The Chicken Dance

Last weekend Allison got to perform on the piano for the first time. She started taking lessons last summer and has really enjoyed this new activity. The studio where she takes lessons participated in a Yamaha Clavinova festival in Dallas. Allison really wanted to take part in the event, so we blocked out a Saturday afternoon, and she started to practice. Her teacher, Ms. Cheryl pictured above, chose The Chicken Dance for her to perform, and Allison thought that was really fun to play. Since we heard it dozens and dozens of times while she was practicing over the past few weeks, it's good that we enjoyed it, too. Each hour during the day was a separate show. She was assigned a time, and she did great during the performance. The audience loved her, and I think they loved her outfit, too. They encouraged everyone to dress up according to the piece they were playing. We had fun putting the costume together, and Allison got some great experience playing in front of an audience. She didn't mention being nervous until we got there, and then she started worrying about the possibility of messing up. I encouraged her to just do her best and have fun. It was a success, and we are looking forward to her first big recital at Christmas. She received her piece for that yesterday, and I have a feeling we are going to be hearing Deck the Halls around here a lot between now and then.

Fall Fun

I enjoy all the activities that go with fall so much. Here are some pictures that highlight some of the fun we have been having. We visited a Pumpkin Patch, carved pumpkins, and Will had his fall festival at school today. It was the State Fair of Texas theme complete with corny dogs and all. Tomorrow promises to be lots of fun with many picture opportunities. The girls have their annual Book Parade at school, and, of course, Halloween is tomorrow evening. The kids have been very excited with all the activities, and it's really fun to watch them enjoy this time of year. Happy Halloween!!

A Visit From Switzerland

Last weekend we had the pleasure of spending the good part of a day with Ray's Uncle Ruedi and Aunt Marietta, Uncle Forty, Aunt Robin, and Jack. Uncle Ruedi is Ray's father's brother, and we had not seen them since we were in Switzerland when Allison was 14 months. After soccer games we headed up to McKinney, Texas, where we met the family at the Herld Museum of Natural Science and History. They have a dinosaur exhibit there right now, so that was a lot of fun for the kids. Will was a little bit scared at first, but he soon got over it when he realized the dinosaurs were really "just machines roaring". I have to admit they were very life-like. They also had a petting zoo, exotic animal section, and butterfly garden. I saw some animals that I have never even heard of. We headed back to Robin and Forty's house for some Texas barbecue. Uncle Ruedi and Aunt Marietta came bearing gifts for everyone, and we all had fun with those. The whole family got new Swiss Swatches. The girls got cute jewelry, and Will got a wallet complete with a compass and flashlight! Uncle Thomi sent Swiss scarves for the girls and a Poschiavo t-shirt for Will. We had so much fun playing games, looking at pictures, and just visiting. They are truly wonderful people, and we can't wait to make a trip to Switzerland to see them. As we shut the car door to leave, Allison announced that she sure was going to miss them.

Another Missing Tooth

Last week Caroline lost her second tooth. This was a big event, in particular, because for some unknown reason I didn't take a single picture when she lost her first tooth. I take pictures for everything, and I have no idea how I managed to let that slip by. I remember Ray being out of town and it being especially busy that night, but still. So, this time it was very exciting. It is her second one to lose on the bottom, and I think one of her top two will be next. This one had been lose for quite some time, and I really thought it needed to come out, but she was not into letting me mess with it. The girls' principal, Ms. Wagnon, has another job at school, and that is to pull out teeth when they are ready. She had been watching Caroline's tooth for a few weeks, and she finally decided it was time for it to come out. She took a Kleenex, and out it came. Caroline brought the tooth home in a little treasure chest with her very own official certificate. She was very proud of herself, and I'm proud that I have these pictures to show for it!

Green Meadows Farm

first field trip...long bus ride...beautiful fall day...petting goats...seeing zebras...horse tricks...pigs racing...running through mazes...feeding llamas...lunch by the lake...milking a cow...time with mom...a hayride...picking pumpkins...lots of pictures...time with friends...lots of memories

To Match or Not to Match

Since I had my second girl, I have always enjoyed matching them in their clothes. I considered it one of the pluses of having two of the same sex. They have definitely always had different things, but I tried to match them any chance I got. I knew there would come a day where they didn't want to wear what the other was wearing. At age 5 and 7, neither have complained about it yet. I have moved more towards just coordinating them instead of them wearing exactly the same thing. I think my days may be numbered with this, but it's not because of my oldest girl like I thought it would be. They each are starting to have their own style, and the middle child is very vocal about what she likes to wear. I thought they looked so cute in their "coordinating" outfits last Sunday for church, but the younger one literally cried about it because she doesn't like green. That may be a problem for this young Dragon girl!

