December updates & Pictures

Visiting Gramps in Hospital after 2nd knee surgery - 12/3

Kids helped decorate tree this year - 12/8

 

Napa Trip - Anniversary dinner with friends 12/16/11

One of our favorites - Del Dotto

@Frank Family winery

@Verite Winery

At Spring Mountain Winery

At Caymus Winery - Largest bottle of wine in the world - bottle itself cost $35000 to make

   

Got to see Kasey at Gymnastics - 12/26

Met some old friends for bowling and fun - 12/26

Went to see Cousin Macey and family - 12/28

Aunt Jody and her grandbaby

kids decided that playing in the bathroom was fun - 12/28

3 of Nannies great grandbabies - 12/28

@ Woodlands to visit cousins - 12/29

Playing at park with cousins - 12/29

girls showing off new bags at lunch on beautiful day - 12/30

Cousins eating bananas together

Cousins about 3 months apart in age watching dogs outside - the were outside with them in no time - 12/30

playing before bed - 12/30

Kiddos and Cousin Cheri - 12/30

Aunt Mary has Kasey - 12/30

Telling Uncle Jim they love him - 12/31

Ready for Aggie bowl game - 12/31

on the way to Aggie bowl game 12/31

For more Napa pictures - click here
For more Conroe/Woodlands pictures - click here


12/29 - 12/31 - We got tickets for Greg and I and the kids for the A&M bowl game in Houston so we decided to spend a couple days with family as well.  We drove down to the woodlands on 29th so the kids could play with their twin cousins.  We had some really good fajitas, kids got to play lots and we got to visit.   Greg and Gary spent most of the time working on the ipad, and Marisela and I caught up while the kids played with everything.   We took the kids to the park for a little bit to run some off.  They were tired and went to be pretty well, but were a little wired.  Kasey woke up about 4:30 saying something about Landon - he had moved in the bed and was covering the whole thing so there was no room for Kasey.  The next morning we had breakfast,all took showers and then got ready for the day.  We went to an area new Woodlands mall and had a good lunch outside ant Tommy Bahamas.  It was a great day so it was nice to enjoy outside.

After lunch we headed to Jim and Mary's house in Montgomery.  Cousins Brittany and her daughter Ayla (3 months younger than Kasey) were there.  Kids had a great time playing outside with the dogs then inside playing with toys and each other.  We spent the afternoon visiting and catching up.   We had good brisket and sides and ate way to much as usual.   That night we looked at pictures from David and Cheri's Costa Rica trip and our Napa trip which was fun to see.  The kids went to sleep surprisingly well - no noises or complaining.  We checked on them when we went to bed, and Kasey was laying on Landon and Landon was all wrapped up in a blanket.


The next morning we left in the fog to head to Houston for the bowl game.  We got there pretty early, but it was better than sitting in traffic trying to get in.  We walked to the Stadium and walked around to see what was going on.  Our seats were pretty good around the 40 yard line which are best seats we've had that we paid for.   Kids did pretty well, and the game was good.  Aggies won which was good - guess we need to take kids to more bowl games. Then we got back in the car, let the kids rest for a little while before starting movies up for the drive home.   We stopped at one of the new rest stops on 45 which was quite nice.   We picked up Lady, picked up Salt Grass for a late dinner and went home to eat and get kids in bed.   Greg went to friends Juan and Marissa's new years party for a little which, and I stayed home with kids had some chocolate, wine and watched Letters for Juliet.


12/28 - I got to spend the afternoon at the salon thanks to family Christmas money.  I got facial & spa manicure and pedicure which was very nice.


12/26 - I tried to organize a group to get together and hang out from old AppleCreek crew.  Kind of last minute it came together and we went to Main event.  Dewers, Cooks, Turner and us were all there.  We had some lunch, then the kids bowled a game and we played some video games.  It was fun to catch up and good to get out for the kids.   Kids were tired - Kasey had a melt down on the way out and fell asleep in the car.   Landon spent the afternoon doing Legos and Kasey just played with everything.

12/25 - See Christmas 2011 Post

12/22 - We decided we wanted to go see the Ice exhibit at the Gaylor Texan.  I wanted to take the kids because it was based on Shrek which the kids love, and so Grammy and I took the kids.   It was pretty cool.   The kids and I put on thermal underwear under our A&M sweatshirts, double socks and took hats and gloves with us.   The exhibit is done by over 50 artists from China who make blocks of ice into the characters and the scenes.   It's 9 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit inside the exhibit so they give everyone a big coat that you have to wear.   We put on the coats and walked through.  They went through the story of Shrek the Halls which is really cute.  They had most of the characters all made out of ice.  I think the kids enjoyed it but they didn't like the coats.  After the Ice exhibit we went and shared a big cookie a banana shake.  Then Landon wanted to show me the trains at the Gaylord

12/16 - 12/20 - Greg and I took a trip to Napa Valley with Dave, Tracy and Doug.  We had a great time, and the kids got to spend some time with the grandparents.   We visited some wineries we had been to before and several new ones as well.  We bought lots of good wine,  and ate and really good restaurants.  It was a very nice brake from crazy work and normal business.   One of our favorites from our last trip to Napa seemed to be a favorite of everyones - Allora - very small winery where tasting are in the basement of their home.  They have great wines, they make chocolates and even have a good port.

12/11 - We had a couple parties to go to.  Greg took Landon to a school friend birthday party at Main event, and Kasey and I went to hang out with a few TI moms and their kids.  The kids got to play some and then we made gingerbread houses.  Kasey had a good time and decorated the roof of the house well.  When we got home Landon did a great job decorating more of the house.

12/8 - Greg and Landon put up the Christmas tree and lights on it last night.  Tonight the kids and I got to decorate it.  We all had some egg nog (Kasey had Soy nog, yuk), and of course I was the only one who liked it.  We turned on a little Christmas music and started getting ornaments out.  The kids each have a box of their ornaments from family and friends. They loved looking at these and seeing them.  Landon especially liked the ones with pictures.   He saw Kasey's and wanted to know why he didn't have one of him as a little baby - His first Christmas he was about 6 months so his first picture was around that age.  The kids put up most of the ornaments which was fun.

12/4 - We had Kasey's friend party at her Gymnastics place - ASI gymnastics.  We had about 20 kids from school, neighborhood and some old friends.   Kasey had a good time, and the other kids seemed to as well.   We made a Cinderella doll cake - it took 3 tries to get the cake it self right, but then after we got that decorating went pretty well.  I think it turned out well.  It's fun to have a creative outlet a couple times a year decorating the cakes for kids birthdays.

12/3 - Landon brought home his poetry and song folder.  At school they have songs for each color to remember how to spell them, and they have other nursery rhymes as well.   Each page the kids color what is in the song or rhyme.  Landon loves drawing and coloring.   He really loves his art projects
Landon is doing really well in school getting stickers for good behavior every day and seems to be learning and making good progress on his reading and writing.  He's reading level 1 books pretty well.  He is interested in learning how to spell different words.

12/2 - Kasey had her 3 year appointment today.  She weighed 31.8lbs (61%) and 3 feet 1 inch (50%).  She's doing great. We also got her ears pierced.  She picked sparkly diamond like earrings over pink flowers.  She was very brave, but cried a lot and said it hurt.   She told me she didn't like the earrings  right after she got them, but then when I got home from work she told me she liked them now.