Merry Christmas

We woke up early Christmas morning and opened gifts.  It's always exciting to see what Santa delivered.  After we celebrated as a family of 4 we went to Clifton to visit my Aunt and Uncle.  Hayden rode his motorcycle and Layla just jumped around, as you can see.

We started the day with pancakes.  Gary is our pancake artist and he has taught the kids how to make fun shapes with pancake batter.  He made a birthday cake for Jesus, Santa's sleigh, Daisy's face and of course Hayden had to make the ever so popular turd emoji, picutred on LK's gown.

The dogs got bones from my parents and Santa brought them candy canes too.

I got warm furry blankets for my living room and I couldn't be happier!  Silly Daisy is licking her nose begging for more treats.  We had a very Merry Christmas!

decorating for Christmas

It is so fun decorating a new house at Christmas time.

We have a front room that attaches to the kitchen.  It could be a formal dining room or even an office if it had doors.  We wanted a music area and knew that this room would be the perfect spot for the Christmas tree.  Someday we will remove the light fixture and then it will look less dining-ish in that area.

I'm loving our little Santa on the door.  When the wind blows his beard blows and he sways.  I just love his little face.

This time of year is just so wonderfully sweet.  I'm thankful each and every day for the blessings in my life.  Merry Christmas decorating y'all!

Happy 9th birthday little man

 

This silly man turned 9 today, but he turned his birthday breakfast cake candle upside down.  He is such a silly prankster! 

Hayden decided he wanted Georges for his birthday dinner, so tonight we celebrate him at a fun eating spot of his choice.

 

Hayden chose yellow cake with chocolate icing for his birthday cake this year, but he saw a pecan cake mix in the pantry and we went with that.  It was mighty tasty!

 

I'm praying in this guys 9th year he will clear up from the eczema he's been fighting for so long.  I know moving to a nice new home will help him so much!  We love you HC!

12 on the 11th

 

Layla's birthday cake of the year was cookie cake this year.  She woke up 12 years old and decided to have cookie cake for breakfast.  We have to stick to our traditions!!

 

Birthday selfie!!

 

Layla had 3 friends over for a birthday sleepover.  They painted shirts, jumped on the trampoline and giggled a TON!

She was thrilled to have buddies come to our new house.  We are getting settled in, but that didn't stop her from having a fun sleepover party!

 

  We are thankful for our 12 year old!  

Happy Happy Day!

Moving and Unpacking .... again!

I finished work mid-June and we packed and purged and packed and went to the water park.  That is about all we did.  I was ready to get us moved, but still want to make the beginning of summer fun for the munchkins.  

We didn't really unpack all that much in our rental house when we first moved back to Waco.  There were tons of boxes and totes we needed to move, but we also aquired  a little junk that we needed to go through. When you move a million times in 5 years you pretty much have the system down. ha!  I'm excited to get settled and unpacked in our new house.  The timing is perfect since I'm off work during the summer.  I feel like we have waited for this moment since we sold our house in Haslet.  It's time to unpack and settle in for the next chapter!

Unpacking and getting settled

  

I am sitting down in front of the fire tonight.  I have been working and working and working on unpacking this house and I am exhausted!

The kids rooms are slowly coming around.  We still have to hang curtains, but slowly we are feeling more at home.  

Both kids are loving their new rooms.  We all love the carpet and the pups love their fenced yard.  No more dog collars beeping at them to stay in their 'area.'  It's a fun house and soon we will be completely unpacked!  It's refeshing to have an attached garage and space for everything again.  We feel more at home with every passing day!

Our first visitors from Texas

My parents got here on Wednesday and we have had the best time showing them around our new town!

We have all really enjoyed having them here!  

  

My dad rented a Ford Mustang convertible to drive while they were here.

He said in all 60 something years of his life he's never driven a convertible.  We had a blast cruizing around town with the top down and the wind blowing through our hair.

We have enjoyed taking them to all the great restaurants and eating ALL the great food.  We made sure they had the Pulled Pork nachos from the Boathouse.  It is the best place to sit outside in the spring and summer.  I love watching the big barges pushing coal float down the river.  I think my parents enjoyed a break in the heat that Texas is having right now.  Although the summer has been very mild, Ohio weather has been simply amazing!  It didn't get above 88 degrees the entire week vs. 100 degrees in Texas!