Columbus Day Train Ride

Since the girls we out of school and we had to be in Fort Worth anyway for Will's Museum School, we decided to stay and do something fun. I mentioned before that Will is really obsessed with trains and constantly wants to ride on one. I have been wanting to take him to ride the Forest Park Miniature Train in Fort Worth for quite awhile. I was disappointed to find out that they were closed on Mondays since that is the day we are in that area. Well, they were open this day since it was Columbus Day, so off we went. It was a very cute train and was a long ride that lasted about 40 minutes. The scenery was really nice, and the kids saw a waterfall, turtles, squirrels, ducks in a pond, a park, and got to go over a very tall bridge. The highlight for Will was the horn tooting. We had to wait almost 30 minutes once we got on the train before it left, and I kept getting off taking pictures and the girls were playing around picking up acorns. This all upset Will terribly because he thought that the train was going to leave without us. I tried to reassure him that the motor wasn't even on and the conductor was up by the ticket stand. He was just panicked someone was going to miss out. I did end up convincing him to let me get a few pictures. We finished the outing with a delicious lunch at Chili's.

Museum School

Each of my kids has gone to Museum School in Fort Worth for 1 year. It is a fabulous program, and the girls really loved their time there. This year it is Will's turn. He is in the Frog room with the 4 year olds, and he is already have so much fun. He has learned about the cat family, the dog family, rodents, and most recently crabs. He always comes back with some neat art project, and the highlight so far has been holding a mouse! It has also been fun because he has one of the same teachers that Allison had 3 years ago. This picture was taken of Will in his Museum School shirt on picture day in from of the famous turtle named Bob. Kids love to climb on Bob, and even though Museum School is in a temporary location right now while the new Fort Worth Museum of Natural Science and History is being built, Bob traveled with the current Museum School. Today, the girls were off from school for Columbus Day, so they got to come with us to Museum School this morning. Allison was excited to see her old teacher, and they both could not wait to climb on Bob. I'm so glad Will has the opportunity to go to Museum School like the girls did, and we always enjoy our outing to Fort Worth every Monday morning.

Uncle Bill

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Uncle Forty's birthday, and yesterday we celebrated Uncle Bill's. Our brothers are only 3 weeks apart in age! We got together at Gram and Grandpa's house and had delicious fajitas. The best part was sitting outside on the patio eating chips and guacamole. I think we could have just stopped there. Our girls always have so much fun playing with their cousins Katherine (6) and Libby (2). Libby is growing up so much, and her vocabulary has really taken off. She made a really good friend last night in Uncle Ray. She thought he was very entertaining and funny. Cake time is always fun, and there is always a discussion as to who gets to blow the candles out. We are grateful that our families live close by and that we get to celebrate these special occasions together. We realize that not all families have that luxury, and we are thankful that our kids are growing up with their cousins and that they have someone like Uncle Bill in their lives.

Walk For A Cure

This post is really a couple of weeks old, but I was having issues downloading pictures off of my little camera that I carry in my purse, but the problem has been solved, and I am back in business. Our family spent Saturday morning on September 27th doing the Juvenile Diabetes Walk for a Cure in Downtown Dallas. It was a beautiful day, although it warmed up really fast. The fall in the air was not to be found soon after the walk started. It was a very festive atmosphere, and the kids were very excited to be there (at least in the beginning). Allison was especially excited because of the purpose of the walk - to raise money to find a cure for Diabetes. This is something that is obviously very near and dear to our hearts. Grandpa came and walked with us, too, so that made the morning even more fun. The only problem was that I definitely overestimated the kid's ability to walk 3.1 miles. It was not a race, and I thought we would just go as slowly as we needed to. Ray suggested that we bring a wagon, but I thought that wasn't necessary. Let's just say that recommendation came back to haunt me. About 10 minutes into the 1 hour and 35 minutes that it took us to walk this 5K, the kids were hot, tired, and ready to stop. Poor Dad had to take turns carry Will and Caroline on his shoulders. I'm impressed that he didn't complain at all (much). Next year we will be bringing a wagon! After the walk, though, they perked back up and enjoyed sampling the free food and balloons that were being given out. We definitely felt like we accomplished something and left with a little more hope that one day Diabetes will be cured! We have no greater wish for our girl!

Boy Time

While the girls and Dad were gone on their overnight, Will and I were very excited to get to do some special things together. He kept asking if we were only going to do boy things. Do you think he gets dragged around to too many girl things? I assured him that we would do some things that boys liked. First we went to the County Fair at our church. He loved that and got to experience a first there - his first time eating Cotton Candy. He wasn't sure about it when he first looked at it, but after one taste, he was hooked. He also enjoyed the games, or should I say the prizes that came with the games, and the petting zoo. Mom even made him sit through a few pictures.

After the County Fair, we decided to head up to the Southlake Town Center for October Fest. Will immediately spotted the kid's area, and after a quick trip on the bounce house, he saw his beloved train. Will has always loved trains, but he is going through a phase right now where he is obsessed with trains. He talks about them every day, several times a day, and always asks if he gets to go on a train that day. Well, when he saw the train, we couldn't purchase the armband fast enough to ride the train over and over again. He took a small break to ride the ferris wheel, and then I bargained with him to go into one store, and then we were right back to the train again. I seriously think he could have sat on there all day long. We finally had to leave because we were ending the day meeting friends Jamie, Ellie, and Mylie for pizza. Besides pizza, dinner included throwing pennies in the fountain and riding a mechanical horse. It was a fantastic day, and I think Will will remember it for a long time. I know I will.