Family Pictures

I had intentions of paying for a real photographer to take great pictures of our family this year.  I really treasure pictures, and wanted them to be better quality.  However, I procrastinated long enough that it just didn't work out.  So we threw on some black shirts and jeans, loaded up in the car, and went to the park with a camera, tripod, and moderate expectations.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the results.  It's nothing fancy, but I feel like we were able to catch the spirit of our little family just fine.

 Tylie caught and was playing with a lady bug.  It was fun to watch her gentle concentration.

 Kaelisse went independently searching for a treasure...she found a lot to keep her occupied and entertained.

All in all, we had a great morning in the park.  Sometimes in the craziness of daily life, it's easy to skip out on those simple family excursions.  I'm glad we got out of the house together and spent that time enjoying our Heavenly Father's creations and the love we share as a family.  

Cool Daddies Dance

Tylie: Daddy, please dance with me.
Brent: You want me to dance with you?
Tylie (in a very sweet voice): Daddy, you HAVE to.

How many dad's do you know that would be able to resist that??  Not my studly husband...he danced...

Noteworthy Pics and Videos from November

Yes, I am fully aware that months have passed since I posted any pictures or information about our lives.  I've accepted the fact that I'm not a strong, consistent blogger---hopefully by now, you've accepted that as well.  Here are a few pictures and videos that will represent our November festivities:

This is something I'm truly proud of!  This Thanksgiving, I finally attempted to make an apple pie completely from scratch.  It's Brent's favorite dessert, and his mother's recipe.  I've been very intimidated by it, because I had so much to live up to.  With a little advice from his sister, this apple pie turned out pretty good.  I don't think it was as good as it could have been, but Brent liked it.

Additional Thanksgiving news was that we ALL ended up with the stomach bug that day!  So much for enjoying the holiday with family.  Brent ended up cooking almost the whole meal because I wasn't feeling good, then he was pretty much the only one that ate that day because it didn't sound good to any of us.  He was sick by the end of the day, and then all of us were feeling better a few days later.  Our Thanksgiving dinner was simply postponed a few days.

I LOVE how much my girls enjoy reading!  I find them all over the house, with so many different books, in all kinds of positions, at varying levels of consciousness.  I hope they keep their love of reading for a long time!

I especially enjoy the tender moments when they sit and read together.

What picture album would be complete without the classic "underwear on your head" photos.  These girls crack me up!

 Learning and showing off their sign language skills for the camera.

Entertaining daddy, and getting a little physical exercise.  It makes me smile to see them so happy.

 This video cracks me up!  One night, after we put the girls to bed, it had been quiet in their room for a little while.  We knew Kaelisse wasn't sleeping yet, but we thought she was probably getting close.  Usually when she doesn't want to go to bed, it becomes a tantrum-filled night.  I'm not sure why she decided to do things differently this night, but it was so funny!  We sat in the living room listening to her and laughing for a while!

Halloween

We had a blast this Halloween.  We attended a ward party and trunk-or-treat the Friday before.  Then, on Halloween night, we went with some ward friends into their neighborhood and walked around for a while.  The girls were both excited, and Kae caught on quickly to the joys of saying a few simple words and receiving a delicious treat in return.  We reused a costume for Kaelisse--mad scientist.  I love that costume!  Tylie was very adamant about wanting to be a witch, and nothing I could do would persuade her otherwise.  I like to do more creative, interesting things when designing costumes, but she was so excited about the idea, that I caved.  I think they both looked very cute, and we enjoyed the holiday!  Brent and I didn't dress up at all.  Call us lame if you want.....I just call us busy.  I barely threw the girls' outfits together the night before!

My Classroom 2012

I spent a fair amount of time this summer preparing my new classroom.  I moved to the 6th grade this year, and actually started at the beginning of the year, so it was a fun time to do some creative things.  I tried to keep it simple, but still have a theme.  I like the way it turned out, and am happy for multiple young women in my ward who gave up a few hours to help me get it up and looking put together before the first day.

Tylie is THREE!

