A little mischief

Colton got into my makeup this morning and decided to make himself pretty like mommy (haha). Check out this face - doesn't this look like a kid who just loves a little mischief now and then? Can you see it in his eyes?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

SNOW! In Texas!! We woke up this morning to HUGE fluffy snowflakes coming down really fast. The huge flakes didn't last that long, but it was fun for all of us to see it while it lasted. It's actually still flurrying right now, but it's more watery so it's not sticking anymore. The boys thought the snow was really cool, and we were able to catch some pictures before it disappears. So today our mission is to go find some good waterproof gloves and boots for the kids so that the next time it snows, we can go play in it right away! Tyler really wants to make a snowman!

We can park in the garage!

I think there may have been some bets going as to how long it would be before we'd be able to park both our cars in the garage after moving into our house in mid-October. Jeff's been working hard on the weekends to make it happen. Last weekend he hung peg board to get all his tools up and organized, and this weekend he installed some shelves his Dad gave us. Tonight he proudly pulled both cars into the garage and took some pictures to prove it. Yay - no more freezing cold cars in the morning. Good work, Jeff!

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving weekend flew by and it was a great one! We have a lot to be thankful for, and we were especially thankful to be in Texas with family this year. Here's an overview of our weekend.

Tyler made a bobble-head turkey hat and Thanksgiving placemat during his first week of school. He wasn't feeling good, but he was a good sport and agreed to pose for some pictures for me.

We were lucky enough to enjoy two Thanksgiving feasts this year. We spent the afternoon with the Walkers and had a great time with Jeff's parents, sister Tiffany and her family, and Mamaw. The boys had a blast playing with flying balloons and "swords" outside. We spent the evening with my parents and were surprisingly ready for another Thanksgiving meal, which was delicious! After dinner we watched the A&M:UT game and swam in the hot tub, or hot pool, as Tyler calls it. The boys love swimming and are getting so confident in the water.

Of course the day after Thanksgiving we began decorating for Christmas! We got a new tree that fits better in our new home, and put up all the decorations and trimmings. The boys were excited to help and see that Christmas is coming. We were also lucky enough to be invited over to Mom & Dad's for another Thanksgiving meal. It was just as delicious the second time around. :)

Jeff was busy outside the house, too. He got our lights up, and I helped by hanging the wreaths. We are proud of our new place and think it looks pretty spiffy in lights.

Tyler's first day of preschool

Today was Tyler's first day at preschool. He was very excited to go. He picked out a transformer backpack and lunch bag, and a Bakugan thermos and couldn't wait to use them. I was excited and happy for him but also feeling a little sad (for myself...) that he is growing up so fast. He had a GREAT day! Tuesdays start with Chapel, and the parents are welcome to stay for it, so Colton and I sat with Tyler for this. Tyler was a little shy at first, but once he got to his classroom, he opened up immediately and was happy as can be. He didn't even care when I said bye and left. When I picked him up he was so excited about his day and can't wait to go back. Tyler's teacher, Miss Diane, is super nice, and I think we are all going to love this school!

The Mailbox Monster! Ah!

One of the charming, or perhaps not-so-charming things about our new house was this beast pictured below - the Mailbox Monster. Ah! Scary, huh? We were less than thrilled with this creature and finally got around to killing the beast this weekend. It was a wonderful event at our house.

Here's Jeff pursuing victory.

And voila! What do you know - there was a mailbox under there! And it even has a little red flag, just like any good mailbox should. Who would've known? We were very happy to part with our front yard creature, although it does make it a little harder to find our way home when we drive down the street now. ha!

Oh, and we can't forget - Colton was there for the ceremony as well. (Tyler was napping...)

Tour of Flower Mound Fire Station One

This past Friday the boys and I were able to tour the local Fire Station with our new moms group. They both had a blast. A highlight was sitting at the driver's seat of the firetruck. When I tried to get the boys to pose for a picture with the fireman, Colton gave him a big long hug instead of standing next to him. :)

Trick or Treat!

Tyler and Colton were Buzz Lightyear and Woody from the Toy Story movie for Halloween this year. They were quite a pair! Mommy was sick with the flu, but we managed to get out and do some trick or treating anyway. We trick or treated at Grandma & Grandpa's house and street first, then went to a couple houses on our own street. Here are Buzz and Woody in action!

