New Toys

Daddy bought Mommy a new camera and laptop since we are about to embark on a new adventure overseas. Apparently electronics such as laptops are 30-40% more expensive in Indonesia. Mommy thought they would be less expensive since many electronics are manufactured in S.E. Asia. But, since that is not the case, we decided that we had better make the purchases here in the U.S. Mommy has been wanting a digital slr for a very long time. After looking at a lot of cameras and reading a lot of reviews, Mommy decided on the Nikon d3100. Mommy likes it because 1) it is very light compared to a lot of other digital slr cameras so it would be good for travel 2) the menus and buttons are easy to navigate and very intuitive and 3) the camera records video in HD at 1080p.

The new computer makes uploading the pictures a breeze. Mommy is too spoiled with her new toys. Mommy has snapped one too many pictures over the last few days since our little Nu-Nu told Mommy to "leave her alone" when she saw the camera today...ha ha.

Here are some fun pictures that Mommy took with the new camera.

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Haircut

Audrey got her first haircut today! Mommy made a scrapbook page to commemorate the event. Mommy and Daddy were very sad to see the long hair go, but Audrey was very insistent on getting her hair cut. She sat very still and let Mommy cut her hair. Mommy was going to cut just a little, but Audrey insisted that she wanted her hair "on her neck." Now she says she has a "Dora" haircut. Before bed she told Mommy that "she really liked it." Mommy probably should have taken her to a professional, but hey, at least Audrey is happy with the result. The short haircut will be good considering we will soon be moving to Jakarta, Indonesia where it will be nice and warm year-round.

The move is our big news of the day. Daddy was offered a relocation package to Indonesia which he accepted. It will be a huge change for the entire family. Hopefully, it will be a great experience for the family. The move will likely occur in early January...as soon as our visas are approved. There is so much to do and so little time, especially with Christmas around the corner. Mommy sure hopes that everything will go smoothly with the move. Guess we'll be celebrating our next Christmas in Indonesia!

Halloween Fun

Mommy was not very prepared for Halloween this year. Katelyn refused to wear any of the costumes we had from before...Minnie Mouse, Disney princesses, etc. She also refused all the costumes at the stores. Audrey insisted on being a "hot" pink and blue mermaid. Mommy could not find a hot pink and blue mermaid costume anywhere. Joseph thankfully just wanted a store bought costume so he was Clone Trooper Rex this year.

Mommy hurriedly put together a pink and blue mermaid costume for Audrey friday afternoon before the trunk-or-treat on saturday. Katelyn was really cranky saturday evening so Mommy stayed home with her while Daddy took the other kids to the bi-ward trunk-or-treat.

Sunday, Daddy took all 3 kids to Aunt Neva and Uncle Robert's house for a Halloween gathering. Katelyn wore a leopard print outfit and Mommy drew whiskers on her face. She was our little leopard cat. Mommy stayed home to get a few things done.

We have discovered that out of the 3 kids, Katelyn is the one with a major sweet tooth. She can't get enough candy. Daddy brought her home sunday night literally shaking from the sugar high. Silly little girl.

Here are some photos from Halloween weekend.

Fall Pictures

Mommy put together a photo collage of some recent photos from this fall. The kids are enjoying the fall weather. We are all adjusting to being back in Texas and are starting to feel settled.

Today was a parent-teacher conference day (no school) so Mommy took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. We played for awhile, had lunch, and then went to a park. The fun never ends. The kids didn't want to leave the park. All the kids were cranky by later in the afternoon because of all the activities. Mommy has made a mental note to herself that there is such a thing as too much fun and it makes for a long afternoon and evening. It was nice to spend time with all 3 kids doing fun things though. Mommy misses Joseph when he is in school all day long. The girls miss him too.

Surfside Wedding

Daddy's co-worker got married this last Sunday in Surfide at the Stahlman Park and Reception Center. The kids were really pretty well-behaved all things considered. When the wedding and reception were finally over hours later, Mommy and Daddy let them play on the beach for a little while. This is the first time we ever stayed til the sun went down. The weather was absolutely perfect! Watching a sunset on the beach while the kids played was the perfect end to a fabulous day!








Good times at the beach!

Soccer

Mommy and Daddy signed Joseph up to play soccer this fall. He said that he wanted to try it. Daddy is Joseph's coach for his Fun, Fair, Positive Soccer Team. The kids voted on the name 'The Dragons' for their team name. Their colors are navy and yellow...mostly yellow.

Today was the first game of the season. Joseph was really looking forward to the soccer game all week. Every day he asked if it was game day. Mommy wasn't able to go because it was naptime for Katelyn and Katelyn was extremely crabby. Audrey also ended up taking a nap. Daddy said Joseph did very well. He stole the ball a couple of times. He also made the only goal for his team. In Joseph's words, "The other team kicked our butts!" He told Mommy he had alot of fun.

We are all looking foward to a fun soccer season!


Exhausted after a great game!


The Dragons getting ready for the game.


Go Dragons!


Joseph and Coach 'Daddy'


Joseph in his soccer uniform