Say goodbye to summer!

So, little Michelle has started first grade! It is hard to believe that! And to top it off, she has been rewarded by her teacher both days for being QUIET! Shocking, I know. She is not enjoying the homework part to First Grade, which consists of maybe 5 minutes of work. I don't have the heart to tell her that it never ends!

We have had a whirwind summer and have traveled as much as we could while still having time to just hang out!

Our first trip of the summer was right after school was out, to visit Grampa Lee and Grandma Donna on South Padre Island! We are always up for a beach trip!

Next, the big girls were going to Zoo Camp in Houston and so before Leah and I dropped them off at Ginner and Grampa's, we went to Galveston and did a "Grandy" inspired trip. Just going for the day brought back so many memories. The best being riding the ferry!

Before we headed to our next destination, we got a new dog! Benji is 1 1/2 approx and quite the energized one! Of course, to Brian, he can do no wrong since it is another boy in the house!

Then, on to Kansas City to visit Uncle Brother and Aunt Erin and baby Koch to be! We had so much fun, Michelle and I milked a real cow and then we got to sample all sorts of flavored milks! Yummy!

Of course, we've had plenty of time to just hang out at the house, making cookies instead of playing in the 100 degree plus days of summer! Glad to have friends that have pools when we needed it though!

It has been a great summer and we are excited about all the things we will be doing this fall! We have two birthdays coming up, Michelle is going to be 7 and Leah is going to be 2! They agreed to share their party this year, yeehaw!

Michelle and Carolyn are taking ballet again, Michelle is trying out for TWU's production of the Nutcracker. Michelle will also be participating in Girl Scouts, with me as a leader and Leah will be going to preschool with Carolyn, giving Mommy some personal time!! Don't be surprised if we are never around!!

This is what it is like to have three girls!
They play this game where they go outside and close the door and then they will ring the doorbell and I am supposed to answer the door and say "Well hello beautiful princesses! How are you today? Would you like to come in?"
It is funny that this can be so much fun but they love it. Of course Leah doesn't know what we are going but hey, the big girls are doing it so I must do it too! What would a boy do in this environment? well, they tell Daddy that he is Prince Eric, married to Ariel (me). Of course, if you don't have girls, you have no idea who any of the princes or princesses are. You are missing out!

Bedtime

Ya know, sometimes, you just need to give a little. It's worth it!

I went to bed a little early because Brian took the girls to the lake and I knew they would be back at dark. I like doing this because it means Brian will do bedtime since I'm already in bed!

I was watching TV, a bed time ritual for myself, when the girls came in. They wanted to tell me what they did at the lake and Michelle crawls up in bed with me. She is getting all comfy and I tell her and Carolyn that they need to go get their pajamas on. If they will get changed, they can come back and give me kisses before Daddy tucks them in. "Okay, Mommy" they say.

A few minutes later, they come back and crawl back in bed with me. I tell them they can stay for a few minutes but they must go to bed, it's late and they will be bears in the morning. They get comfortable snuggling with me and I am laying there thinking, " Wow, I am truly the luckiest Mom in the World." My kids want to be with me even though I can sometimes upset them. They tell me I am "The Best Mom in the Whole World" and I believe them! It feels so good I don't want it to end.
I remind my self to appreciate all the little things with them, the shoes left all over the house, the clothes that cannot get into the laundry basket, the toys that come out 5 minutes after they have been put away. When I look back in 10 years, 5 even, I want to know that I took a few minutes every day to just stop, give them another hug, to get down on their level to play instead of complain about the mess, let them stay up a few minutes past bedtime, to thank God for them and rejoice that at least THEY think I am the BEST MOM EVER!

First time for everything!

Well, I have finally been one of those moms that has had to leave the store with a basket full of stuff. Home Depot to be exact. I never thought that I was one of those parents that would give in to kids crying and just walk away. Well, I have proved myself wrong!
Carolyn and Leah went with me to Home Depot after bible study and I thought I would get some things to better improve our lawn as well as get a few other necessary items to home improve. Well, never take a baby who has been playing with her friends for the past two hours and hasn't had a nap yet.
I know better than that! WHAT WAS I THINKING?????? Well, I walk out and appearantly the ladies at the front door remembered me coming in and said, "Oh did you not find what you wanted?" Well, thanks for rubbing it in!!! I know that every mom will have this happen to them at least once and I'm sure there are more out there that have had to do this on more than one occasion but I could not believe I let my kids decide whether we would be there or not!!! How dare them!

Snow!

Well, although I can't say that we have near as much as my northern relatives, for Denton, it is a gorgeous snowy day!Leah enjoyed the snow but did not like getting dressed for it or how it felt when she fell down into it!


Carolyn played for awhile but got too cold to make any snowmen. She would much rather spend time in the cozy warm house!

Leah loves eating the snow!


We have had a great time, Michelle and I have spent most of the day outside, coming in every so often to warm up. We are getting ready to have some hot cocoa and popcorn and play the Wii and we will head back out before it gets dark! I think by the time we are done, we will have almost a foot out here! Pretty good for Texas!

Hello? Where have you been?

Okay, I kind of slacked towards the end of the year. Surprisingly, I feel much less stressed since I haven't been on the computer every second I have a moment. Probably more because I have not had many of those moments! And if I am on the computer, I am working, trying to go through emails, and trying to resist Facebook. So, I will give a brief synopsis of our life at the Young's!

Immediately after Thanksgiving day, we decorated for Christmas. I love it! I hate taking it down, as apparently does everyone else. I finally took everything down but did not have the help I did putting it out! But I was okay with that, since I love the holidays! Anyway, we had our 3rd Christmas at home and the girls loved waking up to have had Santa leave presents under the tree! Of course we headed to Houston soon after for their second Santa sighting! The girls have it made! We headed back home so that we could spend some time with Grandpa Lee and Grandma Donna and they gave the girls and us a Wii. We are definitely spoiled now! After all the craziness that went with the holidays, it's been nice to be home for a little while.

Leah learned how to unroll the toilet paper as well as flush the toilet! We have had to start shutting all the doors so that she doesn't waste water. She has also learned how to go down the stairs to compliment her going up the stairs! There are a few that forget to shut the gate so next thing you know, there is Leah looking at us from the landing! She's always so proud too!

Then Carolyn informed me yesterday that she is getting married when she is four. I asked her who she was going to marry and she said " I am going to marry Bryce E from preschool!" Of course, she wouldn't be a girl if she wasn't concerned about what she was going to wear! I reminded her that she already has a wedding dress in her dress-ups. She was relieved!

Anyway, we have just come through sickness in the past few days and I am so ready for the kids to get back to normal and their routines! 2010 will be a better year of stories and little peaks into our crazy life!