Back

We just got back yesterday afternoon from a 2-week trip to Taiwan. It was a fun trip overall. Mommy and Daddy spent quite a bit of time preparing for the trip. All the prep work paid off though. The kids survived the long plane rides and airport waits extremely well. Daddy and Mommy were both pleasantly surprised. We of course expected the worst, but it really wasn't too bad.

The trip itself was a bit fast-paced because Mommy's parents came on the trip too and had a full agenda planned for each day. Since Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye haven't been back to Taiwan in over 35 years, they had a lot of family they wanted to see. We traveled all over the eastern side of Taiwan from Taipei to Kaohsiung.

We are all seriously jet-lagged. The crossing multiple time zones thing has really messed up our internal clocks. The kids got up at 2am this morning. Mommy and Daddy made them go back to their rooms til about 4:00am or so.

In Taiwan, the kids got up at 2am and then 3-4 am and then 5 am. It took them about a week to get back to a normal sleep schedule. Now Mommy suspects it will take at least another week for the kids to get back to a normal sleep/wake cycle.

Mommy is still downloading and organizing pics so more info and pics are forthcoming. Now if Mommy could just get some sleep....

Catching Up

So much has happened since the last post. Mommy is going to start playing catch-up. In November, we traveled to Texas and spent Thanksgiving at the Ranch. December and January ended up being our last months in Oklahoma. Daddy found out before Christmas that he was being relocated back to Houston. We tried to enjoy our last few months in Oklahoma. We really loved living in Oklahoma. It was hard to move again after such a short time.

We went to Arlington for Christmas. While we were gone, the Oklahoma City area received 14 inches of snow. We came back a few days after Christmas. The kids really enjoyed playing in the snow.

In January, the kids spent a few days at Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye's house while Mommy and Daddy went house-hunting in Houston. We made an offer after 1.5 days of looking. It was the second home we looked at. We moved and closed on the house just three weeks later. Everything went fairly smoothly.

The kids have transitioned fairly well to the move. They like the nice big yard. Daddy finally got around to putting up the play fort with the help of Ye-Ye and Uncle Robert. Joseph also now has his own room. The girls are sharing a room across the way. We still have a little unpacking to do and a few other odds and ends to wrap up with the house, but things are coming along. The kids have also enjoyed seeing their old friends from before the move and hanging out at some of their favorite Houston hotspots.

Here are some pics from the last little while.


Taking a wagon ride at the Anchor Ranch.


Hanging out at the pond near Granny and Grampa's house.


Fun in the snow.


Driving in the snow...or rather stuck in the snow.

Christmas lights at Chesapeake Energy in OKC.

Our new Texas home.

Visit to the Houston Temple...couldn't

get good pics since Audrey and Katelyn

were totally uncooperative the whole

time.

Ice-Skating at the Galleria.

Hanging out with an old friend.

At the Williams Tower

The Princess is in the House

Mommy called Audrey a "silly girl" today. Audrey defiantly said that she was NOT A SILLY GIRL! Mommy asked, "what are you then?" Audrey said, "I'm a princess!" Mommy said, "who told you that you are a princess?" Audrey said, "I did!" Kids are so funny! So, here are some more pictures of our little Princess!

Halloween Fun

Friday night Daddy took Joseph and Audrey to the ward trunk-or-treat party. Our neighbors from across the street also went. Mommy stayed home with Katelyn because she had not been fever-free for more than 24 hours. The kids had a good time at the party. They ate some chilli, got lots of candy, and went on a hay ride.

Saturday night, we all went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We live in a small neighborhood in terms of the number of houses, but when everyone lives on several acres, it takes a while to get around the whole neighborhood. The kids were worn out by the time we made our way around. The weather was fantastic though so it was a great night to be out and about. Now we have way more candy than we know what to do with. The kids have been asking for candy every day. Now, how should Mommy make the candy disappear?

Here are some pics of the little munchkins in their Halloween attire.

Princess Snootypants!


Young Anakin Skywalker

Don't they look excited about going trick-or-treating?

Finally...some smiles!

Our sweet Peppermint!

Flu

Katelyn went to the pediatrician for her 12 month wellness visit on monday, but she started running a fever that morning so it turned into a sick visit. The good news was that Katelyn didn't have to get any shots this time. The bad news is she has the flu. We're on day 3 now and poor girl is still running a fever and has lots of other nasty flu symptoms. She seems to be in better spirits now though and is smiling and playing a little between her long naps.

