Our Future Golf Pro

Anyone that knows my dad know he plays golf religiously. Kelsie mimics the actions of those she loves, so as you can imagine she wants to play golf like her grandpa! The other day we went out to lunch and Kelsie started moving her arms in a kind of peculiar way and I thought she was dancing. So I asked her if she was dancing to the music. She looked at me like I was the stupidest person in the world and indignantly said "No Mommy, I am practicing my golf swing like grandpa". Once I knew that was what she was doing I realized that she in fact was "practicing her swing" just like grandpa does. It was hilarious! Mike and I still laugh about that all the time!

The Children's Museum

Since Mike was taking the rest of the year off we took Kelsie to the Children's Museum. We thought that it wouldn't be too busy on a Tuesday. Boy were we wrong! It was terribly crowded. Kelsie still enjoyed herself, but the crowds got to her toward the end. I don't blame her either. They were getting to all of us after being there a few hours. Next time we will not go during the holiday season!

Moody Gardens

We had planned on going to the Festival of Lights before Christmas, but it just didn't work out. We didn't want to miss it altogether so we took her a few days after Christmas. Kelsie decided she wanted to go through the aquarium first. I haven't seen her so excited about seeing the aquarium at any of our other visits there. She just kept shouting "Look Mommy, look Daddy" at everything. Her favorite are the sting rays. She loves watching them swim around and she always wants to feed them like we did in Kemah. Unfortunately they don't let you at Moody Gardens, but that didn't seem to lessen her excitement about watching them in the least. As we were going through she just kept asking about all the fish and animals and had a great time taking pictures of some of them. The only part she didn't like was at the very end when you go through the sharks. We didn't stay long there, because she kept saying she was scared. She was fine once she got to go through the gift shop at the end of the sharks and was ready to go see the lights.

It was very cold that evening, so we decided to ride the little train they have going through the festival instead of trying to walk. She loved it! It was definitely the way to go on a night like that. We pointed out all her favorite characters and she just oohed and ahhed over all the pretty Christmas lights. We then went to go watch the ice skaters at the ice rink they had set up and she thought that was neat too. She wanted to go ride the train again before we left, but by that time it was already past her bedtime. She got over it when we promised she could have a little treat before bed when we got home. We had a blast and can't wait to go again next year!

Christmas

Christmas just gets more exciting and fun each year. Now that Kelsie is a little older she definitely understands what Christmas time is all about and you can see her excitement as the day draws near. I love that she not only understands everything about Santa and presents, but the true reason we all celebrate Christmas as well. Her MDO program has helped drive that point home by having a Happy Birthday Jesus party instead of a Santa themed one.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas at my parents house along with my brother and SIL (who unfortunately had to be on bed rest due to a baby that wants to come out a little early). Kelsie loves having the family together including all of our combined six dogs (4 pomeranians, a lab, and a beagle).

Kelsie was super excited when we opened the first gifts on Christmas Eve. Although she didn't want to stop when we said that was all for that night. She was sneaky and grabbed another one and had it ripped open before we could stop her. We didn't mind too much, but we wanted most of the gifts saved for Christmas day. After that we hid the rest of her gifts while the adults opened their Christmas Eve presents.


Christmas Eve

She then couldn't wait to leave cookies and milk for Santa. She insisted that he needed lots of cookies and chocolate milk, because plain milk wasn't good enough. She couldn't wait to see if he had eaten them when she woke up on Christmas morning. The first thing she did when she was allowed down stairs was run over and check the plate to see that he had eaten the cookies, drank the milk, and even left her a little thank you note for the yummy snack. It was so cute seeing her try to read it to everyone after we had read it to her!

She then got to see what Santa brought for her. The first thing she saw was her rocking horse and instead of getting excited she asked "We're my pretend kitty cats?" That is all she has been asking for since we started talking about Christmas. Luckily Santa had pulled through and they were sitting next to her horse. All was well and she was excited again once she realized they were there.


Christmas Day

After we finished opening the rest of the gifts with my family, Mike's mom came over and we exchanged gifts with her as well. Then we all had a lovely lunch and visited for the rest of Christmas day. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, but it was a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of wonderful memories that we will all cherish in years to come. I can't wait to see what next year will bring when we will have a new addition to the family to share Christmas with as well!

Our Trip to the Zoo

Mike decided to take the last two weeks of the year off so we could all enjoy the holidays together. We thought it would be a great opportunity to take Kelsie out to the zoo. It turned out to be perfect weather for it and it wasn't all that busy. She loved looking at all the animals. We caught the sea lion show, which none of us have done before. Her favorite part though was petting the goats and riding the carousel. She even rode one of the carousel animals that went up and down the second time she rode the carousel. She has never done that before and we were so proud of her for deciding on her own to try something new. Right before we left we rode the train. She wasn't so sure about it at first, because she thought it would be too noisy. Once we were on it she finally decided it was OK and that the whistle wasn't as loud as she thought. Overall it was a wonderful family day and I hope we get to go back again soon!

