Santa 2008

We saw Santa at Park Plaza mall tonight. Ruby and Trip were both happy to sit in his lap even though Trip was just wanting to get it over with so we could go eat. Ruby told him that she wanted MORE Barbies. Yippee!

Candy Land

I think even adults get bored those last few days before Christmas anticipating the arrival of new toys. Yesterday was especially bad knowing that, because of the icy weather, we'd be stuck in the house for a couple of days so Santa made an early delivery of Candy Land. Ruby and I have gotten in a routine the past couple of weeks of playing a game as soon as Trip goes down for a nap. Then she knows that it's "Mommy" time and she has to entertain herself while I do "Mommy" things. Candy Land was one of my favorite's when I was little so this was actually really fun for me (unlike some of the preschool games which can be really boring). Only 4 more days until Christmas in Heber!!

Gingerbread Houses

Friday night the Brzezinskis & Days joined us for dinner and afterwards the kids decorated gingerbread houses. Yes, that is Rex piping. Ruby decorated most of her house but when she lost interest, Rex jumped in and did a great job giving our house some finishing touches. Trip and Ruby both tasted just about every type of candy on the table and Trip helped himself to icing. Thanks for a fun evening Somer, Clif, Vivian, Bauer, April, Craig, Morgan, and Gavin!! We'll definitely do it again next year.

Holiday Lights 2008

Saturday night we bundled the kids up in their Christmas pajamas and went to see the holiday lights at Burns Park and Sherwood. Ruby pointed out the several "tivities (nativities)" and surprised us when she also spotted "Bethlehem." Trip who is talking nonstop these days was pointing out everything and loved the "choo choo train." He also constantly tells us that "it's dark out there." If you haven't been to see lights yet, I recommend Sherwood over NLR. It's free, a better display, and you get free full-size candy canes! But, $5 a car at Burns Park isn't bad for some easy kid-friendly entertainment either.

Elf on the Shelf

Sunday night, we introduced the kids to our new book "Elf on the Shelf." If your not familiar with this book, in a nutshell, the elf is Santa's helper who reports back to Santa every night how the children are behaving. Every night the elf flies away to the North Pole to see Santa and reappears the next morning in a new place in the house. Each family names their elf and Ruby decided on the classic name "Dwayne" for our elf. When I finished reading the book, Ruby gave Rex and I a look that said, "Yeah, right." I don't think little smarty pants is buying it but we're going to milk it as long as possible. =)

Thanx 2008

We went to Heber Springs on Thursday and had Thanksgiving with Rex's family. 1st we went to Memaw Decker's (Rex's mom's mom) and Ruby had fun hanging out with her cousin, Waverlee, and Trip rocked out on RockBand. That night we headed to Mammaw Jessie's (Rex's Dad's mom) and soon after we got there Uncle Robert (Rex's Dad's brother) showed up with a deer and the men just had to include Trip in on the celebratory action. I tried to edit out the bloody deer carcass. Thank you, Rexy, for not hunting anymore!! Ick!!

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Scarecrow Outfits

A couple of weeks ago we met the Days at the Museum of Discovery for a play date. Ruby and Trip wore the matching scarecrow outfits that belonged to me and Jeremy. I tried several times to get a good photo of them together but just getting them in the same frame was a challenge. Thanks for the outfits YaYa!

Halloween 2008

These pics loaded in an odd order so I'll do my best to explain each photo. MOPS had a hayride for the kids the week before Halloween and had a fall scene set up for taking pictures (last pic). Of course, Trip was just interested in playing with the little "bopkins" as he calls them. Fortunately, YaYa got some great pics of them at her house in their matching outfits that she made for Jer and I in probably 1982........Thursday night we went to a Halloween carnival with the Brzezinski's at the Maumelle Community Center. Ruby wore her Jasmine costume and we had planned for Trip to wear his Elmo costume. Trip apparantly now has a major aversion for costumes. He refused to wear Elmo or his knight dress-up outfit. Finally we dressed him in his baseball jersey and hat. Thanks for the Halloween costume Ms. Sandra!! =) Halloween day I took the kids to Chik-fil-A for lunch and to Toy Up to browse toys for Christmas. Ruby wore Belle and Trip his football jersey. Doesn't he look like such a big boy? ......... Halloween night we headed to Trunk-or Treat at Crosswalk where Ruby wore Jasmine, Trip a baseball player, and I at the very last minute decided to go as Sarah Palin which was a big hit. I squeezed into one of my old suits, donned my glasses, a swept back and teased up hairdo, and an American flag sticker that I found in my craft cabinet. It was a fun Halloween. If only I could just toss all this candy without Ruby noticing. =)

The Frohawk

Ok, this picture does not do it justice. It was actually really cute but this picture just makes Trip look like he stuck his finger in a socket. I thought I'd experiment with his hair this morning and spiked it up with some gel. His MOPS teacher, Ms. Karen, appropriately called it a frohawk. He knew he was lookin' like such a little stud and gave big grins to everyone when we walked into MOPS today.

