November...

WOW! I got through a whole month, now I'm only 3 months behind! HAHA! First big happening in November was my birthday. I turned 29 this year, the funny thing is all week I thought I was turning 30... yep I forgot my age! HAHA! I'm very scattered brain these days. But it made it that more exciting when it was pointed out to me that I was only 29! Dave got me an external hard drive, which I REALLY wanted! I am a picture person, and well I had locked up the memory on our family computer with all my pictures. Of course I didn't want to delete them, and so I needed somewhere to move them to, so our computer could function once again. He also got me Letters to Juliet- which I love! Thanks honey! A very good friend (Jenae) offered to watch the kids so we could go on a birthday date. It was the best date we had in a LONG time! I wanted to do something out of the norm for us... so we headed down town! We went on the river boat tour, browsed a few shops, got some silly souvenirs (think pink cowboy hat with tiara, and coon skin cap), then walked a few blocks to a nice place for dinner. We had never been to the place but had found it on restaurant.com you know me, I had to have a coupon :o). The place was deserted... they told us to pick our seats anywhere in the 2 rooms, or on the patio. We chose the patio, but the patio light was out, and it was dark... just when we thought we'd have to move in the waiter came with a candle! So we had a private candle lit dinner on the patio! It was awesome! The food was yummy, and I really LOVED the one-on-one time with my hubby! After dinner we set out to find our car...HAHA we were so turned around, and walked the wrong way many times and finally an hour and a half later found it. Getting lost/turned around just added to the night! More time to walk holding hands, and to talk! It really was the best birthday present of all!!! Thanks for taking me out Dave!!!

Halloween

Halloween was pretty simple this year. We attended the church trunk or treat party the night before. Then on Halloween I took the big kids trick or treating on our street. Dave & Elly stayed home to pass out candy. We had Addy as Princess Belle (Goodwill find! Actual Disney store costume in perfect condition!!!) Jimmy as Spider Man (one of the many costumes from his dress up bag) and Timmy as a Dinosaur, although if you asked him he'd say he was a dragon (also a Goodwill find! Also a Disney store costume in perfect condition!). The kids of course got TONS of candy, and LOVED it!

Elly's Birthday

The day before her birthday, I took Elly up to her old "home" the NICU at NCBH. We brought cupcakes, and a card to celebrate her birthday and say thanks to the awesome staff that helped us sooo much! Everyone was so surprised by how much our Little Elly had grown. Her actual birthday was on a Wednesday, so the kids and I had a small cake with Elly here at home to celebrate.Round 2, and she's still not so sure about this cake thing.Here she is all clean after her bath. She is wearing the pjs Grandma & Grandpa gave her, and playing with the doll Nana Kaye, and Papa Jim gave her.

Elly's Birthday Party

On October 27th Elly turned 1! We celebrated the weekend before with a family party in Bryan at Grandma & Grandpa's house. We had a LARGE turnout, in fact I think it was our biggest 1st Birthday celebration ever. We had the 6 of us (of course), Grandma, Grandpa, Nana Kaye, Papa Jim, Uncle Stephen, Aunt Laura, Doug, Lesley, Nana Cindy, Papa David, Stanley, Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Robert, Benjamin, Aunt Marianne, Uncle Bradford, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Christy. Elly wasn't too sure what to think of her cake, or of everyone watching her eat it.She mostly just poked at it, and didn't actually eat much.

Present time

Thanks to all our family for celebrating this big day with us!

Since we were all together we exchanged gifts with Papa Jim's (Nov 3), Aunt Laura (Nov 5), Addy (Nov 8), and me (Nov 5). Followed by an evening out to eat at Johnnys (YUM!).

Happy Birthday Everyone!

Wee World

This post I am taking a "time out" from catching up to post about one of my favorite things! Anyone who knows me, knows I love to shop, but you also know that I love a bargain, and will not pay full price for anything (unless of course it's a NEED like medical care). You will also note that I have 4 kids, which is generally a hindrance when it comes to shopping... ENTER Wee World! This is the best place for Mom's who love to shop!

