The McLains

Spiderman & Yogi

2011-03-08T08:34:00.001-06:00

Halle has insisted my entire pregnancy that we are naming our new little brother Spiderman. Yesterday I asked he what I could call him and she said, "I can call him Spiderman and you can call him Yogi-bear!"

Pratt & the NFL Combine

2011-03-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

Pratt loves football and this week had been wanting to turn his room into a place where he can test himself and see how fast he runs, great he jumps and more. Maybe we've been seeing the scouting combine on the NFL channel a little too much?
Before he went to play outside the other day he had to add something to his attire...

...face paint!! Except he put it in the wrong place!! Pretty funny and smart though! He told me he needed it to play football. Luckily he used his washable markers and it came right off!

Here's another great football pose he had to try. He thought these were better than me just snapping a quick picture of him.

My Fancy Nancy

2011-03-04T10:17:00.000-06:00

Halle has always loved picking out her own outfits and she has also always been very particular. Here she is decked out the other day to head to town...

I need to start taking some more pictures. She has since added many more necklaces (yesterday it was 5 and 4 bracelets) and is in to wear 2 different socks and sometimes even 2 different shoes!

Riding in the Truck

2011-03-04T10:15:00.000-06:00

Pratt had the day off from school the other day and he went and helped Buster, Marty & Mike gather some calves and ship them off to the feedyard. Halle felt really left out so we joined them on the truck.
She thought she was pretty important!

Pratt was a big help!! On the way home they had a blast playing in the sleeper! Here they are in a place I never thought they would try to fit...

Little Funnies

2011-02-23T11:23:00.000-06:00

The other night Pratt wanted to say the prayer at dinner. Here's how it went, "Thank you for supper, thank you for my family, please help me to be a good boy and Halle to be a good girl. Thank you for the Superbowl. Thank you for the Green Bay Packers."

Halle's funny...Yaya sent us a book about monsters. One of the stories has monsters in the closet. Halle said, "there's not monsters in my closet, there's just shoes!"

One more...The other night before bed, I asked the kids if they had kissed their dad goodnight. Halle said yes (even though she hadn't) and Pratt said, "Mom, Halle's lying." She got very upset and replied, "I not a lion I just a princess!

Helping out Dad

2011-01-17T08:32:00.001-06:00

We helped Buster gather a sick calf on Saturday. Halle was so excited to get to ride, but she wouldn't settle for any horse other than Spanky. So Buster put a saddle of him and I led her around while Pratt and him found the sick calf. She talked and smiled the entire time.

Nightmares

2011-01-14T20:42:00.000-06:00

Tonight we were reading There's a Nightmare in My Closet. Halle said, "There's not a nightmare in my closet, there's just my shoes!" Pretty cute!!

Merry Christmas

2011-01-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

We also were very busy celebrating the Christmas season with all of our families. We started out with the McLains for Christmas Eve at Molly and Marty's in Spearman. Midnight Mass this year wasn't until 10:00 so by the time it started I had one little boy asleep in the pew and then another soon on her way. We made it home late to put them in bed and Buster and I set out some cookies and milk for Santa for them. Christmas morning Santa visited the house and brought the kids tons of fun stuff!! They must have been really good this year!

Halle got a little table for her playhouse, a Princess castle and a big Ariel. She has yet to play with the Ariel, I think she scares Halle a little bit!! She liked her in the magazine, but I don't think she realized how big she really was!

Pratt's list was a little different this year, but Santa brought his a crane instead. He loved it and had a blast loading cars and trucks all morning before we headed to Nana and Papa McLain's. He told me he didn't have to tell Santa next year what he wanted because Santa knew just was to bring him. He forgot that last week, because he has already made out his list for next year!!

After breakfast we headed in to town to Nana and Papa's. Papa had the adults go on a scavenger hunt for our present. It was fun and Buster and I raced out of town!! We didn't win, but we think our route took us way farther than anyone else!! We'll keep thinking that and give Papa a hard time!! For 7 months pregnant I closed the wire gate faster than I ever had!! It was pretty comical and watching Buster hurdle the fence was pretty funny too!!

Nana gave Halle some dress up clothes and she calls this her Sleeping Beauty dress. We put every piece on and she looked so cute!! After lunch we drove down that afternoon to Granny and Grandaddy's. That evening we celebrated with Yaya and Papa. Pratt and Halle both got Pillow Pets which they both love. Halle kept telling me, "I just love it so much," all the next week. I snapped a cute picture with our cousin Rebekah and all our pets!!

The one thing Pratt had really been wanting was a San Diego Chargers football suit and helmet. Well, he got one and he had the absolute biggest grin on his face when he saw what was in the package!!

Here he is with his new helmet. (We were already wearing our Romo jersey since the Cowboys were playing that night!!)

Gus and Pratt played football all the next morning. Granny has a long hallway and they kept running up and down tackling each other. I love the determination on his face in this picture!!

Halle's Birthdays

2011-01-13T08:47:00.000-06:00

Halle just turned 3 at the end of the year and we had 3 parties. First we celebrated with some cupcakes at Thanksgiving with all the McCloys and at our annual get together at the Ambassador in Amarillo. The kids had a blast swimming, but the party ended early for our family when Pratt got sick. Kids just know how to get their parents to leave really quickly!!

Not many of the other kids were into the party, but Halle didn't mind. She was so excited and loved the Princess cupcakes that Aunt Nanelle brought!

Our next party we celebrated at Nana's since Aunt Mika and Uncle Matt were in town for pheasant season. She once again just sparkled with excitement and loved every minute.

Big Smiles!!

Her new chef's hat from Nana and Papa. It also has a really cute pink apron to go with it!

Our last party was celebrated on her actually birthday, December 22. We made a barbie cake and just celebrated after dinner. Pratt helped her blow out the candles.

For her birthday and Christmas, Papa and Yaya and Buster and I got her a pink playhouse for the yard. They brought it the first of December and we watched as the guys from Tuff Shed set it up. She didn't believe when I told her it was from us, she insisted that those boys gave it to her. She was all smiles when they finally drove off and she could play inside!! We've already put in her kitchen stuff and Santa hopefully will bring her a table.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-02T22:22:00.001-06:00

Confetti Flowers Christmas Card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

First School Project

2010-11-17T14:37:00.000-06:00

Last week Pratt brought home his first school project. It was to decorate a feather for the class turkey. At first we thought we'd paint it, but then he found some corn and we decided to decorate it with things from the farm. We glued on some corn, milo, berries from the cedar trees and cotton.

Here's the final project. I'll have to go up to school and find the big class turkey they made this week and add a picture of it on here also. It turned out pretty good and I hope the cotton stayed on. That was Pratt's final touch. He was going to have to cut it out at school this week and he was also worried about cutting around the cotton.

P.S. I don't know if you noticed but a couple of weeks ago, Buster took down all the paneling in the kitchen and I painted over the red. Its now beige, but it feels so much brighter, but a little boring. Maybe I can add some curtains now when Yaya comes in a few weeks!!

New Halle Sayings

2010-11-17T14:04:00.000-06:00

This week whenever I try to get Halle to say how tiny her baby brother is going to be this is what happens instead. Me, "Halle, are you going to have a baby brother?" Halle, "Yes." Me, "How big is he going to be?" Halle, "He's going to be Spiderman!" I wonder what it will be next week.

My Little Brother

2010-11-12T07:58:00.002-06:00

Halle has finally gotten used to the idea of a little brother. She told me yesterday, "Our little brother...he's going to be so tiny." It was very sweet.

