Dancing Queen

Taylor started ballet at Boni's Dance Studio in The Woodlands last week and loves it! She screamed and cried when class was over and we had to leave.  She's in the Tots and Tutus class and is learning the basic's of ballet. 

She did great on her first day!  She learned how to walk on her tip toes, turn and point.  Her favorite part was dancing with a friend.  They have been working on they're Thanksgiving/Turkey performance and performed it for all the parents at the end of class on Tuesday.  She did not want to wear the brown skirt and fall leaves in her hair, but she did great and was the cutest little turkey!

Here are some pics from her first day and her performance.  

Taylor - 2 Year Check-Up

I'm so late in posting about Taylor's 2 year check-up, but it's better late then never.  We went for her check-up in October and she is doing great and growing like a weed. Our pediatrician said she is really petite but is growing right on track for her size.  Below are her stats.

Weight - 24 lbs.
Height - 35 inches

Little Miss Taylor rules the house!  She pretty much gets whatever she wants and if she doesn't, she will let you know that she is very unhappy.  She is very socialable and is talking a lot these days.  She loves baby dolls, dancing, music, books and watching Bubble Guppies.  We have to take at least one baby with us wherever we go, and sometimes we have to take three.  Taylor also adores her big brother and loves playing with him and giving him lots of hugs and kisses! 

Taylor loves school!  She moved up to the EL2 class last month and loves her new teachers.  She talks about all her friends and comes home singing a new song every week.  They are working on colors, letters and shapes.  Taylor's favorite color is pink.  When you ask her what color something is, she says "pink", even if its blue.  We need to work a little more on our colors.

Here's a picture that I took on Saturday.  She's ready to watch and cheer on Jack at his soccer game. 

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

We took the kids to a pumpkin patch a few weeks ago.  The kids had a great time running around looking for the perfect pumpkins.  They each picked out their own and Larry and Jack picked out a big one to carve. 

When we got home, we got out the paint so Jack and Taylor could paint their pumpkins.  They both did a great job and their pumpkins turned out great!  Larry carved the big pumpkin later that night with the help of Jack. 

Here are a few pictures of our little pumpkins!

Halloween 2014

We had a great Halloween this year!  Jack was a Warrior Ninja and Taylor was Tinkerbell.  They both loved their costumes and looked great! 

Taylor wore her costume to school on Friday and had a Halloween party that afternoon.  It was Drug-Free Week at Jack's school last week so on Friday everyone dressed up as their favorite storybook character and brought the book to go with their character.  Jack really wanted to wear his ninja costume so we found a ninja book to go with it.  He decided that morning he only wanted to wear the mask and save the full outfit for trick or treating.  His school put on a parade that morning for the parents to watch.  It was so fun and all the kids were so excited!

We decided to go trick or treating in our neighborhood this year and we were in invited to ride on the hayride with our friends/neighbors, The Shipleys.  Taylor did so good on her first trick or treating experience and got the hang of it really quick.  Jack is a pro and got lots of candy.  Everyone had a great time and was wiped out at the end of the night. 

 

Sweet Taylor is 2!

Our sweet little Taylor turned 2 on Thursday. Jack was recovering from strep so he stayed home from school.  We didn't get to go anywhere fun during the day, but Taylor was very happy to have her big brother home with her.  We went to dinner that night, had cake and Taylor opened her gifts.  

We had her birthday party on Saturday at our house.  We had an Ice Cream themed party.  Taylor loves ice cream! We had a great turn out with lots of friends and family.  After cupcakes, we set up and ice cream bar with all the toppings.  I think the kids and adults enjoyed the ice cream bar more than the cupcakes.  It was a hit! I didn't get many pictures from the party.  I was so busy running around and catching up with everyone, that I completely forgot. 

Saturday morning before her party, we took Taylor to get her very first mani and pedi.  She loved it! She sat very still and didn't move.  She even got glitter on top of the polish so they would sparkle. 