1. It has a play area, and I'm not talking some dinky little corner with a toy... I mean a play area! It's got a full size castle with a tower- complete with princess dresses for the little princess in your life, and even a knight in shining armor costume for your boys! This is my favorite area, but it also has a boat, fishing gear, a log cabin, numbers, letters, educational, imagination, creative play stuff! My kids ages 7, 6, and 3 all love it! On our first visit we stayed over 2 hours and they played non-stop, they were entranced!

(that's Addy looking out the window from the tallest tower of the make-believe castle)

2. It's a trick... the kids come along happily because they are going to play... really YOU are going to SHOP! The above said play area is visible from all angles of the store! That's right you sign them in, send them off for an adventure, and then you begin your own! So you get shopping time, without the hassle and most commonly used, "MOM I'm tired, I'm bored, are we done yet? when are we leaving?" Could it get any better??? (YES it actually does!)

3. This is where I get excited, going back to my desire to find a bargain- it's a Resale shop! But don't let this fool you, it's unlike so many resale stores- they have standards! Yes they personally inspect every item to make sure it's in good shape and ready to go! Everything is around 1/2 of retail prices! Then on top of that- they have "hidden" bargains! Many of the items on the racks have been stamped 1/2 off! There is a great joy in finding a cute dress, pulling it from the rack, and then spotting the little airplane stamp! Makes you just wanna yell "SCORE!" or do a happy dance!

4. On the other side of the play area, is the beloved parent's lounge...those are two words you hardly hear together as a parent! And that's exactly what it's for! Once your done shopping, no need to rush the kids, they are having fun, they are entertained, it's time for you to take a break! This room looks right at the play area, so again your kids are in sight, and safe, and you can kick back! Seriously curl up in a chair, or sink into the cozy couch with a book, your headphones, or whatever sounds nice to you, it is your space to lounge! I love it! I've been there alone and really just zoned on the couch. I've been with a friend, and loved the opportunity to have my kids entertained and be able to carry on an adult conversation!

5. It's a perfect way to "turn around" stuff you are done with. They are after all a resale shop. What I love is they give you multiple options! You can choose to accept 40% store credit of what they think they can sell your stuff for. You can choose to consign for 90 days and receive 50% of what sold in cash. Or you can consign, and receive 60% of sales in store credit. I like this last option the best, because it gives me shopping money for future shops, literally turning my stuff around into new stuff.

6. You can rent the space for parties! For a VERY reasonable amount too, next to having the party at home, it's probably one of the cheapest options in town for a party place. We had Addy's party here in November. She LOVED it! The other kids LOVED it! In fact one of our guests is now having her party there in February, and Addy can't wait! And most importantly I LOVED it! For the simple ease of it! I didn't have to decorate, or clean, or plan party games, or anything! I brought cake and punch, table cloth, plates and cups, served the girls, threw it away, and watched them play! By far the easiest party I've done in my years of kid parties!

Which brings me to this... by now you may be wondering, "why is Liz blogging about this..." well truth is I do LOVE it, and I wanted you all my blogging buddies to know about it! So that if you are in the San Antonio, or even South Austin area you too could check it out. But also, it is for selfish reasons... Wee World is doing a blog contest, and this is my entry. All I've said is true, and many of you have probably heard me speak of this awesome place! But now it is in writing! If any of this sparked your interest I suggest you check out their website at http://www.weeworldresale.com/ and if you like what you see may I also suggest you click the like on Facebook button :o) this is a great way to get updates on the store, hear about promotions and contests, and stay connected.

Play Date with Friends

In late October we went to B/CS for a weekend, while there we were able to have a play date with our dear friends. It was a great day to be at the park and enjoy each others company. I loved catching up with Heather. I love that no matter how long it's been since our last visit we are always able to pick right back up! And the best part about play dates with this family is everyone has a friend! Our families match up perfectly-

Jimmy and Jake are only a few weeks apart Addy and Brenna are less than 2 months apartTimmy and Justin are close (don't remember the time)and Elly and Lauren are only months apart. In fact we even having matching cars (I thought that was kinda funny).

Visit from Uncle Stephen

During October my brother, Stephen, came for a week to help get some work done on the house. Which was much appreciated! Also, the kids loved having their Uncle around to play with. It was during this week that Elly fell in love... She was entranced with Stephen and would follow him around. She especially loved playing guitar with him. I am so grateful to have such a great brother! Thanks Stephen!