Halloween Party & Trick or Treating

2010-11-09T08:56:00.000-06:00

For the Halloween party at school I made cake pops. This was my first attempt and they were actually pretty easy and very delicious!! Check out the bakerella.com website for instructions and other ideas if you want to try some!

Pratt and his classmates all put on their costumes and then paraded around the school. We then started the party. They loved their vampire teeth!!

Halle got a little sleepy during the party and took a nap instead in the kitchen center on Pratt's rest mat!!

Here's the class!! Making scary faces and saying Happy Halloween!

Saturday, we went trick or treating. Michael and Maddie joined up with us at GG's. Halle even sprayed her hair red so she could be just like Ariel. Pratt is the blue transformer (Prime) and Michael is in yellow (Bumblee).

There were more princesses!! Jaylee and Sage came too and joined Ariel. We had a Tinkerbelle and Princess Tiana!

Halle was so excited they were both Princesses!!

Skeleton PJs and Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-09T08:50:00.000-06:00

The kids got some great new glow-n-the-dark pjs from Old Navy. Pratt loved them and Halle enjoyed looking like Pratt. Here they are showing their scary faces.

Here's what we'll call a normal picture! Both with smiles!! I think getting a good Christmas Card picture will be pretty interesting this year.

Before Halloween Buster finally carved Pratt a Jack-o-Lantern. Pratt thought it was a great thing and he knew all the steps because one of his teachers carved one for his class.

Here's the finished project!!

Cooking With Momma

2010-11-09T08:46:00.002-06:00

I made a yummy trifle the other day and Halle loved the ganache!! She kept telling me this was yummy chocolate and you can tell how much she loved it by the smile on her face!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-09T08:13:00.000-06:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch at Etter in October. Buster went along this time and helped us pick out the perfect pumpkin!! Here they are trimming the stem.

I thought this was a great picture of Halle. She was looking for the perfect pumpkin of her own!

My quail

2010-09-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

I had the biggest covey of quail in the yard yesterday. They started out in the front, but I scared then when I tried to sneak a picture, so I caught then in the back yard. Buster's great-grandmother that built our house, used to always feed the quail, so today Halle and I are going to head to the barn and grab some oats to scatter so that maybe they'll come back!

Soocer!

2010-09-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

Pratt started soccer this Monday and he couldn't have been more ready. We've named our team the Stars!! We have 5 great kids on our team and so far it has been so much fun. I'm the coach and I've had a lot of fun trying to teach 5 year olds (and myself) a little bit about soccer!

Here's Pratt getting ready to kick it in after it went out.

An action shot (almost)! The team did great, I think we scored 4 goals, but now I cannot even remember. Pratt was out when the game ended and he got a little upset, so we had to have a few talks about being a good sport! Hope that worked and he is much happier when the game ends Monday.

Here's our cheerleader, Halle. She was a great girl during the entire game!! Love the shades!

A Big Party!

2010-09-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated Pratt's 5th birthday. We took some friends and our cousins bowling, then to eat pizza & cake, and then play miniature golf (in the dark!). All the kids had fun and Pratt was so excited, he almost couldn't wait until Saturday. Here is Pratt bowling...it looks like he's just tossing it out there!

After bowling we headed to eat pizza and cake. Pratt's cake was so neat...Mario Kart themed!!

The boys and girls all were so great and had a good time!

Jana snapped this great picture of Halle and Pratt before we cut the cake! Sorry, Sahala, I think you just took a bite!! I was looking at Halle's cute smile instead when I snapped this picture!

Blowing out the candles...

We then sent all the kids into the miniature golf room with glow-in-the dark necklaces and bracelets. Buster was in charge and the kids loved it!!

Here's the party crowd!! Happy Birthday Pratt!!

Now Halle cannot wait for her birthday and she has already started picking out what she wants. Pratt is now worried about Christmas!! Kids, it's still 3 months away!! Hold on!

Poor Baby Girl

2010-09-10T15:26:00.001-05:00

Halle has had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to Pratt's new schedule. Her sleeps been off and her napping, too. The first couple of days he got on the bus, she cried. Every time we head to Gruver during the day, she thinks we are going to pick him up. I thought she had gotten used to it and all the extra attention, but when we got home from Guymon today, she was crying and I couldn't console her. She was sobbing and then said the sweetest thing, "I need that boy. I need Pratt." It melted my heart, I told her maybe soon we have another little one and she could take care of he/she all day long. That didn't help, so we found Pink Bunny and turned on The Little Mermaid and all is well now!!

Mario McLain

2010-09-10T08:56:00.000-05:00

Pratt loves Mario Kart and that is actually the theme of his party this weekend. He met a boy at school named Mario and he told me that was a really cool name!! He decided he would change his name to Pratt Mario McLain!

Little Mermaid

2010-09-10T08:49:00.000-05:00

Halle is starting be so obsessed with Princesses. Not surprising since that is what she says she is daily. We got her new Halloween costume in this week and she had to put it on. It needs a little hemming, but she didn't mind!

I told her this time to keep her eyes open...and look at this face I got!

Too funny!!
We also had to take some pictures with Bunny!

Bunny is her constant companion!! She was talking on her toy cell phone the other day and told me she was calling her sisters!! (Maybe she's heard that one before) I asked her who her sisters were and she told me, Bunny and Sage!! I hope that her and Sage are close like sisters!! That would be so much fun for Halle to have her to look up too!!

We also gave Bunny some kisses!!

Turning FIVE!!

2010-09-10T08:38:00.000-05:00

Buster and I woke Pratt up early on his birthday so that he could open a present before he had to go to school. The present was so much fun, we had to meet the bus down the road later because he was not ready to ride when it normally would pick him up. He has played every day with this aircraft carrier, so I'd say we did good!

After school we let him open his second present, a silage cutter! He told Buster is was "SWEET" and that means that he really like it. Look at that great smile!

Nana and Grandmother Gregg came over for spaghetti, Pratt's favorite meal. We also celebrated a little with a blue cake and 5 big candles. Halle is very aware this year of Pratt's birthday and is already talking about what she wants for hers!

Riding the Bus

2010-09-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here is the bus coming down our rode, with Pratt riding it home for the first time!!

Here's our big guy!! All smiles when it comes to school!!

Autobot Repair Shops!

2010-09-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

Pratt set-up an "Autobot Repair Shop" in the kitchen. Halle was broken and Pratt was fixing her before Megatron came back! He loves his Transformers!

Pre-k!!

2010-09-10T08:19:00.000-05:00

Here Pratt is at "Meet the Teacher!" He is pointing at his name on the door. He had been hesitant all summer about going, but once we went to Meet the Teacher, he was so excited and couldn't wait for it to get started!

We got him up bright and early Monday morning! He wore his favorite shirt! I thought I should take him, but he insisted on riding the bus!

Getting on the bus!! He let me snap one quick picture and then I had to hop on the bus and get Jack dog off!!

Halle and I picked him up every day for the first two weeks. Now he is going all day, riding the bus!!

We Giddy Up!

2010-07-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

That's what Halle came running through the house saying one day. I had two cowpokes in the kitchen racing around so fast!

Pratt's Lemonade Stand

2010-07-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

In a Pinkalicous book we read, she puts up a pink lemonade stand. Pratt has been wanting to do this, but he did not want the lemonade to be pink. We used his stool from the fort to make a table.

And he made a great sign for it...

and we mixed up some yummy lemonade!

Halle and I were the first customers and then Marty and Michael stopped by. Michael told Marty after they left that Pratt made the best lemonade! Buster got home really late that night and Pratt tried his hardest to stay awake so sell him a glass and he almost made it. I ended up selling it to him and Buster put some money in his piggy bank. Pratt was very excited the next morning and ready to do it again!

