Months

Yes, its been MONTHS since I last updated this blog.  I'm just so busy. I attended a baby shower for one of my best friends that I have known since we were little girls last month, and she told me that she loved my blog and wished I updated it more.  I felt bad.  Blogging is one way family and friends who live far can check in on my family and see what we have been up to.  I'm sure I have said this before, but I mean it this time...I'm going to stop slacking and write more often.  I can't promise a new post everyday or even every other day, but at least once a week.  So, let me get started.   This is going to have a ton of pictures, and I will try to make it short and sweet! A lot has happened since last time I updated.  The girls finished their first semester of school (not sure if its called "semester" in elementary school, but it sounds good)  and they absolutely LOVE school this year.  Delilah joined the fine arts club, and has really enjoyed it.  She also played softball this fall, and their team did so awesome! Trinity was less thrilled about her game and snoozed on the equipment bag.

Delilah is no longer competing in gymnastics.  She has moved on to All Star Cheerleading.  Something I've been avoiding since she was 3.  She is "trying" it out and finishing out the competition season which means she has a lot of choreography to learn in a short amount of time before Nationals (which from what I hear is a big deal). 

Celeste is awesome like aways! We made a trip to the eye doctor not too long ago, and she was in need of glasses.  Astigmatism in both eyes and her vision in each eye is different.  Thanks to my husband who noticed she couldn't see well, Celeste looks cuter than ever with her new glasses.

Trinity is such a big girl.  She no longer looks like a baby.  She reminds everyone that she will be 4 soon.  I can't believe 4!  She had a little accident before Thanksgiving.  Delilah and Trinity were playing on the sofa and she fell off the arm of the sofa and landed right on her elbow.  After a trip to the doctor and a few x-rays it was confirmed that she broke her elbow.  She handled it well, and picked out a hot pink cast! 

Thanksgiving was great.  We spent the day with family and ate some great food.  The weather was warm so the kids played all day with cousins.

After Thanksgiving we packed our bags boarded a plane and headed to...

Breckenridge Colorado!  Oh my I can't even tell you how COLD it was there.  You have to remember where we live in Texas it stays in the 70s during the winter.  So, in the mountains where we stayed it was 2 degrees.  Major change! 

We had so much fun the week we were there.  Some of the things we did were a gondola ride up the mountain.

 A roller coaster ride on the mountain through trees

 We saw the play "A Christmas Story" at a little theater in town.

 We went tubing down a big hill

 We took a long drive, and visited the cutest little towns on the edge of mountains.

 Took ski classes and then tried it on our own

Went dog sledding

 Had a visitor at our balcony every morning

 and just enjoyed time to relax

Colorado was fun, but I sure was glad to be back in warm Texas!!  Christmas came way to fast. 

We enjoyed a nice quiet Christmas Eve at my Mom's.  The girls had fun opening gifts.

                                                 

                                                  

and we all had fun playing games!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and great start to the New Year! 

Disney World...again!

Every year we try to take 2 or 3 really good vacations.  We are owners with the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, and booking a reservation must be done about 9 months ahead to get the largest suite.  Over the last  couple of years It has seem to slipped my mind to plan these vacations WAY ahead.  So back in June my husband asked if I had booked anyting yet, and I said no....He said "I'm not going to Disney AGAIN."  We have gone to Disney 4 times in the last 6 years.  He wanted something new this winter, but everything was booked but Disney.  You see, secretly this is my FAVORITE place to go.  I feel like a child when I am there.  I'm Just so giddy about all the rides and attractions.  My husband always says that I love it more than the kids do.  Anyway...I talked him into going again.  We arrived the Monday after Christmas and stayed for a week. 

Yes...I do it everytime.  I take a picture as we drive in.  Just like every tourist!  The sign never changes, but I still take a picture!  This year Trinity was the most excited.  She loves Mickey and Minnie, so one of the first things we did was stand in line to see them when we were at Epcot.  Lilah was tall enough (and brave enough) this year to ride the big rollercoasters, so she decided to do that with her daddy instead of standing in line to see Mickey and Minnie.

The last time we went to Epcot we watched this beautiful candlelight chior.  It was so great that we couldn't miss it this time.

Every week they have a different celebrity read the story of Jesus's birth out of the Bible, and the choir sings along.  This year Marlee Matlin was the speaker.  She is deaf so all of it was in sign language.  It was just beautiful. 

