We're Very Puzzled...

Emmy has been putting together puzzles like crazy, lately. She LOVES them! Her favorite seems to be a USA puzzle that was given to Macey by Papa Tom a couple years ago for Christmas. She can put it together all by herself. Here's a funny little clip:

The Spirit of Giving

I often think of how blessed my children are. I remind them often that not all children have the things that they have. I periodically go through my house and find things we no longer need or use and give them to people who can. Today, we went through ALL of the toys in our house (and yes, it took all day). We were able to gather FIVE large bags of toys that were in great shape, but no longer played with. I gave them to families in need. The people who picked them up were very excited and grateful. I explained to Macey and Jolee that their toys were going to go to children who didn't have many toys. I don't know if they fully understand it, but I know that one day they will. Anyway, it makes me feel good that we are able help others who are less fortunate. Somewhere there are children who are excited tonight to get a "new" toy or will have a brighter Christmas. And, isn't this what the Season is all about? :)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house! Grady and I bought this tree for our very first Christmas together, 10 years ago. The girls now love to help assemble it, and of course, decorate it.

Where do we begin, Daddy?

Elves hard at work...

Macey taking a break to pose as the Statue of Liberty! What a goofy kid!

Empty boxes are so much fun!

Max used to climb up the tree and rest on the branches when he was a kitten. Now, he's too fat and is content lounging amongst the presents.

My girlies in their matching winter jammies. They get a kick out of matching each other.

A few of the things I'm thankful for...

On Thanksgiving day, we took a short road trip to Chapman to spend the day with Grandma Judy and Papa Tom. Here are pictures of a few things I'm thankful for:

1. Dual DVD players AND wireless headphones!


2. Grandmas (what would we do without them?)
3. A man who is willing to do the dishes!


4. The pile of leaves Papa Tom raked just for the girls to jump in


5. Swingsets and little girls

6. Sweet smiles and the color blue...

7. Family

Macey's 1st Chiefs Game

Grady's best friend from high school, Bernie, came up this weekend for the Chiefs game. Bernie brought his two oldest daugters as well and they all stayed with us. We wanted to take Macey and one of her best buds, Evan, to their first Chiefs game. We showed the kids how true Chiefs fans bring their grills and tailgate. However, our Master Griller forgot to bring tongs or a spatula, so he had to use giant pretzel sticks to turn the burgers and brats! It was pretty hilarious! I had to snap a couple pics of that, too! We all had a really good time! Macey was amazed at how big the stadium was. Grady asked her to guess how many people she thought was there and she said "hmmm...a million?". Here are a few snapshots of our day.

Evan and Macey taking a break from playing catch.

Cheyenne, Sonni, and Bernie

The Master Griller using his "utensils"

I love these pics!

Keith & Evan (our neighbors and friends)

Beth & Todd (our neighbors and friends)

Enjoying the game!

Making Spectacles of Ourselves

Well, now 3 out of 5 of us have glasses! Macey just got hers today. She picked out some really cool frames (purple, of course) and is amazed at how much she can see now! Doesn't she look all grown up?

Gymnastics

The one day that Jolee does not go to school, she goes to gymnastics. She is the youngest in her class and says "gymnastics is kinda hard", but she enjoys it and I think she likes the challenge. If I were to guess her favorite part, it would be wearing her gymnastics clothes!

A Sign of the Future?

Whenever the phone rings, Emmy thinks it's one of her grandmas and she insists on talking on the phone. It's gotten so bad, that if I really need to talk to someone, I have to lock myself in the bathroom! Does she need her own line already? Here she is talking to her daddy.

My Little Perfectionist

Macey is so excited to learn cursive writing this
year in school. They haven't started learning actual letters yet, just loops. But Macey has been wanting to practice at home. She says "I want to learn how to write them now so I can do them really good in school!". Here she is after she completed her normal homework today.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This one's ALL for Daddy!!! Happy Birthday to you! We wish you were here! Emmy insisted that we make "tuptakes" for you. So, we made organic cupcakes with home-made purple frosting (yum-o!). I can't guarantee that there will be any left when you get home, but know that whenever we eat one we'll be wishing you a Happy Birthday. We miss you and we love you "to the moon and back and with all of our hearts"!

We're in stitches...