It's Ice cream!

2010-07-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

Halle was really disappointed at the Texas Club, when I wouldn't let her eat the bowl of butter. She just knew that it was ice cream! Just look at that sad face and pouty lip!

4th of July Celebration

2010-07-29T09:54:00.000-05:00

For the 4th, we got to take one of Buster's dad's GTOs and show it off. Pratt thought it was the best thing and he loved throwing candy!!

Here they are already being mischievous before the parade!

We had a good time and there was a great crowd. Buster even burnt a little rubber on Broadway, but I didn't let him do it in front of the park. I didn't want him giving any mom's heart-attacks.

The kids spent the rest of the time playing in the bounce houses. Pratt ran from one to the other all day. Halle also got a lesson in waiting in line. That's a real hard one to learn!

Halle wanted to ride a horse, so she entered the stick horse race. I finally caught her on camera making her funny face! She sometimes talks out of the side of her mouth and her she is doing it in the race. Too cute!

She also enjoyed some yummy, juicy watermelon! We ended up to running in to GG's house and taking a quick bath to wash off! Thanks GG!

...and Aunt Molly painted her face pink!! She wouldn't let me wash it off at bath time. She told me it was her pink and not mine.

Disaster Area

2010-07-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

One day while mowing outside I left Pratt inside to fend for himself. He was so excited. When I came back to check on him, this is what I found! He had everything out, trains, farms, cars, etc. It was a like a tornado had come along a tore apart an entire community.

And then I zoomed in and here is what else I found...

...sound asleep. I guess destruction is really exhausting too!

Swimming Pool

2010-07-29T09:31:00.000-05:00

We have had a blast swiming this summer. Pratt can finally swim without floaties, though he'd rather be wearing them still. Maybe when he's 5 he'll do it. That's what he is always telling me, maybe when I'm 5 mom.

Halle loves the slides. Here she is a Gruver going down with Buster. He always does things so much more fun than mommy!

Wheat Harvest

2010-07-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

Well, wheat harvest has come and gone and the kids had a blast riding the combines. They fought this day over who got to ride the new red one. Halle won, but 5 minutes into riding she decided she wanted to be on the green one instead! Pratt went back a few days later and got to help turn the auger on and dump the wheat in the grain cart. He was so excited and has been farming the living room carpet ever since.

Halle loves Jack

2010-07-29T09:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes Halle wakes up a little early and I put her in my bed so she will go back to sleep. That is just what she did the other morning and someone decided to join her....Jack!

Pinkalicious

2010-07-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

Halle loves all the Pinkalicious stories, so we made pink cupcakes just like Pinkalicious. She helped me mix the batter and put in some pink and then we baked them.

Pratt helped devour the yummy cupcakes!

...and here's the yummy final product!!

Goose Lake

2010-07-29T08:16:00.003-05:00

In the middle of June we got lots of rain and we all ran up to Red River for a few days. Halle's favorite thing to do was not throw rocks, but to swing in the hammocks. She loved them! Pratt went into town one afternoon and they had boat races for the kids. We built our "Thomas" boat out of the scrap wood, painted it and then sailed it down the river in a race. We didn't win, but it was fun to watch his excitement.

The next day we took a Jeep trail up the mountain to Goose Lake. It took about 2 hours to drive up and we saw some pretty great scenery. The kids loved bouncing all around in the back!

Here's the lake. There was one man fishing, but we didn't bring any poles. There was still snow up on the mountain so it was a little chilly with the breeze. We threw rocks and had fun exploring the area.

Cooking School

2010-06-11T08:45:00.002-05:00

Halle loves all her hand-me-down toys from Sage. Recently we received a kitchen and both kids have had a great time cooking. Usually they bring me pots full of yummy food!

Here Pratt needed all the accessories!! I'm sure he's going to love this picture later!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-11T08:39:00.002-05:00

We took some flowers by my Grandpa Wilson's grave at the Lieb Cemetery by Morse for Memorial Day. Everything was nice and green and we didn't see any snakes!! Halle insisted on staying in the car because she was tired, so she missed out on the photo! I wonder how much longer Halle and Pratt will want to hold hands!!We then headed on to Amarillo to take Grandma Nan out for her 84th birthday. We went and ate at Red Robin and the kids loved it because they all got balloons!! We had a good time and I got Gus to snap a photo of us as we were taking her back. We are all staring into the sun, so it was a little bright.

Heritage Days

2010-06-11T08:35:00.002-05:00

We went to Spearman a couple of weeks ago for the Heritage Days Parade! The kids had a great time and it was a beautiful day!! Pratt, Gus, Sage & Michael all entered the Pee Wee Rodeo which was held on the Courthouse lawn. They had a good time trying all the events and maybe we can get them to enter again next year. Here Pratt is branding the calf!! Halle was the cutest thing at the parade. She sat down next to Sage and crossed her legs like a little lady while waiting for the floats. It was adorable!!

Buster's Birthday

2010-06-11T08:12:00.005-05:00

Buster's mom hosted a family cookout for his birthday this year. We had a great time and Pratt even bought his dad a transformer's pinata!! The kids all had a great time taking a good whack at Optimus Prime!!

Pratt even thought he would help Uncle Marty a little bit hold the pinata!!But it was Papa Mike that took the last swing at it and took the pinata's head off!! Down came crashing down the candy!! Halle had a good time playing with all the girls!! Here she is jumping with her cousin Gwenee.Buster's Dad even took us out for a spin in one of his new GTOs. We burned a little rubber north of town!! Buster even got a little spin behind the wheel & K.D. thought she definitely needed her seat belt if Buster was driving!!

Budding Artist

2010-06-01T15:04:00.003-05:00

Since starting preschool Pratt is always wanting to draw, which was always a good thing until recently he colored on his bedroom door...

...luckily it all came off because it was dry-erase marker!! I told him maybe let's get a board to stick on the front sometime so he can color and decorate it as he wishes!

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-17T16:58:00.003-05:00

We spent Mother's Day weekend in Fort Worth at Aunt Mika & Uncle Matt's house. Our little cousin Walls was getting baptized so we came down for the special even. Halle and Pratt had a great time. Here's Halle in some princess shoes she found. They were Aunt Jill's shoes, but Halle came clomping into the kitchen with a big grin! Buster, Marty and Matt built a big slip-n-slide in the backyard Saturday. Pratt only went down it a few times because to get off you got a little muddy and he didn't enjoy that.

Nana's wish was to get a picture with all the grandkids before we headed out Sunday. Pratt got in trouble on the way to take the picture, so it was ruined for him. Here he is pouting before thinking that the world is over.

Tada!! All 6 grandkids. Aren't they cute!!

The Mummy

2010-05-17T16:55:00.001-05:00

The other morning I peeked in on Pratt sleeping. He often has some blanket over his head or his dirty rag, but this morning he was completely wrapped up! See if you can spot him!!

Pioneer Days Carnival

2010-05-17T16:48:00.003-05:00

While Pioneer Days is going on in Guymon we headed up to check out the carnival. Halle was finally a little bigger so she got to ride more than just the Carousel. Here we are riding the Dragon Roller coaster. This is usually Pratt's favorite, but this year he loved racing down the big slides with Buster. I had to ride this one with Halle, and she loved it!!

Pratt knew the drill this time and pretty much kept his hands up the entire ride!

Here favorite was still the carousel. She rode all the pretty horses on it and even one giraffe. I kept trying to get a picture of her, but she would never smile, so I settled on this darling one instead!!

