Christmas at the Cabin

Merry Christmas. We had a wonderful week at my parents' cabin. We are flying home in the morning and I am really sad. It was so fun to be with family and to play, play, play.

(These are the kids before we left Texas.)

Cousins! All the cousins. My kids and Austin's kids.
Abby (9 mos.), Parker (2 1/2 years), Staucie (almost 4), Bensen (11 mos.), Bella (almost 2)

Abby and Bensen

Parker LOVED the 4 wheeler, motorcycles, and Ranger.

Staucie loved the swing.

Mini dirt bike.

He is ready for his own.

Staucie and Daddy.

My dad's bears and the kids chugging Root Beer.

Christmas morning. Waiting for everyone to wake up.

Grandpa and Bensen.

Bensen's favorite was the wrapping paper.

Aunt Tyne and Uncle Kyle.

Parker got a remote control tractor from Grandpa.

It is just like Grandpa's tractor.

Sipping hot chocolate after playing outside with Grandma.

They went for a crazy ride on the Ranger.

Grandma is a CRAZY driver :)

The family on the Ranger.

Bensen made happy squeals the whole ride.

The kids in Grandpa's tractor.

Bensen walking with the wagon.

Grandma and Bensen.

(My mom sure is beautiful.)

The boys got into the animal crackers in the pantry.

We had a wonderful time and wish it didn't end so quickly. We will miss everyone. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the great time and for all you do for us. We will miss you terribly.

First Beach Trip

When Daniel's parents were here for Thanksgiving we took a trip down to Galveston. We hadn't been down there yet. We haven't been anywhere. It was the first time the kids have been to the beach. It was windy and a little chilly, but the kids had fun anyways. There were a ton of dead jelly fish along the edge of the water. Pretty. Ha. It was not a very pretty beach :) But it was a little damp so the kids were able to run around without getting sand in their shoes.

Bensen's grump face.

Running with Grandpa.

Running with Grandpa and Daddy.

Eleven Months

Bensen will be a year old in one month.

It goes by much too fast.

He is such a fun little baby.

We love him so.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year we talked Daniel's parents into coming down here. They spent the weekend before Thanksgiving with us which was a lot of fun and busy, busy. Then they went up to Dallas to visit Daniel's sister Ashley and her husband for a few days.

Here are the boys playing "chase" under the table while Staucie was finishing her lunch. Bensen loves to play chase. He giggles and laughs the whole time. He stops and turns around to make sure whoever is chasing him is still coming. It is pretty cute, especially when it is Staucie or Parker playing with him.

On Sunday night (the week of Thanksgiving) or early Monday morning at 2am, Parker woke up crying. He was having hard time breathing and it sounded like croup again. We kept him in our bed for a couple hours listening to him breath and trying to decide if he needed to go to the ER. At about 4:30am he sounded a little better so we put him back in his bed and he went to sleep. I was feeling sick too so Daniel stayed home from work. We ended up taking both boys to the doctor after we went shopping for our Thanksgiving food. It was a crazy, horrible day.

Both boys ended up on a breathing machine and getting shots of steroids. Parker also got oral steroids to take for a few days and Bensen had an ear infection. Daniel went to work the next day and the kids and I had fun doing 4 breathing treatments x 2 a day.

Anyways, the coughing won't go away, especially for me. It is really wearing me out.

Here is Parker.

We called it his DRAGON and he was a good sport about it.

It took about 15 minutes for each treatment.

Bensen would only sit there if I gave him his pacifier.
Otherwise, he would kick and scream.

Grandma helped the kids make a bed by the back door on the dirty mat :)

Thanksgiving Dinner!

With Grandpa Lees, Uncle Brad, Aunt Ashley, Grandma Lees, and us.
It was a great meal if I do say so myself. Of course, I just cooked what I wanted to eat :)

Grandpa and Grandma Lees.

We miss you already.

Thank you for coming to see us and for all you do for us. We had a blast. We saw New Moon, went shopping, took a drive down to Galveston to see the beach, and to Kemah to see the boardwalk, played games, ate lots of food, and enjoyed hanging out together. We are sad it is over and gone. We love you and thanks for loving us!

The Fridge

I don't know why, but when I open the refrigerator Bensen comes running (well army crawling, or more like a fast alligator). Sometimes I just let him play if I am busy trying to make dinner or do dishes. This day he was happy to chew on the ketchup.

My other kids have also had the same interest in the refrigerator.

This is Staucie in July 2007. She is 16 months old.

And then Staucie and Parker in October 2008.

It makes a good seat.

Staucie and Parker can now open the refrigerator themselves and don't care about it anymore.