Kelsie's School Christmas Program

For weeks Kelsie would come home practicing various Christmas songs that they were practicing for her Christmas Program at her school. She was very excited about it and kept asking when they were going to have the actual program, so when the day finally came she couldn't wait to go to school! Me, Mike, my parents, and my MIL all came to see her perform. I could see that she was looking for us as soon as she walked into the auditorium. Once she saw us she started telling the little girl next to her that there was her mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, and grammy. It was so cute to see her so excited!

They made some adorable reindeer shirts at school for the kids to wear and I was a little worried that Kelsie wouldn't want to wear it, but she had it on and didn't seem to mind in the least. She did wonderfully during the program. She sang and did all the hand motions along with everyone else. Just like at the Noah's Ark Program earlier this year when there was a pause between songs she would giggle a little. I guess she gets a kick out of the audience clapping and waving to them. She had a blast and we were all very proud of her and the rest of the kids performing that day. I hope they have another program soon, because Kelsie loves them!

After the program everyone except grammy (she had an event at her church) came back to our house to visit and play. I took the opportunity to get some pictures of everyone with Kelsie. I tried to take care of that at the church, but Kelsie was not being very cooperative about taking pictures. We all had a wonderful time and Kelsie enjoyed her day.

The Christmas Carnival

We went to the Christmas Carnival they had at Nick's school and it was so much fun! They had pony rides, a train, and all sorts of booths and games setup for the kids. Kelsie's favorite part was the pony rides. In fact she rode them 3 times! She was so excited to be at Nick's school and was even more excited when we found him. It turned out to be perfect timing, because he was about to ride the train and she wanted to ride with him. We spent 2 hours there and Kelsie enjoyed every minute of it!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

The weekend after Thanksgiving we started putting up our Christmas decorations on the inside. I wanted to get it done early this year, so we could have some time to enjoy them. Kelsie was very excited to help with the tree. In fact she hasn't stopped redecorating the tree ever since. Every day, sometimes several times a day, she will move the ornaments she can reach around and even use them as toys sometimes. We don't mind and I love the she gets so much enjoyment out of it!

Thanksgiving

Unfortunately Mike had to work on Thanksgiving this year, but he was on the day shift so we all got to have Thanksgiving dinner together that evening. My dad decided to come pick Kelsie and me up that morning and we spent the day with my parents, my brother, and my SIL. Kelsie had lots of fun playing with everyone and helping grandma make a couple of pumpkin pies.

Mike came over after his shift and we all had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner together. Although we missed him being there during the day it still turned out to be a really nice Thanksgiving. Kelsie and I decided to stay the night that night, since Mike had to work again the next day and we helped grandma put up her tree and some of the other Christmas decorations she has. It was fun and it is something we usually don't have the opportunity to do together.

Christmas Pictures

Funnies

The other day Kelsie was watching football with Grandpa. Apparently the referee came on the screen and Kelsie said "Look Grandpa that man is dressed up like a Zebra!" She probably thought it was just like Halloween!

Today I asked her to do me a favor and go feed the dogs (which she usually loves to do)and of course she said no thank you since it wasn't her idea. Well a couple of minutes later she came to me and said "Mommy, after you feed the dogs will you do me a favor and give me some candy?". I couldn't believe she decided to use my words against me! :)

Picture With Santa

I know it is a little early, but we went ahead and took Kelsie to see Santa Claus today. We wanted to go on a day when we were pretty sure it wouldn't be busy, so she wouldn't be rushed. She was so excited she could hardly wait to see Santa. When we got there he was taking a small break to get coffee and Kelsie chatted with his helpers until he got back. When he sat down he asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she climbed right into his lap and started telling him that she wants a mommy and baby pretend cat (she wants one of those fur real cats they have out now). It was so cute to see her sitting there so big and not seeming scared at all. Of course she had "Other Dog" for support as she sat with Santa, so I think that helped a lot. I am so proud of my little girl!

Halloween 2009

On Halloween we decided to go to Kelsie's MDO Festival they were having and then go out trick or treating with Sophia and Nick. As soon as we got there Kelsie insisted on looking for both her teachers. I wasn't sure if either of them would be there, but we did wind up finding Ms. Jana and that seemed to make her happy! While at the festival we did the trunk or treating, the obstacle course, and the hay ride. Kelsie loved it all until the last time she went through the obstacle course a guy in a wrestling match came out of the shadows unexpectedly and that scared Kelsie to the point that she refused to stay any longer. She kept talking about the guy in the mask that scared her, so we left and waited for Heather and Sophia to get back so we could all go trick or treating.

Kelsie wasn't in the best of moods when we first set out due to the incident at the festival and I wasn't sure how long she would last. She refused to go up to the first few houses and was being ugly to everyone at first, but true to form it wasn't long before she decided she did want to get some more candy and got in there with everyone else. We started out with Sophia, Kelsie, Nick, and Nick's friend Hunter along with every one's parents, but it wasn't long before we came across a house that had setup a haunted house for everyone to go through. Neither Sophia or Kelsie wanted to go through, but the boys did of course so the rest of the evening it was just Sophia and Kelsie trick or treating together. They had lots of fun and got more candy than they could ever eat!