Red River & The Rio Grande Gorge

2010-05-17T16:31:00.004-05:00

We snuck off in April to Red River. It had been raining in the panhandle and was too wet to get any farming done. This was Halle's first time to visit the cabin and she had a great time. As soon as we arrived Pratt immediately headed to the river to throw rocks. This is his main duty while at the cabin. Halle joined in the fun, but she would only throw "princess" rocks. These were the ones that had a little pink in them. The others she would take to Pratt to throw because they were "monkey" rocks. When we got there on Friday, we had two ducks staying right behind the cabin. We all had fun feeding them that afternoon.

On Saturday, I thought Buster would enjoy seeing the Red River Gorge by Taos. He loves all things that are high up in the air, so I knew he would enjoy seeing this.

We had a great time. I had to carry Halle all the way across and back because she wouldn't walk. I don't think she was scared just a little stubborn. The bridge shakes a little when cars drive across, so being afraid of heights myself this was pretty interesting.

Buster took this picture for me. I would have dropped the camera in fear trying to take it. Pratt kept packing rocks in his pockets and would stop at every lookout to throw them out. It was harder than you'd think to make them in the river. We also got to see 2 big horn sheep grazing on the side of the cliff. My camera wouldn't get close enough, so sorry there is no exciting picture to show. We all had a good time, so if you haven't seen it and are in Taos take the short 10 minutes drive to check it out!!!

We snuck off for a weekend in April since it was too wet too do any farming. This was

Easter Weekend

2010-04-07T09:40:00.004-05:00

We had a great family meal at Buster's parents house Sunday and then set off to hunt eggs!! Buster & Papa Mike hid all the eggs in the backyard. It was full and some were very well hidden. We tried to take a kids pictures before the hunt and it was pretty comical. Immediately Halle bowed out because she was told to scoot over. This really upset her, as you can see in the picture, and she couldn't take anymore!! Pratt likes everything to be a race so he wanted to get in starting position!

Here's Halle hunting eggs. She did really good and had a basket full in the end.

Buster planted the eggs that looked like carrots in the flower bed, so Pratt was so excited here to find one!

Afterwards, K.D. and Maddie begged Buster to tip up the trampoline. They like to tip it up and the jump on it to knock it over. This time, Halle & Pratt even joined in. Their Dad held on tight to them both and every time the trampoline landed Halle was so excited. She would say, "Halle, just like the big girls (K.D. & Maddie)." We continued playing all afternoon and then all appropriately went home for a little nap. Pratt & Halle were hard to wake up for supper; they had too much fun!!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!!

Fireplace Project

2010-04-07T09:15:00.002-05:00

I recently did a little makeover on my dated brass fireplace surround. It didn't seem to match and seemed to just scream 80s!!!! So I bought some Valspar Woodstove paint at our local lumber yard. I taped it all off to protect the brick and glass and then....

It looked like this!! Wow, so much better and it was so easy. After the paint dried I ran my fireplace for a couple of hours to cure the paint. Before curing the paint is a dull black, but after it cures it shines like below. It made it look so much better, and even got rave reviews from Buster who is a little sceptical about my projects sometimes. Just thought I would share because it was so simple and only took up about 1/2 my day!!

Bachelorette Party!

2010-03-24T16:57:00.002-05:00

We went to OKC this weekend for Jana's bacherlorette party. We had a great time, did some shopping and ate really good food!! That's my perfect weekend. We stayed at The Skirvin in downtown and it was really nice; I would recommend it to anyone. Great beds and great decor!
Here's a little snapshot before we went out to eat. Halle loved the crown I made Jana; I guess I'm going to have to make her one next with her name!

Photo Shoot

2010-03-22T14:39:00.007-05:00

Halle last week got her picture taken for being 2!! The weather has finally got pretty here so we set out to get some on Thursday. It was a little windy, but if you are going to wait a calm day out here in the Panhandle it might take a while. They were taken by my friend Lisa Johnson and you can check out more of her pictures at ljphotography.blogspot.com! There should be a link under my family & friends.
Here she is twirling her skirt. Yaya got her the pretty petticoat and 2 sparkle shirt so that it what she wore.

We took these out by the pens and Pratt loved posing too. He really got into it.

I just think they look like little darlings here. So cute on top of the hay bales!

There's a "CHEESE."

and here...

and her cute little toes...but the next one is my favorite....

She makes this face often, when you are talking to her. I love the ruffle of her skirt too and the pretty blue sky!

Pratt looked cute too on the old army truck!

and since I never put pictures of me up on the blog....I've included this one that we took at the end for fun!! Have a great week!!

Habits

2010-03-19T15:02:00.002-05:00

This March I have unfortunately got out of the habit of blogging. I have hardly taken any pictures and haven't put up anything exciting all month. Breaking the habit today and here's what we've been up to. It snowed last Wednesday...the biggest prettiest flakes and we rarely see those unless they are coming down sideways. About 4 inches accumulated during the day and by the end of Thursday all gone, but it was so pretty coming down.

On a little trip to Walmart last week, Halle got to enjoy the rides for the first time. She got to ride the Mickey fire truck and loved it. Pratt wasted his 2 quarters on a motorcycle that wasn't working right, so he was a little bummed.

Pratt's also been in to taking the pictures. Here's 2 he took recently. Halle is all for cameras and love's saying "CHEESE!!" Above was the other morning at breakfast.

Pratt's also into self-portraits. They are pretty fun, because his face gets a little distorted. These are the best of the 40+ he took with my camera. I traded with him and gave him my old camera without a memory card. He took about 10 pictures and the internal memory filled up. He wouldn't delete any of them so we had to go find a smaller memory card so he could fill it up. He loves snapping pictures of his toys especially his cars.

Have a great weekend...we are expecting some more snow for the 1st day of Spring!!

P.S. The wheat is getting so big and pretty...I'll have to try to take some pictures soon to share!

Chicken??

2010-02-22T15:04:00.002-06:00

My parents stayed the night with us on Saturday and watched the kids while we took out one of our friends for his birthday. Pratt is loving the Wii and wanted Papa to play with him. When I left they were bowling and they ended up playing lots of the sports games. I asked him today if he had fun. He told me that Papa beat him in bowling but that he beat Papa is golf. He then said, "...and one time Papa got a chicken!" I thought maybe he was talking about the bowling game and was thinking it was probably a turkey (3 strikes in a row), he said no it was in golf. I then asked him if it was a "birdie." He said that was right! I thought it was pretty funny!!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2010-02-04T08:45:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday it snowed all day. We got about 10 inches maybe more who knows because it was drifted up pretty high. On Friday we decided to get out and play. After Buster and Marty had moved all the snow around we had some pretty big piles to climb so we decided to make a slide. Buster and Pratt got it all set up.

Buster first carved out the slide and then built some stairs for us to climb. He such a builder and a thinker. I would have just tried to slide down the hill and see what happened, but this made it a lot more fun.

Halle loved sliding down the hill, but she got too cold pretty fast and ended up just sitting in the car beside us and watched a movie. I snapped some really cute pictures of her before she decided to go in. We tried to bundle her up as good as we could but we couldn't find her hat so I used one of Pratt and one of mine. She needed some gloves, but her 2 pair of knit mittens weren't quite enough.She also couldn't walk very well and fell down a couple of times. It was just that cutest thing, she would lay there saying, "Help Dadda, Help Momma." Buster instantly picked her up here, so don't worry she didn't have to wait very long.Even Jack Russell had a blast. He was rolling and digging in the snow. He even dug up his favorite bone he's been chewing on. He takes great pictures and looked so cute with all the snow on his face.

