Trick-or-Treat!

The day we have been anticipating has finally arrived! The girls have been asking EVERYDAY if it is Halloween yet, and were so excited for the big day. Not only did they have a fun party at daycare (and came home with a huge sack of goodies), they also ended up with three grocery baggies full of candy a piece. They also loved handing out candy after trick-or-treating was over. Sydni kept telling the kids that came to our door, "Thank you. Come again!" She is little-miss social and LOVED greeting our trick-or-treaters. Mak kept busy by eating her huge pile of candy! Donnie and I had to cut her off around 9-ish because she kept packing it away! Aunt McCaleb (Donnie's little sister) also went trick-or-treating with us and helped pass out candy. We had a lot of fun!

Our little witches pose with the giesha!

Sydni wanted purple eyelashes to match her purple, glittery lips.

Mak loved her glittery lips and eyes.

Sydni led the way! Their dresses were so BRIGHT in the sun light!

Mak was tired before we even got off of our street!

Pretty girls!

Makki's huge wig made her sort-of look like a munchkin!

Picking out a Pumpkin

The girls love going to the pumpkin patch! I usually do a better job of going earlier in the year, but I guess getting a pumpkin the week of Halloween is better late than never! Here are the girls being goofy in the patch!

Mak uses her muscles to lift a pumpkin.

Sydni is always posing, and Mak is about to fall off the hay bale!

Exhibit A: See what I mean ?

"Look Mommy, a pumpkin chair!"

Ice cream after a long day in the pumpkin patch sure does hit the spot!

Kienan and Karson's Birthday Party

Having two little girls is a blast, but every now and then, I need to enjoy the craziness little boys can bring to the table. My nephews are pretty crazy, but add a handful of their crazy little friends, and you have MADDNESS! My little sister, Hayli, has three tow-headed boys, and two of them have birthdays in October. They had a joint party this year at the White Deer Community Center, complete with a bouncer. It is so funny to see how different boys and girls parties are. Layci and I were cracking up at how loud and excited Kienan and Karson's friends were when the birthday boys were opening gifts. They were cheering and oohing at everything the boys opened. The energy level was nonstop for nearly two hours. I get exhausted just thinking about it! Bless Hayli's heart, because she will soon have THREE energy-filled boys running around her house. Brenner isn't too far from crawling, and he will be into everything soon. I had so much fun getting to hang out with my Mom, Sisters, nieces, nephews and family this weekend! The girls were totally worn-out and slept the entire ride home to Lubbock!



The crew is ready for the party to begin!





Strike a pose, Syd!


Baby Brenner....I could just eat him up!


This is how Mak strikes a pose! Love it!


I'm sorry, but the posing cracks me up. Who taught her how to do this? Did they pull her aside in daycare and teach her this? Maybe I watch too much of the E! channel and she's seeing too many red carpet photos??

More old videos...

Sydni Swimming

Baby Mak Dancing

I found this old video of Makenzi:

Tech vs. A&M

I was lucky no one threw a beer bottle at me while Donnie took this!



NOSE BLEED SECTION!


The ant-looking figures are our players warming up!



It was hot!



Since I had never been to College Station, Donnie and I decided we would pay a visit to Kyle Field this year. Donnie has obviously been there several times (and cheated out of a few touchdowns), but I was curious to see what all the "hype" was about! When we bought our tickets, they had not allocated the visitors seats, so we weren't sure where we would be seated. If you can't tell from my pictures, we are three feet from God and a foot from the sun. "Nose bleed section" was coined at Kyle Field...I've never been in seats so far above the ground! When I would walk down to the concession area, I had to keep my eyes on my feet because it felt like I would fall to my death if I didn't! Talk about a freaky stadium! Sorry if I will offend A&M fans, but seriously, it is DISTURBING how revered male cheerleaders are at this school. Not only were they on the COVER of the program ( a single football player or pretty female cheerleader could not be found) but they spent the entire pregame honoring the coveted "yell-leaders". Wierd. Creepy. Totally AGGIE!

Sans sunburns, we did have a lot of fun on this trip!

The Ear Infection Queen!

Poor Mak! I've been home with her all day, knowing she probably had an ear infection. When your kid has had double digit ear infections in her short little life, as a mommy, you kind of pick up on the symptoms. The doctor confirmed my diagnosis and even let me look in her little ear with whatever that tool's name is that lets you look in ears! It was red, pussy and oh-so-gross! I know what a wussy I am when I have an earache, but she had a double infection, plus a sore throat. You can tell that the winter months are coming, because that is when most of our sicknesses occur. I will take off yet another day of work tomorrow, to be with her. Missing work is a pain, but being at work and knowing that my baby is hurting (and undoubtedly wanting me) is even worse!