They finally decided they were done and we went back to Heather and Sophia's house were the girls enjoyed some of their spoils. Once they had eaten their limit of candy they played in the playroom while the adults watched a little football and relaxed. Overall it was a great Halloween and I can't wait till next year!

Noah's Ark Program

Kelsie's school had the kids perform in a Noah's Ark Program in lieu of a Halloween program. We had heard bits and pieces of the songs and such for several weeks prior to the actual program, but I couldn't believe how well she did when it was time to perform. She did all the movements right along with everyone and was loving every minute of it! She apparently thought the audience reactions to each song was very funny, because in between each one she would giggle so much that her little body would shake a little. All the kids looked adorable in their animal costumes and they all seemed to have a good time. She was super excited to see Mike, Grammy, and me in watching her and had the biggest smile on her face when she saw us. I can't wait to see the next program they have at Christmas!

Our Halloween Cutie

Halloween Party

Our moms group had a Halloween Party which Heather hosted.I wasn't sure Kelsie was going to participate, because as soon as she saw that more than just Sophia was there she said she didn't want to go! :( We finally convinced her to at least go for a little while and she did participate in some of the activities. Heather and I had come up with some ideas for things for the kids to feel. For example she reached into a pumpkin to pull out some plastic lizards and she reached into a bowl full of cooked "brains and eyeballs" (spaghetti and peeled grapes). She seemed to get a kick out of those!

When it was time to eat she insisted on going home to eat. I really think she expects it to just be her, Sophia, and maybe Nick when she goes to Sophia's house. The thought of eating with everyone there was a little too much. However she jumped right into trick or treating with all the kids. We went to our neighbor's house, our house, and Heather's house. The kids were super excited to practice trick or treating and they all did great! On the way back into Heather's house they all discovered a dead worm and of course they all had to investigate.

We then went back in and the kids ate some candy and little snack cakes. Once that was over Kelsie was ready to leave again, so we went outside and played in our driveway. Sophia came out too and eventually a couple of other kids came out too. Although Kelsie wasn't too into a lot of it the party still turned out to be really fun. I hope we can do it again next year!

Kelsie's School Picture 2009

I love how Kelsie's first school picture of the year turned out! She looks so grown up!

Nick's Birthday

We went to our friend Nick's sixth birthday and Kelsie had a blast! He had his party at Acrosports and although Kelsie and Sophia were the youngest ones attending that day they kept up with the older kids and had a great time. Kelsie stretched and went through the obstacle course with the rest of the kids which she refused to do without help at her own birthday this year. She didn't ask for help except when she tried to go down the slide on the bounce house. She wasn't quite tall enough to get up there by herself. I was so proud that she was willing to do so many things without Mommy and Daddy helping her the whole time. My baby is growing up! :)

She was very excited when it was time for cake! Unfortunately the theme of the party was trains and the kids got some train whistles in their goody bags which were extremely loud. Kelsie and Sophia kept covering their ears until most of the kids stopped blowing the whistles when the cake was served. I thought we were going to have to leave for a minute, but all of that was forgotten once the cake was served. Kelsie couldn't stop talking about the party once it was over. It was a fun party and she wants to go to another one soon!

Sophia rode home with us from the party and the girls giggled and played the whole way home. When we got back Nick and his friend Hunter came outside and all the kids played first in the cul-de-sac and then in Nick's house for while. They all got along well at first, but then there were a few little disagreements over who should be in charge of how they play. Kelsie always thinks its her way or no way, so she decided it was time to go home! It was fun while it lasted though.

Super Saturday

Saturday we were invited to play with our friends Martin, Denise, Abbie, and Timmy. The adults watched the football game while the girls played. It was lots of fun despite a few arguments from the girls. They love each other, but both seem to know how to push each other's buttons. It seems like every time one had a toy the other insisted that she needed it right then. They still played well together for the most part and both had a great time. We ordered some Pappasito's fajitas for lunch and it was lots of fun visiting and enjoying the game together. (Admittedly Mike and I aren't that much into football, but we caught some of our friends' enthusiasm for it while we were there)

After nap Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and to babysit Kelsie since Mike and I were going to a game night at our neighbors house. Before game night started Nick and Kelsie played with bubbles for a while and then on Nick's trampoline. Sophia came to jump too and the kids were all pretty worn out before they went inside.

Game night was a blast. We played Taboo for a good portion of the time guys against the girls. We tied with the girls winning one game and the guys winning one game. After Taboo we broke out the Wii. That was even funnier than Taboo! We all laughed so hard our stomachs ached watching everyone try to do Yoga and Boxing. I wish I had thought to take pictures. I can't wait until the next one!