 Animal Kingdom was great.  The safari ride is always my favorite there.  We saw a baby elephant and giraffe that were only 4 months old.  They were so cute!  And yes, that tall giraffe is just a baby!

 Lilah wanted me to ride the rollercoaster with her.  I tried to talk my way out of it, but I ended up getting on with her.  I'm glad I did because it was so much fun.  My husband got a picture of us going down the first drop.

(we are in the front)

This year we finally made it through the 3D show "It's tough to be a bug" for the first time.  All the other attempts ended in screaming and a quick exit out the side door.

The morning we went to Magic Kingdom my husband played golf, so the girls and I headed out early to have some fun!

 We saw the princesses...

visited Minnie's house...

rode the teacups...

rode some horses...

and rode my favorite...It's a small world!

On new years eve day we went to Hollywood Sudios, and the girls were so excited to see playhouse Disney... 

We also finally rode the new Toy Story ride.  It is always a 3 hour wait everytime we have tried to get on, but this year we had a family fast pass to ride.  It was sooo much fun!  One of my favorites!

I didn't take any pictures of the rest of our day...or night.  I'm not sure why, maybe we were having so much fun!  But we were all so exhausted at the end of our trip...

                                 

On the way home my husband kept talking about how much fun he had this year.  It was probably the best time at Disney we have had!



Update your blog please!

It has been way to long since I have updated my blog.  Not because I don't want to, but because I have been so busy these last few weeks.  The little time I did have I would spend with my girls or catch up on housework, and we took a long week vacation to Disney after Christmas.  I seriously thought about doing away with this blog until someone who I didn't know read my blog, told me how much they loved reading about our family.  That one person's comment about this little blog who has few followers and fewer updates must go on.  So one of my New Years resolutions is to blog more often...very often.  It's already 8 days into the new year and I am just now writing a new post.  So it starts now! 

I'm going to back up a bit to December.  The girls and I went to the Nutcracker.  They were so excited about going, and before the first act was over Celeste and Trinity we ASLEEP!!  So all  through the entire performance I had two drooling girls on my shoulders.  I enjoyed the show and laughed a few times as my Lilah told me everything that was going to happen in the show seconds before it did.  She saw it a few days before with her school. 

Celeste and Trinity had a Christmas program at school, and they were both so excited to sing.  I took this picture before the program.  I was so proud of myself for making these cute dresses for them, and actually finishing them on time!

Our church's children's choir practiced for weeks for their Christmas program.  This was Celeste's first year actually singing.  All the other years she just stood up on stage and clung on to her sister.  Lilah had a solo, and she did great.  Made us cry as she sang about our Saviour. 

 After church we took a few family pictures, and I just love this one of my girls.  They look so beautiful.   

 My mom and step-father were able to make it to church that Sunday.  It was such a blessing to have all of our family together for that Christmas service. 

We all spent Christmas eve at my parents house.  I just love that time together with fellowship, food, and all the children just full of joy.  The children asked ALL day if it was time to open their presents.  I remember being the same way as a child. 

My husband read the Christmas story out of the Bible before we opened gifts.

                                            

All the children took turns opening their presents in front of everyone.  This seems to make things move a little slower than everyone just tearing open all their gifts in 5 seconds.  The girls loved everything they got.

(I probably should have cleaned her face before taking this picture)

My husband surprised me with an iPad.  I had NO idea!  Lets just say...I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The next morning the girls woke up super early 6:30am to be exact. (that's way early for me)  They opened gifts from each other.  Each year the girls pick out a gift for their sisters.  They try sooo hard not to tell each other, and this year they kept it a secret except Trinity told Celeste one of hers.  They were so excited to give the gift they picked out to their sisters.  Santa came by and brought more things they asked for.  (yes we "do" Santa.  My girls know the true meaning of Christmas.  Santa is just for fun, and they wont believe in him when they are teenagers.  That's all I am going to say about that.) 

My step-father was admitted to the hospital again on Christmas day.  This past Tuesday he was released to a rehabilitation facility so he can start regaining his strength back from all the weeks he has spent in a hospital bed.  He seemed to be making progress, and last night we got a call that they were taking him back to the hospital because his oxygen level had dropped low.  So today he is in the ICU.  Please pray for him, and my mother as we all try to make it through this tough time.

I will write all about our Disney trip next time.  I think I have overloaded this post, but here is a little sneak peek...