The weekend before last, we took all the kids to the Parkhurst pumpkin patch. Joseph invited his neighbor Braeden to come with. We all had a lot of fun. After the pumpkin patch, we stopped at Pops (a local hotspot) for lunch.

Hopefully Joseph and Audrey will not get sick and Katelyn will be well enough for all the Halloween festivities coming up this weekend.

First Birthday!

Joseph has taken to calling Katelyn by the nickname "Nu-Nu." Mommy and Daddy have no idea how he came up with it, but we like it. Today was our little "Nu-Nu's" first birthday. Mommy cannot believe that her little baby girl is now a year old. It doesn't seem possible.

Katelyn is the sweetest little baby. Mommy and Daddy adore her! She is generally a happy girl. Katelyn is close to walking. She cruises around the house holding onto furniture and walls.

This week Daddy was sick with flu-like symptoms. Luckily, Daddy did not have the dreaded H1N1 virus. Mommy has had a nasty headache coupled with feeling tired. It has lasted almost 2 weeks now. Many of the neighbors said they had the same type of headache and fatigue and that it lasted 2 weeks. Mommy cannot wait to be rid of this persistent headache.

For Halloween this year, Mommy decided to make home-made costumes for the kids instead of buying them at the store. Last year Mommy spent way too much money on Halloween costumes for just Audrey and Joseph. This year there are 3 kids that need costumes.

Audrey said she wanted to be a pink princess. Mommy whittled down an old prom dress of hers so that it is now Audrey-sized. Joseph said he wanted to be a Jedi-knight so Mommy made one from an old sheet, shirt, and pillowcase. Mommy also made Joseph a cloak from some clearance felt she got for 2 bucks. Katelyn is too young to say what she would like to be so Mommy decided she should be a peppermint candy. Mommy estimated that the total cost for all 3 costumes was maybe 10 bucks.

Tonight instead of celebrating Katelyn's birthday at home, Mommy and Daddy took the kids to the Fall Festival at Joseph's school. The kids had a lot of fun. Audrey and Joseph were not very cooperative as far as pictures were concerned so Mommy will have to try and get some better pictures of their costumes another time. There are a lot more festivities between now and Halloween so Mommy should have some additional opportunities.

Since today is Katelyn's birthday, here are some pictures of the birthday girl on her birthday!

Happy Birthday "Nu-Nu!" We love you!

2 Months!

Mommy cannot believe that it has been 2 months since she last blogged. Time sure flies. At the end of July, Mommy and Daddy took a trip to Belize to visit Mommy's Uncle Jason. We had a great time. The kiddos stayed at home. Granny and Aunt Neva graciously agreed to come and spend a week with the little ones. Mommy really missed the kids though and thinks that they will be coming on the next trip.

The kids enjoyed the rest of the summer. We've gone to numerous parks, gone fishing, and spent lots of time in the kiddie pool. Joseph started pre-K in mid-August. Things were a little rocky at first, but Joseph has decided that he likes school after all. He rides to school in the morning with his friend Braeden, and Mommy picks them up from school. Pre-K is only 2.5 hours so it's not too long. Audrey is enjoying time without her big brother. She learned to use the computer and to click the mouse and loves having computer time without Joseph bugging her.

Katelyn is growing leaps and bounds. At her 9-month check-up, she was in the 98th percentile for height, and her weight is above average as well. So, she is one big girl! Katelyn is our happy child. Mommy and Daddy adore her. Joseph calls her "nu-nu." We're not sure where he came up with the nickname, but we all like it. Katelyn is also pulling up on everything, stands on her own for short spells, and also walks if she has something to hold onto (like a walker or stroller). She'll probably be walking on her own very shortly. Katelyn also loves to climb stairs and get into anything and everything. Mommy has to keep a close eye on her. She is a sweet baby though and we are all thoroughly enjoying her.

It has been a fun and busy summer. We are all looking forward to fun times in the fall. The weather has been so nice so we have been able to spend lots of times outdoors.

Mommy and Daddy at the Lamanai Mayan Ruins in Belize.

A catfish Joseph caught at a fishing pond.



A catfish Audrey caught on her new Princess fishing pole.



Daddy's future hunting companion.

Joseph looking a bit apprehensive on his first day of school.