Snow in San Antonio....WHAT???

Well, the next to impossible has happened. We actually got snow here in San Antonio on Tuesday night! When we woke up on Wednesday morning, we had a nice blanket of white stuff all over the yards, roofs, cars, porches, etc!

Emily got up and looked out the window and was SO excited. She immediately wanted to go play in it. As you can see in the pictures, it didn't take long for our 1/2 inch of snow to start melting, there wasn't even enough for a snow man! It was just as well, because after about 2 minutes of being outside in the arctic temperatures of 35-40 degrees (hey, give us a break, we're from Texas), the girls had had their fill of cold and wet!

OOOOOH, Mom, it's cold!!!


The blizzard



Emily in the snow


When we went inside, Emily stated,

"Mommy, I think I'll go back outside and play in the the snow when the snow gets warmer"

Very well put, honey.

And THEN, later that day, we went to visit Santa Clause!!! Emily has been eagerly anticipating this for the last week. All the build up of "what are you going to ask for from Santa for Christmas?" was just about too much for Emily. She had it all planned out. Whenever we would ask her, she always would clearly and articulately say something about princess stuff and princess stickers, or bath paints.

So we get to Santa, and Emily and Addison are sitting on his lap. Santa asks Emily the million dollar question,

"So, Emily, what would you like for Christmas?"

And her mind went blank...she stared at him for a few seconds (I felt like we were in the movie A Christmas Story), and then mumbled something to him incoherently.

...It is also possible that I could not hear her answer over the mad, raging, blood curdling scream that was coming out of my OTHER daughter's mouth. Addison was not as pleased to see Santa as her big sister was. You would have thought we had just chopped off both of her arms.

This is not a picture of a happy 18 month old!!!

But we had lots of fun...as long as Addison kept her distance from Santa...and at the end of it all, Emily stood in front of Santa and serenaded him with about 5 of her favorite Christmas songs. It was really cute. Merry Christmas!

I'm SOOOOO pregnant

Well, I have my first official "pregnancy brain" story to tell. I had several of them with both Emily and Addison, and this pregnancy will clearly not escape the continued loss of precious brain cells from my head.

In case you are wondering, "pregnancy brain" is a term that describes the total absent-mindedness, absolute brain deadness that occurs when you are pregnant. Forgetting to close car doors after going inside for HOURS (done that), eternally misplaced keys and cell phones, etc. Now these things can happen to anyone at any time, but I've noticed that MY symptoms are worsened 100 percent when I'm pregnant.

For example, a few nights ago, I curled up on the couch and enjoyed a large bowl of Orange Sherbet ice cream...a pregnancy favorite for me. After my lovely dessert, I cleaned up the kitchen, put my bowl in the sink, and Brian and I went to bed. The next morning, when I opened up the refrigerator to get out milk for the girls' breakfast, I saw out of the corner of my eye an item that clearly did not belong in the refrigerator. It did not take me long to realize that in my state of "pregnancy brain", I had put my beloved orange sherbet ice cream in the refrigerator INSTEAD of the freezer the night before.

Needless to say, my favorite ice cream was nothing but a pile of orange mush.

I mostly think that these incidences are amusing, but there is always that little fear in the back of my mind that I will NEVER recover from this...or that I might leave my children sitting in the shopping cart while I mindlessly drive away...OR that I will inadvertently pour the dog a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and try to feed my girls dog food.

These things don't REALLY happen...right??

All I want for Christmas...

A couple of weeks ago, Emily and I went to Chic-Fil-A for lunch. We were in the bathroom when a mother and her young son came in, and his mouth was a little bloody. I started talking to the mom, who told me that he had lost a couple of teeth during lunch, and she was just helping to clean him up a bit.

Emily is listening to this whole exchange, and watching the little boy with a bloody mouth with WIDE eyes. She looks up at me and asks,

"Mommy, what happened to him?"