Mak singing "You are So Beautiful"

Mak loves the movie, The Little Rascals. In one scene, Alph Alpha sings "You are So Beautiful" to Darla. Sitting in my lap the other day, Makenzi started singing this song to me, stroking my face and looking into my eyes (much like the scene in Little Rascals). I couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't feeling too good today, but I was able to catch a few bars...

Sydni Singing "My God"

Check out Syd's mad vocal skills! Her teachers tell me that she tends to dominate singing time and likes to be in the spot light. I'm sure she is given plenty of room, due to the fact that one of her claps would knock out anyone standing next to her! Call me crazy, but I do see a bit of myself in her. If you listen close enough, she changes one word to "elbows". This is apparently funny to a four year old....don't tell me why!

Sydni loves to sing, and we are constantly entertained by her vocal stylings!

Making Necklaces

Give these girls some string and beads, and they will make necklaces all day long. Stringing beads is also a great hand/eye motor skill, so I'm killing two birds with one stone: kids are occupied, and actually developing a fine motor skill! The rainy weather was a perfect setting for this indoor craft (that doesn't involve scissors!).

Sydni is very crafty!

Makenzi likes to make messes with her stuff...these ended up on the floor.

The Little Sister is Always the Victim...

Sydni and Mak love "craft time" at our house. Craft time usually consists of them cutting up a bunch of construction paper with their little craft scissors and glueing them on a bigger piece with glue sticks. I thought I had the craft scissors convienently hidden in a shoe box in the utility room, but don't think just because a four year old can't reach it that they can't get to it. Sydni figured out the hiding spot tonight, and using her freakin' step stool (really, that step stool has gotten her into so much trouble) she managed to climb onto the washing machine and open the cabinet I had the infamous scissors stored. I'm sure you can imagine what follows. Mak received a free hair cut tonight, but luckily it was only a trim. My "mommy 6th sense" kicked in whenever I heard Sydni saying, "Be still, Makki. I won't hurt you." I walked into the play room soon after the first cut. It could be worse. Ask my mother about my own bang-cutting experiments in my younger days. Before you judge and say, "How did you not hear her getting the scissors down, Lenzi?" you can just bite it....Sydni is like a cat when she is formulating a plan! A cat, I tell you!


The victim, showing us the evidence.



Not a huge chunk, but it could've been much worse!



Do you think she looks guilty?

Twilight - Your assignment is to read it this weekend!

TWILIGHT
The New York Times Best-Seller by Stephenie Meyer!


I have become a dealer of sorts at my middle school, and I would like to peddle my product to my friends, too. I'm not the illegal kind of dealer, but a dealer of books. I bought 30 copies of Twilight for my classroom after reading it during Christmas break last year, and have been passing them out to my students, friends, and family ever since. Yes, I'm a Reading teacher, and yes, I love to read, but this book has kids who would NEVER read, well, reading. That is what makes Twilight truly unique in my eyes, because most "normal" people do not understand how difficult it is to keep the average thirteen year old interested for more than ten minutes in ANYTHING, let alone a 500 page book. This book has me so excited, because I finally have a product I can push to my kids that I know they will love. Everyone loves to read, they just don't know it until they actually find something that they LIKE reading. So if you hate to read, and think I'm full of poo-poo, just hear me out.
My girls latched on to Twilight first, because there is a nice romantic plot line, but I've built a steady following of boys. Mainly because I've assigned them to read it, but I know all I have to do is get them through the first twenty pages and they will keep reading without me having to do much. I brought it to a male student of mine who was put into ISS three days ago. (Yes, that is how I punish my kiddos that end up in the middle school pokey - I make them read good books! Ha!) He finished it TODAY, and asked for the sequel to start reading. I knew Twilight was good, but I was still a bit shocked when my tough, rebel-without-a-cause kiddo was asking for the other 500 page sequel to the 1st book that was also well over 500 pages! This kid has NEVER MET his Accelerated Reader goal since he's been at our school and he read this book, took the test (making a perfect score) and wanted to start the 500+ page sequel without me initiating any of it. All I have to do is introduce them to the first book, and they quickly read the next three in the the series. Their is a huge waiting list for the Twilight series at our school library, so many parents have been buying the sets for their kids, and do you know what is happening? The parents are reading the books too, and loving them! I've been flabbergasted at how many PARENTS are telling me how much they love the series.
I'm not going to tell you much about the plot line, because it tends to turn people off and they curl their lips (much like I did the first time I heard about Twilight), but trust me, it's not what you are expecting. In a nutshell, Bella Swan moves to the rainy town of Forks, Washington where she meets Edward Cullen and his family. Bella is immediately attracted to Edward, and who wouldn't be...Stephenie Meyer (the author) does an incredible job describing the young lad. Yowza! Edward and his family are all incredibly beautiful, pale, and ethereal in their grace and charm. After spending time with Edward she quickly discovers his family secret....he and the other Cullens are vampires! Eeeek! Before you say, "Lenzi, vampires are not my thing, thank you very much!" Just hear me out. The love story is amazing without being crude or unrealistic (go figure!) and the action is what has lured my boys into turning the pages. There is an insane amount of action in this book. It is soon to be a movie (November 21st) and I can't wait to see how the many action scenes in the book play out on the movie screen. If it has been a long time since you've picked a book up, give it a try. Copies are only $8.99 at Walmart, Target and of course, Barnes and Noble....or you can come by and get one from me for free to use! I've started a massive fan club, and I want you to join!!!

