Zoo Day, Hooray Day

Yesterday, Ezra, Emersyn and I went to the zoo! Ezra had been asking me to go for the past couple days so we went! We had a great time! We felt like we had the zoo to ourselves! The weather was great and all of the animals were out and about. It was so fun today because Emersyn is so much more active and involved and just curious about what is going on around her. She had fun. She really liked watching the fish swim around in the hippo tank. We had a great time!

Ezra talking to the Black Bears

Emersyn looking at the Hippos

More Hippo watching

The Playhouse!

The playhouse is DONE! Brent finished it within a week, with some help from some good friends. Ezra LOVES it!! It wasn't even completely finished and Ezra was on it and playing it. Emersyn even loves it. She is great at swinging! The day it was finished we had our Lifegroup Christmas Party and the kids were playing on it non-stop until around 830 or 9. I see good times in our future!
Thank you to everybody who helped Brent put it together!

The guys who helped Brent: Chris and Scot (minus Matt)

Lifegroup Gang

Santa 2009

Last night we went to one of Brent's co-workers house for a chirstmas party and Santa showed up! Ezra shook his hand when he first walked through the door, but when it came time to sit on his lap, he wanted nothing to do with him. Ezra hid in the hallway and didn't want to come out until I told him he did not have to sit on Santa's lap. After seeing Emersyn and Hailey and Syndney sitting on his lap, he warmed up a little and sat on his lap. Emersyn did great. She just looked at him with a funny look. The second time we put her on his lap with Ezra, she started to cry. Ezra must have told her he was scarey! It was a good time.

Ezra trying to escape

hiding in the hallway

Emersyn showing big brother it's no big deal

Ezra finally gave it a try

Day 1 and 2 of the Playscape

So, for christmas this year, Santa dropped off some boxes full of boards and screws for brent to build a playscape for the backyard. He left instructions too, but it is yet to be determined if those are being used or not. :)

It is going to be a great playscape for the kids, but it is definitely a project to put it together. But, as you know, Brent LOVES this kind of stuff. He recruited some of his good friends from lifegroup to come over and help. So yesterday, Sunday, a couple of the guys came in shifts to help put up the base of the Playscape. Today, Monday, Brent is working on the things he is able to do by himself. Hopefully this week we will have the completed project. The guys said they would come back friday to help finish it with him. Ezra already loves it; but he also loves doing his projects with his daddy just as much!

Setting everything up

Big helper

Brent and Matt (first shift of help)

Brent, Scott and Chris (second shift)

Brent and Ezra (Day 2: third shift of help)

Cookies!

The other day, we went over to our friend Lisa's for some homemade christmas cookie making and decorating! Martha herself, well aka Jennifer, came to help. She brought the good ol' homemade sugar cookie receipe with the frosting and sprinkles. Ezra enjoyed it for the first 5 minutes of course, then he wanted to go play with Hailey and Sydney's toys. He cut out a couple of the sugar cookies, but was definitely on board when it was time to ice and decorate. He decorated two cookies and then ate them right after he was finished decorating. It was good times. Emersyn even helped out a little bit. She got a hold of the TollHouse chocolate chips and was trying to put as many in her mouth before we could take them away. Tis the season!

Sydney and Hailey mixing the icing

Ezra and two cookies before he ate them

Jennifer and Lisa

Emersyn found the chocolate chips!

Thanksgiving

Gamma with Emersyn

Playing

How cute!

This Thanksgiving was so nice and quiet. We had to stay here because Brent was on call, so unfortunately we were not able to be with most of the family, but we were able to talk to everyone on the phone. My grandmother came up to spend the night and have a Thanksgiving meal with us. We had turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls and pecan square bars. So, YUMMY! We had a nice peaceful day. That night we went to our good friends house to watch the Aggies put up a good fight against Texas. Friday morning, (early friday say, 530 am) I got up to do some shopping. It was a fun experience and not to crazy at the shops I went to. When I got home we turned on the christmas music and DECORATED! I buttered Brent up with some breakfast tacos! It was such a fun day.

Eilers cousins

Throwing rocks in the tank

Some of the Eilers Family

Saturday, the kids and I headed to Fredericksburg to spend the day at the Eilers extended family Thanksgiving. We had soo much fun. We got to see some aunts/uncles/cousins and oma/opa! Of course there was good food involved. That evening, I got to leave the kids with Oma and Opa and go to a friends house for a Christmas Decoration Exchange Party. It was good times and I got a cute christmas decoration. All and all, a great holiday weekend.

