Adorable photos!

How cute! Note: Everett is in a camo onesie!



And Everett loves to wear Madeleine's Rudolph nose!

It's all about the matching outfits

The thing about the American Girl doll is... it's all about the matching outfits!

Madeleine with my mom during our recent trip to Wimberley.


Madeleine a few days before Christmas when we opened presents with my mom. This doll was a fill-in until Santa delivered.

Dates!

It was wonderful at Christmas to have the opportunity to go on some dates with Lee! We went to the movies and saw Twilight and are now reading the books (borrowed from my 15 year old niece!). When Madeleine spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's, my dad and stepmom, we ate seafood at the Oceanaire. A big thanks to Aunt Sally who made sure Everettt kept sleeping. The Oceanaire was delicious, the hash brown was awesome!

Then when we went down to my mom's in Wimberley for a quick trip, she watched the kids while Lee took me for my Christmas present. I had been wanting to go to Bohanan's in San Antonio after reading this article in Texas Monthly that rated it as the number 2 steakhouse in Texas. We went to the number 1 steakhouse for my birthday (Pappas Bros), and I would highly recommend the number 2 steakhouse as well! The Japanese beef was amazing!

While Madeleine was at my dad and stepmom's, Phyllis took Madeleine for a grown-up haircut. Isn't it so cute! She has bangs! And curls thanks to a curling iron. She will not bathe because she doesn't want the curls to go away, but seriously, it has been 3 days now!

Great photo of Lee's family

There were 35 people at Christmas lunch with Lee's family. I caught this intimate moment with Lee's immediate family laughing. Lee's mom has Parkinson's and has recently been in rehab for an ankle break. Seated is Lee's dad, Paul and Lee's mom, Sherry. 2nd row is Terri (Randy's girlfriend), Randy (Lee's brother) and Lee. It was wonderful at Christmas lunch to get this photo!

Family photo on Christmas!

Christmas morning

Christmas morning was wonderful, just the 4 of us. Madeleine woke up first and did not make her normal way down to the hallway to our room. Instead, she went first to the pool table where the tree was. Then, she came up to my side of the bed and informed me that Santa had not come. I asked if she had looked on the fireplace and she said that she had not. I urged her to go look on the fireplace but she was now not feeling as confident.

2 years ago when Madeleine was 2 1/2 year old, she would not come out of her room on Christmas morning because she was sure that Santa was still in the house. Instead she just screamed inside her room for a while. Fun memories!

Last year Madeleine slept until 9 am and when she finally rolled out of bed she joined Lee and I in the TV room. When we asked her if she wanted to see if Santa had come, she started to run around the room and would not go to the fireplace by herself. When we did go to the fireplace, she would not stop running around the room.

This year, it seemed like progress had been made, and when we all went to the fireplace to check things out, Madeleine was elated to see her American Girl Doll. There was a sense of expectation that the doll would be there, evidenced by Madeleine's excitement on Christmas Eve that tomorrow she would receive her American Girl Doll.

Madeleine wanted a Just Like Me doll, and I was informed (by Madeleine) that her doll needed to have blonde hair and brown eyes to match her. I left my camera at Lee's parents' house so this picture was taken at Christmas lunch with Lee's family. Madeleine has named her doll Kaylie.


The funniest moment came when Madeleine was opening her stocking. She noticed that Santa uses the same wrapping paper that we do!

Everett was happy just to play with his footballs. He now has two!

Christmas!

Christmas was crazy, as usual, but I would not have it any other way! Here is Madeleine and Sydney at their 2nd annual trip to the children's theater in Fort Worth with my dad and stepmom, Phyllis. This year it was Rudolph!



Madeleine was fortunate enough to make Christmas cookies with Aunt Terri and Phyllis



and a gingerbread house with my mom, and my niece and nephew, Cassie and Xander from Austin.

Home Updates

As if Christmas is not a busy enough time, I got an itch to have the carpet in our guest bathroom replaced (last place there was carpet where there should not be carpet). We had new tile put in the guest bathroom and the laundry room and as soon as we have saved more we can start on the kitchen. Here's the before and after of the laundry room. The laundry room has the same linoleum that is in the kitchen. The washer and dryer have been taken out in both photos, but the cabinets look shinier in the before!





