The kids spent a week in Houston living it up with Nana and Doodah! They, of course, rule the roost when they're there, so needless to say...they had a great time! They started out the week going to Moody Gardens. Tyson and I actually got to go with them, so it was a special treat for all of us! We first went to the aquarium since the kids were still excited about having gone to the Dallas Aquarium with Mimi and Poppa. It was neat to see all of the animals, but it was really fun to watch the kids' reactions to everything. It's so cool how excited they get about everything. We also went to the Rain Forest attraction and had a really neat time there. We saw bats, butterflies, some cool exotic birds, monkeys, an ocelot, and lots of frogs and lizards (right up Taylor's alley!). We finished up the day going to the beach so the kids could put their toes in the sand. There was a lot of seaweed around so Grady wasn't too fond of going into the water because the seaweed kept getting him. Taylor wasn't phased at all! She LOVED splashing in the waves! I see more beach trips in our future!
After Tyson and I left, Nana and Doodah kept the kids pretty busy. They did a lot of swimming (in the small kiddy pool and in Aunt Marsha's big pool), watched lots of movies, got to play with a new puppy at Aunt Donna's house, and finished the week by going to College Station to see Jack and Ben. They even got to spend the night with their cousins, so that was the highlight of their week.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Last trip of the summer...
Getting ready to do some water coloring in some cool paint smocks from Aunt Kelley!
Two little artists at work!
Just having watched all of the "Shark Week" shows, we of course had to pose next to the shark!
Monkey see, monkey do!
Aghhhh! In the shark cage!
The kids loved playing with this otter. They would run back and forth and the little otter would chase them. I think we could have spent the entire day doing that!
The otter especially liked chasing Taylor!
Nana and Grady looking at some bats.
Under a cloud of fog!
Grady didn't know what to think!
My little explorers!
Grady getting to know what porcupine quills feel like.
Posted by The Harts at 2:06 PM 0 comments
Friday, July 29, 2011
May - July Updates
May: We didn't do a whole lot in the month of May. The kids and I spent a week in Houston with Nana and Doodah while Tyson was out of town. We had fun seeing all of our extended family. Towards the end of the month we were in Allen for a wedding shower, so we got to see Mimi and Poppa and several people that Tyson went to high school with. The kids had a blast at the shower (mainly b/c the girl who was watching Taylor and Grady and the Tokarz kids let Grady eat unlimited cheetos that night!). When we weren't traveling, we were getting ready to move.
I couldn't resist....the picture quality isn't the greatest, but the subjects weren't willing to pose for much longer! Taylor was busy playing dress-up, and Grady wanted to do the same! Pretty good blackmail picture!
Here's proof that they do sometimes get along nicely!!
Mother's Day picture with Granny and Poppy!
My little soccer girl!
The kids love going up to the soccer fields on the SFA campus because the grass is "so soft!" Tyson and I love it because it wears them out!!
Grady's quite the soccer player! He really does have some good skills!
Another favorite past time is playing on the bleachers at the soccer fields.
June: We moved into our new house the first of the month, so the majority of the month was spent unpacking and setting things up. Taylor attended a nature camp on the SFA campus for a whole week. She loves everything about being outdoors....bugs, birds, dirt....so the camp was right up her alley. On the last day we got to have lunch with the campers so we were able to speak to some of the instructors. They all had very nice things to say about Taylor.....she always had a smile on her face, she was one of the most intuitive kids there, and on their little nature walks, they said she would sing really loudly!
The kids also began swimming lessons. In the beginning, Taylor HATED it. She would cry and cry on the way there, but as soon as she got into the water, she always had fun. Grady, on the other hand, loved every minute of swim lessons. We had to make him get out of the water!
We also went to the annual Blueberry Festival in Nacogdoches with Mimi and Poppa. It was really fun, but really hot. We stood in line for 45 minutes or so for some blueberry pancakes....and they were so delicious! By the time we got our food, even Grady was hungry enough to eat some pancakes (and that's saying a lot b/c the boy doesn't eat anything new!). I wish we could've spent more time there....mainly to try more of the tasty treats....but it was much too hot for the kids. Maybe we'll be better prepared for next year's festival since we know what to expect!
Taylor attended a nature camp called "Wonder Woods." She had a blast!!
Little brother, of course, did not like that Taylor went to camp without him! He was so happy when it was time to pick her up!
Taylor (in the blue hat) was the smallest camper there!
The cutest camper there!
Grady's first time to ride a horse! Of course, he was the smallest rider who ended up on the largest horse! This was at the Blueberry Festival in Nacogdoches.
Taylor liked riding the horses, too.