We toured the town and took them to Lookout point so they could enjoy the awesome view.   It is one of my favorite places in town.  I love to take pictures of the cute little city!

Netsie showed Layla how to crochet.  I don't even know how to do it, so maybe Layla can teach me too!

We all had a fun time here at home just enjoying the weather and our backyard.  We can't wait for them to come back again soon!!

Boxes make the best toys!

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random wednesday rambles

I love corn tortillas   I forget about them, but when I ordered fajitas the other day at our local Mexican food restaurant I requested corn torts.  They were so good I bought some on my last grocery trip.  I realized I can eat two for what you can eat one flour tortilla.  I ate corn tortillas tonight instead of tostada shells.  The taste of a corn tortilla is good.  It's so Mexican.

I got my hair cut and colored today, and it happened right in time for the kids to be out of school for summer.  I got lots of blonde and I couldn't be happier.  I haven't been crazy about my hair lately and not adding low lights made all the difference for me.  Sometimes I just need a change and I'm happy to be happy.

Hayden is so funny.  When he plays heads or tails with a penny he says "heads or ladders."  Look at a penny and you'll know why.  It makes me giggle every time he says it out loud!  It only happens with a penny.  Also, the other day at Walmart we were in the checkout line and he say a grey haired man with longer-ish hair and he said, "look mommy, there is the man on the quarter."  He wasn't discreet.  I wanted the world to open a big black hole and swallow me up.  haha!

He looks the same huh?!?

We are moving and I couldn't be happier.  I despise moving, but tonight while I was trying to re-establish our internet connection (the modem needed to be reset) I walked down into the basement and the air conditioner was leaking onto some of our boxes.  It was just a few things we were storing...our Christmas tree, some pictures and a few books.  Any way... those things don't matter, but what does matter is that my heart is singing a happy song because we will be out of this house by the end of the month.  While I am terribly sad to leave this street and all my friends, I am so happy to be leaving this barn house.  I am thankful for my stay here because I made so many friends, but I am still in the same super small town and we'll still be buddies.  It's not like moving from TX to OH.

So yep, we are moving.  This weekend.  We are moving to a farm-ish style house about 6 miles away from here.  Our new house is smaller than this house which I'm loving.  I don't want to clean a large house and I feel like this house has wasted space.  Our new house is surrounded by land, but it is also right next door to the school.  It's really weird   We'll feel like we are out in the country, but connected to town too.  The kids and dogs will have so much space in which to RUNNNNN!!!  Our new house is right next door to the school.  Did I mention that?  This year I didn't drive Layla to school one time.  Even in the snow or rain we were close enough to walk.  The new house is that close too.  I'm so excited!  I should sell my car, but I love my Jeep, so that won't happen. heehee!

Two more days of school!  Yay!

Can you tell they are ready for summer?

Our week in Instagram pics

Monday while the kids were at school I drove all around town looking for houses.  I stopped and got this snack.  The SlimJim was yucky, but the Snapple was yummy!

Tuesday Hayden washed his golf clubs.

Wednesday we found a cute little farm house surrounded by lots of green grass and trees.  It is on a huge lot and we are in love with it!  We have 3 houses now....this new house, a rent house here in the same city and our house in Texas.  Our lease is expiring on our rent house and hopefully we will sell our house in Texas soon.  It will be so nice to have to keep up with only one house like most families.  Having multiple homes is for the birds!  I'm ready to start summertime stress free!

Thursday was our 'busy evening' day.

Hayden had soccer practice.

Layla had dance practice.  She is really loving it!  I'm so proud of her.

Friday was "Funday Friday."  I had lunch with a fun group of ladies!  We sat out by the river on a patio while the sun was blaring on us.  It was greatness!

Today I am making a simple syrup for the Mint Juleps we are drinking tonight at the Kentucky Derby/Cinco De Mayo party we are attending.  

That is our very busy week in a simple little nutshell.