Yesterday is rained almost all day. As farmers we love the moisture and we really needed it for the wheat. It started snowing about dark and snowed another 6 inches straight down. They were big fluffy flakes and it was a really pretty snow! It will be a little sloppy for the next few days because everything is so wet!!!

Thomas Desk

2010-01-29T18:04:00.003-06:00

Pratt and I started a little project last week and we have been wrapping it up this week. Gus recently gave him a desk. It was originally Hala's and she carved her name in the top to prove it. He wanted it to be blue like Thomas the Tank Engine. I took Thomas to town and they matched him perfectly at the lumber yard. Below here is the desk before. Now here is the new desk!! We painted train tracks all over it and Pratt picked the base colors. He helped me paint all the base colors and then let me do all the detail work. He discovered that painting tracks was a little harder than he thought.

We put Thomas on the top and then there is a Percy on the side. He wanted me to paint lots of trains, but I told him 2 was enough. He promised last night if I would paint Percy he would be a really good boy and always listen to me. I think he has already forgot today.

Hosanna

2010-01-25T07:13:00.001-06:00

Yesterday morning in church we were sing a song we sing each week. It says, "Hosanna, Hosanna on high..." Halle started singing, "Santa, Santa, Santa...." It was pretty funny. She just kept sing the entire song about Santa and everynow and then would throw in a "Ming-Ming" since that is what she asked Santa to bring her for Christmas!! Pretty cute!

Princess Talk

2010-01-21T17:16:00.001-06:00

Halle has begun talking non-stop since she turned 2. Its so cute to listen to her little girl banter and laugh at what we think she might be saying. Her new thing is to talk about princesses and who is and isn't one. Here is what she normally says, "Halle is a princess, Momma is a princess, Daddy is a princess (Buster always says he is the King) and Pratt is a monkey!" Its pretty cute and yesterday Pratt informed her that he was a farmer monkey!

No Nap

2010-01-20T17:51:00.002-06:00

My first child was a great nap taker, but the second one she just doesn't get it. With Pratt I could leave him in his room he would fall asleep on his own and then wake up a couple of hours later. Halle that will not work. She immediately gets out of bed no matter how many times you put her back. With Pratt you could also lay in bed with him and he would instantly go to sleep, but not Halle. When you try to take a nap with her she likes to play with your hair and try to lift up your eyelids. We've resorted to naps in my room while watching some cartoons. Often it works, but today it did not. She fell asleep at about 5:30 in the living room instead while Pratt is playing Lightning McQueen on the Wii and the volume is horrendous. Guess she finally is going to get a little rest!

Dancing with Daddy

2010-01-17T17:47:00.002-06:00

Halle and Buster were dancing last night in the kitchen. Buster was getting tired of my taking pictures, but I finally got this one and I know the two of them will really love it one day. It was sweet watching them together. Pratt was pouting because we weren't playing the right songs. So he started taking some pictures on his own. This is about the only one that turned out. He always takes self portraits and he is never smiling in them. I told him to try to smile & it turned out much cuter!

Checking the Cattle

2010-01-17T17:29:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning we all saddled up and check cattle with Buster. Pratt and Halle were so excited. Pratt rode his favorite horse, Bandit, and Halle and I rode Spanky or as she called him Panky. It was a pretty morning and we had a great time. Halle and I only made it down the rode to the water tank and then we brought the pick-up and trailer back home with 2 sick calves and our horse. Pratt and Buster rode back to the house. You can see it there in the distance in the picture below. His horse kept playing in the water tank and Pratt loved it. We also counted 14 goldfish in the tank!
Overall, he did really good. The dogs spooked Bandit on the way back home and Pratt ended up falling off when his horse shuffled around. He did good though and wasn't scared at all and got right back on. He had some pretty big stories to tell me when he got back!

Ski Trip

2010-01-11T15:24:00.002-06:00

Buster and I headed up to Red River last Wednesday and took Pratt skiing for a few days. This was his first time and he was so excited the entire way there.

At dinner Wednesday night he talked nonstop. He kept talking about going "ski-i-ing," that's how he would pronounce it. He also told me about the cabin being wonderful because it had friends in it (those friends were Buster and I).

We tried for the first time Thursday late morning on skiing. We skied the bunny slope several times and thought he was ready for the bigger bunny slope. He wasn't and the rest of the day wasn't very productive. He was worried about falling and wasn't feeling too good so we decided to just go home and rest and try again Friday.

Friday was much better. We used our "edgie-wedgie" on his skis and he mastered the bunny slope in not time. He then went on to master the bigger bunny slope and we headed to the backside of the mountain. He did so good. Below he is on the backside skiing great all by himself. He got a little tired on the run home, but he was so happy to have caught on.

Saturday we skied all day. I mean all day until the lifts shut down at 4. We made a short stop for lunch on the backside but pretty much went up and down all day. He wouldn't let us take the "edgie-wedgie" off but he said when he turned 5 that he would not need it anymore.
Here is he taking a break on the run home from the backside. He skied on blues most of the way back to the front. I was so proud of him!

There were some small jumps next to the bigger bunny slope. All Pratt wanted to do was go over the bumps. He mastered 2 of them and would yell, "Yee-Haw!" as he went down. On our way back Saturday we stopped at the really big free-style area under the lift. There was one really big jump that Pratt wanted to try. Buster, being the great dad, took off his skis and climbed up the jump to let him go down. He crashed about half-way down, but immediately started yelling, "I'm ok." As we skied on down he tried going over every bump he could find. I couldn't believe it.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-06T07:30:00.004-06:00

Buster and I had our annual New Year's Party last Thursday night. My mom offered to take the kids home with her so we had a great time and of course stayed up way too late (but what else are you going to do on New Year's). We had a good party and a lot of friends and family came by. Here's just a few highlights! My best firend from high school, Erika, who is also one of my closest neighbors and I always take a picture on New Year's. We decided not to buck tradition and started off the night the same.

I even got Buster to pose for a brief moment with me. I think he was laughing at his friend Brant who was being pretty funny at the moment.

Here's me and my best cousin and another good friend, Julie. She is actually sitting, but I am enjoying how I look so tall. I never look tall in pictures. Julie is my lunch date when were not too busy and my hang out in town when I'm waiting on the kids!

Wow. I even got a picture with one of my sisters. These photo opts rarely happen because we are always taking pictures of our kids and what they are doing together. Hope everyone had a great time and I wish you the best for this new year! 2010 is going to be great, and we have so many exciting things happening in our family this year. Jana is getting married in April!! Buster and I will be married for 7 years!! Pratt will be turning 5 & starting Pre-k! Halle will be 3 & I will be turning 30!! OH NO! I cannot believe it! What a year it is going to be!

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-06T07:21:00.002-06:00

We had the most beautiful frost this weekend. Saturday it was so foggy, but Sunday morning on our way to church we rolled the window down to take some pictures. Sorry, but it was too cold to get out and we were running a little late (as usual) so there is a shadow from my car. I don't think the pictures do it justice, but it was just a pretty calm winter day. Pratt insisted on wearing his snow boots to church because he kept telling me that there was snow on the ground. There was just a little snow in front of church so I guess he was right.

