Trail of Lights 2013

Once Oma got to town, we decided to go ahead and try out the Trail of Lights. Last year was fun but super crowded and difficult to get in/out.  With cold weather and babies, we weren't sure we should even go. However, this year even though the Trail is free, you could pay some amount of money per person to get in about 45 minutes early. We headed down to eat dinner nearby and then do that.  Let me tell you - so worth the money!

Here's us at the start. Normally it's so crowded there is no way you are getting a picture here. Even when we went in there was a huge line waiting to get in.

The Matz' came too!

We loved getting to walk through and see all the displays without feeling walled with people. I could even take pictures of the kids with them.

Caitlin loved taking pictures and wanted one with every display... Especially if it had princesses.

We met some firefighters handing out candy canes!

Oma and the kids

About the only downfall to getting in early was that we didn't get to stop and see our friends dance troope perform (because we wanted to get through most of the displays before it opened to the public).

After the Trail of Lights, we had to go see the Zilker Tree.

The kids enjoyed spinning underneath it with Daddy.

And finally we headed back to the car. The other big downfall was the weather - it was really really cold! We did not anticipate that Ryan would get so cold and wouldn't want to sit in the stroller much. We ended up carrying him most of the way so we could keep him bundled. Still, it was a fun time and so glad we paid extra to get in early.

Caitlin's Ballet Class

Caitlin has been taking a ballet class this school year.  She loves it and so far it's been great. She really is improving and having fun. I love her teacher Ms. Julie. She is incredible with the girls. I enjoy getting to watch them and see their progress. It really is a great combination of fun and technique!

During class, they have it in a small room where there is a window that we can watch through (it's kind of tinted so we can see in but they can't see out very well which means they don't get distracted too easily).  In December, they put on a little performance for us in the big girl room. They each got to pick out a fun costume and then after the performance, we had some snacks and lemonade. We enjoyed getting to watch them perform!

Here's a video of her performance (the teacher in the video isn't Ms. Julie though...she was out of town so this was another teacher... I'm not sure why I'm pointing this out other than I think the girls are more used to Ms. Julie so they seemed a little distracted I guess... anyway):

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Caitlin's Preschool Program

Caitlin's preschool put on a Christmas program again this year.  She is in a 3s class that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Before the performance, we went to her classroom to see the projects they had been working on.

Family photo!

Then it was off to the sanctuary for the performance.

Ryan was excited!

Here's a video of the performance. This was the best I could get from where we were sitting.  She did a great job singing! Apologize in advance for her "nose" activity... its cold season, what can I say.

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Evan receives Star Texan Award

Just before Christmas, we went up to school where Evan received a special award.  His school is called Old Town and they are the Texans.  He was receiving a Star Texan award for showing self control (i.e. for being a good listener).  

They called his name and read a little paragraph that his teacher wrote about why he was receiving the award.

Dad and Evan after the ceremony

Mom and Evan after the ceremony

Evan with the assistant principal Mr. Baker and the principal Ms. Mercer

We are so proud of you Evan for doing such a great job at school and being a good listener.  I volunteer in Evan's class one day a week so I get to see all the kids and help Ms. V, his teacher.  I love being involved and feel so blessed that I'm able to be a part of his school experience. His teacher has told me what a great listener his is before and I've observed it myself.  He's also making great strides with reading. It's amazing how quickly he has picked it up.  Just 2 months ago he was not interested at all but now he can read small words and sound them out.  He already knows all his kindergarten sight words and we are working on more.

So far, we are thrilled with how it's going and that we went ahead and sent him to Kinder.  Hopefully it continues to go well. He still enjoys going to school so I think that's a good sign!

Below is a little video of him receiving his award.

If you can't see the video above, then just click this link: CLICK HERE 

Santa 2013

This year, our only chance to see Santa was at the neighborhood Cocoa with Santa. It was a pretty cold day but we braved the cold and line to see him.  The kids we very excited to see him.

They each took a turn sitting on his lap and telling him want they wanted for Christmas.

Evan said he wanted the golden ninjago legos.

Caitlin told him she wanted gymnastic clothes and Princess Sophia and gloves.

Ryan wasn't quite sure who this guy was...

But he liked getting a candy cane!

And then I got 2 pictures of all 3 of them that were pretty good. Overall, it was fun and I think this is the first year the older two kids really wanted to see Santa and talk to him. Christmas is getting to be such a fun time at these ages!

Thanksgiving 2013

I went ahead and did Ryan's 9 month update, but I wanted to at least blog a little about out Thanksgiving. This year, it was just our family and the Matz' in town for the Holiday so we decided to head downtown to do the Turkey Trot in the morning.It was a pretty cold morning but the sun was out and the kids were very excited.

First up was the Kids K.  This year we let Evan run it by himself and Caitlin ran with Daddy.  Evan did a great job but we lost him for a few minutes in the chaos at the end of the race. Fortunately, Uncle Casey found him!

Go Caitlin!

The two kids after their race

Quick family pictures before the adult races

What a great picture with the skyline! We are ready to run.

I did the 5 mile run which went very well.  Bryce and Evan did the mile run.  Evan actually ran almost all of it!  Baba, Casey, Caitlin, Chelsea, and Ryan did the mile walk. 

Caitlin all bundled up - it was pretty cold!

After the race, we all went home. got cleaned up, and watched the Lions.  I got the turkey in the oven and then we all relaxed (Matz' included) until dinner around 4pm.  What a great Thanksgiving!

Here are our 4 turkeys on Thanksgiving!

Ryan Turns 9 Months

My sweet boy turned 9 momths about 2 weeks ago.  We did have a well check so here are his stats:

Weight: 18 lbs 12 oz (21%)

Height: 28 inches (40%)

Head CM: 17.5 cm (25%)

As of 9 months, he was still rolling everywhere without showing any interest in crawling. (However since then, he now has mastered army crawling and is working on crawling on all 4s and pulling up on things!). He was very mobile and could get to almost anything he had his eye on so I don't think he felt the need to crawl! He also learned how to go to sitting all by himself  from his belly (one morning that's how I found him in his crib).

He is eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables and so far hasn't found one he doesn't like. We will start him on some meat and chunkier foods now to see how he does.  He LOVES those puffs. He is constantly smacking his lips and "chewing".  He is still exclusively breastfed which is a big accomplishment for me... first of my kids to make it this far!

Ryan is still taking a long afternoon nap of about 2-2.5 hours.  If we are home, he tends to take an hour morning nap but most of the time, he catches cat naps in the car.  At night, we have been struggling a little bit. He has been teething a lot (got his upper left tooth on Thanksgiving) and has had a horrible cold.  Turns out he had an ear infection at our well check too.  Thankfully, the cold seems to have passed although it lasted for 2-3 weeks.  

I couldn't resist snapping a few extra pictures during our little photo shoot (which is becoming harder and harder as he just wants to grab and eat the sign).  Everything finds its way into his mouth so we have to be especially careful with the older kids toys.  It's a constant battle... he seems to have a big affinity for their shoes as a chew toy.  I am often reminding the kids to keep their shoes in their lockers.

(One of the few pictures of me!)

Overall though, he is doing great and right on with his milestones. We enjoy watching him grow and learn.  We love him so much!

Evan at 9 months:

Caitlin at 9 months: