Movie Date

Today was a milestone day for the bunny! She saw her first movie in a theater - Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3D. No easing her into the experience gently - we go all out with a double feature!

We both had a great time! I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was and she replied, "eating popcorn and sipping Coke. Oh, and eating gummy bears!" Yep...she's my girl! It's alllll about the food!

I wasn't planning on taking photos but when we first arrived we had the theater all to ourselves. Good thing I keep my little camera in my purse!

By the end of the opening credits, ten other people settled in. We had plenty of room!

We had to get the bucked-sized popcorn and Coke for the bunny's first movie ever!

Oh, I should clarify...the bunny's first movie theater experience was when she was in utero. Also, that was the last time I went to the movies. I don't have photos of that, but I do have this one of us together from today. Stylish, no?

Snake in the Grass

Warning: Do not read any further if the thought or sight of snake guts makes you want to barf. Instead, close your eyes and scroll down to some cute hummingbird photos and videos. I'm giving you the chance to retreat and wait for another happier, snake-free post. But for those of you who don't mind seeing reptile entrails, carry on.

Mike disturbed a snake this morning while mowing. After confirming it was a coral snake he ran over it with the lawnmower. It was somewhere between 16 and 18 inches long. The tail was mangled beyond recognition. The kids and I were inside during all the excitement, but Mike came in to tell me about it and get the camera. Being the nature freak (or is it freak of nature?) that I am, I wanted to see the snake for myself and take the photos. I need to start remembering to bring a ruler when I do this.

More Hummingbird Madness!

I just can't get enough of these little guys!

Hummingbird Invasion

We have guests.
It's the annual fall migration for hummingbirds. They're heading to Mexico for the winter and our backyard is along the way.
This guy thinks the feeder belongs to him. He chases away anybird who looks in his direction. Little meanie!
This is a girl. She's been sharing nicely.
Obviously, Mike is putting crack in the feeders.

Swings & Things

This is a sad, sad picture.
We had a droughtful summer, but the day they* came to build the playground, it rained. All. Day. Long. I'm totally loving the rain, but so sad because the kidlets stared longingly out the window at their new friend. The "new park" was very lonely that day.

The next day, there was rain again. But we got a break in the afternoon and the kidlets acquainted themselves with their new friend!
She's really, really happy.
He is, too. Really.




They played until it was nearly dark. Then they went for a walk by the creek with Daddy. On the way back, they saw a snake.
I'm thinking four feet. Maybe five?
We were all excited to see Mr. Snake! He's a good one...a non-venomous one that eats rodents and the like. The kidlets wanted to touch the snake, but we kept our distance and waved goodnight.

The next day we played most of the afternoon away.

Worth every penny!

*They built it in 3 hours. Would have taken us 3 days. And probably a lot of swearing.

Fencing

This series of photos is probably only interesting to geeks, like me, who need to photograph each step for posterity. Not that my kids ever will care about it, but it's my camera and the kidlets aren't allowed to touch it. Much.

Without further ado, enjoy 56 photos of the over budget fence. :-)

And here is a video of the back and side yards.

Firsts

First morning in the brand new house.
The boy's first day of school.
The girl's first day of school. She adores her big brother!
First in a self-portrait series so the frame is way off. This one just happens to be the best one in that series.Yeah, totally out of focus, but sooo cute!
The bunny loooooves her brand new teacher!

Leaving Mango

Two weeks ago tonight, we spent our first night in our new home! The kids have transitioned beautifully. In fact, any time we leave, Noah reminds us that he wants to, "go to brand new house. I want more brand new house." He doesn't like to leave it! Neither do I, really. Well, except to go out and get food. Hahaha!

We've made a lot of improvements and changes in the last couple weeks and we will continue to make changes in the years to come. While I wouldn't call this house a "fixer-upper" I would say it needs some updating and TLC. In spite of that, we all just LOVE this house and all its little (and big) quirks!

So far, we've added a gas line for the dryer, purchased the coolest fridge, installed a new garage door opener, hooked up cable internet, built a most fabulous fence, and unpacked about a million boxes. Unfortunately, I have a lot more to do in the unpacking and organizing category...

This week, we'll be replacing our two way-past-their-prime water heaters - one is 21 years-old and the other is 10 years-old. We budgeted for this so it's not a surprise, but Mike did discover on Friday that the older one was leaking. The thing about water heaters in Texas attics is that one day they can be fine and the next they can explode. It's not wise to push attic water heaters in this area past 10 years! So the heater that supplies the kitchen and laundry room is out of commission, but we've got plenty of water for the bathrooms.