I replied, "Well, when you get to be a little bit older, your teeth will start coming out and you will have new teeth that come in. You get to have BRAND NEW teeth!"

A few seconds go by, and I can tell that Emily is not convinced by my explanation. So she asks,

"Mommy, is he falling apart?"

Happy belated Halloween!!!

Our Halloween this year was all kinds of fun. Brian and I went to a Halloween party, and as you can plainly see below, I was dressed as...can you guess it? White Trash! (please note the tell tale "white" walmart bags taped all over me...oh, and the box of Mac and Cheese)


The girls had a blast this Halloween. I would have to say that this is the first year that Emily sort of "got" the whole Halloween, begging for candy, dressing up thing.

At first, she was determined to be a ballerina, and told EVERYONE she saw that she was going to be one. However, after a much anticipated package from Nana, Emily got a glimpse of the beautiful purple butterfly costume that you see below. After that...the ballerina was HISTORY.

Addison doesn't much care for any kind of costume that I try to put her in, so I was delighted when she allowed me to dress her up in the adorable "Ladybug fairy" costume...also sent by Nana (thanks, Nana!!!). Of course, no ladybug fairy costume is complete without Jelly Tiger (seen here being clutched desperately by Addison).

Emily was dressed to impress when it was time for Trick or Treating, and we got home in time to pass out candy to the other kiddos in the neighborhood.



Emily, Daddy, and Addison at our church's annual Fall Festival. Addison was a ballerina here. Daddy was a doctor. I dressed as a pregnant woman with morning sickness (no costume needed). Incidentally, the ballerina costume seen on Addison was the one that Emily was going to wear before the butterfly costume arrived...disturbing isn't it, that Addison and Emily, who are TWO YEARS APART, can fit into some of the same clothes!!!

Emily at the fall festival, with face paint...compliments of mommy. We had a blast putting it on, however, don't believe it when you read the words "comes off as easily as it goes on!". Their lying to you.

Hope your Halloween was as fun as ours!!!

Our new president

Last week, Brian and I were talking with Emily at the kitchen table about the upcoming presidential election. She learned to recognize pictures of John McCain, Barack Obama, and a few of our older presidents, FDR and Herbert Hoover. When asked who she thought we should vote for this week, Emily very matter-of-factly replied, "Mary Poppins".

...of course. Actually, I'm pretty sure she would do the best job of all of them...she certainly wouldn't put up with any nonsense.

What the heck happened to us???

Hey folks, I know it's been a while since we last updated you all on our lives, but it's been busy around here! With preschool starting up, errands to run (finally without kids!!), and just life in general, it feels like we have been going non-stop!

So this is gonna be a long one...sit back, grab a bag of popcorn, candy, or whatever you like to snack on, and enjoy the show. I will try not to bore with too many details...unless they are completely necessary. AND, I'll save the best part for last, so that you have to read the whole thing. Unless you want to be a butt head and just skip to the end, but then you'll miss all the fun pictures!

Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to over the last month :)


This is Emily and Addison on their first day of preschool this year!! Emily was so excited, I barely got a goodbye, and Addison shed a few tears. But now, she just trots right on in to Miss Laura's room with barely a glance at mom! (I hear they give away alot more animal crackers than we do at home)




Can you guess where this is?? I'll give a few hints: very historical city for our country, lots of lobster and clam chowder, east coast, gorgeous skyline, you might hear someone say, "pahk the cah", and WAY too many vote for Obama signs around.

Have you guessed it? BOSTON!!! Brian had a business trip up there in the middle of September, and I met him up there about halfway through the week. We had a really good time tooling around the city, seeing the sights, and enjoying the immense amount of history that this city holds.



Momma posing at the Charles River (behind me is the "salt and pepper bridge")



Brian with the catch of the day.




What has Addison been up to lately?

