October Events part II

So also in October we celebrated my 29th birthday. I had been sick all week with some kind of sinus infection/cold type thing and was feeling pretty icky. Eddie was so sweet and really wanted it to feel like a birthday party so he invited over some good friends to help celebrate. It really was a wonderful day.




We also were able to go with our Church play group to the Pumpkin Patch. It's the same pumpkin patch we've gone to every year we've been here in Texas. We love it! Just looking at the pictures and video, Nate informed me that he can't wait to go there again. They always have such a wonderful time.


The orange crew. ;)

Nate and Drew sitting still for the only time that day.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but Drew is running away as I snap this photo.

We have a picture of Drew about this same age in the exact same pumpkin. I'll have to go find it and do a comparison.

The boys all time favorite thing to do there is definitely the bounce house slide and trampoline.




It's not very good video, but here is the crew we went with.

Devereaux, Haws, Harrison, Cavaness, Murphey, Craig, Stratton, Ririe, Trayner, Riding, and Cowan. What an awesome group!

October Events

I probably should split up the October events into a few different posts. So here is two of the six.

MAGGIE'S BIRTHDAY
The first event in October that we had was Maggie's 1st birthday! It was really very exciting to see our baby turn one. I can't believe how fast the time flew by. We, as in the ENTIRE family, are constantly telling Maggie how much we love her. You'll also hear things like, "Why are you so beautiful?" and "Hi Princess" and "Yeah for Maggie!". The boys are enamored of her and just want to see her laugh and smile and no doubt about it that Eddie and I are completely whipped. She's a great sleeper, a great eater, and very easy going. She loves to cuddle and doesn't cry too much, but definitely has an opinion of how she thinks things should go and will let you know if they don't. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but she LOVES to watch movies. She absolutely loves anything soft and will squeeze it and put it in her face as she squeels with delight.

We kept her birthday pretty low key and had cake and presents that night as a family.



Maggie with Dad opening her presents.



Singing Happy Birthday to Maggie.


Getting her first bite of cake.

Are you ready for this?


She was definitely NOT shy about digging in.

GREAY WOLF LODGE

The second big event in October was when we got to go the Great Wolf Lodge for free. We had gotten a 3 day/2 night stay for sitting through a really boring timeshare presentation. (Would do it again in a heartbeat!)



Here we are in the front lobby.

And these next ones are of the kids playing in the water park:









Drew going down the slide. The boys really split their time in half between the slide and the wave pool. They were at the slide until they heard the wolf call and then would run over to the wave pool.



Lovin' the wave pool! I wish I had gotten video of Nate without the innertube. He was in the waves up over his head and loving every second of it. Eddie taught the boys to body surf and they got pretty good at it.

The water park was such fun but the kids loved going in to the hotel room just as much. We let them watch Disney (we don't have cable at home) and we brought in all our own food so we would have picnics on our bed. The boys shared a bed and we had a seperate living area where we put Maggie in her pack-n-play. It was perfect!





We can't wait to do this again as a family...Our goal is to get there one more time before we leave Texas. (Which gives us 4 years to save up...and we'll need that time for sure!)

September

First day of school pics:


Nate is 4 almost 5. He goes to Kinkead Early Childhood Education School. It's a Pre-K class that is Monday-Friday from 11:30 until 3:00. His teacher is Mrs. Dunn and she's amazing. Nathan loves her so much! Nate is also lucky because he has 3 other teacher/aides that are in his class and they're equally wonderful. Miss Rachel, Miss Eden, and Miss Andie.



Drew got to go to a pre-school camp at our local rec center for a few months. It was great while it lasted and Drew loved getting to ride big wheels in the gym.


What generally takes place after school:

Yeah for being silly!


And what post would be complete without a picture of our baby Mags!


I think it is also of import to note that Maggie really started to interact in this month as well. She really loved to mimic and she learned to clap really well this month too.

August Pictures

On August 3rd we celebrated Drew's 3rd birthday. We are so grateful to have this little boy in our lives. He is the family peacemaker. He LOVES his siblings and will do all that he can to make them happy. He is still a daddy's boy and lights up like the 4th of July when Eddie comes home from work. I'm so grateful that Drew and I also have a good relationship. We are buds. I'm so grateful for all the hugs and kisses I get from Drew each day. He loves trains and cars and balls...but that has been his life's theme since his first birthday. He loves running and jumping and karate chopping and being all boy.