What Happened to my Babies?

We were having a healthy dinner at Chinese Kitchen tonight and ran into some friends that have a four month old baby, with rolls and chubby cheeks that were oh-so-cute. It reminded me of the chubby babies I used to tote around on my hip, that are now active and sassy. Where did the time go? Everyone tells you that the baby stage goes by quickly, but really, it's insane just how rapidly it passed me by!

Sydni at four months old - she was a chunk!


Sydni in her bunny costume at four months old.


Makenzi at four months old....



She was like a rosey, rubber doll!

Cheap Entertainment!

Fresh from their baths, the girls find an empty laundry basket!



Makenzi is the guinea pig!



Daddy won't be able to do this much longer! A basket full of girls!



Whoa, Mak!

The Polar Express is Coming to Lubbock!

Go to this link: http://www.westtexaspolarexpress.com/ and check out this fun Christmastime activity that's coming to Lubbock. We are taking the girls on the December 9th ride @ 6:00pm, and I think I'm more excited about it than they are! They will get to stop at the North Pole, meet Santa and his elves, and drink hot cocoa while listening to someone read the book The Polar Express. They love seeing trains, so I'm anxious to see how they will react when they get to actually ride on one! They also recommend that the kids wear pajamas on the ride, so I now have an excuse to buy super-cute Christmas pjs!

Makenzi's first Christmas, 2005. My nose is bigger than the Christmas tree!

Feeling a Little Witchy!

Sydni spotted these witch costumes in a magazine and decided that she and Makenzi needed to be witches. Even though Makenzi is very hard-headed and usually independent, Sydni convinced her that being a witch with her would be very cool. We went to Target today and bought wigs and boots to go with the outfits. Makenzi wanted a black wig like Violet on The Incredibles and Sydni had her heart set on an orange wig. I didn't know if we were going to have much luck in either request, but we found wigs to satisfy both. Mak's is a little long, and I think the orange wig would look much cuter, but like I said before, she's hard-headed. I also have sparkly eyelashes and face paint for Halloween night, so we should have the cutest witches on the block when I'm finished with them!

The orange hair cracks me up!

Mak looks like Elvira!

Class of 1998 Reunion

I feel so old. It is such a cliche, but ten years really did go by too fast for me. I look in the mirror and see the beginnings of wrinkles, or the few elusive sproutings of gray hair and it dawns on me that I will not be in my twenties forever. Actually, I only have two years left before I'm thirty...an age I used to view as "old"! My ten year reunion didn't do anything but validate my worries that I won't be young forever. I'm not sure what I expected, but the actual reunion was pretty fun. Only ten of us showed up (not including spouses and children), but we enjoyed visiting and telling old stories. Donnie thought it was so neat that we had stories from third grade to tell about each other. The beauty (and downfall) of growing up in a small town is that you literally grow up with the same group of people. My classmates and I had been in school with one another from kindergarten through 12th grade. That's a lot of stories, and needless to say, we had plenty to tell on Friday night after the game! Saturday at the park was fun, but the most entertaining part of the entire reunion was karaoke in Amarillo. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, but I WILL NOT BE IN CHARGE OF THE TWENTY YEAR REUNION!

New to blogging

We have a babysites website, but sometimes it can be extremely difficult to maintain. A blog will be much more "do-able" and I like the fact that I can add to it daily. In our family, stuff happens everyday that I would like to document and share. The girls are constantly entertaining us, and I also want to document the things that Donnie and I are able to do as a couple that aren't strictly related to the girls. (For example, tail gate parties, get-togethers with friends, etc.) Although we won't have as much dirt to dish as Perez, I think this blog will offer our friends and family a daily link into our lives!