Colton's sour face

I have been wanting to capture this face on camera for months now. When Colton decides to be grumpy about something he makes this squishy fishy face that you just have to see in person to understand the full effect. This picture is the closest I've come to capturing it since he started doing this months ago. On the left you see calm, mellowed out Colton, and on the right, less than a minute later - cranky, fishy face Colton!

Borden Uptown Run

In late October I did my first fun run since I left California. I went with some friends I met through a moms group here in Texas. It was a 5-miler and I was happy to run it with good company. I look forward to many more runs with new friends.

Jeff's big 3-0

For Jeff's 30th birthday in August I wanted to plan something special. Since we'd just moved back I thought it would be a good opportunity to see our college friends for the first time since our return, so everyone met up at Elbow Room in Dallas to celebrate. Jeff wasn't in on the plans, so he was surprised with the location and the guests. Jeff's sister Tiffany and brother-in-law Brian were able to join us too. I also surprised Jeff with a lovely 30th b-day necklace and some "30 sucks" lollipops. He was thrilled. ;) In all, it was a fun night for a fun guy!

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

A little over a week before Halloween I was able to take the boys to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. They played in bounce houses, wandered through a hay maze, went on a hay ride and each picked out a pumpkin to bring home. They loved every bit of it!

Lewisville Western Fair

At the end of September, Jeff's manager invited us to accompany her and her family to the Lewisville Western Fair. It was a very fun day. The boys loved the petting zoo, bounce houses and pony ride. They even participated in a stickhorse rodeo. Tyler was an old pro and rode his stickhorse like a champ, circling around every pumpkin and smiling at the judges. Colton was the first baby to go, and he held his stickhorse up like a baseball bat and walked straight across to the other side of the ring, holding it up the whole way. Everyone really got a kick out of it. They each got a ribbon for participating. Before we left, Tyler had his face painted like spiderman. He was so proud!

Hi-ya! Tyler's Karate class

In mid-September Tyler began taking a karate class. He LOVES it! And I must say he is absolutely adorable in his Gi (uniform). He looks forward to class every week and his favorite thing is getting to yell Hi-ya when the teacher gives the go-ahead. It's been a lot of fun for us both.

Waking up with Tyler

One morning I woke up to Tyler and a camera. He had found my small digital camera and wanted to take some pictures. Here were are being silly in our PJs. Tyler was the photographer on at least a few of these!

Girls just want to have fun - Phoenix trip!

In August I was fortunate to be able to get together with girlfriends I've known since junior high school - Barb, Heather, Lauren and Megan. We have kept in touch all these years and try to get together once a year if possible, and we continue to have a blast when we get together. It's amazing how the years have gone by but we still feel like no time has passed when we get together. I will always love these girls! We stayed at Barb's parents' vacation home in Pheonix. We had some home-cooked gourmet meals, went out for dinner on the town, shared some wine and champagne, swam, hot-tubbed, shopped, laughed, cried, danced, laughed some more. It was such a fun and worthwhile trip, and I am already looking forward to the next one!

The Dallas Arboretum

Another fun day with family in Texas! Grandma and Grandpa Preiser joined the boys and I on a trip to the Dallas Arboretum to see the storybook playhouses. The boys had a blast, and as you can see, I had some fun with my camera. It was a great day!

Our first week back in Texas

Our first week back in Texas was filled with family and fun. My sister Cory, brother Kevin, sis-in-law Christina and my nephew Alex were all in town at my parents house. We spent a lot of time in the pool and a lot of time just relaxing, having fun and being goofy. I love my family and look forward to many more times like this as we'll get to see them so much more now.

A time for goodbyes

Shortly before we moved to Texas I was able to go out to dinner with my good friend Jenny. We had a fun night out! Thank you, Jenny!
Miss you!

The very next day the boys and I attended our very last playdate with our California playgroup that we love so much. We played at the splash pad at one of our favorite outdoor shopping areas - the fountains. This group was so great for us, and it was very hard to say goodbye.

We had some really great friends in California and will always remember them dearly!

One we missed

We took Tyler to Chuck E. Cheese's for his third birthday dinner, and a highlight of his night was getting his picture taken with Chuck E. This picture was trapped on an SD card for months and we were finally able to recover this oh-so-cute memory.