Schaefer Pumpkin Patch

Today we went to the Schaefer Pumpkin Patch in Mayflower for Morgan's 6th birthday party. We had a busy morning of taking family photos so the kids were already getting pretty tired by the time we got out to Mayflower around noon. We rode a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins and Trip had no interest in picking a pumpkin. He HAD to get up on the giant tractor and the kind driver (who, by the way, looked just like Dale Earnhardt) was happy to oblige. Then we enjoyed lunch and birthday cake and let the kids ride the "train." Ruby had a full blown fit when she didn't get to ride in the 1st cart but had perked up by the time it was over. Trip, of course, loved every minute of it and was upset when it was over. We apparently were all worn out from the day because we all 4 went home and took a nearly 4 hour nap! ........... and, yes, I am getting as much wear as possible from their matching Halloween t's.

Giddy Up!

This morning several of the moms and their kids from my MOPS Bible study went out to Stephanie Newcomb's mother's ranch to ride Redneck the pony. I have to admit that I quickly became aware of my lack of basic equastrian knowledge (sorry mom!). I thought that a horse being a "pony" meant that it was a small, young horse- except for those Shetland ponies that are always small. I was surprised to learn that Redneck was actually 12 years old. Ruby and Trip LOVED riding the pony around and watching the other horses. Trip who is usually Mr. Smiley was one serious cowboy today! Though he was having a blast, this was the biggest smile I could get out of him while he was on the horse. Thanks so much for a fun time, Stephanie and Ms. Jennifer!

The Gumball Machine

At a garage sale on Friday I found one of my best garage sale finds ever- this little gumball machine for $2! This thing is the creme de la creme of bribery tools for a parent of a 3 year old. I filled it with Skittles (since Trip isn't quite ready for gumballs) and let the bribing begin!! I told Ruby she could have a penny if she would stay in her room and be quiet during Trip's naptime. Wahoo, it worked! She was so excited to put her money into the machine and retrieve her 6 Skittles. So cute!!.............. now I just have to figure out how to keep Rex out of it.

Ruby writes her name

Yesterday afternoon I was in the kitchen busily prepping 30 baked potatoes for our church small group and in comes Ruby saying, "Mommy, Mommy, I wrote my name!" My 1st thoughts were, "Oh no, where?" and then, "She doesn't know how to do that" but then clear as day on her medium of choice, the MagnaDoodle, I see this. Later on she gets some help from Daddy on proper letter formation and does this. Way to go, Ruby! We're soooo proud of you!.............. I have to admit that I was pretty impressed that she self-taught herself how to write her name. Could the Harvard t-shirt be foreshadowing her future? Hee Hee........................By the way, she has a skeeter bite on her chin that she's been picking at.

Ms. Sandra's new pad!

We are so excited that Ms. Sandra will soon be moving to a new apartment! Sorry that for some reason the vertical pics uploaded horizontally. The emergency pull cords will light up that yellow light outside of the apartment. The front patio is large enough for a small table and chairs and she can do whatever she wants with her flower bed. Also, there is transportation provided to the grocery store, library, dr.'s appts, and to the senior citizen center. Yea, Ms. Sandra!! We are so happy for you! Congratulations!

Ruby Goes to the Dentist

Ruby went to the dentist for the 1st time yesterday and she was such a big girl!! She sat still to get her X-rays taken and to get her teeth cleaned and, best of all, no cavities! Afterwards she picked out the purple bug antennas from the treasure chest. As we were leaving Ruby said to me, "I had fun, mom. When do I get to come back?" Way to go, Ruby!!!

Memphis Zoo

Here are some pics from our trip to the zoo while we were in Memphis. Thanks for a fun day YaYa!! (click on picture for larger view)

My buddy, James!!

Here is what I believe is James's Reeves blog debut and I'm sure this will be the first of many. James and Trip are 3 weeks apart and are becoming the best of buds. They decided to take a rest on the rug after small group tonight and then when they realized I was taking their picture, stood up and posed. so precious!!