Be Mine....

Instagram Friday....

The sun finally came out on Friday afternoon so we headed to the park. The kids had a blast riding bikes, practicing on the Rip Stick and playing with friends.

I love Instagram!! Makes pictures so much more fun!

It's official....

We have no need for a crib mattress anymore. Joshua has been up multiple times during the night for quite a while and we're getting pretty tired of it. When Sophia was about his age and having sleep problems, moving her into a twin bed almost fixed the problems immediately. So, we decided it was time for Joshua to move too. A friend was selling this bed and almost brand new pillow top mattress, so we bought it and put it up the same night! He has not woken up during the night at all since moving into the big bed. Yeah!!! Mike and I are enjoying full nights of sleep again!

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Making Progress....

The house looks SO much more open. A lot of work left to do, but it's moving in the right direction!

Some new favorite things....

It took me awhile to get into Pinterest....but WOW!! There are so many incredible ideas. http://www.pinterest.com You get hooked so easily!! I've done so much more cooking since I've come across so many great recipes. And the craft ideas are never ending!!! This was a great idea for organizing kid art supplies. A bucket--$2.50. Bucket Jockey--$7. And for less than $10 I was able to clean up and organize all their art supplies!! The only things not in the bucket are crayons and markers!

And...cross one more thing off my "I want to try" list!! I've watched people post pictures from Instagram and I finally downloaded it yesterday. So cool!!! You take a picture and then can alter it using several different filters and "looks". It's a very fun and easy way to play with pictures!!!

What a cutie this morning. Of course...that was an hour ago. Now he's a wild man playing naked in his room refusing to get dressed. Good thing I captured the sweet moment when I did!!

Most recent pics....

I love this one!!! All their personalities come through. Joshua was SO well behaved during this shoot!

Check out his little ears!! So adorable!! He wanted to wear this hat (which was Mike's when he was a little boy).

So handsome!

Might be the last "real" picture with long hair. Good thing it's such a good one!!

And the walls came down....

Before.....

We have talked about taking down this wall for a long time!!! There's no turning back now....

Already looking better!!! Can't wait to see the final outcome. The house is going to look a lot different in the next few months!! 2 walls coming down, taking out the wet bar and putting in a desk and redoing the kitchen. Wow!!!

Christmas Trip....

We planned a very fun trip to Dallas as part of the kids' Christmas present! Brenda and her family drove to the ranch on Tuesday. We showed them around the ranch and played...and on Wednesday we headed to Dallas. Girls were headed to the American Girl Doll store and boys were going to Lego Land. Then, we were all meeting up for one night at Great Wolf Lodge. Such a fun trip!!!

4D movie at Lego Land....

Outside the American Girl Doll store. The girls were SO excited!!! Both girls were wearing matching clothes with their dolls.

Lunch at the Bistro. These people really know how to "work" the doll thing. Little doll highchairs, little doll tea cups and saucers!

After shopping....wow!! You could spend a TON of money in that store very quickly.

Great Wolf Lodge....what a fun place!! They have a MagiQuest where you use magic wands throughout the hotel to unlock different secrets and solve the clues. Our kids were more interested in just waving the wands and making things open and talk than they were about solving clues.

Big treehouse inside the lobby.

The indoor waterpark...it was pretty cool!! They had SO much to do!!

A nature show they do in the lobby a few times each day.

Happy kids after swimming!!

Had to get some Dippin Dots icecream before we left!!

It was a really fun trip. The kids had a great time and it was nice to do something we've never done before!! I would go back for 2 nights the next time!!

Christmas at the Ranch....

We headed to the ranch the day after Christmas. Mom was up there celebrating with Mary and Brad. We opened presents about 30 min after we arrived! :)

The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree....

Gramma with our 3.

Lucy loved the pillow I made her. It was so soft!!

Lucy also loved Legos!

Grant and Joshua playing with the Lego board.

Other big gifts....Jake got a RipStick. Sophia got an EZ Bake Oven. Joshua got more trains. Mike got a new sander and book. I got lots of new jammies. It was a fun to be all together at the ranch for a little bit. Mom had to head home on Tuesday. Mary and Brad were coming to SA for the Alamo Bowl. But, we were staying the whole week!

Christmas Eve and Day....

We spent Christmas Eve with Shirley. Everyone was there except Brian and Kyle. They were both sick at home. We were able to snap a few pics....it's very hard to get 5 kids together at the same time!!!

Joshua loved his Darth Vader mask from Tim and Noel. It was a big hit!! He told me "I waited for a long time for my mask!!"

Christmas at our house....what a whirlwind!! Santa brought a doll bed for Sophia, a Wii game for Jake and a Thomas toy for Joshua. Lots of fun and toys. Mike smoked a turkey and Shirley, Tim and Noel came over. All the food was soooo good!!!

Sophia's doll got a lot of new things for Christmas!!