Christmas at Granny & Grandaddy's

2009-12-28T09:58:00.004-06:00

Well, we did all of our Christmas parties in about three days!! We had a great time and ended the fun down at my grandparents. Buster got us all up early Saturday morning and we got there about 10:15 a.m. We made pretty good time and I could have slept a little more, but I got worried that Buster might forget how to get there. He's been known to make a few wrong turns when he is left to guide himself. The kids did great and slept and then we stopped at Allsup's for one healthy breakfast of powdered donuts. Halle was in heaven because she always wants to have donuts for breakfast.
Buster got a Wii from my parents and my grandparents gave him a new Cars game to play with Pratt. Pratt was so excited and so was Buster. Pratt slept with the box right besided him. Halle got a shopping cart and some kitchen stuff. All the girls had a blast playing kitchen. It was fun to see them all play together.
Halle also got a little 4-wheeler from Yaya and Papa. She woke up Sunday morning and went right to it ready to ride!
Pratt got some legos that he has been wanting and Buster helped him build a car.

Our newest little cousin Rebekah came and she is just adorable. Halle didn't always like sharing her toys, but she got better.

Christmas Morning at Nana & Papa's

2009-12-28T09:33:00.002-06:00

We went and had brunch at Nana & Papa's in Gruver and then opened presents afterwards. It was a little crazy, but wow so much fun! Halle got some new Wonder Pets beanie babies and she played with them all day. Not kidding all day! Pratt didn't have much patience and wanted to open everything right away. He was just too excited.

I tried to catch a good picture of Pratt and Buster, but Pratt decided to do a goofy side turn and it looks a little funny. He's at the age where he is deciding now to pose for pictures and it gets pretty comical.

Here's Halle hugging all three pets at once! Merry Christmas!

We stayed an played at Nana's all day and then went home to get ready for out last Christmas at Granny's.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Morning

2009-12-28T09:02:00.005-06:00

After getting home from mass Christmas Eve we let the kids open a present from their Daddy. It was a new pair of pajamas!! They were both so excited especially Halle who has never had her own pair of Wonder Pets pajamas!!

Pratt's were a little big so I had to whip out the sewing machine and make a couple of tucks in the back. Perfect!! He was so ready to go to sleep because he didn't want to be on Santa's naughty list. He even went to sleep without his dirty rag because he had left it in town. I wish every night could be this simple!

Halle was super excited about her pajamas!! She has been wearing a pair of Pratt's that are too big and they are also not pink! I think she looks so cute here because she was absolutely so excited. She was a little more reluctant to go to bed because she wanted to eat Santa's cookies. Finally I told her she could eat them and then she happily went to bed, but don't worry we put out some more for Santa.

Christmas morning, Pratt was just laying in his bed waiting to get up. He was very excited and told me that Santa brought him everything! (Wow, I guess he did good!)

Halle got her flyboat and she didn't really care about anything else. She was content with that and her new chapstick. She put some on everyone.

Piano Time

2009-12-23T20:45:00.003-06:00

I have volunteered to play a little bit at Midnight Mass this week so I have been busily trying to teach myself how to play again. The kids are definitely tired of all my banging around, but yesterday morning they played me their Christmas song. Pratt sang all about the "Nice List" and the "Naughty List." Halle just played right with him!

Halle is TWO!!

2009-12-23T20:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Halle turned TWO!! Wow I cannot believe it. We started the day by eating birthday cake again and the kids loved it!Poor Pratt has pink eye and he got a really bad case of it. He has drops and antibiotics. He is looking much better now, but Tuesday morning his eyes were so swollen.

Halle had a great day of playing, running around without clothes (her favorite) and antagonizing Pratt (her new favorite)! Buster had to remind her that she made him drive through blowing snow to get to the hospital, but I reminded him that she at least waited to arrive until we got to the hospital!

Halle's Party!

2009-12-21T09:36:00.003-06:00

We had a small family party for Halle on Saturday to celebrate her turning two! She looked absolutely adorable and wore her new 2 sparkly shirt & petticoat that Yaya had given her. I just loved them & thought she looked so cute!!

She got this new phone from Aunt Molly & Uncle Marty and she had talked so many hours on it already! I hope she had an unlimited plan!! LOL! We all went to the movies afterwards and the kids say "The Princess & the Frog." They both really liked it and Halle can tell you all about it.

Working Girl

2009-12-17T17:15:00.002-06:00

Halle could hear Buster out at the pens this afternoon and wanted to go and help. She helped sort cattle and then doctor them.

She loved marking their heads so that Buster can tell which ones have been doctored.

She never let go of chalk, but she thought it might be lipstick and kept trying to wipe it on her lips. She was also working in her Elmo shoes so we immediately had to toss them in the washing machine.

Precious!

2009-12-17T14:37:00.002-06:00

My two sleeping kids woke up at 5:45 a.m. this morning. By 11 a.m. they were exhausted and requesting to watch cartoons on my bed. That is code for tired & needing a nap. So I starting some shows for them and went and checked on them about 15 minutes later. Usually they are bouncing off the bed throwing pillows, but today Pratt was already asleep and Halle was heading there fast. The second time I checked on them they were both sleeping that same way so I had to snap a photo. I thought they were just precious and I know many people hate thumbsucking but don't they just look peaceful. They are also very good sleepers and I know that part of it can be contributed to their thumb. Its soothing and calms them and helps them relax! My kids both also sleep with their rag. Pratt is considered a "dirty rag" and Halle's is her "bunny rag."

P.S. I just got a new camera for my birthday. Its a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and I can already tell I am going to love it. This one of my first snapshots with it and I just love the color. It is performing way better than my old camera which was worn out! It is also came in red which makes it so much cuter (just like my new washing machines)!

Panhandle Wind

2009-12-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

The wind just hit here a little while ago and everything went flying. My patio table and chairs have all toppled over and the tumble weeds began flying by the house at warp speed. The kids were so amused by them all and Pratt commented that they are all going to end up at Yaya's house!

Christmas in the Park

2009-12-06T21:01:00.002-06:00

The Gruver Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Christmas in the Park this year wear Santa Clause came to see all the kids and there was also a Christmas Cookie Contest. It was a chilly 22 degrees outside so we moved Santa and the hot cocoa inside.

Pratt was a big boy and sat up on Santa's lap with no hesitations. He gave him his big long list and was so excited.

Halle got really shy this time when she met Santa. She would just lay her head on my shoulder but not get any closer to Santa. She did tell him what she wanted; she still has that party down.

I didn't really want to be in the picture but thought Halle might need a picture someday with Santa, so y'all are all lucky!

Christmas Time is Here!

2009-12-06T20:57:00.002-06:00

Yaya gave Pratt and Halle a big train to go round and round the Christmas tree so Saturday after Thanksgiving we had to get our train going and then our tree up. Pratt played and played with the train and almost ran the batteries out that first day. He was also a big help in putting ornaments on the tree this year. At first he put most of them in the same spot as you can see but he got better.

Halle got a little tangled up. She wanted this garland to be a necklace but she never could quite get it to work right.

Halle's Birthday & McCloy Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T20:47:00.003-06:00

We had Thanksgiving with my Grandmother Nan at Amarillo last Friday. It is always fun to see everyone and the kids have a blast playing and swimming. Since Halle's birthday is so close to Christmas we decided to have a little party for her. Everyone girl needs more than one party right? I got her a yummy red velvet birthday cake and she loved it. No need for a fork she just grabbed the entire piece and started eating!

Yaya gave her some Elmo tickle hands and she had a great time playing with them.

Aunt Jana have her this little dress up outfit and she instantly had to put it on. She loved it and has wanted to wear it to town a few times already this week. She even had to take the shoes to show GG on Sunday after church.

Pratt had the best time swimming. They were in the pool for about 3 hours with minor breaks. Only Buster was the unfortunate adult that got wet but that water gun instantly disappeared after that.