Playing in the rain!! We usually let the kids play in the rain since it doesn't rain very often! They think it's so cool!
Watching our butterflies leave their cage!
Of course, Taylor had to "help" them fly away! The girl loves her bugs!
July: We spent the July 4th weekend in Marble Falls for a wedding. Mimi and Poppa rented a lake house so we spent several days there. It was really relaxing and a lot of fun. The kids loved playing/swimming in the lake (yes, even Taylor did!). I had been telling the kids about the party that we were going to (referring to the wedding reception) and all of the dancing and fun we were going to have, so they were totally caught by surprise when we had to be quiet during the wedding ceremony at the church. Needless to say, Grady and I stood out in the church foyer during the entire ceremony b/c he was NOT being quiet!
The kids got to spend a week with Mimi and Poppa while Tyson and I were in Albany for a camp. I don't have any pictures to post, but they did a lot that week. They went to see "Cars 2" at the movie theater. It was Grady's first movie experience, and supposedly he did great. They also went to the aquarium where Grady got to see his favorite thing (alligators) and Taylor got to pet a sting ray. They wrapped up the week seeing a puppet show, which both kids really enjoyed. Mimi and Poppa also took them swimming several times throughout the week, so they got some additional swim lessons (for free!).
Grady also began potty training this month (kind of by accident), and is doing awesome! He still has an occasional accident here and there. If he's not wearing a diaper (which is most of the time now!), he usually makes it to the potty in time. Pretty exciting times over here!! I can see the light at the end of the diaper tunnel!!
Grady LOVES water balloons!
Taylor fishing with Poppa.
The kids watching Tyson wake boarding!
Grady wasn't too sure about going fast in the boat!
The potty-training bandit! Ever since we started potty-training, Grady rarely wears any pants. The sideways cowboy hat was his own touch!
Posted by The Harts at 3:07 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 25, 2011
March and April Updates
I apologize for the lack of blogging. Really no excuse to offer....I just haven't been doing it! We do have some exciting updates, though. We bought a house in Nacogdoches and will move in at the end of May (we can't get out of our lease for the place that we're renting, so we have to wait until the lease is up). We are getting extremely anxious to get into our new house. Renting has been....well let's just say it's been an adventure. One that we're ready to be done with!
And!! Probably more exciting than that...we just sold our house in Henrietta!! We are so thrilled about that. We are glad to finally get that chapter of our lives over with.
Other than that, the kids each had a birthday....Grady turned 2 and Taylor turned 4. It's hard to believe that Taylor is that old. On the other hand, it's not hard to believe that Grady is a two-year old! He is every bit a "terrible two!!" We've been spending a lot of time outdoors with the warmer weather....mainly going to the park that's next to the house or to the arboretum. We have to do something so the kids can stretch their legs and get some of their never-ending energy out!!
Tyson and I are doing great. Tyson really likes what he's doing. He gets to spend a lot of time reading and studying....even getting to go up to the library on the SFA campus. It makes him feel like a college student again!
I know I've said this before, but I will try to do a better job of keeping the updates coming.
Taylor's flower that she picked at the arboretum.
Pretty typical shot...Taylor is posing for the picture and we're just lucky that Grady is being still for the picture!!
Again, another typical shot....doesn't even need a caption!!
Birthday boy!! He didn't even need any presents....the balloons were enough!
In case you're wondering, that's colored bubbles all over Grady's face and hands. AND in case you're wondering, the colored bubbles do not come out of clothes even though they claim to be washable.
For those that don't know, Grady is not a good eater. He refuses to try anything new. Here he is being offered the disgusting meal of macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. This was day three of his hunger strike. No, he never did try a bite. I finally caved and started feeding him his regular food again.
Hi-tech cousins. Taylor's on the iPhone and Jack's on the iPad. Grady's not on anything....for a reason!!
My little four-year old!! She had a great time at her birthday garden party!!
Such sweet cousins!!
Dressed for the dirty work.....Easter egg hunting...
And then dressed for Easter service!
Posted by The Harts at 8:30 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 28, 2011
February Pics
I had lots of help making Tyson's birthday cake!
They only spread some of the icing....they ended up licking their spoons while I did the icing!
The finished product!! Of course we had to re-light the candles several time so the kids could each take turns blowing them out. And then Grady just wanted to keep putting the candles back into the cake....so by the end of it, the cake looked pretty beat up!
Hanging out at the arboretum!
Trying to escape at the arboretum!
Oh....how much trouble could a little boy get into??
Taylor dressed up as a fairy!
Posted by The Harts at 8:03 PM 0 comments
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