Happy Halloweenie!

Hey Gang, Halloween has come & gone... I'm pretty sure even the candy is gone! Anyhoo, here are a few pix of Maya, Sammi & Lola. We totally had fun with Sammi, even if it was only for a couple days. The girls are as close as sisters & carry on together like they are never apart. They had a blast trick or treating. Lola was Curious George, Sammi was a classic Daphne from Scooby Doo & Maya was Ariel at the start of the night until her OCD kicked in because her mermaid tail was "tickling the tops of my feetsies" So we had a meltdown, then a costume change to Tinkerbell (thank God for the dress up box) & we were off. Both were complaining their bags were too heavy by the end of the night. Success!

OH!!! We're super stoked to know that Auntie Crissy is knocked up & expecting in the middle of June. YAY!! Which reminds me... I need to make that appointment for Cody.....



Here's Miss Lola chillin with the pumpkins.





The night Sammi came into town. They stayed up so late chit chatting, then crashed.. HARD!



The Girlies. Sammi came to Maya's school & we all had lunch together. It was fun!


Lola on Halloween... getting a manicure by Auntie Crissy.




Curious George.






The Girls in the graveyard







Sammi posed this way EVERY time we got the camera out!!



Ready to hit the Loop!!




The Georges & Mommy & Daddy's trick or treat bag.

It's Fall!!!

What's up y'all? It has finally cooled off in good old ATX. Hell, a cold front actually blew in tonight & it's going to be 73 degrees tomorrow!!

So the girls have been busy with princess parties, festivals, school for Maya, hip hop class & the intense business of learning tricks for Lola. It's been fun, to say the least.

We're gearing up for Halloween & a whirlwind visit from Crissy & Sammi!!! Trick or treating is going to be a blast. Especially because that crazy Sam doesn't like candy..... it's all for us, cuz we need it right!! I think I'll go as Crissy & break my foot & make her push me around the block in a wheelchair!

Maya is going to start Brownies, but that is the limit of activities for this year... ya gotta leave some time to play!! She is doing great in school & we just found out that she is in the highest reading group, so we're down with that!

Lola is busy not learning any of the tricks that I am desperately trying to teach her so that I have some news worthy video to post! She loves to sit & play with her toys, jump in her jumperoo, stand in your lap & go for walks with Mommy. She could give a crap about waving, clapping, doing funny face or even crawling. I love it, she is on her own schedule & laughing & smiling the whole way!! She's eating solid foods, now pretty regularly & I think bananas & pears are her favorites. Well, not better than crackers, it's all about the crackers...much like her cuz Nico.

So here are some pix of the stuff:


Miss Lola looking cute hanging on the bed!



Later that day, hangin with Daddy after he got home from work.




Maya, I mean Tinkerbell, in her glory at Eavan's Princess bday party.
Arial stopped by to read stories & paint up their faces.




A good shot of the teef... she's trying on her monkey ears!




A teeny tiny little bitty ponytail!!!!! Our first one @ 9 1/2 mos!




Here's Maya at the carnival with HEBuddy. Don't know what it is about this walking bag of groceries, but she loves him??? That's a big piece of meat in his sack.




The Jigglebug Express. This dude drives a riding mower/tractor & tows these cut out 50 gallon drums... like 15 of them. He totally jams all over the carnival, up & down grass hills, wraps them up in a coil then guns it, giving them mini whiplash. It's so awesome & really what a job this guy's got?




Hey, Lola liked the carnival too.
Here she is having fun on the stroller ride.




Come on.... look at those cheeks!



And this one, too... just too cute, look at those dimples!
This is her 1st Grade pic.

Maybe I'm biased, but geez, these are some damn good looking kids!

OK, I'll try to get a good post up after the Halloween festivities. Take care, y'all!

End of Summer/Beginning of Fall

Hi Y'all!!

Well school has finally started, our big girl is in 1st grade. We are lucky, she loves school... so far! She's still a reading fool & has moved onto the Magic Treehouse series of books. She's started taking a Hip Hop dance class & it seems to be leaving a bigger impression than ballet & tap. It's fun to watch her have a sassy attitude & shake her thang with the other 6-8 year olds. No doubt the recital next May will be memorable.

Miss Lola is almost 9 mos old!!! Ugh, which means the first bday is around the corner.... too fast dammit! The giggles & smiles are more free & easy. She is our little lover, head on the shoulder & neck squeezes. If you scratch her back... it's all over. She's also silly & she knows it, shaking her head for giggles & jumping crazy, but making sure you are watching. I think we've also got a clever little one on our hands, too. If you are holding her in your lap & she's standing, she'll put her head to the side, like she wants to put it on your shoulder... of course you can't resist that... then she'll bite the living crap out of your neck or shoulder! Those seven little vampire teeth HURT! So, we're getting pretty quick at shoving a teething ring in her face. Lola is following in her big sister's footsteps & is absolutely refusing to eat any vegetables, we were off to such a good start, but we'll continue to sneak the veggies in pears & peaches, while we can!. Let's just say that the looks aren't the only thing inherited from her Daddy, the temper doesn't fall far from the tree! That kid can get pissed. It's actually pretty funny to watch, poor baby!

Cody's 20 year high school reunion was supposed to be next weekend in Galveston, but the damn hotel got washed out by Ike... the nerve! So we will host Jamey & Lisa from Kentucky for the weekend, which will be fun, for sure.