Taylor got some great gifts!  Lots of baby dolls and she is loving them all! I can't believe our baby girl is 2.  She is growing up way too fast and needs to slow down. 

Happy 2nd Birthday Taylor Marie!  We love you!

One Tooth Down

Jack lost his first tooth yesterday while he was in science class at school.  His teacher sent him to the nurse and she gave him a tooth treasure box to put it in.  He was so excited to show us when he got home and told us all about his visit with the nurse!

He went to bed last night right on time with no complaints and put the tooth under his pillow so the Tooth Fairy would come. When he woke up this morning, his tooth was gone and the Tooth Fairy left $5 (the Tooth Fairy decided to leave more with the first tooth).  Jack was so excited and can't wait to lose more teeth.  He has two more that are loose so it shouldn't be long now.

    

It's Soccer Time!

Jack is playing soccer again this year and is very excited for the season to start!  Jack is most excited about being on the same team as his best bud, Connor, especially since they are now at different schools and don't get to see each other everyday.  He has Coach Scott again (who we all love) and their team name is the Jaguars.   

He had his first practice on Wednesday and their first game was on Saturday.  The boys did great!  It's crazy too see how much they have changed from last year.  They are much more aggressive, more coordinated, and have a real understanding of the game.  Plus, we put Jack in a week long soccer camp this summer and I really think it helped. 

Jack really enjoys playing soccer and we love watching him!  Taylor enjoys going to practice and the games to cheer him on and to play with her new best friend, Allie (Connor's sister).  Allie is taking cheer/tumble classes and was showing Taylor some cheer moves.  They also had fun running on and off the field and rolling around on the ground. 

We are all very excited for the season and look forward to the games each and every Saturday.  Go Jaguars! 

Jack's in Kindergarten!

Monday was Jack's first day of Kindergarten at Houser Elementary.  Jack is very excited to be a Houser Hawk and has been talking about this day for a long time!  I still can't believe he's in Kindergarten.

We were able to walk Jack into his classroom on the first day.  From the car to the front of the school, Jack held my hand, but as soon as we walked into the school he dropped it.  I almost lost it, but held myself together.  I asked him if he remembered where his classroom was and he said "yes, follow me mom".  So I did and he went straight to his classroom, without my help.  Mrs. Holland (Jack's teacher) welcomed us at the door and showed Jack to his locker so he knows where to put his backpack everyday.  Jack was so excited about having a locker!  I picked up Jack that afternoon and he told me he loved Houser and his teacher was the best teacher in the whole entire world! 

The second day was a little harder for me then the first.  I could have walked him to his class but he wanted me to drop him off in the car line at the front of the school, like all the other kids.  I think I asked him 100 times if he remembered where his classroom was....I was so nervous.  I've never drop him off anywhere without getting out and walking him in, but he did great!  When I picked him up that afternoon he said he walked to his classroom all by himself and didn't need anyone's help.

One of Jack's favorite things about Kindergarten is that he can wear whatever he wants and doesn't have to wear a uniform.  He loves that he can wear comfy shorts and t-shirts.

I'm so happy Jack loves school!  My sweet little boy is growing up way to fast!

Last Days of Summer!

Last week was officially the last week of summer before Jack starts kindergarten and we ended it with a BANG!  Jack's last day at preschool (TWYLA) was Wednesday.  He has loved being at TWYLA!  He's made some wonderful friends and we are going to miss seeing them everyday!

Jack had Meet the Teacher on Wednesday afternoon.  Jack has Mrs. Holland and she seems really nice and Jack really liked her.  After Meet the Teacher, we headed to The Woodlands Resort for some fun!  We met three of Jack's closest friends there, Luke, Connor and Tyler.  The boys played in the pool, loved the pool slide, floated the lazy river and ended the night with s'mores.  These four boys get along so well and always have so much fun!