Lee has been working on many home projects as well. He has changed the electrical outlets in the breakfast room to be white (and not almond colored) to match the new white walls. Just a few days ago, he finished the last one which blew the circuit. After much investigation (thank you Scott Trulock for having tools to investigate, like a volt meter!) we are still not sure what is wrong but we have great hopes that the electrician will know! Until then, no dish washer, no disposal, no power in half the kitchen, and ... the fridge has an extension cord running to it!

We continue to battle squirrels in our attic and fill up holes where they have chewed threw the soft places above the gutter and below the roof. It sounds like they are having a huge party in the attic while I am trying to sleep and we go upstairs in the morning and there is no sign of them... Sneaky squirrels!

Christmas Letter!

Merry Christmas! This Christmas may you receive the gift of God’s love, peace, and joy.

The Smith Family in 2008

L - Lee continues to work at Raytheon doing software implementation.
E - Enjoyed competing in 2 half marathons this year.
E - Enjoys playing Guitar Hero on the new Wii.

K - Kerry served at Lovers Lane UMC until June and is grateful for the wonderful friends there.
E - Enjoys working part-time so she can spend lots of time with Madeleine and Everett.
R - Really enjoyed celebrating 8 years of marriage with Lee in May!
R - Really excited about returning to Oak Lawn UMC where Kerry worked in 1999-2001.
Y - Yearns to go on more trips as a family as the kids get older.

M - Madeleine turned 4 on June 20th and is in her last year of preschool. Next Kindergarten!
A - Always talking, always asking questions, and always smiling.
D - Drawing all the time, and painting, and creating.
E - Enjoys Saturday mornings spent in swimming class (started at age 2).
L - Loves taking ballet classes on Saturday as well.
E - Enjoys playing with dolls and dressing up.
I - Interested in entertaining her brother and making him laugh.
N - Natural at riding her Big Wheel.
E - Excelling at her letters, she can even spell her long name!

E - Everett celebrated his 1st birthday October 5th.
V - Very good at going down little slide by himself.
E - Enjoys playing with balls, balloons, and with his sister.
R - Really loves climbing, as high as he can.
E - Excellent walker, running soon to come.
T - Talking and babbling all the time.
T - Tries to be like the big kids, emulating his sister.

God’s Blessings,
Lee, Kerry, Madeleine and Everett Smith

Procured...

American Girl doll has been procured...
we went with a Just Like Me with brown eyes and blond hair because when I asked Madeleine what she thought Santa was going to bring her, her response was one with brown eyes and blond hair. She does not seem to have interest yet in the historical dolls.

The doll that I got is age appropriate for children 8+. They have bitty babies that are age appropriate for children 4+. However, when I asked Madeleine if she thought Santa was going to bring her a bitty baby (for ages 4+) she replied,

"No, those are American Girl babies and I asked Santa for an American Girl doll."

Of course...

Angel Voices Choir Debut the Video!

this one is at rehearsal, with Madeleine and her friends Terri and Cadence

Angel Voices Choir Debut

At Oak Lawn UMC...

AHHH! Sweetest photo ever...

Mommy and Madeleine day

Today Madeleine and I had mommy and Madeleine day. We dropped Everett off at school at Oak Lawn UMC at 8:30 a.m. and we picked him up at 4:30 p.m. For 8 hours we ran all about town! First, we went to Northpark Mall to complete our treasure hunt that Santa had given us last week. We had so much fun running all around the mall looking for clues before any of the stores had opened.

Then, we went to the Mattel Toy Store that just opened. This is a mattel outlet and Madeleine drooled at all of the Barbies, and she had a great time playing with all of the baby toys. When it was time for art class at the Dallas Museum of Art we made our way downtown. The theme was cowboys and cowgirls and the kids put themselves in the painting and made up a cowboy story. It was such fun, and then Madeleine decorated a cowgirl vest. One of the teachers was making snowflakes as well, so Madeleine was mesmerized and made one too.

It was now lunch time, so we headed to the American Girl store for lunch. We had never been to their Bistro, probably because Everett is always with us. Well, today was different! Before we were seated Madeleine was given the opportunity to pick a doll to sit with. Santa better deliver on the highly anticipated American Girl doll! Madeleine had such a great time and seemed to be floating on a cloud.


Then, we headed back to Northpark Mall because now the awesome Bookmarks library was open. It is a Dallas public library in the mall. They have a book club with great prizes (all from the stores in the mall) and Madeleine had read more hours so she received more prizes. We got a free pretzel for finishing our treasure hunt and a movie pass, a kids meal at a restaurant in Neiman Marcus, 6 cookies, and a Melissa and Doug puzzle! I love free stuff! And I love Madeleine Nicholls Smith!

