CHRISTMAS 2008

Spreading reindeer food on the lawn.

A gal in our ward brought this gingerbread house over for Wesley. It was something they made in young womens with the goal to give it to somebody who would really enjoy it. And boy did Wesley enjoy it!!

The shock and excitement of Christmas morn.....

Christmas Eve we read the story of the birth of our Saviour in Luke and used our felt countdown of the Nativity to keep the kids interested, sang Christmas songs, wrote letters of thanks to Santa, spread reindeer food out on the lawn for Rudolph and all the other reindeer, and of course, got out the oreos and milk for Santa, and waited for Grandpa and Grandma Tingey and Uncle Nick to get here. The kids slept in Aubreys room and had a hard time falling asleep. They were pretty excited for their granparents and Santa to come.

Finally, Christmas morning came and the kids got up and came down stairs. The look on Wesleys face in the picture above of him and Aubrey standing by the stairs is hilarious. We weren't sure if he was excited or shocked or what. He was staring at his green bike Santa left and finally said, "That is not what I wanted!!" I couldn't help but laugh even though I was disappointed he wasn't more excited. He did finally warm up to the bike and really likes it now. I wish I would have been filming him. He was excited to open up the package Santa left him to find the toy airplanes he had asked for.

Aubrey was still a bit sleepy, yet very excited. We helped her along opening gifts and she was happy with her things. Especially the little toy kitchen grandma brought for her. It was a hit with Wesley and Grandpa too.

Nick and his super cool chap stick. LOL


playing with the toy kitchen.

Aubrey yawning while she opens gifts. And happy to have some fun new toys.

The rest of the day was spent playing, eating, and sleeping. We had a great day.

More fun was yet to be had at our house this year. Having family here was so great. We all had a lot of fun visiting, playing games, eating, and visiting some of the fun sites in our area. We are so happy grandma and grandpa and Uncle Nick could come down. THANKS FOR COMING!! I have many more pics to post but will do that later. So, stay tuned......................

UNTITLED

HOORAY! We got a new camera!! I keep forgetting I have one now. I just got it out of the box the other day. It is a family Christmas gift, but yes, I opened it early so I could figure the thing out before Christmas day.

This morning I was trying to get some pics of the kids all dressed nicely for church on this, the Sunday before Christmas. Grandma Tingey sent Aubrey the adorable skirt and blouse.

Wesley is a silly little man, just like his daddy, and it is hard to get him to focus as I would like.........Aubrey is a little more co-operative. A little. Here are just a few of the pics we ended up with this morning................

Notice the nice bruise on Aubrey's forehead and Wesley's fat lip?? One word; COLLISION.

We went out to eat with the kids the other night before doing a little last minute Christmas shopping. We went to Chick-fil-A. I love the place. You get the best service ever AND there is a play place. After the kids ate their dinner I asked them if they wanted a kiddie cone and Wesley quickly replied, "No mom! I don't want a kitty cone I want a doggy cone!" I admit, it took a few seconds before it clicked and I realized what he was saying and I busted out laughing. A doggy cone. Gotta love it.

Below are pics of Wes, Aubrey, and their friend Stacey with a poor lost doggy. The little guy better watch out or he may become a doggy cone! LOL


Wesley was pouting because he wanted to hold the dog on his lap.

Happy now Wesley? Why of course.

Aubrey loves animals. It cracks me up. She was so afraid of them for the longest time. Not now. Now it is the poor little animals that are afraid of her! She kisses and pets and cuddles until the poor little animals are overwhelmed. And no, that is NOT our dog. The kids were over playing with Stacey when this little guy showed up and so to get the kids to get in the car to come home, the doggy got to go for a little ride. Hopefully Stacey and her mom were able to find the dog's home.

ABOUT ANGELS

BY WESLEY

"Angels live high up in the sky in the Americas."

"Angels tell you your gonna have babies."

"Angels tell you when you're gonna die in two minutes."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...............
And for those who don't already know, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

I admit, I was sorta hoping for another boy. However, I am very excited for another girl and I am soooo happy Aubrey is going to have a sister. My sisters are my best friends.

Wesley was a bit disappointed. He really wanted a brother. But my friend gave me some good advice on how to ease his disappointment (thanks Julie), and it worked. She has a 6 year old that Wesley plays with sometimes and he has two younger sisters. So, I told Wesley he was going to be just like Cole and have two little sisters and that he must be a pretty special boy for Heavenly Father to send him TWO sisters to protect and help mom and dad take care of. When I asked him if he thought he could help us out and take care of his new sister he said, "Yes. If she gets sick, I will put a jacket on her. Would that be good?". Then he rubbed my belly and told his sister he loves her. He is such a sweet boy. He is excited now, and I know he is going to continue to be the best big brother two girls could ever hope for.