Grady left early this morning for a business trip and I was really looking forward to a relaxing day with my girlies. We didn't have any plans and didn't have to be anywhere. I thought I'd take them to a toy store and let them work on their Christmas lists. CRASH! That's what I heard come from the kitchen. Then I heard Emmy screaming and saw her chair had toppled over. Then I saw the blood on the floor and on her clothes. I gathered all 3 girls and we sped off to Urgent Care. Emmy had to get 3 stitches under her chin. She was SO SCARED during the whole process. The nurse had to swaddle her with a blanket to help keep her arms and legs down. Plus, I had to hold her down so she wouldn't wiggle out of the blanket! I was right in her ear trying to calm her, but after the 2nd stitch, I lost it myself...so hard to see your little baby so scared. I thank God that she is OK now and that nothing else happened. She gets her stitches out in 5 days. I told Grady that HE was going to make THAT trip!

Half Marathon

Today I finished my first half-marathon! I've been nervous the last couple days because I've been wanting to complete one for about a year, but I've just been too chicken to sign up for one. My new running partner said she'd run in it too, so we've been training pretty hard the last 5 weeks. This run benefitted our local Harvesters Community Food Network. At 8:00am this morning it was 35 degrees, snow flurries and winds out of the north blowing up to 20mph. But believe it or not, I got HOT and had to shed a layer. You think by now I'd learn how to dress for the elements! My main goal was to finish without walking and my secondary goal was to finish in 2 hours. I achieved my first goal and the official time results were just posted...1 hour 58 minutes (and 17 seconds). I finished 7th in my age group. My running partner finished 9 minutes ahead of me (1 minute for every year younger than me she is!). She also finished 7th in her age group. Jolee took a picture of me when I got home, but I'm choosing not to post it...(windblown, stocking cap, and sweat is what you'd see). Now where did I put those pain pills?.....

Soccer is Over--Fall 2008

Soccer is one of Macey's top 2 favorite sports. I saw this quote on a paper that she brought home from school one day, "I like to play soccer because I'm really good at it!". I love a girl who is sure of herself! I thought it was pretty funny! For the last 3 seasons, Macey has been on the same soccer team with the same coach and the same players. It has been amazing watching the girls progress in their skills and confidence. Her coach is a really good guy and the girls are all great friends. We had our end-of-season pizza party in which all of the girls, one by one, were awarded trophies, followed by applause. The trophies were actually pretty cool this season! Great job Macey!

Nostalgia

Today during Emmy's naptime, I challenged Jolee to a game of UNO. We played 5 games and she won 3! So, since she beat me 3 out of 5, you can imagine that she is a pretty good player. However, every once in a while she would put down a card that wasn't supposed to be put down (like a red Skip on top of a blue 5, for example). Anyway, when she did this, it reminded me of my Grandpa Alvin. During the holidays when I was a kid, my family (Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and Aunts and Uncles) would gather around the table at my grandparents house and play UNO. When it was Grandpa Alvin's turn, he would occasionally start telling a story. Well, we would all be so interested in the story that he would (very slyly) put down a card that didn't belong. We would continue playing not noticing what he had just pulled. But then all of a sudden, Grandma would bust him and say, "hey, you can't play that card!", then he would start laughing...and so would the rest of us! My Grandpa has been gone for nearly 8 years now, but that memory of him will always make me smile.

Speaking of smiling, here are a few pics of Jolee doing just that as she whoops up on me!

Little K-Staters

When Macey was 2 years old, I splurged and bought the cutest little K-State cheerleader outfit (complete with pom poms and cheek decals) for her to wear on Halloween. I'm a very thrifty shopper, but I just couldn't resist. Then, when Jolee came along, we got to use the outfit again. And finally, with Emmy, I was very excited to use it again. So now, I am SO happy that I splurged that day. Here are pictures of all of the girls (at 2 years old) on Halloween 2002, 2006 and 2008.

First Basketball Game

Macey had her first basketball game Friday night. Although she did not score any points, she did a great job hustling and even had an assist! Daddy needs to work with her on how to play defense. We have to keep reminding ourselves that she's a 2nd grader and there is a lot to learn in the game of bball! They won the game 26-16. She said that she had fun and that is all that matters! :)

Fall Leaves

Today was a beautiful fall day. Grady took advantage of it and raked the leaves in the backyard for the girls to play in. They had so much fun jumping in it, burying each other, and raking them back up to do it all over again!