Day at the Zoo!!

Gabes dad and step mom came down for Thanksgiving. Were very excited because this was their first visit since we moved all the way to Texas. Tuesday we decided to go to the Dallas Zoo. It was a lot of fun and the kids have been dying to go! We couldn't get Reyse away from the Elephants. When we would call her, she just turned and gave us this dirty look!

All the girls when we first enter the park! I couldn't persuade Simon and Judy to get in the picture.


Every formation of any kind the girls had to climb!

We had a great time at the Zoo, It is small enough to enjoy in half a day!

Baylee's Birthday Party!

I am playing a little catch up, last Friday Baylee had her party and we had about nine girls come. A much better number than Taytum's party. My pictures are out of order but that will have to do.

Baylee got lots of great presents from her friends!

Gabe stayed and helped with this one, he felt a little sorry for me but I'll take it! He dished out ice cream and definitely got in the spirit!
Reyse the little beggar!

Baylee wanted frosted brownies instead of cake, sounds good to me !

Happy Birthday TAYTE!!

Friday was Tayte's 7th birthday. I let her open her present in the morning thinking that she could wear it to school, but after she opened it she informed me that today was P.E., but she loved the dress, it was very Tayte. She also got butterfly earrings that she really wanted!

Tayte's dinner request was pancakes and eggs with stuff in them(peppers, mushrooms, ham, and cheese). She also got a cookie cake brought into school so we skipped the cake thing at night. My kids are still very happy with their Halloween candy.
Her birthday party was Saturday 5-9. I told her last year that next year she could have a big party at the house because the baby would be bigger and I would be able to control it. Tayte did not forget! She invited 18 girls. I figured they surely wouldn't all be able to come. I was right only 13 came. It was still more than enough. Gabe got the green light to leave after he picked up the pizza for me, that was around 6:30. Baylee was a BIG help but she decided it was to much for her and went to her friends across the street, that was around 7:30. I thought that is fine I can do this. Then Taytum decided she wanted to paint nails! That is where things started to unravel. When you have that many girls painting each other nails and then messing up and I have to fix it, the rest are running around unsupervised! They decided that there was a kidnapper on the roof and that ensued PANIC, or just a reason for 13 girls to run around a house screaming at the to top of their lungs. a couple of girls came telling me that someone was trying to call 911. That was enough!! Everyone got called into the living room, was told that it wasn't fun to joke like that and I would get in BIG trouble if that happened, and everyone would have to go home. They got the idea real quick and everyone decided to be good! We finished presents and a very nice mother decided to show up early to see if I needed any help.

By 9:00 every one went home Poor Reyse got into her quiet bed(that was definitely to much for a 1 year old), and I fell to the couch! I have found that I like to learn things the hard way, I definitely learned my lesson here, and will scale it down next year. But I was glad Tayte got her BIG birthday party all to her self.

Notice that the cake and I refer to Taytum as Tayte. Well, she thought people including adults were calling her Tay-dum. Which they weren't that is just what it sounds like when you say her name fast. So, she insists on being called Tayte now!

Reyse got Stitches!

Tuesday morning Reyse was holding one of my plastic water cups with a straw and walking around. She tripped over my foot and came down right on the cup, split her lip open. I took her over to a friend of mine who is a nurse to make sure that she needed to go to the Hospital. She said it would be best. So off to the Emergency room we went. The doctor said that she needed one little stitch in her lip so that she won't have much of a scar. They wrapped her up in this thing called a papoose so she couldn't move. It was horrible to watch and had a hard time not crying. She came home and slept all afternoon. She goes back on Mon. to get the stitch out.

We did pretty good to get to the fourth kid for our first emergency room, and stitches!

Baylee got home from school and FREAKED OUT!! She cried off and on the rest of the day every time Reyse would take a misstep thinking that she would brake the stitch. It is healing nicely and hasn't bothered her at all after the first day.

This is the day it happened after we got home from the hospital, as you can see the tears are gone and she was back to smiling!

Happy Birthday Baylee!!!

On Monday Baylee turned 9 years old. I told her I would make her favorite coffee cake for breakfast in the morning. I set my alarm for 6:30 to have plenty of time. I was awoken the next morning at 7:30 to Baylee asking,"Is my cake cooking?" umm sorry honey, my alarm didn't go off. After close inspection someone had been playing with it and had turned down the sound. "I promise tomorrow." I set my alarm for the next morning,and it went off, I made the whole thing and just had the crumb topping left when I realized I was out of brown sugar! Baylee finally got her coffee cake but it wasn't until Wed. morning!

