Texas Bluebonnets!!!!

We took our annual trip up 290 for our family pics in the bluebonnets. All the girls have grown very fond of this tradition!!! Our usual overpass in Hempstead was covered in blue but we kept driving into Chappel Hill. Ruben had spotted an open field last Sunday that looked like an ocean of bluebonnets. It was AMAZING!!!! There were cars everywhere but enough room to have your own space. All the girls took beautiful pictures!! We got to have some fun with the posing this year since Alayna is older and was in a picture takinig mood, for the most part. She was a ham making silly faces. I just kept shooting hoping to get the smiles, but the other faces and expressions I caught were just as good for a laugh. You can't help but smile!!!

After we were done in the field in Chappel Hill we drove into town for gas and a potty break. Then off to the overpass in Hempstead. Luckily when we got there it was empty! No other cars around. We climbed and only had one slip. Little miss Julie was wearing slippery new shoes!! We got great closeup shots with bluebonnets all around!!!

Superstar!!!!

Our little Alayna has been published!!! Tia Nelda called this morning and informed me that little Alayna's picture is in Katy Magazine!!! She was looking for their ad for the doctor's office and flipped the page and saw her niece staring back at her. She called me and I was so excited!!!!! It's the picture I took of her last year when we went picking strawberries with Michelle and the kids. It was too adorable so I submitted it to King's Orchard to post on their website. I never thought I would see it anywhere else! I haven't personally seen it yet. I went looking a the Katy magazine website but couldn't find it. I called my mom and told her. She was just as excited as I was. Then I called Tata and told her too. She was running out at lunch. I told her where she could pick up a copy. She picked up 2, one for me and one for her!!!! She's on page 93 of Katy Magazine. Check it out if you get a chance!!!!

Isa's First Date

The week before Valentine's Day Julie came home with a paper from a Methodist Church about a Father/Daughter dance. I thought it would be fun, but of course Makayla and Julie would be gone for the weekend. Ruben was out of town for the week which was usual, and we had other plans that night. When I told Ruben about it the day of the dance, he couldn't resist taking his little princess. She had really been missing her daddy. I got her all dressed up, fixed her hair, and painted her nails. Her daddy got her some flowers and came to the door to start their date. She was so excited!!! They left for their date, and she is her mother's daughter....a dancing queen!! Ruben said she danced and danced and danced. They only sat out about 4 songs in almost a 3 hour period!! She was tired and wanted to come home. Ruben told her we were going to get something to eat, all of us. She asked why they had to come pick up mommy and Alayna. It was he date and she wanted to go eat with Daddy!!

Extremely behind!!

OK so I'm really behind on updating the blog. I had prepared a New Year's update but then didn't finish it until tonight. So this covers us through the beginning of the year. There is of course more to add which I hope to add tonight or tomorrow.

Goodbye 2008…..Hello 2009

Alayna
It’s been an awesome year for all of us. Alayna started walking at the beginning of the year. IT seem like she went straight to running!! It’s been an effort keeping up with her ever since. Alayna celebrated her first birthday in April. We had a party at our neighborhood park. It was a carnival theme!! She has been growing like a weed!! She stopped nursing over the summer which was quite a relief to mommy. It had become more of a comfort thing instead of a necessity of food. She loves food, especially some good Mexican food, like Grandma’s beans and rice and some tortillas!!! We attended breakfast with Santa at Julie’s school and she wanted nothing to do with it, even with Mommy holding her nearby. Luckily Christmas Eve she sat in Santa’s lap without any issues.

Isa
Isa started pre-school in the summer at Building Rainbows. She absolutely LOVED it. She celebrated her 4th birthday with cookies with her friends at school. At home we had an ice cream party at Carvel. All the kids got to see how the cakes are made and each got to decorate their own personal ice cream cake to take home. In gymnastics she was selected to be in the Hot Shots class!! The preschool director hand picks the students and there are only a handful of classes. These kids are pushed a little harder and workout more and play less. The skills are more like the skills that Makayla and Julie are doing. They are all gymnastics ALL the time!! In the fall she started Mother’s Day Out at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our church. She goes 2 ½ days a week and adores all of her teachers and has made lots of new friends!! Isa also started ballet/tap classes in the fall. She had her first show for Christmas and she was born for the stage!! This Christmas was especially fun for Isa. She understood what it was all about, the birth of baby Jesus. She enjoyed every minute of the entire season, even the SNOW!! It was only the second time it has snowed since she’s been born. Unfortunately the first time she was only 6 months old. This time she was with Grandma and Grandpa and was so excited about the snow!!!

Julie
Julie is enjoying her last year in elementary school. She has blossomed in her art!! She was enrolled in Art after school in both the spring and fall semesters. Academically she is still a whiz!! She has brought home numerous report cards with straight A’s. She rarely needs help with her homework and usually helps Makayla with the artwork on her projects. In gymnastics she was a Nova this year. At her winter competition she didn’t do so well, but she knows what she needs to focus on to help her the next time.

Makayla
Makayla excelled in her gymnastics as a level 6. She placed in the Gold division going into the state championships!! She was quite nervous about competing against the best of the best. She beat her teammate Kendall in a fluke so she was excited and scared at the same time. She knew she needed to step it up and so did we. We got her 2 private lessons a week so she could work and fine tune her weaknesses. It definitely paid off!! She placed 7th in the state of Texas in the GOLD division. Her personal best!!!! She was so excited!!!! She was also invited to participate in the Duke University TIP program. She got to take her SAT as a 7th grader!!! We are so very proud of her!!