Timber!

So it finally happened! Taylor pulled down the Christmas tree this morning...right on top of her! I was on the couch, enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate. Taylor was watching Dora the Explorer. She saw a bird on the cartoon and then ran over to the tree to point out the bird ornaments. She then decided to take off one of "her" ornaments (she has a group of non-breakable ornaments that we let her take off of the tree to play with). I guess she pulled on it too hard because the next thing I knew the tree was laying on top of her!

I ran over to pull the tree off of her, and I couldn't help but laugh....I know, I'm horrible! She looked so funny....she was curled up in the fetal position clutching onto the ornament she had pulled off. Taylor was pretty startled. She really started crying after I pulled her from under the tree and she saw all of the scattered ornaments lying on the floor. As it is, she doesn't like it when things are out-of-place....so you can only imagine what was going through her head when she saw the tree on the ground and the ornaments all across the living room floor.

Surprisingly, Taylor didn't receive one scratch. The tree is still leaning up against the wall...something that is driving Taylor crazy. I guess this is another one of those stories that we'll be able to tell her about for years to come.

A pink room, a visit with Santa

Nana and Doodah came to visit us for several days....and we put them to work! They both helped out so much in painting Taylor's room. To most everyone's surprise (including ourselves), we painted her room pink! Taylor seems to like it. Her room is the first room that we've redone in the house and it looks great. Now the rest of the house really sticks out like a sore thumb!

Doodah also helped Tyson finish the backyard fence. It's so exciting to have that done. We appreciate all of the help from Poppa and Doodah in the construction of our fence. We can enjoy our privacy in our backyard, and the dogs can't escape anymore!

We all took a break from working on Saturday and drove into Wichita Falls for dinner and to see some Christmas lights. We walked around the "Electric Critters" light show located at a nature center. Taylor got to see lots of different lighted animals. Her favorite was a lit cow that kept mooing at her...she never could figure out where the mooing was coming from!

While there, we took Taylor to see Santa Claus. We weren't sure how she was going to react to Santa....but she didn't seem bothered by him at all! Next year maybe a completely different story!

Hard at work painting her room!

Taylor likes her new pink room.

Listening very closely to Santa Claus.

Taylor and Santa.

Sitting by some of the "Electric Critters" that we saw.

Oh Christmas Tree

We took Taylor to a Christmas tree farm located not too far from Henrietta to pick out our tree this year. Mimi and Poppa met up with us to find a tree for their house, too. We had a great time walking around the Christmas trees. Taylor seemed to enjoy it....she especially liked the baby trees.

Taylor really, really likes the Christmas tree with all of the lights and decorations on it. She has her own little section of the tree that's filled with ornaments just for her!

Taylor enjoyed exploring the Christmas tree farm.

Playing hide-and-seek in the trees.

Taylor wanted to show Poppa the perfect tree...

And here it is!

Tree inspecting with Mimi and Daddy.

Supervising Daddy cutting down our tree.

Making sure Poppa knows what he's doing!

Thanksgiving

We spent the Thanksgiving holidays in Houston with Nana and Doodah. Taylor had a great time playing at Nana's house....especially chasing her cats! We went to Taylor's great-Granny and Poppy's lake house for Thanksgiving Day. She spent the day playing with her cousins, picking up pecans and spending time outside. It was her first "real" Thanksgiving dinner....and she loved it! She ate just about everything that we gave her. She especially liked broccoli-rice-and-cheese casserole! So far it seems like Taylor takes after me when it comes to food.....we both like just about everything!

Ninja Taylor!

Taylor would gather all of the pecans that everyone picked up.

Collecting pecans from Aunt Donna and Nana.

Organizing pecans

Post-Thanksgiving dinner

Sitting cozy by the fire.

Taylor and I (not pictured!) are holding the ladder for Doodah...scary!!

Smelling Nana's flowers.

Halloween

Taylor got to spend Halloween in Allen with Mimi, Poppa, Aunt Haley and Uncle Ryan. Tyson and I were in Henrietta getting ready for the movers to arrive, so we had to miss Halloween. Taylor was the cutest little ladybug. Apparently she didn't care for the hat that came with the costume....and I guess the wings were a no-go, too! Nevertheless, she looked awfully cute! Mimi said that by the end of the night Taylor had figured out this Halloween-stuff! She would knock on the door and then reach in the bowls of candy to grab some candy.