Football season has started : GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!! 3-0 Maybe the Texans will finally have a winning season, I said maybe (0-2).

Anyhow, Halloween is coming, which is a great time around here. We love the scary decorations & of course the cooler weather. Hope everyone is great!!

Here's the pix from the month:



Daddy & his girls. It's comedy how Lola thinks being on his shoulders is so funny, she just smiles & giggles & grabs onto hair for dear life.






First Day of First Grade... Make note of the "I Love You" that Maya sent out to everyone!





Lola at 8 1/2 mos. Look at those cheeks!



Looking up at her Big Sis.





Lola enjoying some sticky Puffs.




Hey Man.... what's in those Puffs?




This kid loves her some Ritz crackers!



Just our happy girl!



And a miracle shot of ALL the neighborhood kids SITTING down & watching a movie. Please try to zoom in on Thomas (front right) & his sassy cape & Cinderella shoes. Also, what's up with Elmo down there?

July (Hotter than Hell) '08

Hurray Gang.... after this post, I will officially be caught up!!!!!!!!!!!! With that being said... scroll down til you get til May, then work your way back up in order to catch up chronologically.

July has been hot... over 100 every day. So we swim ALOT! It just seems that I keep forgetting to bring my camera outside. I'll concentrate on that this weekend & try to catch some new video of Maya jumping off the waterfall & diving to the bottom of the pool. Quite a 180 from a few short months ago. We've been keeping sort of a low profile this summer, hanging out at home & in the neighborhood. Between the heat & the price of gas, we've decided to make use of our "in house" amenities. So lots of pool time, art projects, Barbie playing & reading, reading, reading. Maya has read 12 chapter books this summer & we've got the next series lined up for the fall. She likes to read the pages, then say them again with added drama... I've got to get her on stage!! Maya also attended a week long cheer camp, which she loved, they did a little performance at the end of the week & she nailed her moves. Unfortunately, the video came out crappy, but I'm gonna work on it & see if I can get one uploaded. It was a fun opportunity for her & they offer it at the high school every year, so that's something she can count on!

Lola is finally sitting up on her own!!! Next up is rolling & crawling, but I am in no rush..... I like being able to put her down & have her stay in the same spot. It seems that we spend the first years teaching them to walk & talk, then the next 16 telling them to sit down & shut up.... so no hurry around these parts, we just want to enjoy our baby. Her hair is filling in nicely, actually pretty impressively considering how her head was as smooth as her coolie the end of May. She's finally giving out more smiles & giggles, much to our relief. She thinks Maya is hysterical. Her grabbing instinct has kicked in, so nothing is sacred - noses, eyeballs, hair - cocktails! I've had to hone my reflexes to save my goods.


A rough 4th of July for Cody Jr.




Lola, stylin in her hat.



Maya at cheer camp. Go Green Turtles!




Lola loves that jumperoo... & of course her big sister.




Here's our girl finally sitting up on her own!

For some reason after her nap, when I was trying to get a decent photo shoot,
she wasn't as smiley.



Love my Girls!!


Thanks for looking, y'all. School starts in 2 weeks, so look for those pix of our BIG girl going to 1st grade. Holy Crap.

June 08

Well June started off with a bang. Maya got out of School on the 3rd, I think & we took a little time to decompress. We went to the Texas History Museum, Nick & Maya had a good time looking at all the old guns, heads & other history "junk". They actually knew a lot of stuff from their Texas month in school. It was pretty cool, to be honest. Cody asked me why I didn't know all that info, didn't I learn about it in school? Which I quickly asked him if he learned about California history while he was in school... point taken!









The night before Father's Day, Maya & Cody had a camp out in the backyard. They made s'mores & slept in a tent. Maya says she is ready for the great outdoors.






In the middle of June we took a trip to San Diego for Nico's first birthday party & to hang out for a couple weeks with the fam. It was nice & relaxing & we pretty much did nothing & we wouldn't have had it any other way!!


The girls are always so happy to see each other... well, Maya & Sammi, anyway. Lola was just happy to be free, I think. We had one of those flight days from hell, getting bumped, lay overs & all that crap. We got there in one piece & with very little fuss, so I can't complain.






Here's Lola (almost 6 mos), chillin on the floor, not quite sitting, yet, but she really doesn't care! Nico was diggin his bath in Auntie Crissy's sink, just a cup & a spoon for entertainment!





We also went to the San Diego County Fair to see Sammi dance for her recital, she did great. Stood front & center & shook her coolie like a pro! Maya apparently shed her super cautious persona (passed it on to Sam, I think) & rode the rides with Auntie Lisa, Uncle Ryan & even went by herself!!! We're almost ready for Six Flags!


Here's Lola & Baby Vito... I mean Nico!

This is how they roll!!



Our resident broken beaver... Auntie Crissy & Sammi bummin a ride!! Also Uncle Ryan, spinning Maya, she just wanted to go faster, she was laughing so hard, it cracked us all up! Auntie Lisa took her on the pirate ship & every time they hit the top, Maya yelled "AAAAARRRR!!" Killin me!




Here's Miss Samma Lamma on stage, hammin it up, big time! Maya couldn't wait to give her a big hug.



Nonni & Pappi with 2 of their girls!



So, that was June in a nutshell. Thanks to the Sullivans for letting us intrude. We all had a great time. On to July!!!