The New Year

Alora feeding herself eggs!

Mommy's sweatheart!

Cole and Alora getting along!
Alora and Cole really have become quite chatterboxes! Cole's sentences are marvelous! He started out this year asking questions and them repeating our answers...over and over again. Now, he's quite the conversationalist! Alora is repeating things...sometimes she just chooses to babble. Other times, she repeats what anybody says. She likes to say "Hi" to anybody she sees in the store. She has said "Hello" when she's found the T.V. remote and help it up to her ear. She calls for me "MaMA" and Heath "Ma?" and Cole "BoyBOY!" She says "Nigh nigh" when she's ready for bed. She quacks for duck, "oo"s for cows, "bahbah"s for dogs, and snorts for pigs! Today, at the end of Cole's backpack song, he said "Yeah!" and Alora said, "Yeah!" I helped Cole change clothes and before Alora ran away, I grabbed her and said, "Your turn." While I was changing her, she said, "Yo durrr..." YOUR TURN. So precious. Her talking is really either for entertainment or a slip; she prefers to point and grunt. Necessity, I guess. I imagine she'll be competing with Cole before long, though! They are getting along a lot better lately.

Christmas 2009

It was a magical day as I hoped for...Alora surprisingly was up early and did not want to go back to sleep like she normally does so early in the morning, but possibly she knew there was something special about the day! We all got up and went downstairs to see what Santa had left us all. Cole was very excited about the car track he saw first and Alora her 4-wheeler that matched Cole's. Of course, Cole couldn't pull himself away from his new electric train! We set it up in his room so that he could play with it by himself and not worry about little sister trying to take it apart and of course he asks us constantly to go with him to watch it! We had a fun time playing with cars, building robots with all the Megablocks, coloring, eating, practicing ABCs, and chasing each other on the 4-wheelers. It was a fun-filled day that I hope the children will remember...at least a part of.

Alora is babbling!

She's so cute! The past couple of weeks, we realized that when Alora yells, "Bah BAH!" She's calling her brother. We would say, "Boy BOY?!" We tested it out...she will keep repeating after you! This week or rather yesterday, I noticed when she woke up from her nap she started doing the "Doy doy doy..." the same thing Cole did last year transitioning to words! She also has been "La la la..." singing and "L..." swishing her tongue side to side...So I believe her first word was Mama which she still says, for me it's "maMA?" but it sounds similar when she wants a bite of your food! "mammma". She says bottle "BAba". I miss it, but am so glad she has stopped the glass-shattering scream! She still has quite some lungs when she cries and you can't miss her crying...oh no, she WILL be heard!

Decorating Done?

Here are some current photos of the house...

Family Photos November 2009

In an effort to get a jump on the Christmas cards, I set us up to take portraits again this year with Nicole/Moonlighting Photography. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for a Sunday on which Heath works, so by the time we got there it was already dark outside. The kids were tired, I was tired, Heath was tired...needless to say, we hurried the session along. Fortunately, we got a few good shots from the magic that Nicole captures! We were probably in and out of there in about 45 minutes where as under normal circumstances she takes as long as needed to "get the shot" we want or need. She does a great job and I'm never disappointed. The kids could cooperate a little more, though...oh well, that's how it goes. I'm hoping we can do another session in March for Cole's 3rd birthday with the Razorback outfits I got the kids on our summer trip. They are cold-weather sports outfits, so hopefully it will still be cool/cold next March! If we can get the kids to pose together, too...

Our First Home

Oh yeah...so I keep forgetting to publish the photos of the house keeping up with FB and myspace (they're on there!)forgetting that FB copies what I have here so I would only have to write it once...HELLO! Anyway, we returned from our summer vacation to find out that we got the house of our dreams, the one we had been holding out for, praying for while we let all the other good ones, ready ones, for-sure ones go...worrying about whether or not we would have a place to live since the house we were renting was going into forclosure and the bank wanted us out so they could sell it...I prayed and prayed for this house and the Lord delivered! And what a blessing this year (past 12 months) has been with the house and Alora coming into our lives! It all worked out in the end and we got a great deal to boot! Enjoy the photos and I hope you can drop by sometime and see it for real...nevermind that I have to clean in shifts!...I'll burn a candle for you!

Halloween 2009

We took the kids to the District Trick-or-Treating this year and to their "Ghost Walk" hoping for something different and interesting. The District at Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino is an outdoor shopping mall, a true Mall in that it is a street that is blocked from cars and has shops on both sides of the street. It is a favorite shopping place of mine that I shopped regularly my first year of teaching when I was revamp my wardrobe from the Hawaii beach wear and lifeguarding job to becoming a teacher. Now, mind you, I have neither the funds nor motivation and still wear the wardrobe from five years ago! That's quality, folks! Also, I would rather spend my money on pink baby clothes! Remember, Cole's wardrobe has been provided by my generous coworkers and will last/have sizes up to 6! He's still in a 2-3! Off the subject...so the Ghost Walk was interesting with Circus tents and characters handing out candy. The shops side was reminiscent of the Galleria Mall last year with a line of people snaking and blocking all of the shops. We staying on the street catching sight of oddly placed merchants and Trick-or-Treated with them!
After all, there was no contest of obtaining the most candy that night. We just wanted Cole and Alora (Mommy and Daddy, too!) to see the costumes and experience the evening. But really, Mommy just wanted to show off her little Snow White!
The night ended well with a lollipop on the way home and then right to bed!