Snow Fun!

We had SO much fun this morning! After keeping the kids inside yesterday (since it was still snowing so hard and they had been sick on and off lately) we decided to brave sledding this morning. Of course it took FOREVER to get everyone dressed and ready to go, but managed it and headed out!

Here is Miss Brookelyn headed to the backyard:

And, B-Man was right behind her!
On our way Braedyn busted it! He couldn't move or get up! Brookelyn got a good laugh out of it.

And then it was sledding time!

We played and played. After about 45 minutes I told the kids we had to go inside before they turned into snowmen! But, before we headed in, they wanted to eat a little snow! Braedyn thought it was yucky:But, Brookelyn LOVED it!
Doesn't he just melt you heart? (Note: this picture was taken after he dumped out Brookelyn's whole wheelbarrow full of snow and had to sit in time out. Amazing how much difference a few minutes makes, huh?

And, one last one of my princess:

What a great morning! Valentine's Day pictures are this afternoon, so I am hoping the trend continues--fingers crossed!

Christmas 2010

We had such an amazing Christmas and were lucky enough to enjoy it with the ENTIRE family! The night before, the kids put out some cookies for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer.

That night, Santa came and piled presents high for our good little princess and (mostly) good little prince!

The next morning, the kids were SO EXCITED to come downstairs! Here they are at the top of the stairs, just before they got to see all their presents:

After furiously opening presents, Braedyn decided to put on some of his! Here he is in his Darth Vader mask and Sponge Bob pjs--quite a combination!
Here is Brookelyn (also wearing new pjs) as she realized that Santa had brought her an American Girl Doll and chest full of doll clothes! Think she was excited?
Christmas morning Uncle David, Emily, Gramma and Grampa also came over! (Not sure why we have no pictures of that, but I am guessing because of all the excitement.) We finished opening more presents and had breakfast together. It was GREAT! Then, we packed up the car and headed to San Antonio for more Christmas fun!

Here are the kids with Sashi:
And a great shot of them with Aunt Barby and Uncle James!
I am guessing Honey was running around like crazy taking care of everyone and that is why I didn't get a shot of her. But, it was such fun to have Tata and Jonathan, Ace and Lily Kate, Barby and James, and Honey and Sashi ALL together! We couldn't be more blessed!

DISNEY WORLD!

First, I apologize for taking so long to post this!! (But, life has been a whirlwind to say the least!)

Well, we woke up a little after 1 am, finished loading the car, scooped up the kids (they had no clue), and began the 18 hour drive to Orlando! It was so crazy to actually begin the trip we booked a YEAR in advance! We had talked about going to Disney for so long and planned and planned, so to finally be going was surreal! We managed to keep our destination a secret from the kids for 15 hours, and finally told them at a gas station/Dairy Queen combo where we celebrated with ice cream! It was awesome!

The first day was amazing! I think this picture says it all:

The kids were in total awe and we were in awe of watching them love every second! Brookelyn stopped to kiss Minnie
and Braedyn to take a shot with Goofy!
After taking pictures and wandering around for a bit, it was time for the kids' FIRST ride! We were so excited to show the kids just how much fun Disney was going to be. Right through the castle and next to where we were standing was a Snow White ride. There was no wait, and what could be better than starting off the trip with a princess ride?! So quickly got on the ride and were ready for the fun! Ummm...not exactly! The ride was TERRIFYING for the kids! It was all about the mean witch from Snow White; it was dark and jerky; the kids immediately jumped into the ride floorboard and started screaming and crying. When we got off they wanted to go HOME! To ARKANSAS! It was terrible! We finally convinced them to stay, but the ENTIRE trip the kids were worried about witches and if the rides would be dark or scary! They still talk about that ride.

In other, happier news...that first afternoon, we had scheduled a visit to the Bippity Bobbity Boutique inside Cinderella's Castle for our little princess. It was just adorable! The fairy godmothers came out and swept Brookelyn up in the process of becoming a real princess. She got her hair and make-up doneand came out looking like the pretty little (Tinkerbell) princess that she is!
The kids loved the rides, and the lines were non-existent, so they had their pick of what they wanted to do. Here we are on the tea cups. Daddy spun us so fast the kids could barely walk when it was time to get off!
Day two was Animal Kingdom. Here are the kids in front of the Tree of Life!
After having a blast all day at Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. We had to wait in line for almost an hour, but Braedyn got to meet his heroes, Buzz and Woody!