Addison is 16 months now...hard to believe...and is doing great. She LOVES Emily, and being anywhere that Emily is, and they are starting to play together, which is adorable. Aside from her occasional temper tantrums...which I will get to in a minute, she is a little sweetie. She is definitely showing that she is going to be the more mischievious one of the two of them. Brian and I can already picture a future conversation when she and Emily are teenagers. It will probably go something like this:

Addison: Ok, Em, mom and dad are asleep, let's sneak out for a few hours.

Emily: I don't know, Addison, I really don't think we should do this!

Addison: Don't worry about it, they'll never find out, I promise!!

Emily: (with a very concerned look on her face) I really think we shouldn't do this, we're going to get in trouble!

Yes, Addison is the one who will grab something she is not supposed to, look right at you, smile and scrunch up her nose, and run the opposite direction, screeching and howling in delight.



This is Addison with her favorites lovies: Jelly Tiger 1 and 2



We also have a new nick name for her: Angry White Girl

She can throw a fit like no other kid I've seen. A couple of weeks ago, Brian either wouldn't give her something, or took something away from her (can't remember which), and Addison proceeded to throw her little body on the floor, kick her legs in the air, and let out ear piercing screams. Apparently she didn't agree with dad's decision. She was inconsolable.

We decided not to give her the attention she wanted and both went into the kitchen.

As soon as she noticed that her fit was no longer being witnessed, she stopped, got up off of the floor, toddled into the kitchen where we were, made sure we were BOTH looking at her....and threw herself on the floor, kicking and screaming.

Yeah, and the kid is only 16 months old :)


Momma and Addison being goofy



Emily and Addison, snuggling at Rock a bye Nana's house (my mom)

What has Emily been up to???


Emily has been up to all sorts of things lately! Our most recent adventure has been 7 weeks of ballet lessons at Lifetime Fitness.

Now, I have to admit, being somewhat of a tom-boy when it comes to sports, I could not for the life of me understand why any daughter of mine would want to put on a pink leotard...with a sheer skirt thing...and dance. This being said, I was totally unprepared for how utterly adorable Emily looked as she was learning some of the basic "positions" in ballet....did you know that there are "positions"? I didn't.

Anyway, she and her little class had so much fun in their class, and I enjoyed watching her excitement at learning how to hop like a frog, hop on one foot, skip (which we are still in the process of figuring out), and do these basic dance steps.

Emily came out one evening with this ensemble after going potty and being asked to put her pull up on for bedtime. Luckily, the pull up was dry...

Emily is constantly surprising us with the things she says. She has picked up an immense vocabulary, and loves trying to figure out what every word starts with. It is one of our favorite games. Unfortunately, daddy has already been banned from helping her learn how to spell...anything :)

Well, October has come upon us very quickly, and every year the First United Methodist Church in Boerne puts on a "Pumpkin Patch" for the whole month, where you can pick up your pumpkins, take pictures, etc. Here are a few from our visit this year:

Emily: I love you Addison!!!

Addison: Get off of me!!!

Addison among the pumpkins



Emily has picked hers out!

Daddy and Emily at our annual pumpkin decorating night!! I guess this would be considered the first annual pumpkin decorating night.


So that is about it. Except that I guess I should let you know about the best part that I was saving for the end of this post, since you were all so nice to read through the WHOLE thing, right? Well, we just found out that I am pregnant! As of this week, I'm probably just five weeks along, so it is very early. Please keep this baby in your prayers, that he or she is healthy, and that we have a healthy pregnancy and delivery!! Emily is so excited that mommy "has a baby in her tummy". She keeps flip-flopping when we ask her whether she wants a brother or sister, the answer is usually different every time!

Take care!

Telemarketers...beware

I have to share a funny Emily story that happened recently...

I'm pretty sure 100% of you out there have experienced the familiar yet ever annoying evening phone calls from different marketing groups who try unapologetically to entice you into buying this or that, or go on a "fabulous getaway for two", blah, blah, blah.

