Happy Halloween- 2011

Every year seems to get better! And this Halloween has brought out 'all kinds of excitement' in both girls.

Afton was in charge of designing our jack-o-lanterns this year. She helped clean out the pumpkins and then used a sharpie to draw their happy little faces.

Maisy was happy to just watch...

I carefully carved out her designs. And didn't they turn out great?!

This year, the girls both thought that it would be fun to be witches.

 I agreed!

Afton wanted to be spooky.

 But Maisy was just happy to have a bucket full of candy and a skirt that twirled.

 And even though Halloween  fell on a Monday this year, we still held our little party. Jeff set up the train, a movie in the driveway, and cooked a big pot of chili.

We had some of the same gang, plus a few new friends. The kiddos ate quickly and were then ready to go!

Afton sprinted from house to house with her 'big elementary school' friends. She filled her bucket to the brim.

Maisy, Becka and I took our time. Maisy enjoyed walking some and then let Becka and I take turns carrying her.

All in all, the evening was a success. Both girls went to bed exhausted from all the fun and with tummies full of candy!

Happy Halloween!

Butterfly Flutterby 2011

What will I do when my girls don't want to parade down Main Street anymore? What will I do when they refuse to dress up like butterflies and let me paint their faces?



Luckily it wasn't this year! So for the 4th year, we headed to downtown Grapevine to celebrate the annual migration of the monarch butterfly.

This year, Afton painted signs and decorated her Barbie Jeep for the parade. 

We decided to go the traditional route- and wear black and orange- like a true monarch butterfly.
Plus we already had these cute outfits :)

The 'bag pipe band' made Maisy a little nervous, so she started the parade on Jeff's shoulders.

And of course the view was better from up there.

With a little help from a lollipop, she decided to ride with Afton.
 

At the end of the parade, the girls jumped out of the Jeep and set-off for more butterfly fun.

The crafts were a hit with this crew.

And then the butterflies were released. This was Afton's favorite part.

Finally the event wrapped up with some dancing.

And a few more photos. 

Looking forward to doing it again next year :) 

First time for everything

Last weekend was Afton's first concert. A sweet friend from our Texan cheerleading squad was kind enough to invite us to see Taylor Swift. Jeff volunteered to hang with Maisy while Afton and I went out for the night.

Don't you love Afton's dress? Got it at Walmart--$15!

The concert was Saturday-a few hours after Maisy's Pumpkin Patch Party.

And happily, our fabulous friend had a suite! The entire cheer squad plus lots of other friends joined in on the fun. We all loaded into a big white limo and headed to Cowboys Stadium.

 

Since Kristie and I are coaching the squad, we got to go along and help keep an eye on the girls. 

Afton was so excited to be riding in a limo!

 Watching the show from a suite is definitely the way to go:)

We enjoyed comfy seats and lots of yummy eats.

The girls loved getting dressed up for the big show.

They took turns yelling "We LOVE you Taylor Swift!"

 Taylor Swift is an amazing performer--lots of costume changes and theatrics. Her music is sweet and she is a nice role model too. The girls had a blast and everyone came home with a smile.

And a new t-shirt! 

Maisy Lou is TWO

Our sweet girl is now a two year old. A toddler. A child who laughs at funny faces, sings Barney songs, and seems to know exactly what she wants. I adore the person she is growing to be. And I feel a strange mix of happiness and sadness as we leave 'baby hood'.

Favorite things about Maisy at two:
-Sings songs "I Love You", "Barney theme song" "Jesus Loves You"
-Dances, runs, does push-ups, sit-ups, cheers and 'tumbles'. She imitates everything she sees us doing.
-If 'you are what you eat' is true, Maisy would be a pancake :)
-Needs her blankie and fabulous shoes at all times.
-Favorite games are hide and seek, horsey with Daddy, babies, cooking, coloring and performing
-Things Maisy says "No Yike", "Okey Okey", "No Way!", "Oh yeah", "Love you", "What's dat??", and of course "NO!"
 -And for the stats: Maisy is 33.75 inches tall (33%), 25.5 lbs (31%). Tiny little thing!

To celebrate her arrival into the world of "Two"- we started the day with a new drum set and a candle in her pancakes. Jeff has always had a thing for music, seems Maisy does too!

The next day friends and family gathered together at Hall's Farm for Miss Maisy's Pumpkin Party.

The kids kept busy on the playground, running through the corn maze, and even feeding farm animals during the hayride.

 

Did you know that cows eat bread??





Did you know that cows 'moo' very loudly when they want more bread? :)

After the hayride it was time for lunch- CFA nuggets, chips and fruit. Maisy's favorite meal!

 And finally we had cake!

Happy Birthday to our lil pumpkin. I know that two will be a year full of fun and blessings!

xoxo