Soccer

Tate did not get his kicks out of playing soccer in his first season, but he sure looked cute...

His favorite part were the snacks!

 

Don't let this action shot fool you. He scored two goals all season, and both were for the other team!

We're focusing on T-ball this Spring...

Halloween 2011

Halloween continues to be my favorite holiday and rather than write a lot, I will just post some pics....

Tate wanted to be Darth Vader, and this is his very homemade costume. The control panel is a shoebox lid that I painted and pinned to his shirt. The light saber is a pool noodle that he got as a favor at a birthday party, and the cape was sewn by Linda out of black fabric.

Our little pumpkin.

Pumpkin patch visit

Punkin Chunkin

Couldn't resist matching skeleton shirts

Also couldn't resist lots of Halloween outfits for LJ!

At the fall festival at her preschool.

Lily Jane is 6 Months!

Sweet Lily Jane turned six months old on November 2!

Her stats:
Weight: 20 lbs, 10 oz
Height: 27 2/4 inches

Head: 44.5 cm

She is wearing size 12 mos right now, and just keeps growing!

At six months she loves rolling and scooting to get to where she wants to go. She makes lots of sounds, including the words "da-da" and "ma-ma," although we can't truly claim she knows what she is saying.

She is generally very happy and loves to jump in her bouncer and be held. She laughs a lot and adores her big brother.
 

But our VERY favorite thing is that she gives hugs and kisses now, in her own baby way, and it melts our hearts every time. 

Like our update on Tate at four years, she does NOT love napping, getting ready for bed, sleeping in her own bed, going to sleep or letting us sleep. She also does not love pears or bulb suctions.


Happy Six Months Lily Jane!

One Monster of a Birthday Party

Tate's 4th birthday party was held at a pumpkin patch with a monster theme. With a young baby and a new job, I didn't put as much effort into this one as I have in prior years, but I still had a little fun with it...

The Monster theme was carried through in the invites and thank you notes (done by my friend Eleanor at Pink Peppermint Paper...love her work!)...

Real googly eyes were used throughout. The thank you notes have a cyclops and say "Thanks. I've had my eye on that.""

The tables were set with polka dot tablecloths and the centerpieces were pumpkins and gourds painted like monsters.

 

 

(The food table had monster fingers (cheetos), eyeballs (grapes), and monster theme cupcakes.)

 The pumpkin patch offered plenty of entertainment, and the kids got to:

....ride tractors...

 ...go on a hayride...

 ...feed some animals....

 ...and feed themselves...

(I love this pic of cousin Blake)

 Tate had a blast with his friends!

His favorite present was a real Darth Vader helmet from his Aunt Brooke

Some of Tate's friends from school came. 

  And Lily Jane was there, blending in with the pumpkins.

 Each kid got to pick a pumpkin, which they took home in a monster bag as their favor. 

And at the end, Tate said (completely unsolicited), "I had so much fun today, Mom and Dad. I want a group hug!"  And we were happy to oblige! 

Tate is Four

Tate turned four on October 24. They say a child's personality is set by the age of three, so in his fourth year of life we were able to get a glimpse of that personality...and he is:

Sweet

A Ham

Outgoing and playful

And very cautious. 

(this video is so typical of how super cautious and careful Tate is. He bounces all the way down the runway only to slowly ease himself into the foam pit. I guess we should be grateful, but it cracks us up. He tells us all the time, "that's just too dangerous.")

He loves.....

Performing with a microphone

 

Star Wars

  

Going to School

 

And Animals

He does NOT love napping, getting ready for bed, sleeping in his own bed, going to sleep or letting us sleep. He also does not love "stuff" on his pizza or cheeseburgers.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Tater Tot!

Jumperoo

A rainy day today meant the kids were bouncing off the walls, literally.

World Traveler

While going through our pictures, Rob and I realized that no matter where we are, the pictures of Lily Jane are always in her infant carrier. She could be anywhere! So while checking out alligators in Louisiana last weekend, Rob texted me this series of pictures with the following captions...

Lily Jane at Gators & Friends in Shreveport!

Lily Jane at the Empire State Building!

Lily Jane at the Eiffel Tower!

Lily Jane at the Giants game! 

Lily Jane at the Smithsonian! 

Just trust us.

Four Months

Lily Jane is four months old! Her stats:

Height: 24 3/4 inches (50-75%)
Weight: 18 lbs 1 oz (99%)
Head: 16.5 inches (99%)

She's wearing size 6 and 9 months, and I've already had to put away an entire box of clothes that no longer fit her.

She is a super happy, smiley little girl who loves to coo and gurgle and generally "chat."  She's growing up so fast, she's already....

Sharing a laugh with her brother

Cheering on her favorite teams! 

Going to the prom !

Batting her big brown eyes to get what she wants! (and here she says she wants some rice cereal, and she wants it now!)

We've also had some fun with friends and visitors....

Cousin Lindsey came to town with baby Amelia, giving us all a reason to get together. Represented here are first cousins, second cousins, and first cousins once removed (I think? We need a genealogist to figure out all of the relationships here)

The kid table is certainly the cool place to be

 And after the second hottest summer on record in Dallas, we finally had a break on Labor Day and enjoyed a picnic in the high 80s. We almost needed a jacket!