Routine

2009-12-06T20:43:00.002-06:00

Halle is a quickly becoming my big little girl. She officially moved into her big girl bed last week and we took down the baby bed this week. She wakes up every morning pretty happy and she instantly wants to go watch "The Wonder Pets" her favorite cartoon. She carries every blanket she sleeps with and plops down in her Elmo chair. In the picture she can't even look at me because she is way too focused. Her nightgown is also her favorite and it is a hand-me down from Sage. I think it has been through many little girls and Halle is the fifth. Its a little worn out but it has Minnie Mouse on it so we have to wear it all the time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:29:00.002-06:00

We are thankful for many things around our house the season and one of the main ones is family. Here's just a few pictures to share...& I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving & a blessed holiday season!!

Tech & OU

2009-11-26T08:32:00.002-06:00

Mom & Dad took us to the Tech game last week. We had a great time watching them beat OU. Pratt learned a little more about football and Halle took a little nap during the first quarter. It was sweet and rarely has she ever let me hold her while she sleeps! I loved it. We also sat at the very top on the home side. Here's Halle at the tailgate party.

Get your guns up boys!!

Even Halle got hers up. She would not however wear her cheer leading suit. She threw the biggest fit (she's a little stubborn) and insisted on wearing her pink dress instead.

As I was saying, we sat at the very top of the stadium on the home side. When we got there this was the view from my seat. These guys stood up the entire 1st quarter and then switched to my row with some people that we tired of them standing up too. I actually got to scoot over a little so it was a much better view! We also had a little room up there so all the kids got to keep wiggling throughout the game so they were very happy!

Polar Express 2009

2009-11-26T08:24:00.002-06:00

Once again, we went this year down to Lubbock to ride the polar Express. The kids were so excited and they all had a blast. Our train car was a little wobbly (it rattled side to side the entire time), but it was still fun. Pratt loved being on a train. Our conductor greeted us as we got on the train.

Pratt and Gus already couldn't sit still and we had only been on for a few minutes.

It was exciting to have the whole family on the train this year. Buster didn't know what to expect but he loved seeing the kids get so excited about Santa.

Here's Halle giving Santa one of her famous "looks". She didn't quite know what to think of him at first, but as soon as he asked her what she wanted to told him. This year she wants Santa to bring her Ming-Ming and the Wonder Pets. Pratt has a long list and Santa told him he would try to bring him those things.

Lotion

2009-11-24T22:48:00.001-06:00

Pratt has had the driest skin lately and this morning I asked if he wanted to put some lotion on his arms. Here's his answer, "No, I quit lotion and that is not a very nice thing to ask!" Men & Lotion...I will never understand it!!

Road Trip

2009-11-17T14:03:00.002-06:00

My Grandaddy was turning 80 this month we made a little road trip to surprise him. I went down on Friday and brought along Gus & Sage. The trip went well and Halle did a great job keeping up with her potty training. We stopped in Borger for just a little while to get something fixed on my car and then our next stop was Caprock Canyon State Park between Claude and Silverton. I let the kids get out and run around at the top of the canyons. We were only there a short time but they had a blast.

Here they are above not wanting to leave.
Saturday night we went into Snyder to eat at our favorite mexican food place. We tried to take a few pictures. Here are Granny and Grandaddy! Don't they just look so excited? This is the second shot I took because in the first one they had the biggest frowns on their faces. They didn't ask me to take a picture, it was just a little request of mine, so I guess this is what I get!! LOL!
Happy Birthday Grandaddy!! Your the best!!

Cookies

2009-11-17T13:57:00.002-06:00

Well, back to blogging this week. We have had a busy November and then we have been a little sickly so now this week we have much to do to catch up. My oven is sort of working after the little fire now thanks to Buster, so the kids and I were dying to bake some cookies. Pratt has been wanting to make the Hershey Kisses blossom cookies so we did. Of course baking cookies always involves sampling and sampling often. Pratt got the big beater this time, but Halle got the spoon

I think she put the entire cookies in her mouth here (just like her momma does).

They were delicious and we are hoping the oven will continue to work so we can make more yummy goodies.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:18:00.002-05:00

The kids has a great time trick or treating this evening & then fun at the carnival. Here we are heading to our first stop. Halle immediately got it all figured out. A close up of the cute, furry, lovable....ELMO!! I had a great Pinkalicious outfit that I was going to put together for my little girl, but instead she decided to go with the Elmo suit. Thanks Sahala for passing it down. I could barely get it off her tonight when we got home.

Here's the gang! All looking great and ready to say "Trick or Treat!" and we always had to remember to say, "Thank you," too!

This was Halle's favorite game. It was a boo house and you got to open the doors and someone would scream, "Boo!" and stick out their hand or face. Halle loved it and we played it many times. Pratt was a big chicken would not try it. I think he has way to much of his mom in him and needs to get a little braver!

He did love getting to ring the sirens on the fire truck. It brought a big smile to his face.

Overall, the carnival was a blast. They had great games for the kids and we played all and were still home by 8:30! WOW and I cannot wait to get my extra hour of sleep tonight!

Work in Progress

2009-10-28T07:46:00.002-05:00

Halle girl is working on potty training. We had not intentions of starting this week, but on Monday she would not wear diapers & I was tired of wrestling with her. She pretty much went without bottoms except during naptime and bedtime. Tuesday, we started again in the morning and she only had 1 accident before we left for town. We went to eat, work, and then to Walmart so that we could left the wonderful girl pick out her own undies hoping she would wear them. She picked Elmo and we came back home still with no accidents. Last night after bathtime, I got brave and put her in panties for sleep. Right now, its 10 til 8 and I still have not heard a word from her, so either she is dry or she doesn't care that the sheets are wet! I am hoping for the first!! I've been reading books and looking at different methods, but I hope my very own version of combined ways will work! Hopefully she will master it soon, because it was fun yesterday not having to wrestle with her to put on her diaper!!

Cheese!! Halle's becoming a big girl now...she even said that yesterday when we were picking out her new drawers!! BIG Girl!!

Home Improvement

2009-10-26T10:40:00.002-05:00

Saturday, Buster & I did a little home improvement in my bathroom. I was desperately in need of a new sink. One that didn't have an unfixable drippy faucet that would wake you up in the middle of the night & one that didn't have ugly chips on it & mildew stains. Below is our old sink, the ugly before...
Here Buster is getting ready to take off the water supply lines and add shut-off valves.

Halle helping clean and make messes. This is her "CHEESE" face and what she does every time you get out the camera! She scratched her nose on Friday on the fireplace. Vacuuming and playing trains! What a combination.

Here is the new sink installed and running right before midnight!! Yes, it was a long day. My job was to re-grout the tile and Buster's was sink/faucet/plumbing. My new pedestal sink looks great, but was a little trouble to install because it is hard to reach back there to hook everything up. It was well worth it in the end!! We need company now so stop by sometime & check it out....I would love to show it off!!

Slimy Creatures

2009-10-23T16:21:00.002-05:00

Wednesday morning, Buster found this salamander outside the steps as he was leaving for work. We found a bucket and kept it for Pratt until he got up. He thought it was great and really wanted to keep it forever. I let it go...

But, he was pretty cool looking & I don't really know when we will see another! Thanks nature!

Let's RACE!!

2009-10-22T17:29:00.002-05:00

Every night when Buster comes home Pratt wants to race. Halle has started joining in, though she doesn't have the best start yet. They usually run the same course start in the kitchen, around the butcher block, through the dining room and on to the living room where they finish by the TV. Pratt is getting pretty sneaky and loves to cut you off so that he can win. Buster had been working on his sportmanship. Halle loves taking pictures so look at her in everyone with her big smile!! On your mark....

