season ending party was probably the biggest hit of all...Chick Fil A, cupcakes and a soccer ball pinata...which probably got more hits than our collection of soccer balls did all season. All in all...a great season and HUGE thanks to Coach Nic! Spring is around the corner...and on to tee ball.

Start your carving...

Saturday was the Annual Newman Pumpkin Carving Party and Reptile Show (although the reptiles couldn't make it this year due to the drought). This year was definitely our largest Halloween gathering and by far the best. No pumpkin was left uncarved and no rice krispie treat, cookie, cake, or peanut butter lollipop went uneaten. The kids played everything (and everywhere)...the one picture we didn't take was of the playroom post party...at least I think it's the playroom. What a great night...thanks to all of our friends for coming out and carving...Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch part 2

Today Bryce's class went to a pumpkin patch in Elgin. I'm not sure why the farm calls themselves a pumpkin patch...there were no pumpkins. Apparently due to Texas' drought they haven't grown pumpkins in several years. This year they bought pumpkins from Missouri but they had sold almost all of those by the time we went. We went on a hay ride, played tug of war and had a duck race. It was freezing today so the kids weren't super into the trip but overall I think they had a good time.

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Ivy's class went to a pumpkin patch today to pick a pumpkin. After that we went to a park to eat lunch, play and decorate the pumpkins. Her class made cute tie-dyed tees to wear on the field trip. It was a lot of fun!

Soccer

Bryce played his first soccer game today . To kick off the season there was a World Cup event. The boys played 3 twelve minute games. Those were the longest 12 minutes...it was pretty hot today and by the 3rd game the boys on all the teams were doing a little more standing than running after the ball. Bryce seemed to enjoy it overall and loved going out for pizza afterwards.

Back to School Round 2

Ivy went back to preschool today. Same school, new class. She's been so excited to go and today was no exception. We dropped Bryce off at school at 7:40 and she wanted to leave right away. School doesn't start till 9am. She told me she didn't mind waiting outside the building. I distracted her at home and we left at the right time. She marched in, gave me a quick hug and sat down next to her buddy and started her first project of the day.

1st Day of Kindergarten

Bryce was so excited to start Kindergaten today. Can't wait to hear how his day goes!

Trip to New York

After a lot of back and forth we finally found a date that worked for everyone to go to New York. Unfortunately, the weather didn't get the memo and NY was hit was a major rainstorm during our visit. While we loved the wet weather and the cooler temps, it did change up our plans a little. I think we still managed to do everything we planned. Included in our whirlwind trip was: a visit to a science museum, family photos taken by a professional, and Coney Island. The kids were great travelers and we all had a great time.

Port Aransas

We spent a few days at the beach and everyone had a great time. Last year Ivy wouldn't even touch the sand and neither kid would go in the water. This year was a different story. Bryce loved jumping in the waves and Ivy had fun collecting treasures on the beach and sitting in the water. This was our 3rd year to go with the kids and it gets better every time. Can't wait for the next trip.

Birthday Party

The kids celebrated their birthdays today at the Little Gym. Ivy told me that she didn't have any fun but I think the pictures will show otherwise. The kids had a blast running around with their friends and I loved not having to do anything!

Happy Father's Day!

I asked Russell what he wanted to do for Father's Day but I knew what the answer would be...as much golf as he could. No problem, we packed up and spent the weekend at my parents. While Russell was working on his golf swing, Bryce was discovering his love of water slides. Last summer he wanted to go down the slide but only if someone held him. No fear this year. He went down a million times, popped right up and swam over to me. Ivy cheered every time. We had a great weekend!

A Day on the Lake

We took a boat ride with the Tishgarts on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday. The kids had never been on a boat before and this was a good one to start with. I'm pretty sure the people on stand up paddle boards were moving faster than our boat. Ivy had fun and liked helping Russell drive. At one point I think Zach and Ivy were in complete control, not the best idea. Bryce didn't like it but occasionally forgot that fact and enjoyed calling out things he saw. It was a great way to spend a Sunday!