Emersyn's Baby Blessing

Tonight we had Emersyn Blessed at Oak Hills Church by two of the elders from church. It was a nice little blessing that we got to share with the Jackson family as well. Their little boy, Oliver, is one week older than Emersyn. Our great friends from lifegroup came to support Emersyn and Oliver. It was very special to have them there. We have truly been blessed at Oak Hills with the friends and family we have made through church and lifegroup. Thank you guys!

Before the blessing

Kelly, Heath and Oliver Jackson

Group photo after the blessing

Emersyn is 6 months

Well, Emersyn is not "offically" 6 months until Saturday, but it has gone by way too fast! She is such a sweet, sweet girl. She loves to just hang out and watch what is going on around her; which is usually a lot cause her big brother is loud and crazy! She loves her big brother Ezra. She will just sit and stare at him all day. He makes her laugh harder than Brent or I can make her laugh! She always wants to be where he is. It is so much fun. I can't wait until she starts figuring out how to get around and keep up with Ezra. He is so sweet to her too. He always wants to know where she is. When she is still sleeping in the morning, he will say, "emersyn still sleeping? No, I think she awake." haha..and then preceds to her room, which I am sure he wakes her up, and then runs to me and says.."mommy, emersyn up. Emersyn up." It is so cute. I am loving it. Hopefully it will stay this way for a while. As of right now, he shares his toys with her. Which really means, he lets her see a toy then takes it back after a few minutes.
Emersyn still loves to talk. She talks all the time, and she is loud while doing it! She rolls all over the place, eats her toes, sucks on her left two middle fingers and is constantly smiling. She is now sitting up by herself and will stay that way for a long while.  She is starting to be more steady on her legs and stands (with assistance) for a good amount of time.
She is eating some solids, however, she doesn't care for rice cereal or baby food. She wants the real deal. The only way she really eats well is if I give her a chunk of banana to gnaw on or if it's mashed avacadoe or "real" food. So, I try to mash some things up for her and she seems more happy.

She is such a sweet heart, and we are extremely blessed to have her in our life!

Love these Fall days

Yesterday was such a pretty day, that we were outside for most of the day. The kids and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, then played in the front yard for a while. We got out Ezra's red wagon that he got for christmas from his Gamma. He had a lot of fun pulling Jager around the yard and Jager didn't seem to mind. He wanted Emersyn to ride in the wagon with him too while I pulled them. So, I made sure he was holding her nice and tight and took them for a spin around the yard. Emersyn loved it. Ezra then wanted to take Emersyn for a ride while he pulled so I walked along side the wagon while Ezra pulled Emersyn. It was a good day. Later that day, our good friend Allison and her kids, Hudson and Harper, came over for dinner. We grilled some meat kabobs, had a salad and made some smore's on the chiminaya. It was a really good night.

Trick or Treat!

My Aggie football player and cheerleader

That's his "tough" look

Sweet girl

We had such a great Halloween. We went to our friends, The Garrisons, for some trick or treating around their neighborhood. They have twin girls, Hailey and Syndey, who will be 3 in december. Ezra loves playing with them, and I don't think they mind him either ;). After our buckets were full of candy, we headed across the alley to the church that is behind their house. Cross Mountain church puts on a GREAT fall carnival. They had a lot of rides, bouncy houses, hay rides, train rides, pony rides, food/drinks and more. We went last year too. Last year, Ezra was just a little over 1, so he was not excited about it like he was this year. He wanted to go in the bouncy house, ride the ponies, fish for candy and eat good food! Emersyn enjoyed herself also.
Ezra was a Texas Aggie Football player (WHOOP!) and Emersyn was a Texas Aggie Cheerleader! Brent and I were Aggie Fans! Oh ya.. Hailey and Sydney were Texas Longhorn Cheerleaders..we weren't judging ;)
All in all, it was a great time!

Hailey, Ezra and Sydney

Already diggin into the candy

Pro trick or treaters!

Family op

Also included are some pictures from when we went to the St. Mary's Turkey Dinner and Carnival the weekend before in Fredericksburg. We got to play with all the Eilers cousins, see Oma, Opa and Gamma, and eat such yummy Turkey dinner. It was a really good time.

Gamma at the bouncy house

Ezra in the bouncy house

Diggin for treasures

Ring toss

Emersyn taking it all in