Cuties

Just a very quick post with some of the cute snap shots we've taken lately....Mackenzie and Callie at the Drama night, Ryan loving on Olivia, and Olivia experiencing her first taste of grass.

Halloween fun

Hello. Brian here. Just thought I'd share some Halloween photos from this past week.

Olivia dressed up as a cheetah, Ryan was Indiana Jones with spiders hanging from hat, Emily a box of Skittles and Mackenzie a snack vending machine.

We had a lot of fun. Earlier in the week was the annual YMCA carnival, Friday was the annual "Scare on the Square" in downtown McKinney and yesterday was the trunk-or-treat at the Stake center.

One bonus to our already fun week was Emily and Mackenzie both won first place awards in the McKinney costume contest in the "Green" category. Jamie used the big cardboard boxes we had in the garage from our recent washer/dryer purchase and made the costumes. We saw some really cool costumes that night. Those boxes made their shoulders sore and tired after walking around in them all week, but they did great and didn't complain. They knew not to complain or Dad would eat all of their candy. :)

Jamie really worked hard on those boxes in her "spare" time. She did a great job.

Anyway, we are very thankful to get to spend this time together and never want to take it for granted. We all ate Jamie's delicious homemade chili on a "cold" Halloween Texas night!

Apparently it's a tradition...

Traditions run deep with my kiddos...in fact I am discovering that we have many "traditions" that I did not even know about...like making caramel apples on the family home evening before Halloween. Emily informed me that we just had to because it's one of our greatest fall traditions. I guess traditions can be anything you want them to be. This week I was talking with my mom and I mentioned that I kept wanting...no NEEDING to make cinnamon rolls for some reason. Really...I felt like I just had to make them...and really I do not even like them, and the family is not crazy about them...But I NEEDED and felt compelled to make them. I then said, " what is it about fall that makes me think you have to have cinnamon rolls?" And sure enough, Mom said that she ALWAYS made cinnamon rolls during the fall...because that is what her mom did. That they just go hand in hand with the fall season. I was talking with my brother tonight and guess what he said...."I'm making cinnamon rolls for dessert tomorrow"...Yep...traditions.

Halloween cupcakes

Ryan's witch cupcake

Emilys cupcakes

Mackenzie's cupcakes

Early release day happens every quarter of school and I try to do something fun with the kids each time. This early Friday we decided to make Halloween cupcakes. I scavenged the stores to buy the right candy for the designs the kids had picked out....note to self....airheads and laffy taffy's turn gooey and gross once placed in the fridge in order to go in the lunch boxes the next morning...ugh! They had a great time decorating their cupcakes...Ryan had a great time eating the candy and I enjoyed watching what they came up with. Not only were they candy covered...but I also made the cupcakes out of some fabulous new recipes that I blogged about over on my "sweetbakes" blog if you are interested in the recipes.

Some of my favorite moments with my kids are when they are gathered around the kitchen crafting or cooking together...they are so nice to each other and they are truly happy...too bad we can't duplicate that when it Saturday chore time!

Too Long!

Crazy Hair Day at school....Emily's hair was wired into a heart....I always use crayola finger paint...it is bright and gives many more colors than the hair spray.

Crazy Hat Day at the school...Olivia trying on Emily's hat.

It has been way to long since I have posted....Time really starts to fly by when you grow up! I returned last Saturday from Utah, I went to be with my mom during a surgery....a very yucky surgery. I went to be my mom's "Nurse" at home....I spent about 8 days in Utah, and for most of it mom was in the hospital...which was the size of a closet. The surgery became more complicated and my poor mom ended up with 25 metal staples keeping her together...4 laser wounds in her sides and miserable. Olivia and I spent all day in the hospital...trying to be helpful, not touching anything, and being quiet....not exactly what a 9 month old baby wanted to do. Olivia also decided that she would not only NOT let anyone hold her...but would not want them approaching her as if they might take her...she would give them warning grunts to back away.

The good news is that my mom is now recovering, doing very well...she is one tough cookie! My flight was safe and I got my yearly dose of See's Chocolates (again). So it wasn't exactly a "vacation" visit...but time spent with my mom and sister's is always my favorite.