For his birthday dinner he asked for yellow pancakes with sprinkles.

Birthday boy...man what a handsome devil!

Maggie enjoying her pancake.

And Nate with his.

Drew opening and enjoying his birthday presents.



These next pictures were taken just hanging around the house waiting for summer to come to a close and for the school year to begin. Can you believe how brown skinned and light haired my kids get during the summer?

I love reading blogs...

and yet, when it comes to my own, I'm horrible. I have about a gazillion pictures and experiences to write about, but I don't even know where to start. I kind of want to bury my head in the sand and just pretend that I did it already. The problem is, this is supposed to be my journal for my children and future posterity and it doesn't count if I take pictures and then do nothing with them. But for the sake of time and my sanity, I will try and condense the comings and goings of the Haws family.

After our summer grand tour to see family and friends, we made it back to Irving in time to celebrate Drew's birthday. August quickly passed as we got Nathan ready for his first day of school and Drew for pre-school. Before we knew it, October was upon us and we were swamped in birthdays (Maggie, myself and Nate), holiday celebrations and dance practices (see hoedown throwdown video). November flew by as we made plans to celebrate Thanksgiving here at home and Christmas down in San Antonio. A few days after we returned home from the Davidsons in San Antonio, Magg and I flew out to San Jose to see my family and to help my dad clean out the house. I've just recently returned and now I'm trying to find some kind of order and routine in my life again when all I want to do is cuddle up in blankets and read a good book and take a vacation from all our "vacationing".

It's actually really nice to be back in my life. I've had some great opportunities to be reminded of all the blessings I've been given in my life, to be reminded of all the wonderful people that are involved in my life, and to be reminded that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I so much desire to be worthy to live with my family forever. I didn't take the opportunity to write down my New Year's Resolutions/Goals this year as I was away from my home, but I would like to take the opportunity now. I've been thinking about what my goals need to be and who I ultimately want to be in a year...The problem I'm facing is that there are too many goals to realisically achieve. I've decided to compartamentalize them:

Spiritual
1. Read and prepare my lesson BEFORE Saturday
a. Read all the scriptures listed
b. Ponder and pray for the needs of my class
c. Pray for direction to know the Lord's desires for the class
2. Journal more frequently about my blessings and experiences...Not semi-annually. ;)
3. Be more diligent in my prayers. a. Recognize that I'm a steward/caregiver over Heavenly Father's precious
children and to seek His help to raise my little stewards.
b. Start and end my day in more meaningful prayer...on my knees!!!

Physical
1. To be revised MONTHLY: January
a. No soda
b. Follow my plan with exactness
c. Focus on the 12 steps of recovery, rather than the weight loss aspect.
2. Be more active in my day. a. Gym 3 times a week at the bare minimum.
b. Less "couch time" and more "wrestle time"

Mental
1. Find "Joy in the Journey" a. Find the blessings and ignore the heartaches
b. Look for ways to uplift and serve others rather than my struggles
c. More quickly express my gratitude for said struggles
2. Stop complaining a. Find and complete book reccommended by Meg.
3. Read more non-fiction and biographies of Church leaders a. Before I get to read, have I read my scriptures for the day?

Okay now comes the fun part. Print, READ OFTEN, and put into action the things I need to do to accomplish the goals and desires in my heart.

Merry Christmas!

I wish I could send out Christmas pictures, but we just cannot financially afford it this year. But thanks to our dear and talented friend Chelsea Fullmer we have some wonderful pictures to print someday. We are so grateful to have these pictures that so perfectly capture the current personalities of our children. Nate's pursed lipped smile, Drew's constant tongue sticking out, and Maggie's sweet and even-kiltered personality despite being so cold her lips turned blue. And then there is Eddie and I and I'm so grateful to have a picture of him and I that speaks volumes of our love for each other, our chilren and our blessed life. We are so grateful to be a "forever family" and to have the knowledge of our Savior and Redeemer that brings our life meaning and purpose. Our wish for each of you is one for a joyous and peace-filled holiday season.