Can You Say Cheese?

I never do this, but...

I made my first diaper cake for a friend's baby shower. I am not a very crafty person, but I was pleased with how this turned out. Ben asked if he could eat it. And, so did the guys that came to the shower (it was a work event, so it was mixed company). Remember the girl who I was throwing the surprise baby shower for and I sent her the invitation? This was for her.

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Our Backyard Friends

We got to go see the Backyardigans Tale of the Mighty Knights show today at the Nokia Theater thanks to some tickets that Uncle Brad scored for us. It was a fun, and much needed, family outing. Lindley had fun dancing to the music in the first act, but was ready for a nap in the second act.

Ben is a knight, that's right!

Photo Ben-ism

Ben loves to take pictures with our camera. He got a hold of our camera the other day. Here were the pictures that he took...

Halloween Pictures...finally

In a last minute costume change, Ben decided to be an Aggie football player. He had originally planned to be the yellow transformer, Bumblebee. Lindley was a butterfly princess thing...well, whatever she was, she was cute!

Here is the trick or treating action:

Number Twelve

We have all had so much fun with Ben's soccer this year. We love his little team, and they have all improved a ton! Here are some soccer pictures.

Last week, the Texans played a team called "FC Blast." Ben told us they had played the "French Fries."

We have two games left!!

Our Baby Girl Turned One!

Lindley turned one year old this past Saturday. We all had a great time at her party, and we are so thankful that our family and friends were there to celebrate with us! Of course her party had a theme and it was cupcakes. The kids got to make their own ice cream sundaes, and then the boys had tons of fun playing together, jumping on our bed (I had a pillow casualty out of that "game"), and playing soccer outside with their Dad's.



For her birthday, Lindley got her two front teeth, which I thought was traditionally more of a Christmas thing. She now has four teeth.

Lindley is not quite walking yet, but she is really close! She is definitely into EVERYTHING. She is still such a happy girl, and we love seeing all her smiles. Ben and Lindley are starting to be able to actually "play" together more, and that is a lot of fun.

Lindley also ate her first (and hopefully only!) bug not too long ago. And, when I say she ate the bug, I literally mean that I saw a black thing hanging out of her mouth, and I dug out as much as I could...here is what I dug out. Isn't this the grossest thing? I can't get her to eat vegetables at dinner, but bugs? Bring them on!

And, here is our little Aggie; it's too bad she hasn't brought them better luck!

One of Those Days

I think that my brain forgot to turn on when I woke up this morning:

First of all, I got Ben all ready for school, with lunch packed, and made it to my neighbor's house to pick up her kids for pre-school (we carpool). When I got to her house, she opened the door and informed me that there is no school today because the teachers have an inservice. I guess it helps to read the school calendar to find out if in fact school is in session on any given day.

Then, at work, I was asked to organize a SURPRISE baby shower for a co-worker. We've been working on it for a few days. When I sent out the e-vite, I included HER on the EMAIL list! So, she got an invitation to her own surprise baby shower. Thankfully, she deleted it without reading it, and so, at least at this point, she doesn't know when it's going to happen. Still theoretically a surprise, right?



Ugh....

Ben got to go to his first Ranger's game with Lanny (thanks to Lanny's company). He enjoyed watching the game and eating the ice cream out of a hat. He had a great time! Lindley and I had a "girls night in" and did each other's hair and nails...okay, not really. We did do a little shopping and played a mean game of peek-a-boo.

Texans Soccer

Ben had his first soccer game this weekend. He has been so excited for his first game for a LONG time now. He did score one goal, and he ran off the field with his arms raised in a victory lap. We were proud of him, but had to remind him that he had to finish the game! Unfortunately, they did lose the game thanks to a girl on the other team who had to be like 7 years old. But, thankfully, they don't officially keep score. So, Ben thought he won since he scored a goal. And, we remind him that as long as he is having fun, does his best, and is a good teammate, then he has won!

When he was not playing, he and another teammate sat on the sidelines yelling "Texans! Texans!" (which is their team name). Ben is #12.

Lindley's New Trick

I won't say who taught her how to do this. And when she's older, she's going to kill me for posting this...

Ben and His Birthday

I think Ben's birthday is finally, officially over. His actual birthday was September 8, but we have been celebrating since the first of the month! It started with his "little party" in Canyon (see this post). Then, on the day before his birthday, we got to go to the ice cream store (a.k.a. Braum's). Presents were opened on his actual birthday, and then there was his party this past Saturday. We went to a fire station close by where the kids got to play on a real fire truck, and see where the firefighters sleep and eat. Then we walked across the parking lot to a rec center for cake, ice cream, and fun in the gym. Ben had a great time his friends (all 16 of them)!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Many thanks to Monica for all of the great pictures!

Well, It's Official...

I have become a soccer mom. I must say, I fit the part pretty well :) And, I also must say that Ben has the cutest soccer team I have ever seen. He had his first soccer practice on Saturday, and he CANNOT wait for the first game. As we were leaving practice, he was asking when he gets to play in a game. Unfortunately, his first game is actually right during his birthday party. I haven't told him that yet...

First Day of Preschool

Ben started Preschool on Tuesday of this past week. He did great the first day, but was a little clingy the second day. All in all, he said he likes his teacher and is making new friends.

Labor Day Weekend

After we met Levi, we had Ben's "little birthday" party (as he referred to it). We celebrated with our family who lives in the Panhandle. Ben had such a great time at his party at Mr. Gatti's....and the "adult kids" had fun too (but I'm not posting those pictures!)


Here is what Lindley did all weekend:

We are so glad that we finally got to meet our nephew. He is just so precious, and we miss him already!

A Note on my Previous Post

I just wanted to clarify something about my last post titled, "'Best Birthday Ever!'" Just a note: I chose that title because Ben had said several times that it was the "best birthday ever!" And, it was a fantastic birthday...better than many birthdays I have had in the past (especially the one where I went to Sonic by myself). However, just to be clear, I was simply quoting Ben with my last title.

"Best Birthday Ever!"

Well, we celebrated my last birthday in my 20's this past Saturday. Next year is the Big 3-0! I have a lot to do between now and then!!

To quote Ben, it was the "best birthday ever!" Lanny and I got to have a really fun date night on Saturday thanks to our very gracious friends offering to babysit (for free!). Then, on Sunday, my best friend in the whole world and her family, who lives in College Station, surprised me by coming over, treating us to dinner, and then spending the night. I really was surprised because Lanny had set me up by telling me we had plans with other people. While I was getting ready, Ben came and told me, "They're here..." Me: "Who's here?" Ben: "Caleb..." I ran into the living room, and it was Caleb! With the rest of the Skow clan of course :)

It truly was such a great birthday!