A bridge builder

I can not say enough about the presence of the Holy Spirit at the celebration of life for Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by 3100 other people giving thanks for the life, impact, and influence of this amazing woman. We gathered for 2 1/2 hours and my favorite moment was the children's sermon. Kathleen had planned her service in advance and wanted a time for the children. I was not sure that any children would come, but they just kept coming and coming. Rev. Eric Folkerth did a great job talking about how we were all sad but how we had to listen for God's voice. He used the illustration of a communion cup that had been broken by one of the children in one of Kathleen's churches and Kathleen repaired the cup. Kathleen took something that was broken and used it to make something beautiful. God does the same for us. Kathleen's body was broken but God used Kathleen to make something beautiful. Then, when Rev. Jack Soper told Skyler that his mommy loved him more than all the M&M's in the world and Skyler loudly affirmed, "I KNOW THAT!"

Kathleen was such a bridge builder and I was amazed at the clergy from all sizes of churches that were present at the celebration of her life. The Dallas Morning News made a short video providing you with a glimpse of the service. This is a blog post about the service and has links to other stories about Kathleen. Praise God for the amazing life of Kathleen Baskin-Ball.

I am a genius

Where should I put the Christmas tree so that our one year old child would not break all the ornaments and constantly be touching the tree? Well, I am a genius and I put it...



on top of the pool table!!!

Madeleine singing Christmas songs with her class

Madeleine loves her preschool class at Oak Lawn UMC. There are 8 kids and two great teachers, Ms. Kathleen and Ms. Teresa. They taught them some Christmas songs which they sang at the Birthday Party for Jesus Dec. 9. Frosty the Snowman was one of them, enjoy! Madeleine is the one in the red shirt, black pants, and reindeer antlers on her head.

Santa!

Northpark Mall has the best Santa. He does a storytime and is so kind. Unfortunately, I had told Madeleine that Santa only brings one present because he doesn't have a lot of space in the sleigh. So, when he asked Madeleine what she wanted and she responded, "American Girl Doll," that was fine. But when he followed up with, "what else?" Well, Madeleine knew that something was fishy. Madeleine looked at Santa blankly and then we said our goodbyes to Santa. As we walked away Madeleine said, "Santa brings you more than one present," and I smartly replied, "Oh, Santa was asking about Everett." Everett and Santa did not get along so well... Santa said that kids do not like him very much when they are one years old.

I'm thankful that someone answered the phone at poison contol on Thanksgiving!

So, it has been an exciting day! I made my first phone call to poison control ever! With all four of his molars coming in, Everett has been gnawing on everything. While I was changing Everett's diaper this morning, I handed Everett the Purell, which I have done before on numerous occasions. It keeps Everett's hands busy so that I can do what I need to do. He has never been able to open the cap, however, this morning he figured it out! I looked up at Everett and he was licking his lips rather strangely and I noticed that the cap was open. Lee was running the Turkey Trot (Go, Lee!) so I calmly took out a wetwipe, cleaned off Everett's hands, and read the Purell label. It said to contact Poison Control if ingested. So, I did! Someone answered, on Thanksgiving! He was very nice and said to watch out for vomiting and to make sure Everett had lots of fluids. Everett was thirsty, but seemed fine.

About an hour later Lee got home and I was trying to amuse Everett with the items in my bathroom drawer while I finished getting dressed. Lee said, what is on Everett's hands? Everett managed to get the cap off the tube of body scrub. Everett was not licking his lips, so I decided not to call Poison Control again!

We had a great rest of the day, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Lee's closest 45 relatives in Denison.

Teeth!

Everett has had red cheeks, a fever, been grumpy, and been eating his hands for the last couple of days. Today I saw that a tooth on one side was really in, then I felt around and he has teeth on all 4 quadrants of his mouth coming in at the same time! He has 8 teeth already, 4 on top and 4 on bottom, right in the middle, then there is a space and then these new teeth. I am pretty sure that these ones are his first molars. They have all broken through, the bottom ones are in and the top ones are poking through. I remember that the period when there is a lot of teeth was always a hard time, but how is it possible that my baby...





is now walking and has his first molars!

a mentor

Kathleen Baskin-Ball is an amazing woman. I feel blessed and priviledged that she served as my mentor during my 4 years of residency (2002-2006). Every month we would meet together to talk. We would always meet together for more than an hour, and Kathleen made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. She did not take phone calls, she did not leave when I am sure that there were a million things that she needed to attend to. And when she prayed for me at the end of our time together, wow, she would hold my hands and I would feel the power of the Holy Spirit wash over me. I learned so much from Kathleen during that period of my life, but I remember the way that she made me feel loved and valued. She made me feel confident in my abilities as a pastor and reminded me over and over again that I was never alone in ministry.

