Aunt Jes visits

Since Mike is still gone, Aunt Jes came over to hang out with us!

Here is my little cowboy:

Aunt Jes reading to the kiddos:

Kate in her new gymnastics outfit!

Corpus Christi Aquarium

The kiddos and I headed down to Alice to visit with Papa Jamey and Meme.  Friday afternoon, Papa Jamey took the kiddos and I out to see the two less than a week old baby cows!  We also saw some beautiful ducks fly off the pond.  The kids loved riding around on the gator around the ranch.

On Saturday, Meme and I headed to Corpus to take the kids to the Aquarium.

Kate petting an anteater

Alex petting the anteater

trying to pet a stingray (or as Alex called them Kite fish)

porcupine

watching the dolphins

you could feel the anteaters 16 inch tongue beating

 

 

dolphin show

 Some pictures of the kiddos with their Papa Jamey and Meme

Kate the helper!

On Monday we took Mike to the airport to be gone for about 2 weeks for work. We are all sad he is gone, especially me who has to be a "single" mom for a while!

Last night Kate was such a big helper! Alex is able to fed himself, but at dinnertime he seems to always insist on someone feeding him. Usually Mike feeds him, since I well pretty much refuse to do it! Last night we had chili & he was trying to do it himself and I helped a little. I needed to do the dished so I asked Kate if she would finish feeding Alex and she did it! She kept telling him "good job Alex!"

She can be so mean to him sometimes, but it seems more often that I notice her being nice to him. Alex is always so sweet to Kate and really thinks the world of her, so I know he loves it when she gives him special attention!

Alex's gymnastics class

Alex's gymnastics class started back also this week and he was SO excited!!  And then he did something he had never done before and went onto the top of the parachute for a ride!  I couldn't believe it! 

Coach Rhonda couldn't believe it either!

Rainy day

He is just too cute!

He had to wear his pirate hat and get his sword!

I even let them go out in the rain!

Kate was having a moment

Aunt Lizzi and Uncle Dougie gave the kiddos these super cute raincoats this summer and today it was 100% chance of rain and raining when we left to take Alex to school, was the perfect day to wear them!  Alex loved being a pirate and didn't even want to take his rain coat off at school!  You can see that he had to have his pirate sword with him!  He is just too cute!  I sometimes wish he could just stay this little and cute forever!

Back to the swing of things!

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to the swing of things!  Kate had her first day back at preschool and her first gymnastics class.  After attending some birthday parties at some gymnastics classes this fall, Kate seemed interested in starting a gymnastics class.  So we tried a trial class and she loved it!

On a side note, while at the class I noticed that one of the Mom's of one of the girls in Kate's class looked sorta familiar.  Like famous familiar.  I realized when I got home that it might be Marion Jones.  After some google research I realized that it was her and her famous husband, Obadele Thompson.  Crazy, huh,

CEC

PawPaw and I took the kiddos to CEC while Mike finished up some work for his work trip.  Kate's friend LeeAnn met us there and we all had a blast!

Bowling

We went bowling with the kids and Gram and PawPaw.  I wasn't sure how the kiddos would do, but they both did really really great!!  We all had a great time.  Actually, Alex and Kate both bowled better than me!  And Mike did so well that he wants to take up bowling!

It was so cute to see them in bowling shoes and be so excited when it was there turn!  After the first time Kate bowled, she turned to me and said "Did I win, Mommy?"

Happy New Year

Somehow Mike and I talked his parents into taking the kiddos all day on New Years Eve, New Years Eve night and until lunch time on New Year Day.  The kiddos had a blast and they wore poor Alex out!

Mike and I had a wonderful day together!  We worked out, went out to lunch, took naps and then went out to Flix Brewhouse to watch Turning 40 and have dinner.  Then we headed home to watch Knocked Up and had champagne.  We actually stayed up late enough to watch the ball drop at midnight (for the first time in years!!!)  It was great to spend some alone time together!

Thanks to Gram and PawPaw for the break!!