Halloween 2009- - - -A few more memories made!

Happy Halloween 2009

We sure had a blast this Halloween! All 3 kids were in good moods and we enjoyed the day by laughing and playing together ... followed by some fun trick or treating!!! For all the "major" holidays I try to really make it fun for the kids and do things that hopefully they will always remember. This year I found these really fun "snack trays" at HEB shaped like haunted houses. I managed to keep them a surprise until today. When I called the kids for lunch they were so excited to see their new "trays." I also set out some fun decorations throughout the house...including their bathroom! I decorated one day while the older 2 were at school and Ryan was napping. When they saw all I had done they kept saying "We have the best Mommy! "...and "our house is awesome!!" It's the simple things that make it all worth while! I love seeing and hearing their reactions to things. Hopefully I am creating memories they will never forget!

This year for Halloween Madeline was a "pop star". Fits her perfectly! She loves to be the center of attention and is ALWAYS singing and dancing ...and cheering, too! I put make-up on her tonight which makes her look so much older already. Kollman was a fireman. He was going to be a pirate and changed his mind last minute. That is okay--everything (minus the fireman rain boots) was from our dress up bin! Ryan was a train conductor. Again--last minute change. He was going to be a dog...but I felt like the costume would have been too hot for him. He is a very hot natured kid! It was very hard to get a picture of him tonight (well ever for that matter). He is on the go....ALL the time! A very spirited 2 year old! The picture you see was taken in his car seat...only b/c he was strapped in!

Madeline's cheer academy that she attends hosted a bake sale today. I made these cute cupcakes and found some cute spider rings to put on them. Halloween just could not be complete w/out spider rings!! I saved a few for the kids to have for dessert tonight. They were a big hit! Ryan had been eyeing them all day!

Last but not least....trick or treating. I have to be honest here. I miss Halloween in our old neighborhood. We had so much fun trick or treating with our friends and always had a great Halloween party and costume parade...and of course, "real" Fall weather! It was nice this year though as the kids ran into some of their friends they knew from school. It was fun to see them interact w/ one another. Auntie Jen (my gracious and loving sister) got the kids really cool treat bags and filled them with books, light up necklaces/rings, and ghosts that grow in water. Thank you for not filling it with candy......seriously!!!!!!!!!!!! My mother also gave them really neat goody bags! The best part of trick or treating was going to the nursing home and seeing Nana (my 90 year old Grandmother) and her roommate Ms. Lillie who is 102!!!!! The joy and excitement they had when they saw the kids was priceless!!! They too had goodies for their bags! It only proves to me that you are NEVER too old to have fun!!!!

All in all it was a GREAT day! Many, many memories were made........and my favorite was Ryan saying "trick or treat" in his sweet voice! I love being a Mommy!

In the Leap Frog Zone!!

I am such a huge fan of Leap Frog....and for that matter, so are my children! One of the best videos we own is Leap Frog Letter Factory. This is a GREAT video as it teaches letter recognition and sound. Ryan loves to bring the case to me and in the sweetest voice says "mama, I watch letters please." When he watches this video he is in the zone! He knows his phonics and is starting to associate R for Ryan and K for Kollman ... simple things like that. I love watching my kids enjoy learning!!

A Fun Day With Cousins

It's no secret one of the reasons we moved to Texas was to be closer to family. I wanted my kids to grow up with their cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles just as I did. While growing up I was always close to my cousin, Julie. Every Christmas break I would go spend a week with her and her family. We always had so much fun!! Julie now has two adorable children, Macy and Marshall!! Macy is 6 and Marshall is 5. Perfect--as Madeline is 7 and Kollman is 5! All of the cousins get along so well and are always so happy to see each other. On this particular day we met at my Aunt Susan's house (my Dad's sister and Julie's mom) and grilled out. There is a great little park area across the street from their house with great fish ponds and SHADE!! So after we ate we headed for the park. They all had such a great time feeding the fish and looking for acorns. There was a friendly competition going as to who could collect the most acorns --boys vs. girls. We all had such a great time visiting and playing....and look forward to doing it again very soon!

Girl Power!

This summer I had enrolled Madeline in a recreational cheer class. Of course, she fell in love with it!! After much consideration (and Madeline begging) Matt and I decided to let her be on a competitive cheer team. She is one of the youngest on the team (there is one more 7 year old and an 8 year old...the rest are between 10 and 13). I was nervous how she would do since the other girls were so much older and had been doing cheer for a while. Madeline fit right in. Her teammates took her right in and were so sweet to her. She had the cheer and routine down in no time at all! She is the "flyer." She just can't get enough of stunting! I just hold my breath when I watch! In addition to her cheer class she also takes tumbling. She has really improved and will be doing a back handspring very soon! I love the gym she goes to....Texas Cheer Academy. The coaches and staff are wonderful. I love the fact that they teach the girls how to do things properly and safely. This past Sunday was the first competition in San Marcos at Texas State. All 4 teams did an outstanding job!!! I was able to get a few pictures in b/f the competition started. I can't believe how grown up Madeline looks (and all the other girls)! Her favorite part was the make-up by far!!

Ryan's Day Of Fun

Since Ryan had been cooped up for a little over a week with the H1N1 flu virus Matt and I decided to take him out and let him RUN!!! He was so excited to be able to go back outside and finally felt good enough to play! We went to Coopers Nursery which is a small hometown nursery. The owners are awesome people and so so sweet to the kids! They have several fish ponds which is always a hit with the kids. They also have a huge dog...but so sweet and gentle. Ryan LOVES this dog....as you can see in one of the pictures he is actually kissing it! My other two are terrified of dogs...not Ryan, obviously! For the month of October they have a pumpkin patch full of beautiful pumpkins and even a place set up for photos. However, Ryan being 2 1/2 and ALL boy, had no interest in sitting for a picture......they are all taken with him on the run! Matt and I had so much fun with Ryan. It's such a special treat when we get one on one time with our kids!!!

Childhood Innocense

On this particular day something was falling from that sky that we South Texans have not seen in a LONG time.................RAIN!!!!! The air was cool and there was no thunder or lightening so Ryan and I went to sit on the patio. We sat and watched the rain for a while...singing Ryan's favorite song the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Then Ryan's curious side took hold. He walked over and watched the rain dripping off the roof. After a minute or two he stuck his hand out and began "catching" rain water in his hand. He did this for about an hour....giggling the whole time. Oh to be a kid again!