Tylie turned three this month.  It's always so crazy to think about the last few years, and the difference this spunky little girl has made in our lives since she joined us.  Tylie had been talking about her birthday for weeks before, and constantly reminded us that it was coming.  Three is such a fun age, because she totally understood the excitement surrounding her special day....so great! 

Brent and I both started back to work full time on the day of Tylie's birthday, so we were forced to celebrate a little early.  We took the girls on an outing to the Fort Worth Zoo....always a big hit!

The girls riding a komodo dragon.

Our first family picture in a really long time.

Exploring interesting facts about crocs.

Brave little Kaelisse climbing on a croc.

Feeding the birds.

Back in July, Tylie was bummed that we didn't let her ride the train during the 4th of July celebration, and she had been talking about it since.  We found out about the Forest Park Miniature Railroad, which is very close to the zoo, and we knew it would be a big hit.  It is an open train that rides through parts of Fort Worth, through a park, and even crosses multiple bridges.  The ride was about 40 minutes long.  It was so much fun, and Tylie was thrilled to finally get her train ride!

The day before her actual birthday, Tylie was talking about her cake.  I had no plans of doing anything creative or cute with her cake this year....I just didn't have the ideas, time, or the energy.  But Tylie, out of nowhere, starts rambling on about a "bug" cake that she knows she is going to get.  Um....okay.  So that night I threw together a butterfly.  It turned out alright...for a last-minute project.

On the morning of her birthday, we had to get up at the crack of dawn to celebrate and let her open a couple presents before we all headed out.

She was most excited about her bike, and rode it around all morning.

She was, of course, spoiled by grandmas and grandpas and mom and dad.  She got very excited about everything she opened, and wanted to take all of it with her to the babysitter.

Kae got one present....mostly as a distraction...

It wasn't until the next day that we were all together again to eat cake.  You can tell she was very excited for the attention.

And the cake was delicious!

Ahhh... a three-year-old's sense of style!  :)  She was cracking me up, digging through my drawers to find socks, a belt, and gloves.  She picked it all out herself, and danced around the living room with it all on for a while.  (Yes, that belt is mine.  And yes, it wraps completely around her...twice)

Tylie continues to amaze and astound us.  Her language has blossomed, and we have interesting conversations all the time.  She corrects my use of singular/plurals, reminds me when I forget to mention something in our nightly prayer, and chatters with almost anyone who will listen.  She continues to be the social little bug that she always was...making friends everywhere we go, with children and adults alike.  She is the perfect balance of torturing her little sister, and then playing with her, teaching her new things, and comforting her when she is sad.  Tylie is becoming more independent and defiant with every day, leaving us wondering how we are ever going to keep up with her.  I can't wait to see the things she accomplishes with this determination!  Tylie still loves to read books, and is an athletic little girl.  She climbs, runs, jumps, and balances on anything she can find (one of the many wonderful traits that her too-little sister tries to mimic).  Tylie loves to laugh, and enjoys making us laugh, too.  Tylie is one of the brightest lights in my life....I adore her, admire her, and love her so much!  I know that one day she will be sure to make her mark on this world! Look out!

Videos Worth Sharing, Too

Kae loves to bounce...not sure where she developed this hobby (we never had a bouncy chair for her as a baby).  She does this in her car seat, on the couch, and on the love sac.  Crazy kid.  {Also, for those of you who haven't seen my kids in a while and may be wondering, the girl in the background is NOT Tylie...just a friend over playing!}

Man, I LOVE when these girls play together.  It makes me think of my own sisters and how much fun we had/have when we are together.  And I love it even more when Tylie teaches Kae all the wisdom and knowledge that she has...so sweet. 

At the Fort Worth Stockyards, riding a "horse."  They were so bummed to get off--but we eased their mournfulness by promising to take them to Angie & Brennon's for a real horse ride.

Kae is a dancer!  Every time she hears any kind of music, she starts jamming to it.  And, honestly, most of the time there really isn't any music that I can hear, and she is still jamming....dancing to the rhythms in her head, I guess.

Tylie wouldn't want to be left out.  She likes to do a little jamming of her own!