HALLELUJAH!!!

What's that?? I hear angels singin'!!!

Aubrey pooped in the potty today!!!!!!!!!!!

HALLOWEEN!!!!

Here they are.....the cutest ninja turtle and fairy around. I really wanted Aubrey to be a puppy. But she didn't want to wear the puppy costume I had. She just wanted to carry it around and pet it and pretend it was her puppy. Wesley's costume I got a couple of years ago from story time at the library for FREE!! A costume store had donated a bunch of costumes and we showed up on the right day for story time to take advantage. I knew he wouldn't fit it for a while.........but man did that while go quickly!

Ready to go trick or treat!!

Isn't she just adorable???

I don't think you can call Ninja Turtles adorable....what about cute??

Notice how Aubrey's pumpkin has 'A' for the eyes and 'W' for the mouth??? Cool, eh?

Wesley posing with his airplane he bought with his Halloween treat money from grandma Tingey. He wanted to make sure I got the airplane in the picture and placed in just the right spot himself.

Brady did most all of the carving and cleaning out pumpkins and me and the kids told him what to carve.

Notice the super cute Halloween shirts???? My friend gave me the idea to do this and even shared some of her Halloween print so I could do Aubrey's. I was going to do one for Aubrey only, but Wesley kept asking me where his shirt was. I made it, and then he wouldn't even wear it until I told him I was just going to give it away to somebody who would wear it. Silly boy. It was fun to do and I think the shirts turned out really cute. Thanks Julie!!

I thought this was a funny pose of my little man.

TAGGED; TWICE!!

Okay, so I figure I had better participate in this tag since I got it twice now!!

I am suppose to tell you all of six "unspectacular quirks" I have..........But I am not at all weird or quirky! LOL So, I guess I can't do this tag...........................J/J ha ha ha

Okay Jenn and Claudia.............this is for you!!

1. I, like Jenn, obsess over offending people and saying the wrong things. It is bad. Sometimes I loose sleep over situations where I feel like I messed up and hurt somebodys feelings or just said something totally stupid. Yeah, I know, I have just got to get over it!

2. I can't believe I am actually telling the world this, I hope it isn't inappropriate. When I get my kids dressed, I have to match their underwear to what they are wearing. When my sweet hubby gets my kids dressed and the underwear doesn't match right, it just hits a nerve in me. But, I never say anything to him and get over it quickly. Ha! TOP THAT ONE YOU GUYS!!

3. I can't stand walking around the house bare foot. I have always been that way. I always have to have socks or slippers on.

4. I am not very motivated to organize major projects (like piles that build up in my house). It takes me for ever to just dive in and get things organized and cleaned up because it is soooooo overwhelming to me. So, I just sit there and stare at unorganized piles and wish they would fix themselves. Until finally I snap! And I can't take it anymore and just start throwing things away.

5. I like to keep the butter out on the counter so it stays soft. Some people do this, but some think I am weird for doing it.

6. I am obsessed with expiration dates on food! Some would say I go over board. Just ask my good friend Arin (life long friend and room mate during my single days)...........I threw a turkey away once that sat in our fridge for like a week, and it had already been thawed and in her dads firdge when she got it that week before. I was only thinking of her and protecting her from food poisoning. She was SOOOOOOOOOOOO mad at me. But I promise, it was getting slimy and gross! The day I threw it out was the day she was going to come home and cook it up. She had been dreaming of eating it all day long. LOL! I still laugh about that. I think she is finally getting to laughing point. But maybe not.

Okay, I tag Brittany, Jessica, Michelle, Autumn, Alicia, Tawnee. I think that is six new people that have not been tagged yet. Anyone else who feels the great desire to participate.......GO FOR IT!
Here are the rules: 1. Link to the person who tagged you and comment in the comment section on their original "quirk: post. 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you. 4. Tag 6 bloggers ( or more) by linking to them. 5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

WHEW!!

Whew! November already?? I can't believe it.

We are trying to decide what to do for thanksgiving, since we got a definate "no" from my little sister that she will not be coming our way. I was really hoping she could come. Oh well. Maybe we'll hit Sea World??? Maybe we will just hang out here. hmmm...........