Kathleen is an incredible preacher. In the spring of 1999 I took Word and Worship in seminary where we had to visit a church for 4 consecutive Sundays, and I had heard great things about Greenland Hills UMC. It was my first time to hear Kathleen preach, and I was blown away. Here was a preacher who made children seem so important. Here was a preacher who got emotional in her sermons and it was not sappy or distracting, it seemed authentic and honest. Here was a preacher who talked about the Holy Spirit as a woman and could preach like nobody's business. Every sermon I was amazed at the way that the themes were constant throughout the service, I was impressed with the imagery, with the stories, with the way that Kathleen would weave her personal life into every sermon.

When it was time for residency (the years of probation before you can be ordained) I asked for a mentor that was a woman. I was blessed to be matched with Kathleen. When it was time for me to be ordained I could choose 2 people to lay their hands on me. I chose Kathleen and Sara Hardaway (my mentor in the candidacy process who officiated at my wedding). I am so blessed to have Kathleen as my mentor.

I have been praying for Kathleen for nearly 2 years as she has battled cancer. The cancer has now spread to her brain and Kathleen is saying her goodbyes. How do you say goodbye to someone who has made a difference in the lives of so many? How do you say goodbye to someone who is too young to die? How do you say goodbye to someone who has been an inspiration and a model to so many women (and men) in ministry? Kathleen has been so strong during these years. She has been so faithful and confident in God's healing. And when God heals us the most, God brings us into God's presence in heaven.

Please pray for Kathleen, her husband Bill, and their incredible nearly 5 year old boy Skyler. Read more about Kathleen and amazing news stories of her during these past years here.

drunk walking

There is a stage in every toddler's life when they look drunk while walking. Everett is in this stage and it is cute and funny. Enjoy this video of the drunk man walking. We are at the American Doll store in Dallas, we have been countless times to play (they have everything out for the kids to play with) but we have never bought anything!

sermon quotes

Am I the only one that does this? We had a guest preacher this past Sunday, Dr. Gary Kindley, and he had some great lines that I wrote down. I haven't fact checked them, but they sure sounded impressive.

Desmond Tutu said, "We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low."

Dr. Gary Kindley said, "How dare we blame God for the problems of this world when God has given us all we need to make this world work and make sure no child goes to bed hungry -- it is our greed and our lust for power that hinders us."

Dr. Gary Kindley said, "If you have a full tummy and an extra set of clothes, you are wealthier than one billion people in the world."

Dr. Gary Kindley said, "UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief) feeds one million children a day."

Dr. Gary Kindley said, "the United Methodist Church is the most diverse Protestant Church in the world. When you take out all the white people, we are the largest African-American Protestant Church in the world. When you take out all the white people and all the African-American people, we are the largest Korean Protestant Church in the world. When you take out all the white people and all the African American people and all the Korean people, we are the largest Native American Protestant Church in the world."

I thought they were worth writing down...

sliding and laughing

Two great videos

Madeleine holding Everett as they slide and

Everett laughing so hard when Madeleine was putting a cat on her head

It is so wonderful to see Madeleine and Everett play together, they love each other so much! Good times!

Big news: I beat Lee last night at bowling on the wii and we had the wallpaper taken down and repainted the guest bathroom and round breakfast room. Now, to refill the china cabinet and have the carpet taken out of the guest bathroom and tile put in... oh, and repair the gutter that fell down... the joys of home ownership!

Before

and after

and

Wii!!!

We got a Wii!!! Why is it that when you get on a roll spending money you always seem to want to spend more? It's like eating brownies (or something), it's hard to stop. So, we bought a mac mini (still getting used to the mouse and the keyboard) and I have been wanting a wii and we knew that they would be hard to find at Christmas, so Christmas came early! The interface on the wii is amazing! So far I haven't beaten Lee in a game, but we both had so much fun creating our mii (the character that is you) and finding out our wii fit age.

And, I finally got tired of the wallpaper rips in the breakfast room. We have two rooms that still have wallpaper and we didn't repaint last summer. The guest bathroom (still has carpet too) and the round breakfast room. Madeleine taped one too many of her artistic creations and the wallpaper has seen better days. So, a wonderful painter man is taking down wallpaper as we speak.