Brian braved the home front for the entire time. The kids were in heaven and I think they could have stood another week without even noticing I was gone. It helped that the meals were something like this....kid cuisine frozen dinners, Little Ceasers, Subway, Scotty P's hamburgers, frozen pizza...and so on. A far cry from my wholesome, organic fare I have them on. They also ignored bedtime and chores...at least until Saturday at noon (my flight came in at 6 pm). But he also had to deal with all kinds of schedule juggling, even a kid filled trip to a Broadway Musical and the state Fair! ...(more to come on that later) and I am grateful that he supported me going to be with my mom.

This week I am working on putting together a "Wing Family Store"...a new reward system that I am starting for my little darlings....who are driving us crazy with behavior issues lately...we will see how it works. They will earn points to either cash into "reward cards" or to spend in the store...should be fun.

I made an awesome Lasagna for dinner last night...everyone loved it...and what they didn't know is that I "hide" 2 cups of butternut squash, 2 cups fresh spinach, and 2 cups roasted asparagus in it....little twerps didn't suspect a thing!

8 Months Old!

The kids in Austin on the way to San Antonio...it was a million degrees!

Olivia outside of McKinney Medical for NICU party.

Olivia is 8 months old today! Time is flying by...we went to her NICU Anniversary party a few weeks ago. The experience was bitter sweet.. drudging up old feelings from her traumatic birth and time spent in the NICU, and at the same time such feelings of love and thankfulness that she is here and so healthy and well. She is finally sitting up on her own! She is eating solid food...even fed herself banana chunks at the dinner table tonight! She is still itty bitty...in fact she is still mostly in her 0 to 3 month old clothes. She can fit into the 3 to 6 months...but can also still wear her NEWBORN sized onsies! Who knows maybe she was destined to be a little thing even if she were full term.

That being said she may be a little thing in size but not in SASS! She is by far the most SPOILED baby on the planet. She demands to be held all of the time. A friend told me today that it is because I have trained her that way...and that is true...but not ME alone...those darn sisters! Tonight I was trying to "teach" Olivia how to go to sleep on her own. I rocked and loved her and then when mostly, but not entirely asleep, I laid her down and walked out. She let out her first peep of a cry and MacKenzie comes running down stairs, flips on the bedroom light, and rushes to Olivia's rescue. I was not a happy mom...and Kenzie did not care, she just continued to hold and play with Olivia....this would be why the baby is SO SPOILED! What's a mom to do. By the way Brian is just as bad if not worse at giving little Olivia EVERYTHING she wants.

In other Wing news...Brian ran an awesome 5K in Arkansas on Saturday...his time was 22 min! I was proud of him. I ran my kind of race...... against myself on Monday.... and logged 11 miles of sweaty, hilly fun. :)

The kids are doing awesome in school...lots of homework already. Emily is in GT and her homework is HARD! I had to help her with an essay tonight on "The Family as a Social Institution"...How it fits, what are its goals, Why it is important to her, what it means, on and on...she's 9 years old, and its the first weeks of school, UGH! Kenz has a "crush" that I get to hear about after school everyday ;) She is also doing lots of homework, and is really impressing by getting up happy and early ever morning. Ryan is a crazy bike rider lately. He convinced Brian to ride bikes with him to the church and back....in 100 degree weather. About 8 to 10 miles? He fell and bloodied his ankle twice, but kept going. It took them about 2 hours, but he was so happy.

Other than that life is busy and blessed, busy...Volleyball, Dance, Piano, Activity Days, Softball, Brian starts a new class next week, I picked up 2 new classes at the Y, Cakes/Cookie orders, running, and Baby...blessed because we are a family...and Emily summed it up in her closing remarks on her essay tonight..In her words....

"Family is to Social Institutions, like the Heart is to the body...essential to all other functions......it is what keeps us "pumping"... your heart pumps your blood, and your family pumps your soul with happiness....Family lifts us up with love, encouragement, forgiveness, happiness and support...it is the only social institution that will stay with you forever....You may lose your teachers, friends, jobs, and money but you will never loose your family. They will always be there for you."

Emily's Sock Monkey

Emily was having a very summer bored moment...and I was just finishing a cake. So I suggested she take the extra cake I baked and the extra butter cream frosting and make an Emily Original Cake. She went to my computer and looked up some ideas...then came back to the kitchen and made this! She is SO good! She really came up with the idea, sculpted and decorated the entire cake all by herself. I LOVED it!