Thanksgiving:
Christmas:
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Family Letter -- end of February-mid-March
The family letters aren't going so well. I may change the way I do them a little bit. For now I'm going to summarize our latest big events and give an update on the girls.
On March 1, Tyler, Lyla, and I flew to Houston. Tyler had some airline vouchers that were about to expire and we were glad to have an excuse to take a trip. Our parents and Morgan & Jordan took turns watching Ada and Kate while we were gone. We had an enjoyable time with Ang & Hyrum. The first night we went to dinner and hung out. The next day we drove to San Antonio. We visited the Alamo and the River Walk, where we ate at a barbeque restaurant. Their friend Barb had just purchased a house in Austin but hadn't moved in yet so she graciously let us stay there that night. The next day we went shopping. Ang wanted to go to Madewell (a women's clothing store) since their Austin location is one of only a few in the country. We went to a mall and after eating lunch and walking around realized that is was the wrong place! There was no Madewell in that mall. After much debate, we drove to the mall that actually had the store and Ang & I ended up making purchases. We drove back to Houston and Tyler and I decided to see if we could get into the Radiohead concert at the Toyota Center (where the Rockets play). They are my favorite band and I've seen them twice, but I just couldn't resist giving it a go when we were so close. Tyler immediately found a scalper and got two tickets for a little under face value. Ang and Hy left with Ly and we got to enjoy an evening to ourselves. The concert was amazing, though I wish they'd played more older songs. All in all, I'm glad we went. The next day was Sunday so we went to church and I got a good nap in. That night, my friend Kim and her husband Paul came over for dinner. Ang made a fancy mac 'n cheese dinner and we had fun chatting. We went to breakfast the next morning and then flew back home. It's always sad to say goodbye but I'm glad we were able to visit and they were able to spend time with Lyla.
Our big news is that the toy room is finished. The carpet was installed the Friday after our trip and we are loving the room! Ada said that it's her favorite room in the house. Tyler did a fantastic job! I can't wait to put stuff on the walls. It's been nice to have a place for all the girls' toys and a place for them to go. The house feels so much quieter!
Last week Tyler left for Portland with his dad, brother, and uncle to watch some NCAA basketball. I was not looking forward to him leaving but I tried to plan some fun things so the girls and I wouldn't go crazy. After we dropped him off at the airport on Wednesday, we bought some nail polish and nail stickers and I did Ada's and Kate's nails. That night we ordered pizza and I watched some basketball. The next day we went to Fashion Place Mall with Morgan and her girls. We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A and did some shopping at H&M. The last time I went to H&M (which was I think in Vegas) I wasn't too impressed, but this time I saw so many things I liked! It was crazy toting five little girls around (and we had an incident on the escalator where Kate fell as I was trying to hold up the stroller...let's just say it was a big scene) but I purchased a few items for myself and the girls. I already want to go back! Kate had her first (and hopefully last) shoplifting experience. We stopped in The Children's Place after lunch and then when we got to H&M I noticed that she was wearing a bracelet that I'd never seen before. She totally ripped it off! I hope that she just put it on and forgot about it. We, of course, had to give it back on the way back to the car. I spent the rest of the day watching basketball. My amazing friends Vanessa and Rachel came over Thursday night to hang out. It was a lifesaver for me since I'd been having a tough time with the girls. We ate frozen custard and chatted until way too late. It was so refreshing. On Friday we made cookies and pretty much watched basketball all day (are you sensing a theme here?). Korrin was kind enough to invite us to dinner that night. We made our own pizzas and the girls had a blast with their cousins while we watched more hoops. I really owe Korrin! She always seems to come to my rescue lately. Saturday was St. Patrick's Day and the girls were expecting a visit from the leprechaun. Due to no fault of mine, Ada totally believes in leprechauns. Friday night I just set up a trail of pennies that led to the toy room, where a box of Lucky Charms, some rainbow Nerds, and these green monkey things with candy in them were waiting on a shelf. I also dyed the milk green. They loved it. We all wore green and spent the rest of the day watching basketball! We were so happy for Tyler to finally come home on Sunday. Our church is at 1:00 and I left early to pick him up. He had a good time watching basketball and checking out the sights around Portland. Things we pretty crazy for me while he was gone. All four nights, Lyla and Kate woke up multiple times. Kate tried to sleep in my bed every single night and I had a tough time keeping her out. I succeeded, though not without losing much sleep. Also, Lyla and I started feeling sick while he was gone. We never got bad, but it sure didn't help my mood! I survived and am so glad that I don't have to do it all myself every day.
Now for the updates:
Lyla is growing way too fast. She likes to grab everything and put it in her mouth. She still cries a lot but gives the best smiles. She's been waking up twice a night and again around 7:30. We started feeding her rice cereal and she loves it! Some days she is ravenous when eating it. (Thanks to an article Ang told me about, I bought organic rice cereal that has not been genetically engineered. Apparently baby cereal is one of the most processed foods out there.) She tries to roll over when she's on her back but not when she's on her tummy. I'm working on helping her sit up by herself.
Kate is still crazy. She wakes up too early and gets mad too often. She is so funny though. She wants to be just like Ada. When Ada comes home from school and tells me about her day, Kate makes stuff up about preschool so she can sound like Ada. She finally learned to write her name and she can write Ada's name too! She got her first cold sore, something that is foreign to me. She definitely keeps us on our toes, but we sure love our Kate.
Ada is getting better and better at reading. In addition to the school books she brings home, she likes to read our books and books from the library. She's never really allowed us to work with her on reading, so it's cool to see her picking it up herself. She does a great job. She struggles falling asleep at night; I swear it takes her over an hour every night. Poor girl is like her mom. She loves to color and play andtorture love Lyla.