We are all super excited for Christmas this year! Grandma and Grandpa Tingey and Uncle Nick are coming. Wesley is thrilled and asks almost every day if it is Christmas yet. I keep telling him we still have Thanksgiving to celebrate and he just says, "Eewww! I don't like Thanksgiving! I don't like to eat Indians!!" ???? I have no idea where he got the eating Indians part. I think he is a bit confused. I am working on ironing out the whole Thanksgiving story with him. Any fun ideas are welcome.......
Anyway, I am so anxious to get all my Christmas decorations out. But, don't worry grampa, I will wait a couple more weeks. :)

Wesley has agreed that a green bike would be just as cool as a green power wheels four wheeler for Christmas from Santa. WHEW! I was very relieved to hear that as was our pocket book.

Aubrey is cracking me up these days. She can't just walk anywhere; it has to be a gallop, jump, or bounce from here to there. It is funny to watch her and how very different her and Wesley are. She is not shy. She loves people, loves to be in the spot light. She loves to dance and I love to watch her dance. She is adorable!! And I promise I don't say that just because I am her mother. She really is adorable. She is really into mimicking EVERYTHING Wesley does. Including burping at the dinner table!! *sigh* Did I mention she is adorable??

It is time to muck out our bedroom. Over a year later and we still have things to unpack and put away. Sadly, our bedroom gets shafted a lot of the time. But the time has come; By Christmas, it will be all put together!!! Hooray!!

PS I will be getting our Halloween pics up eventually........it is just a matter of developing the film. Yes, I just said "developing the film". You can still have that done, can't you??? j/j LOL
I had to go buy a disposable camera for Halloween. Still working on getting a new digital.

Primary Presentation

I didn't get a picture of him yesterday.........but here is our big boy on his birthday.

Wesley participated in his first primary presentation yesterday! All of the kids did a really good job. Wesley's Sunbeam class was a bit restless. It was pretty funny to watch them all up there wiggling all around. Their teachers have their work cut out for them with 10 or so Sunbeams to wrestle every week. Wesley really likes his teachers, Brother and Sister Barrett.

Wesley said his part well. It was, "I will help keep the house clean." I think he was a little thrown off because he had been saying, "I will help my dad" in some of the practices.

Before church yesterday, I asked him if he was ready to do his part and asked what he was going to say, and he told me, "I will help my dad." He recovered well though, and did a great job. We are really proud of him.

He was also assigned to give his very first talk in primary!!! For some reason, he was a bit more shy for that. He later told Brady that it was because he wanted mommy to help him with his talk, not daddy. The topic was "Because I am a Child of God, I can serve God with all my heart, might, mind and strength. Here is his talk:

"As a child of God, I can follow Jesus Christ's example by serving those around me.

I can serve my friends by helping them when they get hurt.

I can serve my neighbors by bringing them cookies when they are sad.

I can serve my family by doing my part to keep the house clean.

I feel happy when I help and serve others and I know it makes Heavenly Father happy too."

He had parts of it memorized before church. He has a good memory for sure.

Happy Birthday Debbie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE!!!

Today is your day. We want to give you everything you want for your birthday. We came up with some wonderful presents for you on your 30th birthday.

From future baby -
30 seconds of feel good time when you don't feel like vomiting.
Also sorry about your back aches. They may get worse.

From Aubrey -
30 continuous seconds free from the constant asking for skittles and suckers.
30 hugs and kisses every day.

From Wesley -
30 "i love you mom" comments when you really need it.
30 hugs and kisses every day
30 continuous minutes without asking to watch youtube videos.
30 bites of dinner eventually

From Brady -
30 seconds of backrub every day with out falling asleep.
30 days when I don't come home from work and say I am not hungry yet when
you are starving.
30 "i love you"

Debbie we love you very much and hope you have a wonderful birthday. you will get your other presents later today.

Future baby, Aubrey, Wesley and Daddy

Fun Times With Family!!

(THANKS TO LAURA I HAVE PICS TO SHOW YOU OF THE PAST FEW DAYS! MY CAMERA IS A LOST CAUSE........I WILL BE GETTING A NEW ONE. THANKS AGAIN LAURA, FOR SHARING YOUR PICS WITH ME!!!!)

Uncle Sam and Aunt Laura came out from Utah for a visit this past weekend. It was really fun to have them here. We were able to celebrate Laura's birthday with her. Brady and Laura have birthdays on the same day. The kids and our friend Rebecca and her daughter, Stacey, helped us make birthday signs and blow up balloons. (THANKS!!) So, when Brady got home from picking Sam and Laura up from the airport, we had the house somewhat decorated and big banners up.

Wes and Sam being silly as usual....

