a third and a first

Jack lost his third tooth.

It was quite the scene. It had been dangling for WEEKS and WEEKS when a collision with the couch knocked it out. His mouth was dripping with blood when he ran into the bathroom and not a few tears were shed, but alas, it is finally out!

Ellie Bell has lost her first!

Not even a week after Jack lost his tooth, Ellie announced she had a loose tooth as well. A couple months shy of being 5, I doubted she really did, but I was wrong. She was relentless with wiggling it and an encounter with a bagel sandwich was very effective. It fell out the next day!

They both look so, so big to me. I cannot believe how fast they are growing up. I'm trying not to be too sad about it. I just tell them they have to live with me when they grow up. I'm just going to keep on telling them that and maybe they will believe me.

Thanksgiving at the Farm

Playing in the hay, throwing the football, hanging with the cousins, and chowing down in the barn. This is what we do and we love it. So much to be thankful for.

Halloween 2011

Captain Jack Sparrow and a Fairy Princess

Horseshoe Canyon

A beautiful fall weekend spent camping on the Buffalo River and climbing at Horseshoe Canyon. We are so proud of our little climbers and are so thrilled that they are developing an appreciation for the things we also so enjoy. Hopefully, many more weekends like this one will be in our future.

Still Here!

Now that our computer issues are resolved, I'm looking forward to keeping this blog going!

I look back over photos from the last six months and am amazed at how much our babies have grown. We have hit a lot of milestones. Ellie started riding her bike without training wheels last fall. At four years old, she snaps her fingers, knows her letter sounds, and draws the funniest creatures you could imagine. She is very sweet and cuddly. Jack is still enamored with Legos and Star Wars. He is reading more and more and has lost two teeth. He is taking on more chores and is becoming quite helpful around the house, especially, when it comes to scooping dog poop and taking out the trash, two chores I am happy to pass on.

I'll start with birthdays. We had Ellie's fourth birthday at the dance studio where she had been taking ballet and tap. She really was in little girl heaven, with all the tutus, tule, music, and dancing. It was precious to watch all the little girls having so much fun. It was a very special day!

Jack's birthday was also a lot of fun. We kept it simple and small with just a few cousins and friends. Jack enjoyed picking the theme and helping decorate. It was, of course, a Lego party. We played some games, ate pizza, and had "Lego Club" in the tent. Later that night, Jack requested that we go out to Mexican with grandparents and then out for ice cream. He successfully managed to have two parties!

a cupcake and a cowboy

Halloween Weekend 2010... better late than never!
Jack was a cowboy and Ellie was a cupcake...

Somebody is an OU fan!

We had an action packed weekend of 'smore eatin', hangin' with friends and fam, pumpkin' carvin', festival goin', trick-or-treatin', and candy eatin'. The children were in bliss. The parents were exhausted. We've learned what we will and will NOT be doing next year. (Hint to naive parents: do not take little children into your local church festival's cardboard box maze in a dark crowded room... bad idea)

Homemade Play Dough

Why haven't we done this before? I've never really cared for store bought play dough (it's sticks to everything, the colors get all mixed and ugly, and it dries out so quick), but this homemade stuff is great! The cuties loved helping make it. Probably should have saved this activity for a rainy day, but I guess we'll just have to do it again sometime.

Recipe:

1 C Flour

1/2 C Salt

1 C Water

1 T Oil

2 t Cream of Tarter

Food Coloring (as desired)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in pan over low heat. Stir until a ball forms. Remove from heat and add food coloring and knead until combined. Store in airtight zip lock bag.