Day three was Epcot. Here are my little Snow White and Buzz in front of the park:

We had scheduled a special Princess Breakfast for that morning. The kids got to eat while all the princesses came around for pictures and a little chat. It was AWESOME!
We also managed to squeeze in a quick family photo!
Day four was Hollywood Studios! Braedyn was showing his sister a little love as we arrived!
The newest, hottest ride in the parks is the Buzz Lightyear ride. It is a 3D carnival game type ride. Here are Daddy and Braedyn waiting to go in:

That night we had tickets for Mickey's Christmas Party. It is an event in the Magic Kingdom where they close the whole park down to the public and convert it into a winter wonderland! We got to watch a special parade (the same one as on TV Christmas Day), have special fireworks--the most amazing display I have ever seen, special character meet and greets, and free cookies and hot chocolate all night! Allen bought the kids some light up swords and they sparred while we waited for the parade to begin!

Day five we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to get the kids' faces painted. Here is my little princess kitty:Braedyn got his face painted like a ghost pirate! It was so cute and amazing how quickly the lady was able to paint his face. Here he is right before we rode the Pirates of the Carribean ride:
Our last day we tried to hit everything we still hadn't managed to get to (or wanted to do again) in the Magic Kingdom. The kids were dying to see Tinkerbell. We had to wait in line for her, but she was worth it! The kids LOVED her, and she loved Braedyn's Buzz Lightyear wings!

Here are Braedyn and Daddy on one of the kids' favorite rides--a rollercoaster. It didn't have any loops in it, but it went really fast and jerked all around. I think we rode it four or five times!
We were so sad to leave Disney! It will always be a trip we will remember and talk about. I know the kids couldn't have had more fun, and Allen and I just enjoyed watching them experience each new adventure!
Until next time, Disney!

Christmas Program 2010

On Tuesday the kids had their Christmas Program. It was absolutely adorable! Here is Brookelyn on the bleachers with her classmates:

She did wonderfully, saying all the words to the story, singing all the songs, and acting out all the motions her teacher had taught her. She even bowed at the end (even though no one else did)!

For Braedyn, this was a first! His first Christmas program. He did great. Didn't say a single word, sing a single song, or act out a single motion. But, he stayed on stage, didn't cry, and flashed those killer dimples the entire time!
I guess I should take back that he didn't act out any motions, because the little girl he has a crush on, Dowery, did grab his hand during the program and they stayed locked together! They were front and center, so everyone was saying how absolutely adorable they were!
Afterwards, we caught a cute picture of them by the Christmas trees.
Brookelyn LOVED her "princess dress" and twirled around for the rest of the afternoon!

What a wonderful afternoon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We started celebrating with the kids' school parties. Braedyn LOVED the popcorn balls we brought!

And, Batgirl had a pretty good time at her school party too!

On Friday, we took the kids trick-or-treating at Allen's office. It was great! They had the conference rooms all decorated in different themes. Batman LOVED it!

Batgirl and Honey had a pretty good time too!

As if they didn't already have enough candy, we headed to Uncle David's office to do a little more trick-or-treating at Walmart!
When Sunday arrived, the kids were old pros! We loaded them up in the wagon and headed out.
They loved all the scary decorations.
And, Daddy pulled them all over the neighborhood! It was a great time!

Hogs vs Ole Miss

Honey and Sashi arrived on Wednesday, and that night we went to Bobby Petrino Live (where the head coach of the Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, brings players and talks about the game ahead) at The Catfish Hole. Many of you know that Brookelyn's dream has been to "touch Bobby" and she is evidence that dreams do come true! Here is Brookelyn with Bobby!

The game was Saturday, and we were lucky enough to be able to go on the field with the Junior Razorback club (the kids are both members). It was pretty cool to be that close to the players!
Brookelyn got to see the cheerleaders as they arrived on the field.
And, she got to get some love from Pork Chop!We headed up to the stands to watch the game. The kids were GREAT!
Can you tell Braedyn was having a great time?!
And, then the rain came! But, Mommy was prepared with stylish garbage bags for everyone.
We finally left after the second rain delay. I think this picture sums up how we felt as we drove home!