Daddy showing Pratt how to correctly place his hands...the eternal track athlete, we must have correct form!LOL!

GO! GO! GO! Halle did you not hear Pratt? He said go! She stays in pose position until I put down the camera.

Now she's off!!

Scrap Yard

2009-10-22T17:08:00.002-05:00

Our guys love to get things cleaned up and they recently cleaned up around the feedlot. It was a rainy day so Buster & I got to haul the load to Amarillo. Pratt loves to go to the scrap yard...he loves the big magnet. While we were there the machine was crushing and smashing the metal into blocks & he loved watching them come out. He called the Wall-e blocks like the little robot from the movie since that is what he did. Halle got a big kick out of it too but I think she mainly liked being out of her car seat in the pick-up while we were there. Pratt barely had time to take this picture because he didn't want to miss anything!

Trains

2009-10-14T08:12:00.002-05:00

I gave Pratt my camera Saturday night and he decided to take some pictures. I thought they were entertaining so I thought I'd share them. The first is a little too close. I thought maybe I needed that camera with the screen on the front too so that he could take a better picture next time!!
Here's Gordon, the big blue engine...

...and Toby he's the square one...

...the Thomas, the cheeky one....

...and James with his splendid red coat...

Pratt as mentioned before just loves playing trains and now has starting speaking in "Train Talk." He's always mentioning things like junctions, sidings, couplings, and loves exclaiming, "Cinders & Ashes." I hope when he hits kindergarten his teacher will be able to understand him!!

Twirling Girl!

2009-10-12T15:35:00.002-05:00

Here's Halle and her new petticoat!! Thanks Yaya!! She loves it! She is wearing is for Halloween and is going to be the cutest thing!!

Go 88!!

2009-10-12T15:26:00.005-05:00

We got Pratt a new football jersey this week. It has McLain on the back and Buster's old number. Pratt wanted to play football so I told him Daddy had a jersey that matched. They had the best time playing & Pratt is a pretty strong little running back. Buster was always a receiver so he loves to work with Pratt on catching!!

Sorry that its a little fuzzy...I really new to get a new camera. Go #88!

Class of 99

2009-10-12T15:17:00.002-05:00

I had my 10 year class reunion this Friday night. We had a great time & stayed up late catching up and laughing. We had 19 of 32 so I thought that was a great turn out. It was fun getting together & its funny how instantly every one starts laughing and joking just like in high school. Gruver won their homecoming football game & it was exciting to watch them do well. My classmate caught a football & I instantly talked him into giving it to me for Pratt. Pratt & Halle were staying at Sahala's and they did not go to the game because it was way too cold.

Gruver Football Games

2009-10-05T15:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry, for now blogging lately. We have been a little busy and my internet was not working right so I was having trouble uploading. Its working today, so enjoy all the updates!!

We've been to a few home football games & have hopes and plans to go to some more this week. It is Homecoming and my 10 year reuion!! At the Junior High game we watched our cousin Bailey cheer. Halle had fun watching her and mostly stood in the aisle cheering.
Pratt had more fun watching and yelling after they scored a touchdown!
The next night we went to the high school game. The score was not the best for Gruver, but the kids had fun playing! Pratt had fun playing with Michael!

Tech Game

2009-10-05T15:45:00.002-05:00

Jana invited me to go down to the Tech game with her a few weeks ago. Gus came along and my kids went to stay with Sahala & Sage. We had fun, especially Gus who was so excited before the game. Here he is standing on top of a pick-up in the parking lot. At the tailgate party he ate some cookie that was decorated with red & black icing. The black instantly stained his teeth and his mouth. I took a picture so he could see. He thought it was great!

Before the game started we took a few pictures! Gus & Mom

Dad, Me & Jana:

Halle's Wardrobe

2009-10-05T15:41:00.002-05:00

Halle really looks up to her big brother & wants to do everything he can. Even now, he has outgrown on of his Thomas shirts. I was going to pass it along to some other little boy, but we discovered that Halle really wanted it. She has worn it a lot lately and even the other day I had her so cutely dress and she was crying trying to take off her clothes. Pratt told me that she really wanted to wear her Thomas shirt. We ask her and she said, "Yes," so she changed and then was so happy!!

Mud Puddles

2009-10-05T15:34:00.002-05:00

I was watering my tree and then I forgot about it so we had some serious puddles Saturday. Pratt and Buster discovered them and had a big time running and jumping in them.

He definitely needed a shower & we had to leave all clothes outside!!

Pumpkin Picking!

2009-10-05T07:40:00.004-05:00

On Friday, we went to pick our pumpkins as we do each year in Etter. Sahala and I went and we met Sage and her class. Halle was a little cranky (allergies) but I think we all ended up having a good time. I finally got a smile out of Halle to take this picture, but of course then Pratt was not looking. There is a large corn pit for the kids to jump into. Halle was content to watch them and suck her thumb on the side.

Pratt loved it! He had a blast jumping in & thought it was great! Here we are in the field. I wanted to get a picture of Halle getting to pick her pumpkin but she wouldn't have it. We were trying here to get her to smile. It was tough.

Jaylee was all for the picture and so was Pratt. I'm sure later Pratt will think this picture is embarrassing but its pretty cute for now.

A Thomas Party II

2009-09-11T16:42:00.002-05:00

We had another Thomas themed party for the 4th birthday. Pratt loved his cake & it was so yummy.

Here are before the candles. Pratt was almost too excited!

Halle, of course, loved the cake!! She ate almost every bit!

Pratt got a new John Deere bike from Nana & Papa. He has had the best time riding it around, but here Molly snapped a picture of Buster & Scott trying out the bike!!

Pratt turns 4!!

2009-09-11T16:15:00.002-05:00

Pratt had his BIG birthday party last Sunday afternoon. We went to town & got a big train pinata. He has been talking about getting one for months. On Saturday night he helped me stuff it full of candy!!

Here he is talking a big swing at it. We tied it to a big tree in the yard (per Pratt's wishes) and all the kids got multiple swings at it.There was way too much candy!! The kids each filled up a sack to take home and immediately wanted to open it all (as kids always do)! Halle had a blast playing with the big boys on the trampoline. She loved them bouncing her around!

New Bed!!

2009-09-05T21:52:00.003-05:00

We've been working on Halle's new bed & trying to update it a little for the big girl she is becoming. Yesterday we painted the brass headboard pink and then put it on the bed. Mom made me the cutest dust ruffle out of pink tulle & ribbon. It is so cute & she justs loves it. We don't think she is quite ready to sleep in it yet, but she loves playing on it. The room is coming along great, the next step is curtains. Any suggestions??

Last night, Pratt wanted to sleep on it and so did Halle. They went to sleep fine but I heard Halle call out about 11:45 p.m. I think she was confused so I put her in the crib & then Pratt came and woke me up later because he couldn't find his blanket. Tonight they are both in their normal beds & I hope everyone sleeps better!! P.S. Sorry about the dirty face girl in the top, she had some paint on her nose and I couldn't get it to wipe off. We did luckily get it off in the bath tub!!

Preschool

2009-09-03T15:54:00.002-05:00

Pratt started preschool today! He was so excited and we were running late this morning so all we got was a quick snap with the cell phone. He had a great time & colored us a nice picture of himself. All he can recall they did was play, so he must have had a good time!! Halle went to daycare for a little while too & she had fun, though when she sees her mom she must remind her of how she got left behind!!