This and That

Haven't posted in a while, don't have anything monumental to say, but here are some recent pictures . . .

One of Ashlyn's school art projects was chosen to be displayed at the district office for the month of February. (She did the owl picture above and to the right of her.)

Nana and Papa (Russ's parents) were able to come visit for a few days last month. They got to attend Kaylee and Ashlyn's school awards ceremony with me and McKell.

The school year is divided into 6 marking periods, and the elementary holds an awards ceremony at the end of each period. The girls have received awards for perfect attendance, honor roll, and doing well in specials (art, music, gym, etc.).

Adorable Ashlyn

St. Patrick's Day breakfast - Lucky Charms and GREEN milk

St. Patrick's Day dinner - quesadillas with GREEN tortillas, GREEN salad, kiwi, GREEN Kool-Aid, and GREEN Jell-O

The 1st and 2nd graders put on a darling little play entitled "How Does Your Garden Grow?". Kaylee was a tulip. (I bought a DVD, so any grandparents who are interested in seeing the play will be able to.)

Just TWO days til we close on our house. HOORAY!!!!!!!

SIX Months

This little goose turned SIX months old on February 21st. She went to the doctor for her well-baby visit the following week, and here are her updated stats:

BIRTH              7 lbs 7 oz          20 in

2 MONTHS     11 lbs 2 oz          23 in

4 MONTHS     13 lbs 9 oz          24.75 in

6 MONTHS     15 lbs 8 oz          26.75 in

 Currently, McKell . . .

*rolls front-to-back and back-to-front all over the house
*doesn't cuddle, at all, ever
*doesn't really ever hold still either
*has zero interest in baby food thus far - we just get nasty faces and tightly closed lips whenever we try
*adores her three sisters
*really loves her Mom, and occasionally tolerates her Dad
*has two teeth
*has a sensitive digestive tract that has forced Mom to really limit delicious things like milk and chocolate (boo)
*loves to be out of the house, but gets a little bored and fussy at home
*has the most adorable baby smile

We love her!

Laughing Baby

Ashlyn has some mad skills when it comes to making McKell laugh.

Still lots of baby love around our house.

HOUSE!!!

So, for Christmas this year Russ gave me a house . . . meaning the go-ahead to start looking for a house. And last week we found one! Four bed, two bath, quiet cul-de-sac, big backyard, walking distance from the elementary, biking distance from Russ's office - PERFECT. We saw it on Thursday, made an offer on Friday, and the offer was accepted on Saturday. Awesome!

We were there yesterday for the inspections, so I took a few pictures (mostly for my Mom, who has been begging and begging for them). Here's the whole collection - I'm too lazy to decide which ones to keep and which ones to delete.

Formal Dining Room

(we're planning to use this space for the piano and a computer desk)

Master Bathroom

View from the Dining Room into the Livingroom

Master Bathroom

Bedroom Closet

(all the bedrooms have similar closets)

Livingroom

(the windows look out on the backyard)

Kitchen

Kitchen

Pantry

Breakfast Room

(where we'll put our regular kitchen table)

Kitchen

Kitchen

(sorry there are so many kitchen pics - obviously one of my favorite things about the house)

Dining Room and Front Door

Back Porch

(and a fabulous family)

Our closing date is March 25th and we are beyond excited!!!

Birthday Girl Brenna

Our beautiful Brenna turned THREE on Monday!

Her day began with a donut date with Dad.

 My parents (and grandma) came to town for the occasion, so Brenna got to choose a special activity to do with them while the older girls were at school. It was a nice day so they ended up at the park (hooray for January in Texas!) 

After Brenna's chosen dinner of breakfast burritos, it was time for presents. Kaylee and Ashlyn were very "helpful" as she unwrapped everything.

Here she is with her new dolly. Kaylee and Ashlyn received similar dolls for their birthdays last June, and Brenna has basically been asking for one ever since then.

She requested a "Snow White" cake this year, so I thought it would be fun to attempt one of the "insert Barbie doll into skirt made from cake" creations. I was really happy with the way it turned out. :) (Do you like our candle holders? I didn't want to stick them directly into the cake, so my Mom shoved them into Starburst candies instead.)

And here's a picture of Brenna on her first day of school. Yes, I said SCHOOL. Crazy, huh? She has been receiving therapy services in our home for the past two years, but that program ends when a child turns 3. At that point the child is handed over to the school district. After going through the evaluation process, Brenna was qualified for placement in a preschool inclusion classroom (meaning she's in a classroom with traditional students and a general ed teacher, but also a special ed teacher to help with her unique needs). She also works with therapists directly while she's there. So, now she's in school 3 hours a day, and she is LOVING it. 

Brenna's Favorites:
color - green
toy - baby dolls
princess - Snow White
clothes - any dress
TV show - "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood"

Baby Skillz

I already posted this little video on Facebook, but there are a few blog followers who may not have seen it there, and it's just so adorable I wanted to make sure everyone could view it. :)