I am now working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday because we started a new women's Bible study on Wednesday mornings. We had a great group yesterday, 10 ladies! Everett is walking better, and successfully transitioned this week to Oak Lawn UMC daycare! He didn't even cry once! It is so nice to have all the chicks under the same roof! Have a wonderful day!

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day, November 1st.  It is a day in the church when we celebrate and remember those folks who have finished their earthly journey.  I remember my Grandpa Nicholls who lived to be 98 1/2 years old.  I asked him how he made his mashed potatoes and he answered, "Kerry, I boil the potatoes and then I beat the hell out of them."  I remember saying, "Grandpa!" astounded that he had said the word hell!  

I remember my stepdad Verleon Porter.  He died tragically in a car accident when I was 17.  I remember he would protect me from all of those gentleman callers that I had in high school...  One time a boy called and asked if I was home.  My stepdad answered, "yes" and proceeded to hang up the phone!  

Today I had the privilege of being a part of a Remembrance Service at our local Gilda's Club.  I shared the words from Ecclesiastes 3 that talk about how there is a time to be born and a time to die.  It does not say that there is an appropriate time to die, a fair time to die, a just time to die.  It simply tells us that in our lives we will die.  Will we embrace that fact or be fearful?  

Another aspect of All Saints Day that my mom pointed out to me is that this day gives us an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks for the saints that are in our midst.  The people that we talk to on a daily basis who show God's love to us.  The people who inspire us, who bring us joy, who share with us their strength.  Today is a day to thank those people for being saints to us.  

Walking!

For proof see the video!

Halloween!

What a week!

Saturday - Moss Haven Elementary (our local elementary school) Carnival

Sunday - trunk or treat at Oak Lawn UMC, go Lindsey Hurst, incredible organizer!

Monday - turned 34....

Tuesday - carnival at Oak Lawn UMC Center for Child Development, Madeleine's school

Wednesday - trunk or treat at Lake Highlands UMC with Kristin and our 4 kids

Thursday - trick or treating and games at our local Kroger


It has been such fun and the kids have slept great all week!

Here is Everett in a peanut costume at Sunday night's trunk or treat.






Big News: Tomorrow our mac mini arrives!
And tomorrow I will document Everett and his walking! 6 steps today!

Turning 34...

So, I am 34 years old as of today ...

Things to note:
For a few months I am older than Lee!

I have known Lee for half of my life (we met at 17 years old when we both attended Science and Summer Camp at Trinity University, yes we met at science camp!)

What a blessing to be alive! God is good!

Update

Well, the computer is broken again...

BUT exciting things happened today! We early voted (I love early voting) and I was so amazed. There was a line! We waited about 15 minutes. I have never seen a line before! It was so exciting!

And I discovered an amazing product. Oxyclean! Powder form is what was recommended to me to remove stains from children's clothing and ... it works wonderfully!

And my favorite Madeleine saying of the day is, "Mommy, am I allergic to warm fruit snacks?" Some of Madeleine's classmates have allergies so Madeleine now asks if she is allergic to, well.. everything that she eats!

Favorite pictures lately

sisters

cousins

cousins

Madeleine's pumpkin frog princess that she made in her art class


all the cousins



Madeleine at her favorite activity the 2nd time that we went to the State Fair of Texas this year. I've never gone 2 times in one year!

We should enroll Madeleine in a very good driver's ed program as evidenced below in a movie of her driving in her pink car.

Everett loves to sit

in drawers or on his new chair from Grandma and Grandpa (my dad and stepmom)

The haircut

I fixed the computer! My brother-in-law Andy told me about system restore in Windows XP that takes your computer back to how it was before it installed something. So, Norton... I think that you were the culprit! Anyway, here's the haircut...

When the computer dies...

Well, our computer will no longer connect to the internet or recognize the USB port that I plugged into in order to download photos... The culput is either 1) norton 2009 update 2) picassa 3 update 3) an old computer

So... in verbal form, here is what has been happening!

Everett is so close to walking! He loves to stand and cruise everywhere although he still holds on. He has taken a few steps from furniture to other furniture, but nothing confident yet...

Madeleine has been saying some notable things lately! I don't know if it is from her classmates or if she is just listening more. She has been saying things like, "Oh, man," "that's a bummer," and other funny things.

