Happy Halloween 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's no trick, it's a treat (and a complete surprise) that I am able to make our post on Halloween tonight! These pictures and moments were just too cute not to share right away.

First I have to share our family picture, taken by ourselves with the help of the timer. I was so proud, we got it the first time.



Now who are these adorable creatures sitting with us? Why it's KK and AJ, dressed up for trick o'treating! I know, they are in such amazing disguises I didn't recognize them either! Let me introduce you...

KK decided to be Princess Ariel (the mermaid princess to be exact). She wanted her crown to be made of bows and clips. Then she proceeded to raid her jewelry box to find just the right jewelry so she could transform into a princess of the sea! And what a beautiful princess she is:



Now in hindsight, a princess mermaid could use a sidekick like Flounder to hang out with on Halloween night. But we are just not that creative in our house. Instead, AJ wanted to be a fierce, ferocious LION! Nobody panic, the little lion didn't even roar tonight. After a deep inspection of his little paws that covered his hands, our little lion spent the evening laughing and loving the outdoors and watching the stars. Instead of "trick or treat" or "happy Halloween", phrases mommy had spent weeks prepping him for, he stuck to his version of halloween and just yelled "boo" at everyone. It was adorable!



Here are some additional pictures of my beautiful kids (and of me as I am usually behind the camera versus in front of it).



After the mandatory photo shoot in our front yard, we went down the street to have a pizza-picnic with our neighborhood friends. We had some yummy pizza and treats, took some pictures and then all walked together to start our night of fun!

Ariel & Jesse, best friends forever:



Did you know puppies and lions are best friends?



So our little AJ has never walked up to a door and trick o'treated before. He was quite confused by the process. Lucky for him (we think), his big sister had no trouble at all getting into the crazy swing of things and helped him with his first house. So sweet! AJ did struggle a little with the "one piece of candy at each door" rule... he felt if they held out a bowl of candy, it was his job to stuff both of his little hands full and then wait for more candy. He did actually stand so long at one door that the poor man just gave him another piece... we were laughing so hard.



Kaitlyn on the other hand was Ms. Manners tonight. It was "Trick or Treat", "thank you" and as she ran off she would yell out "Happy Halloween!"... we were quite proud of her. She would also point out to everyone she met, whether they asked or not, that she was Princess Ariel, the mermaid princess. She repeated that at almost every house... I guess so they wouldn't confuse her with those "fake" princesses running around! It was too funny!

Along the way down the street, we met up with our neighbors and did a couple streets with them. We also stopped by the neighborhood house that won for best Harvest theme in their yard.



It was a great night, check out our stash! Tomorrow we sort and will try to send some of it over to our troops overseas (its our first attempt, but we think it will be great for our teeth and for our troops to get a fun treat).



Also - here is a shot of our Daddy. He carved our first pumpkin with us today so we could have some fun Halloween pictures in our costumes! I think we will definitely do more next year (maybe a TCU pumpkin sweetie?) and keep it a tradition...



Happy Halloween Y'all! Our babies are tucked into their beds with smiles on their faces and more candy than ever in their tummies, but what fun we shared together. Now its past my bedtime, sweet dreams!

TCU Football Season (Part II)

Here are some more pictures of our TCU football season!

October 16th - TCU vs. BYU

Our TCU Horned Frog family (before the BYU game):

We were very excited for this game, as we got to share the afternoon with family (which means more hands to help with the kids, something that is always nice). Plus we love going to football games with the boys, its an annual tradition practically where they come down and we watch the Frogs together. We got some wonderful pictures of everyone and most importantly, we had a blast. Love you boys!

October 23rd - TCU vs. Air Force

What an amazing evening we were given! It was pouring rain all morning, KK even played in some serious hard rain during her soccer game that day. But at 5pm the skies cleared and it was (finally) blissfully cool.

We had an amazing sunset and then snuggled under our blankets with the kids to watch the game. Little AJ even fell asleep in the 3rd quarter since it was past his bedtime. Again I must say how sweet our children are, to stay up until 11pm without fuss, just going with the flow and enjoying the night... Wow!