Happy Birthday Ivy!

Ivy is 3 today! She will have a party later in the month but today was filled with fun. We met some friends at Hoppin House and we'll end the day with pizza and gelato at Mandola's.

The Graduate

Bryce had his pre-school graduation tonight. It started with a selection on patriotic songs which the kids sang with enthusiasm. It ended with them marching across the stage in cap and gown. I was prepared to be emotional watching my big boy but I was too busy sushing Ivy who wiggled and chatted through the whole thing. My mother shed a tear so that's good enough. I figure I have a few more graduations before the kids head off to college...this was a good warm-up.

Sportball

Bryce just completed a season of Sportball. He played four weeks of soccer and four weeks of t-ball. Here are some pictures of the last day of t-ball. He liked both sports so we'll be signing up for leagues this year. Goodbye weekends!

Dallas

We went to Dallas 2 weeks ago to visit with some of Russell's family. We forgot our camera so this post was delayed until we got pictures from others. It was Uncle Marty's birthday and his children (and their children) all came. It was the first time Bryce & Ivy met their cousins Aaron and Maddie. I think they all had a great time!

Baby I was Born to Ride

All it took was about a year of badgering and some peer pressure to convince B to yank those training wheels right off. Bribes, badgering, and peer pressure...I wasn't there but I'm pretty sure those are the same conditions that Lance Armstrong began his career under.

So off we go...training wheels on the shelf for now and a few extra superman band aids in the cabinet. For those of you with motion sickness issues or who have been known to vomit after watching Japanese anime I recommend a Dramamine prior to watching.

Corpus

We went to Corpus Christi over the weekend to visit my grandmother, Dede. She recently moved into a new building and the kids probably loved riding up and down the elevator more than anything else we did. Other highlights included staying at a hotelo (as Ivy calls it), eating at a 2 story Whataburger (while Bryce sang Whataburger jingles throughout the meal) and touring the USS Lexington.

Howdy Pardner

The kids were learning about Texas at school this week and finished up the lesson with pony rides. I couldn't be at school when Ivy rode but another mom told me that Ivy hopped up like a champ. Bryce is an old pro at ponies and was very proud to show off his riding.

Dinosaurs

We took the kids to a nearby dino park today. It's a small place with a nature trail. We completed a scavenger hunt while looking at life-size replicas of dinosaurs. Bryce just finished a dino lesson at school and he knew a lot. Why can kids remember so many dino facts?

Snow Day

Yes...technically there was snow on the ground. And yes...businesses and schools were closed today. But can you really count it as a snow day if all of the snow was melted by lunch? Well...I guess we'll take it. By daybreak the kids were bundled up and ready to fight the elements. While the dusting of snow wasn't quite enough to build a snowman or even a decent snowball...at least we got to try out some new cold weather gear that was purchased this year in the hopes of motivating us to book a future ski trip (if you buy it, you will go?). Ok Mr. Groundhog...according to you we should be done...so if it snows again I'll be looking for a new hat!

Show day at Little Gym

Ivy loves gymnastics. Ivy (like most little kids) doesn't love to "perform" when told to. I learned this lesson last semester so we kept show day fan fare to a minimum. I snapped a couple pictures mainly while she was upside down and couldn't stop me. It's her favorite thing to do anyway.

Nana

Myra came to visit for the weekend and the kids were so excited to have someone new to climb all over. The weather was not nice,cold and wet. You know it's bad outside when I willingly agree to go bowling. Anything to get out of the house...

It was a huge success! Ivy flaked out about halfway through the game so Bryce bowled for and and then finished her game. He loved every minute. Since I ended up hold ing Ivy Russell took a few of my turns. Best score I've ever had. Bryce can't wait to go back, Ivy said she would have had more fun if she could have worn the bowling shoes...it's really all about fashion for her :)