We had a lazy day on Thursday.  On Friday, we were invited to go to Sky Zone (indoor trampoline park) with Luke and his mom.  Luke and Jack had a blast!  They jumped for two hours straight.  Jack and I then headed to meet Daddy for lunch at Fielding's Wood Grill (Jack's new favorite restaurant).  They have the best hamburgers and milkshakes! 

Jack is very excited about kindergarten! I'm very excited as well but sad that his friends will go to different schools (except for Tyler).  These boys have made some wonderful memories and I know they will remain close and make many more memories in the future! 

Family River Vacation

We had our annual family river vacation with my family this past weekend.  We stayed in a different and bigger house on the river this year and it was really nice!  The living area was nice and spacious, it had a great porch with an outdoor kitchen, a volleyball court,  and a perfect location on the river.  It was great and a nice change!

Everyone had a great time!  It was really hot but we stayed in the water most of the time.  Jack and Larry floated and everyone else just tied up by our house and watched the tubers come by.  Taylor loved the water and the sand from the volleyball court.  It was the best of both worlds for the kids, river and beach sand!

We really enjoyed spending time with family and look forward to this trip every year.  We already booked the same house for next year! 

 














I love the next two pictures! They pretty much sum up Jack and Taylor's personality and this is why we love them both so much!

Jack - silly, loving, always making people laugh, cowboy at heart and all boy!

 
Taylor - stylish, sweet, little diva, girly, always smiling, and knows what she wants! 

Toddler Bed for Taylor

Yes, its true! Taylor is now sleeping in a toddler bed.  Our little monkey is not even 2 and climbs right out of her crib, so we converted her crib into a toddler bed on Sunday.

Taylor did not want to sleep in her bed and every time we put her down she would cry and wouldn't stop until someone got her.  Thursday night I put her down and after about 30 minutes of crying she stopped.  Larry walked by her room and heard the door knob jiggling.  He immediately thought someone was in her room so he opened the door and she ran out with a big smile on her face.  We were both in shock and didn't think there was anyway she could get out, so we put her back in her crib and before we could close the door she had already climbed out....she's quick!  Once she figured it out, she wouldn't stay in her bed unless she was sound asleep when we put her in there.

So far she's done great in her toddler bed!  She only gets up 2-3 times at night but will go back to sleep if I stay with her for a few minutes.  It's so crazy to think she is 21 months old and is already sleeping in a toddler bed.  Jack was almost 3 when we converted his bed and he never tried to climb out.  I'm already starting to look for big girl bedding and can't wait to decorate my big girl's room!

Happy Birthday America!

We had a great 4th of July!  It started Friday morning, with the annual 4th of July parade.  Around noon, Larry and I headed to our friend's (Marcus and Melanie's) ranch in Normangee, TX.  A few of the cast members of Duck Dynasty were there and we got to meet Korie Robinson (Willie's wife) and their kids.  I wanted to take a picture with them, but didn't want to be that crazy, annoying, star struck girl.  It was kind of surreal.  We were hanging out on the deck or in the kitchen and they were walking around, like it was no big deal.  Definitely, the highlight of our weekend! 

While we were at the ranch, the kids stayed at home with Mimi and played in the big blow-up pool, ate lots of ice cream and popicles and went shopping.  That evening we had the Lucia's and Boland's over for fajitas and fireworks.  This was the second year we spent the 4th with them so its become an annual holiday for us.  Jack loves playing with Fiona and is always so sweet to her.  He's told us a few times that he's going to marry her and both families are very happy about that!  Fiona has a new baby brother, Bennett (aka Bennie), and Taylor loves him!  She got to hold him and give him lots of kisses....she was in heaven!

The guys put on a great fireworks show....they went all out this year! Jack was right in the middle helping out, while Taylor and Fiona watched from the window (they did not like the loud noise).  4th of July has become one of my favorite holidays to celebrate!  Family, friends, good food and drinks, fireworks, summer weather...doesn't get any better then that!