More pictures on a later post - we have one last home game November 13th! GO TCU HORNED FROGS! You know we will be there next year with our purple on. How blessed we are that our kiddos love this as much as we do :-)

TCU Football Season (Part I)

T-C-U FROGS!

(Yes, AJ can chant T-C-U and do the horned frog hand symbol... we start them young in our house)!

So this blog is called "Our Little Horned Frogs" and that is just what our kids are! We are crazy about TCU and our Horned Frogs. Thus, as any self-respecting TCU alumni should, we have season tickets to all home TCU Football games.

Every game we get our gear on - for KK that is a TCU Cheerleader outfit complete with bows and ribbons of purple, for AJ it means a TCU football jersey and our favorite TCU hat. Then we load up the cooler with drinks and snacks, as we will be gone more than a few hours. We drive down to campus and then the party begins. We usually grab Fuzzy's and have a picnic on the lawn by Sadler Hall, enjoying the cool and quiet before we pack up and join the other Frog Fans in Frog Alley.

At Frog Alley, we always stop to get KK's face painted (each week is something new) and then for some bounce house fun to get rid of some energy. Some weeks we have time to tailgate with old friends and catch up, other weeks we get inside to claim our seats and get ready to watch the #4 (depending on the week) team of college football show us their stuff.

Its been very hot this year, but we bleed purple and our entire family came to each and every game to show our support. It needs to be said, we would do this ranked #4 or not ranked - for 12 years we have come and supported our Frogs.

Here are some pictures of our weekends this fall.

September 11th - TCU vs. TTU

What a hot game this was - an afternoon game in Texas with temperatures nearing 100 degrees. What was worse, it was so humid that sweat was dripping off you faster than you could drink water. I am not sure if it was devotion or stupidity, but after having a tummy bug I got from the kids, I went to the game anyway... and about halfway through the first quarter, I promptly looked at Greg and then passed out. Lucky for me, I was sitting and Greg caught me and held on to me. The kids weren't aware of what happened and we left as it was super hot for them and for me. But before all that drama, we did get face painting and some cute pictures. This was AJ's first year for a football jersey, and he does it proud! So handsome!

September 18th - TCU vs. Baylor

Thankfully, this game was a little cooler (but not much)... we had a picnic in front of Sadler Hall with some Fuzzy's and sat in the shade to stay cool. AJ was in top form, cheering with all his heart at the beginning of the game.

Left to Right: AJ telling us the way to the stadium; KK being silly; AJ watching an intense play in the game (aka the ball was in sight and he wanted that ball); Daddy and AJ smile after a touchdown!

KK's 1st Soccer Season

After many many many months of KK asking when she will be big enough to play soccer, the time came and we signed her up as fast as we could. Having never really played with her (she has just watched the kids playing on the soccer fields by our house), we weren't sure what to expect, but all we wanted was for her to have a fun time. We signed up with our friend McKenzie and got Coach Carl as our coach. Our first practice was entertaining to say the least. KK was more concerned about shin guards and her pretty new shoes, but the dad's got the team going and we kicked the ball around. We left practice thinking that we covered all the bases... we probably should have explained the game a little more to KK.

Our first game was two days after our first practice. We got our jerseys as we walked to the field - neon green and yellow. The kids look cute in them, but man are they bright. Our team decided mid-game that we were THE GREEN MACHINES! Very cute name.. apparently The Buzz Lightyears were taken by the other team we were playing ha-ha! KK was called onto the field first - and she did great. She was told to stand on the circle and she did... even as the ball flew by. After three years of telling her to take turns, be sweet and not to push, Mommy and Daddy were cheering for her and telling her to forget all that and just get that ball. It was very funny. But our sweet KK, she didn't get scared or cry... she just ran around with her teammates, watching the ball but always making sure to avoid the crowd of kids surrounding the ball. And the best part, she had a blast!

Here is a picture of her at the first game, as the ball flew past, KK turned and saw me about to snap a picture and she of course stopped chasing the silly ball and stiked a pose! Classic KK - how silly you are, we love you!