Tonight I got my hair cut!! I have been growing it out FOREVER to donate it to locks of love and tonight was the night! It is now at my chin and I can't wait to use a tiny amount of shampoo.

Lee is planning on shortly running a half marathon! He has been training with the Dallas Running Club and Nov. 2 is fast approaching!

Photos soon... as soon as the computer gets fixed or ... you know... Lee's dreams come true and we purchase a mac...

And yeah for the new laptop from Oak Lawn United Methodist Church!

The family!

Oak Lawn UMC is getting a new church directory, so we got a family photo. This picture was taken at the end of August but I was just recently able to scan it.

Going to plano on the train!

What an adventure we had today! I read about storytime at a railway museum in Plano so I thought it would be a fun trip. I thought it would be fun if my first time on Dart rail, the public transportation train in Dallas, was also the kid's first time! So, I drove 5 minutes to the Forest station where the red line was and got all of our gear out. I had a stroller for Everett and a backpack full of necessities for the kiddos. And Madeleine had her big Dora. I go to purchase my ticket, kids under 5 are free, and the machine only takes cash. No credit or debit cards. I never have cash. I go to the other machine, same machine... Ummm.... well, good thing I borrowed money from Lee this morning. So, I put in my $20 bill and get 17 dollar coins back. 17. My wallet now weighs 5 pounds.
So, if I were to compare the Dallas train system to England so far, England is ahead, their machines took credit cards!

Next, we take the elevator to where the train is, I don't remember England having many elevators, score one for Dallas. We are tied 1-1.

So, we are on the platform and the signage is inadequate, which side of the track goes north? Where is a printed schedule? It takes me a while but I find a schedule, I figure I will get on the train heading north. Kids are happy.




The train arrives, the door opens, and there are 3 huge stairs! How am I going to get up those with a stroller? PANIC! Adrenaline kicks in and I lift the stroller (with Everett in it) up the HUGE stairs and Madeleine walks up the stairs on her own. Those stairs were huge. That was crazy!!! Big advantage England, I don't remember any stairs to get onto the car of the train!


Okay, heart is calming down, I find a map telling me how many stops it is to downtown Plano. Relax. Put break on stroller because train is going as fast as the cars on the freeway!



We finally arrive in Plano, I somehow get off the train with a 1 year old in a stroller and a 4 year old carrying this big Dora doll. I look for signs directing me to well, anything. Nothing. I decide to head east... I run into the city of Plano building, and yes, there are more stairs to get into the building! How do the handicapped do it? I get in and am told that I headed the wrong way from the train. Okay. Head back to the train and go the other way. I see it, the railway museum! It's 10:28, storytime is 10:30, we are going to make it.

It is all worth it, storytime is amazing. The storyteller sang songs with the kids, played instruments, read books, had a puppet, Madeleine and Everett loved it! We walk around the tiny museum, watch the small train, and head outside to the Farmer's Market that is across the street, then to a great park that is next to the trainstop. Now, back to the train. I know about the steps, but I am now pooped! The train comes; I can't do it, all of a sudden an angel appears, she is a 76 year old woman (I learn later) but she helps me carry the stroller up the steps. I thought it would be easier if I had Everett in my arms and hoisted the stroller up the steps but I couldn't do it, the steps were too steep. We had a great time, and I have a greater appreciation for the British rail though I am glad that Dallas has a rail!

Getting to be a pro!

Everett LOVES to slide and has got it down!





He's becoming much more sure of himself standing as well. Just in the last couple of days he will be sitting and then he will stand up on his own, not holding onto anything. He loves walking behind his walker, though of course as soon as I started to tape it, he stopped!

Going down the slide...

Look at this boy!!

Everett is One!

How did that happen so fast? It just seems like yesterday...

We had a great party celebrating the 1st year of Everett's birth, the older kids played on the bounce house, and Everett wanted to play outside as well...

And he LOVED his cupcake! (made by his sister)





after the cupcake, he was a little messy...

The State Fair of Texas!

My favorite State Fair memories this year are:
1. It was Everett's 1st trip to the state fair, Madeleine's 3rd (though she does not remember earlier visits).
2. Eating a fried smores, that was good!
3. Madeleine eating her first cotton candy (she loved it) and going on her first roller coaster ride.
4. Madeleine and her Grandpa feeding a giraffe! (picture below)

This year we went with my dad and stepmom and it was so nice! Thank you Daddy and Phyllis!







Had to include this video, it's a kangaroo! and a moving turtle!

Madeleine stole the camera

And took these hysterical shots!