On March 1, Tyler, Lyla, and I flew to Houston. Tyler had some airline vouchers that were about to expire and we were glad to have an excuse to take a trip. Our parents and Morgan & Jordan took turns watching Ada and Kate while we were gone. We had an enjoyable time with Ang & Hyrum. The first night we went to dinner and hung out. The next day we drove to San Antonio. We visited the Alamo and the River Walk, where we ate at a barbeque restaurant. Their friend Barb had just purchased a house in Austin but hadn't moved in yet so she graciously let us stay there that night. The next day we went shopping. Ang wanted to go to Madewell (a women's clothing store) since their Austin location is one of only a few in the country. We went to a mall and after eating lunch and walking around realized that is was the wrong place! There was no Madewell in that mall. After much debate, we drove to the mall that actually had the store and Ang & I ended up making purchases. We drove back to Houston and Tyler and I decided to see if we could get into the Radiohead concert at the Toyota Center (where the Rockets play). They are my favorite band and I've seen them twice, but I just couldn't resist giving it a go when we were so close. Tyler immediately found a scalper and got two tickets for a little under face value. Ang and Hy left with Ly and we got to enjoy an evening to ourselves. The concert was amazing, though I wish they'd played more older songs. All in all, I'm glad we went. The next day was Sunday so we went to church and I got a good nap in. That night, my friend Kim and her husband Paul came over for dinner. Ang made a fancy mac 'n cheese dinner and we had fun chatting. We went to breakfast the next morning and then flew back home. It's always sad to say goodbye but I'm glad we were able to visit and they were able to spend time with Lyla.
Our big news is that the toy room is finished. The carpet was installed the Friday after our trip and we are loving the room! Ada said that it's her favorite room in the house. Tyler did a fantastic job! I can't wait to put stuff on the walls. It's been nice to have a place for all the girls' toys and a place for them to go. The house feels so much quieter!
Last week Tyler left for Portland with his dad, brother, and uncle to watch some NCAA basketball. I was not looking forward to him leaving but I tried to plan some fun things so the girls and I wouldn't go crazy. After we dropped him off at the airport on Wednesday, we bought some nail polish and nail stickers and I did Ada's and Kate's nails. That night we ordered pizza and I watched some basketball. The next day we went to Fashion Place Mall with Morgan and her girls. We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A and did some shopping at H&M. The last time I went to H&M (which was I think in Vegas) I wasn't too impressed, but this time I saw so many things I liked! It was crazy toting five little girls around (and we had an incident on the escalator where Kate fell as I was trying to hold up the stroller...let's just say it was a big scene) but I purchased a few items for myself and the girls. I already want to go back! Kate had her first (and hopefully last) shoplifting experience. We stopped in The Children's Place after lunch and then when we got to H&M I noticed that she was wearing a bracelet that I'd never seen before. She totally ripped it off! I hope that she just put it on and forgot about it. We, of course, had to give it back on the way back to the car. I spent the rest of the day watching basketball. My amazing friends Vanessa and Rachel came over Thursday night to hang out. It was a lifesaver for me since I'd been having a tough time with the girls. We ate frozen custard and chatted until way too late. It was so refreshing. On Friday we made cookies and pretty much watched basketball all day (are you sensing a theme here?). Korrin was kind enough to invite us to dinner that night. We made our own pizzas and the girls had a blast with their cousins while we watched more hoops. I really owe Korrin! She always seems to come to my rescue lately. Saturday was St. Patrick's Day and the girls were expecting a visit from the leprechaun. Due to no fault of mine, Ada totally believes in leprechauns. Friday night I just set up a trail of pennies that led to the toy room, where a box of Lucky Charms, some rainbow Nerds, and these green monkey things with candy in them were waiting on a shelf. I also dyed the milk green. They loved it. We all wore green and spent the rest of the day watching basketball! We were so happy for Tyler to finally come home on Sunday. Our church is at 1:00 and I left early to pick him up. He had a good time watching basketball and checking out the sights around Portland. Things we pretty crazy for me while he was gone. All four nights, Lyla and Kate woke up multiple times. Kate tried to sleep in my bed every single night and I had a tough time keeping her out. I succeeded, though not without losing much sleep. Also, Lyla and I started feeling sick while he was gone. We never got bad, but it sure didn't help my mood! I survived and am so glad that I don't have to do it all myself every day.
Now for the updates:
Lyla is growing way too fast. She likes to grab everything and put it in her mouth. She still cries a lot but gives the best smiles. She's been waking up twice a night and again around 7:30. We started feeding her rice cereal and she loves it! Some days she is ravenous when eating it. (Thanks to an article Ang told me about, I bought organic rice cereal that has not been genetically engineered. Apparently baby cereal is one of the most processed foods out there.) She tries to roll over when she's on her back but not when she's on her tummy. I'm working on helping her sit up by herself.
Kate is still crazy. She wakes up too early and gets mad too often. She is so funny though. She wants to be just like Ada. When Ada comes home from school and tells me about her day, Kate makes stuff up about preschool so she can sound like Ada. She finally learned to write her name and she can write Ada's name too! She got her first cold sore, something that is foreign to me. She definitely keeps us on our toes, but we sure love our Kate.
Ada is getting better and better at reading. In addition to the school books she brings home, she likes to read our books and books from the library. She's never really allowed us to work with her on reading, so it's cool to see her picking it up herself. She does a great job. She struggles falling asleep at night; I swear it takes her over an hour every night. Poor girl is like her mom. She loves to color and play and
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