Best pic EVER

Avery loves to turn the water in our master bath tub on and off. She's a water waster!!!! But it makes her happy and I only let her do it for a few mintues. Somebody teach this kid to be green. And this look is ALL daddy.

22nd Century Christmas Card

The latest and greatest way to send a Christmas card! I DID send some via old school mail. Here is the letter to go with it in case you are a curious visitor from FaceBook:

Somehow, I’m actually making time to write a Christmas letter! We went to Nebraska for Thanksgiving and I have been running-no sprinting-ever since we got back!!!!

Kendall turned 4 on December 13th . Actually, I can handle her being 4 but thinking ahead to next year – oh my stomach turns! But I am so happy that she is a healthy active fun and bright girl. She definitely keeps us on our toes. She is in “school” 3 days a week at our church’s preschool and loves but unfortunately we are hearing less and less of what she has learned from her teachers and more and more of what things she has heard from her friends. The latest? Vampires. From 3 year olds!!!! I’m looking into homeschooling. That’s a joke.

So other than picking up random bits of useless information from her friends, Kendall loves to smother her sister, help me around the house, play games on my computer, play with her friends, color and read. Daddy takes time every night to put her to bed and they read together. I’m sure she’ll be reading early – all THAT credit goes to Daddy for sure.

Avery is going to turn 1 on January 5th (hopefully you’ll get this letter before then). As cliché as it sounds, “I don’t know where the year has gone.” My baby is going to be ONE. She has been THE best baby. I mean, Kendall was good but this kid is awesome. She sleeps through the night and is just really happy. She took her first steps when we were in Nebraska at the Omaha Children’s museum. It must have been all of the excitement and trying to keep up with the big kids. Tonight daddy came home and got on the floor with her and she was walking short distances to him, back to the table, over to the basket…She’ll be confident on her own in no time. She loves to babble, scream, has a determined “march-like” crawl, and adores anything and everything that her sister does. Most recently she points at things and says “DA!” She’s pretty much a genius and the only baby that has ever accomplished these incredibly challenging things.

Mike is staying busy with his homebuilding business. Things have slowed but they are still building and have some great and promising prospects for next year. We are praying that God continues to bless us as He so diligently has in the past year. We are truly grateful.

Last but not least, I am still running around like a decapitated chicken most days. I love to go to the gym but it hasn’t been happening lately. I’m still working for my dad part time – well, I like to call it part-part time because I rarely get a moments peace around here to get work done uninterrupted. That’s why I’m usually up late most nights! My days are filled with cleaning, changing, shopping trips, working, playdates, cleaning, cooking, driving and occasionally I get to sleep and shower. I guess this sounds like I’m complaining but I really do love my life. The few minutes that I have to myself I certainly treasure and I know that all too soon I’ll be crying as they leave for college. BUT for now I cling to my babies and this little life we have. I hope you feel only love and peace and happiness this Christmas season.

My love to whoever reads this!

Thanksgiving Day

The Haynes side of the family (my mom's side).
Top Row - Aunt Trish (mom's sister), and her hubby Uncle Tim, Grandma Lenore, Uncle Mike (mom's brother) and his wife Aunt Jane.
Bottom Row - Greg's girlfriend, my cousin Greg, and then us! Avery was sleeping and after a week of fitful sleeping I wasn't ABOUT to wake her up!

Grandma 'Nore on the phone with my mom.Kendall enjoyed taking pictures of everyone with my iPhone but it mostly ended up being blurred pictures of shoes, knees, carpet... And then asking everyone "Do YOU have an iPhone?!" the child just doesn't get it...I embarrasingly tried to stop her from asking EVERYONE that!

Me, Kendall and Grandma 'Nore

More pictures from our Nebraska trip...

Kendall and Avery snuggling in Papa Vernon's chair. He is SORELY missed.

Avery tried and tried and tried to climb into Grandma 'Nore's rocking chair. However on this particular night her pj's were a little too tight so she couldn't quite hike up her leg...

Children of the Corn!!!! (at Omaha's Children's Museum) Avery, Daddy and Kendall at the Children's Museum. A perfect outing in the cold Nebraska drizzle. Avery took her first steps while she was there!!! 3 whole steps all by herself! She finally made it! Then kept being told to sit down. Agh...she's our climber. We are in trouble with this kiddo! She's not scared of anything so far!

Thanksgiving trip to Nebraska

Over Thanksgiving we took the looooong trek to Nebraska. It was about 16 hours and we did it in two days. I have to say that I was amazed at how well the girls did! To a certain extent I was dreading how the drive would go, but I think that the girls entertained each other well. But of course there is the modern day miracle known as DVD players that are shutting the mouths of bored whiny children everywhere. HALLELUJAH! My dad says that it isn't fair because he used to have to listen to us bicker, argue and whine the whole way.
So we got to Lincoln Saturday night at stayed at my Aunt Janet and Uncle John's house. Grandma Anderson came over, as well as my Cousin Julie, then on Sunday my cousin Jeff and his wife Vicki came over.

Sunday night we went to Aunt Chris and Uncle Ron's house (they've got 2 boys Danny and Jake - well 3 but Riley lives in Omaha).

Aunt Chris and Avery

Avery and Kendall with Grandma Anderson

More pictures to follow!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!

An unbelievable thing happened in Houston last Friday...it snowed!!!! Kendall was running a fever of 102 but really, it was her first time to ever see snow so of course we bundled up and headed out!!! Just for a little bit.

Avery was not happy that she was left inside.

But she finally got to go out for just a couple of minutes.And Ty loved the snow too but he HATES me pointing a camera at him.

Halloween

Ahh...the token Halloween pictures. Kendall was Batgirl. I have no idea where the desire for this costume came but I liked it. She was Snow White last year and loves to be a princess but I do love that she can hang with the boys and be a rough tough bat girl here and there. It was a homemade costume - we found the mask at Target for a dollar. I was originally going to wear it but she wanted it instead. My neighbor took pictures at our neighborly get-together so I'll post those pictures another day when I get them. I didn't manage to get a picture of Avery because I had to wake her up from her nap, shove her into her costume, rush down to the end of the street party, mingle and then she pee'd all over it. All I can figure out is that the tights must have been too tight. I'll shove her back in it tomorrow and snap a few pictures while Kendall is at school. Thanks to our friend Ashley who let Avery borrow the costume! It was a perfect outfit! Meanwhile...here is our Batgirl.