Here is KK and some of her fellow Green Machines having a quick pow-wow with Coach Carl before kickoff.. so cute and so big in her jersey. While KK isn't a fan of the pushing and crowds around the ball, she is an amazing runner and will jog back and forth with the team. Sometimes we see a bird fly by, or notice a pretty flower, but we always come back to the game. Coach loves that KK will join the team on the field anytime and just jump right in the game, she is a strong teammate that way.

Her sweet friend Kenzie is below too - what a little powerhouse she is. She might run onto the field bawling her eyes out, but she will push her way to the ball and has no fear. Her and KK approach the game very different, but they have fun together!

My favorite moment might have been her second or third game, the ball and crowd of kids came near her and KK saw the ball right there. Instead of diving in, in her self-preservation way she put her arms up around her and cringed away from the crowd, while sticking her little toe as far as she could to attempt to hit the ball. It was so precious watching her trying to kick the ball while making sure no one got too close. So sweet!

Here is her game from this past weekend -- notice shes getting in there and getting that ball. In just four games, KK has learned so much. She is getting over her fear of getting hit and really enjoys when she kicks the ball. We are just happy she is enjoying the game! Spring soccer is definately in our future. We have such a wonderful team and great parents who just want the kids to learn and have a good time.

And of course, the Green Machine's unofficial player: AJ! He joins every huddle during practice and he truely believes he is on the team. You will catch him running out on the field during a game (and then see Daddy or Mommy frantically trying to catch him and pull him back to the sidelines). He is a great little brother, always cheering for Kaitlyn from his little purple chair. He practices his moves with Daddy on the sidelines, ready to be 3 so he can go out and play too. Don't worry little man, your day is coming!

OKC Vacation

(Picture of our last moments of our trip but it is so stinkin' cute I had to put it before my post ~ what beautiful little babies I have)!

With one of my friends from high school getting married, we decided to take the kids on our first little family vacation. While we have been to parent's houses, we haven't stayed in a hotel with both kids before, so we were very excited. After KK's soccer game (more on that later for sure), we packed the car up and hit the open road. AJ was napping before we were a mile away from home, a chicken nugget that was nibbled on was still in his little hand. It was a smooth and fast ride, before we knew it we were in downtown OK City checking out bricktown and pulling up to our hotel.

Our very tall and fancy hotel! KK was as excited as I was, we checked in and headed up the elevators up up up 11 stories to our hotel room. The kids ran into the room and headed to check out the view. AJ was pumped, he saw a train and immediately yelled "choo choo" and waved to it. After checking out every inch of the room and exploring all that we could find, we put on our swimsuits and hit the pool. It was quite chilly, so we jumped into the hot tub to warm up every now and then.

That evening, we were guests at a beautiful wedding - the bride and groom said their written vows at the water gardens at sunset. It was a little chilly, but we bundled up and had so much fun. I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in years - it was fun getting to catch up and see them, though it was too short, I wish we could have spent more time together. KK had fun, she was a mess dancing around where ever she roamed, eating salami slices and drinking punch. AJ was all about the cake. He had chocolate cake all over his face, along with a big smile. It always amazes me, but it shouldn't, the kids were great the whole evening. It was super late when we headed home, but no tears or fusses happened all night. KK's favorite part was giving the bride a big hug before we left - she loved meeting the bride :-) And what a beautiful bride you were Angi - congrats to you and Daniel!

The next morning we woke up early (thanks AJ) and had a quick breakfast in bed before heading to the hot tub for a swim. Then it was a nap for AJ while we packed and checked out of our hotel room. KK was very sad, she had big tears in her eyes as she begged to stay another day and night. She kept saying "I love Oklahoma City, I want to stay in this hotel longer"... poor thing. As we promised another family vacation soon, she immediately asked when and if we could stay for two days instead of one. I think our little one has the travel bug.

We ended our visit with a trip to bricktown. We walked along the canal and chased the ducks - well AJ chased them. We had to hold him back so he didn't fall into the water. It was wonderful outside - sunny and a little chilly. We walked around and then had lunch together. After one final walk to the ducks, we got into our car and headed home.

We all had fun and can't wait to have another family vacation together soon! Thank you Angi for letting us share in your very special day!