I had planned on making one of her favorite dinners, she decided on frijole casserole, go figure. I had to find it so ironic as we ate dinner that night, I informed her that when I was a few months pregnant with her I took a trip to Oregon with my parents. I was still feeling a little nausea, but when we arrived at the timeshare I asked my Mom (begged) if she would make me frijole casserole! It was exactly what my tender stomach needed. Maybe their is something to be said for what the mother eats so does the baby. She also loves tuna fish with potato chips on it, which is all I ate for three months with her. FUNNY!!

NINE!!

DIG IN BAYLEE!

I took Baylee in a cookie cake for her school class so we didn't do a dessert at night just the dinner, she was fine with that since she has decided she doesn't like cake!

I kept asking Baylee, "What do you want for your birthday?" All she would tell me is, No clothes, no Cd's, no movies, no shoes, no toys. GREAT!!

On her birthday we told her she was getting her present after dinner, she kept asking, "what is it," Gabe told her, "Guess!" "Is it a recipe book?" "What, why would you want a recipe book?" "So I can write down all of Mom's recipes." We were both shocked! I wish I would of known since I have an old one in my cupboard I don't use. I get plenty of "I hate this, can I have something else," or "Why do we always have to have this." But I am glad to see that they do appreciate some of the hard work that goes into feeding this family.

She ended up getting a gift card to Target!

We played games that night as of her request, Heads Up 7up, and Scream! Scream is where you sit in a circle with your head down until one person counts to 3, then everyone looks up at the same time and if you and another person looking at each other you SCREAM! After a person screams three times your out! Our favorite Family Home Evening Game!

Trinidad Girls UNDEAFEATED!!

So the Recreation soccer games are at an end. This was the first season for Baylee's age bracket to count the scores and get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place trophies, before they would just get participation trophies. Well, Baylee's team (Lady Cats) got first place. They were undefeated. An enormous reason they were was because of Baylee. The coach called her there secret weapon, and she was!! As soon as they put her up front nobody could stop her! A coach from the other team we were playing was screaming at his girls, "There's only one of her and four of you!" I tried not to chuckle, but it really was amazing. On Saturday I was a standing far from the field watching when a mom from a team we played the week before walked up from behind me and was asking who was playing. I told her and she asked if The Lady Cats were winning,(not knowing who's team I was on). I said yes, but not by much. As she watched for another minute, she commented on number 17(Baylee's number). She said," That number 17 is amazing, nobody can stop her, I can't believe how good she is!" I then informed her that that was my daughter. It was pretty funny! I really am proud of Baylee she has really committed to her practices and her team, if you come for a visit make sure it's during soccer season.

Her select team came in 3rd, and she did awesome there as well, there doing playoffs right now, so I guess it doesn't quite feel over yet. She was the only one on that team to score at least 1 goal in EVERY game. She ended up being the leading scorer for both her teams!

Payge's season was great as well, she scored quite a few goals and helped out her team allot. She can't wait until it starts again in February. They ended up being undefeated as well (8-0).

Payge's and Baylee's team will most likely not be undefeated next season because they rearrange the brackets, so we are relishing in this amazing season for both girls.

GO TRINIDADS!!

Halloween Time!

Halloween was lots of fun but always busy right up to the end, I couldn't keep the girls together for a picture before they bolted for the door, so the pictures are as we go.

Reyse's costume was last minute and was something that someone gave us years ago but it ended up working.

This one was a very weird affect but the only one I had with her whole body in the picture. I didn't let her walk to the doors much because she wouldn't leave the candy bowls alone, even though her hands were full, besides she was very content to sit in the stroller and have her sucker. She got alot of compliments!!

Baylee ended up being a Victorian Vampire, and Payge was a cute cowgirl!

Hannah Montana. I couldn't see what I was taking a picture of in the dark, but she had very cute Hannah Montana boots that her Nana and Papa sent her. I even got her fake eyelashes!
Payge and her friend Madison. They wore out about half way through.

Baylee protecting all her candy. It is great with the girls getting older, Baylee and Taytum can run from house to house and Payge has to stay with Mom. I walked in the middle of the street so the girls could weave back and forth.

The girls and their loot!

Our good friends and use to be neighbors came with us, they did our neighborhood with us then we went over to their ritzier neighborhood for round two.