Having a pre-trick or treating snack.

Sitting with two princesses and a penguin (Tokarz kids).

Sweet ladybug!

No hat!

"Hello stranger. I was told you are going to give me candy!"

Another house, another score!

Gimme that candy!

Checking out the goodies...

And more importantly, getting the goodies!!

Homeless in Houston

Yes....homeless! We were actually without a home for almost two weeks from the time we left Lubbock until we officially moved to Henrietta. Unfortunately we couldn't move directly from Lubbock to Henrietta because we had to wait until a certain date to close on our house. We used our "homeless" time to visit family in Houston! Well, Taylor and I did. Tyson stayed in Dallas for a couple of days and then had to go to Henrietta because he had to start working at his new job! So it was just Taylor and I hanging out with Nana and Doodah.

We got to see most of our family while in Houston....which was a lot of fun. Taylor really enjoyed playing with her cousins, Jacob, Ashlyn, Vayley, Sadie and Luke. They were all very, very nice to her and made her feel like one of the big kids!

We also got to see Aunt Kelley, Uncle Doug and cousin Jack. We actually stopped in College Station on the way from Lubbock to Houston so Taylor could eat dinner and stretch her legs. Taylor and Jack were so funny together. Jack really is a hoot! He's a funny little boy! I think if the two of them were around each other more, they would get into lots of trouble!We hung out with Kelley, Doug and Jack again at the Texas Renaissance Festival. We got to see lots of interesting people...some I'd rather Taylor never see again! Ha ha. Taylor and Jack were really good while we there. Both of them would have rather been running around instead of being couped up in their strollers...but in spite of that, they did really well.

I've never mentioned Taylor's obsessive-compulsive disorder of lining things up. She lines up everything....doesn't matter what it is...toys, food, decorations, water bottles, etc. She prefers to have similar items lined up, but if that's not possible, she'll line up anything. It's really pretty funny to watch her do it. For some reason while we were in Houston, her OCD intensified and she was a lining-up maniac! Nana had a basket full of small decorative pumpkins and gourds that Taylor had to line up every day...several times a day. Taylor would also line up all of Nana's potatoes....which Cody (Nana & Doodah's dog) really liked b/c he would run by and snatch one of the potatoes up!

We're not too worried about her "disorder" right now. That may change as she gets older and stranger! Ha ha. Just kidding! I just wish her "disorder" included putting everything back the way she found it!

Happy girl now. Hours earlier she threw up on Nana in the car when
we picked her up from the airport!

Moving day in Lubbock. Taylor is excited to leave!

Poor Sugar. He was the victim of Taylor's pulling and grabbing the whole time we were at Nana's house!

Busted! Got caught drawing on Nana's patio.

Most of the time she's sweet like this!

Taylor started saying "yuck" and this is the face that she makes when she says it.

Taylor liked playing in Cody's kennel.

Lining up the potatoes. Note the three measuring spoons lined up
in the front of the picture. Scary!

Turning on Nana's Halloween ghosts and getting ready to line them up!

More lining up!

Playing with Jack at the Renaissance Festival.

Wildman Jack!

Two crashed-out kiddies!

Playing at her great-Granny and Poppy's lakehouse!

Don't ask...

Doodah's getting ready to feed Taylor to the alligators!

Babysitting Mimi and Poppa

Several weeks ago Tyson and I had to go to Henrietta to search for a place to live, so we left Taylor with her Mimi and Poppa. Mimi and Aunt Haley had some fun adventures planned for Taylor, so she was sure to have a good time. Taylor built her first Build-A-Bear stuffed animal, rode on her first carousel, went to her first football game, fed horses and played & played with Gabby, Piper and Belle (dogs!). She was a busy little girl while we were gone. I wish we could've played like she did.....looking for houses is no fun at all!

Getting Aunt Haley's opinion on her bear.

Taylor's picking out the details for her bear.

Taylor really liked the Shrek stuffed animal, but Aunt Haley said no! Ha ha!

Say cheese!

Taylor loved the horses behind Mimi's house. She even tried to give them kisses!

On the way to feed the horses!

Playing in Mimi's tunnel.

This tent-thing is cool!

Riding with Poppa on his mower.

Helping Gabby eat her dinner!