We went to Rudy's for dinner that night for Brady and Laura's birthday dinner. It is a great place to go for a good Texas experience. We had brisket, turkey, sausage, creamed corn, peppers..........it was all yummy. I think Sam and Laura especially liked the fact that you don't get plates to eat off; you get a place mat size of some sort of heavy duty paper.


Brady opening his birthday gifts. SOCKS!! And he got a new 5 gal. cooler (finally) and Croquet.


Wesley was being a shy guy to Uncle Sam and Aunt Laura. He put that bag on his head and kept hiding from them. That didn't last long though.........He had a blast playing with Uncle Sam.

Playing with Uncle Sam.


The next day we went to the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham for a tour and had ice cream. That was fun. It was my third trip with the kids, but Brady and Sam and Laura had never been. Later that night, Laura and I met up with some of my friends here for a little treat at the Cheesecake Factory. Laura had never been there. The waiters sang happy birthday to her and brought her a little bowl of ice cream with a candle. It was fun.

Laura is so happy......she just had yummy cheesecake and then they brought her ice cream too!!


Nice hats, hu? When we were on the tour, Wesley asked me why none of the adults were wearing hats, only kids. I had to point out to him that Uncle Sam and daddy had hats on. He didn't say anything after that and he didn't wear his hat either.

Aubrey kept hugging the Blue Bell Girl statue. She kept looking in the bucket to see if something, anything, would appear. But it remained empty.

The next day we celebrated Aubrey's birthday. SHE IS TWO!!!!! We had pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, and since she isn't a big cake eater, we put candles in her pancakes and sang happy birthday to her. I don't know what she thought about that. After breakfast, she got to open her girlie gifts that Aunt Laura and I found for her.

She got some dress ups, and a pretty new dress for church that came with a matching dress for her baby doll. She was in heaven.

Wesley had fun helping her. Daddy brought home a big mylar balloon that said Happy Birthday Princess on it. It was in Aubrey's possession for 10 minutes before it was let go and popped on the fan!

Later that day, we hit the road and went to tour the Battleship Texas. It was really awesome. It was A LOT of walking. It is a huge ship. We were lucky enough to be there right after they had done a reunion for the men who had served during WW2 on the ship. So, we were honored to shake hands and say thank you to a few of those men. It was really neat. We read on one of the plaques that there were 1600 men on that ship at one point!!!

For those who have visited and not gone down there, next time you come we will go. It is really cool.

Before we went down to Pasadena to visit the battleship, we stopped by the Houston temple.

It is always so beautiful and peaceful. It really is a neat temple.

So Much to Blog About!!!

RELIEF SOCIETY ENRICHMENT.........Country Fair.



Our ward had a really fun enrichment last night. We had a GREAT lesson on repentance and service and then had baked potatoes and salad and desert. Each sister was asked to bring something that represented them or something they had made and we put the items out of tables for all to see. It was really fun to see the talents and get to know some of the girls better. All that was followed by some good times playing with the Karaoke machine. The "Country Chicks", as I deemed us, performed a number by Shanai Twain, 'Any Man of Mine'......sung by the lovely Natalie and then there was the fabulous line dancing performed by the rest of the Chicks. It was a lot of fun. I wore Brady's cowboy boots (which I will never do again because they were to big and hurt my feet) and I also wore a western style shirt of Brady's . It is a good thing he had those things.

More singing and laughing and having fun. I didn't get many pics....but we did have fun.

PICTURES OF AUBREY.....




I was attempting to get some pics of Aubrey for my mom to paint OR draw a picture the other day. My mom is a great artist. She did a chalk drawing of Wesley fishing and I love it. So, she called and wanted me to dress Aubrey up in some of my clothes and get some pics of her so she can paint or draw her. I encountered THREE problems. First, I really had a hard time finding something of mine to put her in that looked really cute. Second, Aubrey wouldn't hold still or cooperate with me at all. She was just excited and happy to be wearing mommy's clothes. Third, I need a better camera!!! Wesley wanted to join in the fun, but don't worry, I wouldn't let him wear my dresses! Although he did decide it would be hilarious to throw one of my skirts on his head and be a ghost.









HELP WITH LAUNDRY?????????

Or not. Actually, Wesley has been a really great helper lately. He took care of all his own clothes and they all made it into drawers!!! Maybe not the correct drawers, but drawers and not the floor. He took care of all the bathroom and kitchen towels. But then, I asked for help hanging some things up and it was all down hill from there. *sigh* That is okay. They are learning. It is fun to see what they will use there imaginations to create with different things; Like hangers and clothes.

Wearing dad's clothes is so fun! They must get that from me. LOL

I love these two little monkeys!!!!!