It was Gabe's turn this year to stay home and pass out candy while I took the girls. He said we got lots of compliments from people that their kids couldn't wait to come to the house on the corner with the BIG WITCH, and all the decorations.

A week of Good and Bad!

Well I thought I would give a little overview of our week.

Wednesday I stubbed my toe on a shoe in the kitchen and thought it was nothing except when I looked down it was completely crooked. I went to the doctor and they told me it was broken so I just have to stay off it for a while. How can something so small be so painful!! (aren't you glad I don't have any pictures)

It also made me realize how little my children do around here and how capable they really are. They wiped counters, washed dishes, swept floors, got themselves ready for bed, cleaned their rooms, and just about anything else that I asked. Sometimes I figure it is just easier and faster for me to do things, and I forget how important it is for them to take more responsibility around the house.

Saturday was another full day of Soccer. Payge's team won. She didn't make any goals but she stopped the other team from making any.

Baylee lost on her select team 1-4. She was the only player again to score for her team.
Her recreation team won 6-0. Baylee got 2 goals even though she was defender for the whole game.

We had a couple birthday parties. Even though Saturdays are long Gabe and I can't wait til the next. We have so much fun watching the kids play and grow, and oh ya, knock the socks off other teams!

Happy Birthday Reyse!!

My sweet baby turns 1. I have to admit a little more than a year ago I thought this day would never come. We had a very bumpy road in the beginning, but we made it. She is such a happy baby. Reyse is very easy to please, some food( okay alot of food) clean diaper, and a good nap, and she is as happy as can be. She is a very opinionated girl, and lets people know when she isn't in the mood for something, like cuddling.

She had a very simple birthday, with cards from grandparents, and a single toy from mom and dad. A chocolate frosted cupcake with a one candle and the love of a big family. She was very very happy!!

The cupcake didn't seem to be enough for our little grubber, she loves her Popsicles. She grunts very loudly and screams if you ignore the grunts, until her sweet sisters give in and share their loot!

Lots of sugar, makes for very happy kids.
Since Baylee was a baby I have made the girls a pancake shaped in the number 1. Covered with butter and powdered sugar. Everyone loves this tradition!
The reason we only got Reyse one toy is because toys is not something this baby needs. I purposefully hide toys away after a child is done with it, just to bring it out later for another. Example: I just brought out this little floor piano out of the closet and she hasn't left it alone.

Taytum trying to teach Reyse to sing!
I had to put this one in here. Later that night the girls went out onto the tramp to play. Reyse has to stay in. She hollers at one of us to put her on the couch so she can watch them play.
If I haven't mentioned it before, then let me do it now. I am truly blessed to have 4 of the most beautiful, healthy, smart, and kindhearted girls to call my own. (I can't wait for more)!!!

A Great Weekend of Soccer!

I have not been very good at taking pictures of the kids playing soccer. It is impossible to get them of Baylee, the field is to big and my camera is to slow. She played great though. In her recreation team she scored 4 goals, but only played about 7 to 8 min. The team we played wasn't very good and Baylee was making it worse. Gabe put her in as goalie the whole second half of the game, they won 13-0. Baylee's Select team played later on that day. They actually played their sister team, but it was still a great game. They lost 1-2, Baylee scored the only goal for her team. We are really proud of her.

Payge also had a game this weekend. Her field is very small and the spectators are very close. I have to admit I have been worried that soccer was not for Payge. Several times She has wanted to quit and cried to come off the field, saying "It's to hard." We kept encouraging her and she is really starting to understand the game, and is really getting into it. Here are some pics of her latest game where she scored 4 goals!

On Your Mark!!

Get Set!
And,
GOOOOOOAAAALLLL!!
She played awesome and was very proud of herself, Yeah, Payge!!

Double Date Night!

So Thursday night our good friends, Nathan and Rebecca got us some free tickets to go to the FC Dallas Game with them. It is a professional soccer team, and the stadium is only about 20 min. from our house. It was so much fun, we got tho leave the kids at home and actually have fun just the two of us. I know a lot of our friends have weekly or monthly date nights but Gabe and I don't hardly ever get them. Reyse has kept me tied to the house with all the nursing, and babysitters for 4 kids are expensive. We definitely enjoyed ourselves!!!!

Thanks Nathan and Rebecca, let us know anytime you want some company, it was awesome!!!
The team mascot, we got seats in the front row at the mid-field line, we could practically reach out and touch the players.