Parker's Party

Last weekend we went to Parker's FIFTH birthday party and then had a sleepover at his house! Everyone had a great time bowling and playing!

Gumbo

Yes, I'm from Louisiana. Yes, I'm 'older'. Yes, this was my FIRST time ever making gumbo! I was craving chicken and sausage gumbo, so decided to give it a shot. My mom had told me the recipe, but I didn't write anything down. It was a disaster to begin with when trying to make the roux.  I called her when my 'roux' started growing and getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Seriously, it was a ball of 'roux'! She asked how much flour I used and when I said a CUP, she laughed like any good mama would! There's a BIG difference between a tablespoon and a CUP in case you didn't know. I tossed that batch in the trash and started over. Everything went smoothly after that. It was delicious and I'll definitely make it again.

The Smallest Flower

Alyssa is forever picking weeds, grass, leaves, and flowers for me. When I go to get her backpack out of her cubby at school, I always giggle when I see a leaf or flower laying there. One day, I almost missed the world's smallest flower waiting there for me. It melts my heart that she is so kind and thoughtful. Don't get me wrong, she can go from angel to devil in less than 2 seconds, but I'll keep her!

Addison Reading

I write very short stories for Addison to read just to test her. She reads some books, but they have pictures and sometimes I think she uses the pictures and memorizes the stories instead of really reading. It's freaking amazing that she is learning to freaking read! *Here's a video. If you can't view it, then go directly to the blog and you will be able to watch.*

Alyssa's Thanksgiving Feast

Blake went and ate lunch with Alyssa, since she could only have one guest and I always get to do special things with the girls. It did make me sad and I shed a few tears when he sent me some pictures. It was hard to miss out, but then I thought about how Blake must feel when I send him pictures of what I'm doing with the girls. *There's a video of Alyssa singing at the very bottom. If you can't view it in the email, then go directly to the blog and you can watch it there. She is the 2nd from the left on stage.*

The Bracelet

And so it begins...Colton gave Addison a bracelet because he likes her and thinks she is nice! She still says that Michael is the only boy she likes though.

School Days

Holy Smokes! When I put her school pictures in a group like this, I'm just in awe that this baby girl is no longer a baby girl. She's growing by leaps and bounds every day! 

Memaw Time

Better late than never! The girls & I enjoyed spending time with Memaw a few weeks ago. It's always a treat for us to see a familiar face around our house. 

Lunch Date

Last Friday, I had a lunch date with these 2 little cuties at school. Addison was able to pick one friend to eat with us and she chose Clara. We giggled and talked and had the best time! I can't wait to go again. Maybe once a month?

That same night was the Harvest Hoedown at Addison's school. She ran into Clara and Avry and a few other friends. They were super excited to see each other. It made my heart smile to see her interact with her friends.

Alyssa's Eye Check-Up

Alyssa had a perfect check-up yesterday! Her vision is 20/20 and we don't have to go back for 18 months! She was remarkably brave when it came time for the nurse to dilate her little eyes. Especially since there were FOUR different drops! A little while later I asked Alyssa to look at me, so I could see her eyes dilated. She asked 'mom, do my eyes look blurry?'. I said 'no, does mommy look blurry to you?'. She said 'yes'! LOL! So funny!

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Happy Halloween 2013

The rain moved out just in time for trick or treating! Lots of happy kids around here! We went to Alyssa's school festival first and then went trick or treating on our street. It gets a little crazy in our neighborhood at Halloween and Christmas. I heard stories about how everyone from nearby towns park at a local grocery store and walk into our neighborhood for trick or treating. Sometimes traffic is so bad that streets have to be closed off and you can only drive in if you show proof that you live here! It was pretty congested on the way to and from the school. We don't live on the main street or close to an entrance, so our street was pretty quiet. All of the neighbors loved visiting with the girls. One neighbor even offered up her 13 year old to babysit. Better watch out, we may take them up on that offer since they are just a few doors down from us!

This is Ruby. She goes to school with Alyssa.

They were more concerned with the candy in their buckets than with the camera!

Pumpkins & Puke

They both had a cold for a few days, but last Saturday Addison started to complain that her tummy hurt. My first question was 'are you going to throw up' and the second question was 'do you need to use the bathroom'! She answered 'no' to both questions. Thirty minutes later...PUKE! It only lasted for a day and then she was back to normal. My poor little angel! This is only the 2nd time that she's had the 'pukes', so I consider myself lucky!  Blake carved the pumpkins and did a great job! We had a minion for Alyssa and a silly face for Addison. I painted the baby pumpkins with a little help from the girls.