We'll have the furnaces replaced in a couple months and then we'll slowly tackle the rest of our list of improvements. I'm sure I'll have plenty of blogworthy stories to tell!

In between all of that, the boy has started his first day of Kindergarten and the girl has met her "brand new teacher!" She starts her school year tomorrow. I'll have first day photos later!

The photos I'm sharing now are the last ones from the Mango house. It was definitely a bittersweet goodbye. And yes, I cried when I pulled away from the house.

We put our names in concrete the day our driveway was poured.
The mural we had painted for Baby Noah's room.
6 month-old Noah's feet in the screen patio expansion concrete.
The kids' last lunch. Frozen mini pancakes. Unfrozen. Unheated. On napkins. On the floor. With grapes. :-) (grapes not pictured)They kept themselves entertained with cooler rides.
While I was cleaning, the bunny came and told me she "flashed" her eyes. I didn't pay attention at first, but when I looked closer, I saw that she discovered my mascara...

My Mini Me

The bunny is such a good little mommy. She is always looking out for her brother and helping him.

This morning, she took him to his room to get him dressed. She gave him new "panties," shorts, and a t-shirt. Surprisingly, they matched.

Mid-morning, the bunny helped herself to Rice Krispie Treats. She also made sure her brother was sitting in his blue chair in the kitchen before she gave him one. (How did she get into the gated kitchen, you may ask? She figured out how to open the gates about a month ago...)

This afternoon she took him to the bathroom. I was in the kitchen and this is what I heard:

Okay, Noah go pee pee. Lick up the toi-wet. Good job, Noah! Now shake it! Okay, Noah, Now fwush it. Okay, Noah, wash your hands.

Of course I dashed to the bathroom but not before all that transpired. After making sure all was well (no pee on the floor, toi-wet fwushed, hands washed, hands dried, etc.) I ushered both of them out and told Noah to put his pants back on. Then I went back to the kitchen to continue dinner preparations.

Silly me for thinking I could leave before making sure Noah was dressed.

Somehow, between the front hallway and the living room, Noah lost his pants. But, no worries! The bunny was right there to help him get new panties and bottoms.

She's kind enough to share from her own drawer. *insert eyerolls* And did you notice the "lost" pants on the floor?

I think I need to get her more dolls.

Plantation to Plantation

I feel reasonably confident that everything is going to work out so I'm ready to share our fantastic news! By this time next week, we should transfer ownership of the house on Mango Street and pick up keys to the house on Dewberry Drive.

Most of you know we've been watching the housing market for the last couple years. We had a loose "three-year plan" where we would save like crazy to be able to move into something bigger. Then, when the right house came along, we'd be able to jump on it. That house came along on a Monday, we looked at it on a Wednesday, and we made an offer on a Thursday. We also put our house on the market the same day!

Since then it has been a whirlwind of cleaning, showing, painting, de-cluttering, inspecting, consulting, repairing, re-inspecting, and finally packing. I think the hardest thing on me was keeping this house "show ready" with my clutterbug kidlets underfoot. My tornadic activity an hour before a showing was a sight to behold. Thank goodness the cameras were off! Mike says the hardest thing on him was the double all-nighter we pulled to paint the main area of the house. Remember, kidlets underfoot make painting a bit difficult...

It all paid off! We got a contract on the house within three weeks and we are now a week away from closing. I'm going to be a bit sad about leaving our first home...the home we built...the only home our kids know. I'm sure I'll cry when we back out of the garage for the last time.

But we're not moving far! And I'm sooooo excited about our new digs! It's a GREAT house! It is a little older and will need some TLC but it's perfect for our family! Even the bunny is ready and constantly tells us, "I need to buy a new home, the one wif the stairs."

We'll be gaining more square footage and much more yard. We'll be on the creek and on an out-of-the-way street with no thru traffic. But we won't be far from town. I can't wait to show everyone!

So without further ado, because I know this entire post is a gush fest, check out some photos of our new place.

Anniversary Day

It all started 14 years ago...
Boy, oh boy, how time flies! Today is our 14th wedding anniversary! We celebrated with a fun family trip to the beach and a wonderful dinner out.

Here's our family today:
And this is that "young" couple!