Attack of the Stomach Bug

Yes, we were hit hard by the stomach bug. There were no pictures taken. It started on Monday with Olivia, Luke on Wednesday, Mark on Thursday and Friday, I thought I was home free until Friday night. Then Luke went for round two on Saturday. I hope that next week will be a better week.

Pajama Party

After lunch today, Luke and Olivia decided that they were going to have a pajama party in Olivia's bedroom. They both put their pajamas on and went to it. Olivia made tea party snacks, and they both put on a concert. I was not invited to the pajama party, except to take a few pictures. Though I am still unsuccessful at always getting both kids to look at the camera at the same time. When nap time came around, I let them take their naps in their pajamas. Aren't I a nice mom?

A Toddler Bed for Olivia

Olivia has a new toddler bed. I took the crib rails off and added the bumper rails. Now she can get in and out of her bead as she pleases, without injury. However, now she won't stay in bed and is super grumpy because she hasn't had a good nap. We may have to try this again when she is 4. Before I took her picture she had to make sure that she had all of her friends with her. Yes, Duckie is still her best friend.
Olivia also wanted me to take a picture of her with her favorite "Princess Stories"movie. What a girlie girl. I don't know if I can keep up with her. I've never been accused of adding too much "Fluff".

Hiking? at Guadalupe River State Park

What a great outing. In spite of the bad hair day I was having, we had a great time as a family. We went hiking along the river. We didn't make it far with two kids and a leg brace. We chased an armadillo. Luke was able to get really close to it. He wanted to catch it and take it home to be his pet. Sorry, Luke, we are NOT having a pet armadillo.
We even skipped rocks and waded in the river. The water was freezing cold.
I can't believe that it was 85 and we were wading in the river on Jan. 3. Crazy Texas weather.

The San Antonio Temple

One day we were going hiking with our kids and thought that we would stop at the temple to buy some things from the distribution center. We decided to let the kids walk around the temple. I can't believe that we have never taken them to see the temple. They were truly awe struck. Luke kept hugging me and telling me how much he loved me. Olivia just giggled a lot and asked if we were getting married. I spend a lot of time wondering if anything we teach our children is sinking in. Today, I know that they felt and recognized the spirit that you feel at the temple. I just wish that they could have more experiences like that.

Random Pictures From Christmas....just a little late

Riding on the Library float in the Christmas parade. It was a small parade with homemade floats it was perfect for my kids. At the end of the parade, the city had a snow maker and the kids were sledding down a hill of snow. I know that the picture isn't very clear but hopefully situations like these will be remedied by my new camera.

Docorating the Christmas tree with the help of Hannah and Miriam. This year I let Mark and the kids decorate the tree without any suggestions from me and I have to say that it really looked like it. I was very patient and didn't try to rearrange things when they weren't looking.

Lights on the River Walk

We went with the Scotts to see the lights on the River walk after Christmas. It was a fun outing. We went on a riverboat cruise and walked around. The lights were nothing compared to Temple Square, I guess that we have been spoiled.
It is rare that I can catch Mark in a picture when he is both looking at the camera and smiling, so I had to include it. Besides, Olivia just adores her daddy. When he is around, i might as well be invisible. I don't mind, I have told Mark that he is her boyfriend until she is 22 and he better be a good boyfriend so she doesn't replace him with some greasy skateboarding punk.

Three out of four kids looking at the camera isn't bad. Teressa Scott and I have decided that Spencer and Olivia are going to get married when he gets home from his mission. Olivia was thrilled that he was holding her hand as they were walking around. It was so cute.

"Real" Make-up

All month long, Olivia said that she wanted make-up for Christmas. Hello, she is 2 years old. We hoped that she would change her mind. By the middle of the month, she had refined her request and was asking for "real" make-up for Christmas. It was the only thing she asked for so we broke down and got her a little princess make up kit. It is by far the favorite present this year. I hate to say that Luke has enjoyed it as much as Olivia has. It is a good thing that she likes to share with "LukeDuke". We may have to hold on to these pictures for later blackmail purposes. I have had to set a rule that Olivia can't wear make-up out of the house until she is twelve, so now she keeps asking me if she is twelve yet. YIKES!

Merry Christmas 2008

I found some pictures from Christmas!! My kids were so excited to see that Santa came. What else can I say.


We had a great Christmas! The kids were so excited and that is what made it so much fun. Luke is 4 and I think that is the best age for Christmas as far as excitement levels go. I would love to post some pictures here from Christmas morning however, I can't seem to find any. Mark gave me a new camera for Christmas, I knew I was getting it so I didn't bother taking any pictures with my old camera because I knew I was getting a shiny new one. When I finally got to open my camera, it wasn't charged and I didn't think to grab my old one so I hope my kids can remember how much fun it was, because I am not wrapping everything up again to get a redo on the pictures. This experience is pretty much par for the course for Mark and I. If Mark got some, I'll add another post later.