Well, our most recent encounter was with Marriot, who called about three weeks ago and wanted to talk to Brian. I vaguely remember the mentioning of some new fabulous resort, we just HAD to try it out for a discount, because, of course, we are their most favorite customers in the whole wide world. I was in an hurry that evening, Brian wasn't home, so I mistakenly asked them to try back some other time. Staying true to form and being ever so persistent, they asked if the evening time was the best time to call. I must have been having a brain fart at the time, because I answered, "yes, that would be fine, thanks."

Big mistake.

Now, for literally the last THREE WEEKS, at least two or three times each evening, we have received phone calls from Marriot on our caller id, no doubt trying to tell us about the amazing, wonderful, can't-pass-it-up deal they have in store for us for the mere price of airfare, food, car rental, etc... We have just been ignoring the calls, hoping they would GIVE UP, but that didn't happen.

Although we had to admire their persistence, we were getting tired of the constant harrassment. So one evening this week, we were sitting at the dinner table, heard the phone ring, and lo and behold, it was Marriot...again. So we did what any normal, sane, fed up to their ears people would do in this situation,

we gave the phone to our three year old daughter.

Now before I tell you the conversation that followed, let me tell you a little bit about our Emily. She may stand only 37 inches and weigh a mere 24 pounds, but trust me, she has no fear of talking to anyone or anything. She also enjoys singing, loudly, on the phone, and has been known to break into her own renditions of timeless children classics.

So, enter Emily Fulling, on the phone, battling the Marriott telemarketer. First, Emily says, "hello?", then smiles sweetly, looks at me, and nods her head "yes" to a question from the phone.
After some more imperceptible nodding of the head "yes" and "no", she fires back with,

"May I have a sno-cone, please?"

At this point, Brian and I have just about wet ourselves. I'm laughing so hard I'm almost crying and rolling on the floor.

I look up at Emily, who is again, nodding her head quietly to whatever question is coming through the phone, when all of the sudden she begins belting out "Jesus Loves Me", the WHOLE song...loud and clear.

This went on for at least a couple of minutes.

It was really a highlight of the day... probably not the most polite thing to do to someone on the phone, but I'm hoping that Marriott will think twice before they call us again for another fabulous vacation that we would ultimately end up paying for!

Crack kills

Future member of the American Plumbers Association

Bag ladies

I'm not sure which is more disturbing...

That we put our children in carry on bags for fun,

or that Emily fits into the same one as Addison...

Labor Day in Kerrville!!

We spent Labor Day at a riverside park in Kerrville, Texas this past weekend. Emily had a great time running around and getting dirty, Addison had fun trying to eat random pieces of grass and flowers, and Allie (yes we brought the dog) was constantly on the alert for pesty squirrels...it's a good thing we have her to protect us :)

We also found The Berenstein Bears treehouse home, Addison and Emily just had to get their pictures taken in it!

Here are some of the highlights!

What I've learned

*NOTE* This post has taken me FOR-EVER, I started this blog on August 8th, it's only taken me about 3 weeks to complete. Anyway, enjoy!


Hello everyone...yes, I know, it's been a while, but we have been out of town recently, so now I get to update you all on our adventures!!




Last week (July 25th), we traveled to New York State, to the sweet little towns of Lakewood, Frewsburg, Jamestown, and Randolph to go to my family reunion (on my mom's side). If you have never been up there, it is just the most beautiful, picturesque setting. With green rolling hills that seem to go on forever, tall trees, farms, and that "small town" feel, you can't help but fall in love with the area. I am a little biased because I went up there every summer as a kid to visit my grandparents...and I always remember the smell of the grass, and the smell of my grandparent's house...nothing has changed. It is just so nostalgic of my childhood and I cherish the times that I get to visit.




It was extra special this year because my mom was also up there with Buppa! So Emily and Addison got to see grandma AND great grandma all in one trip! Emily talked constantly about getting to see Rockabye Nana (aka my mom), and just couldn't wait to get up there!


We had the best time up there, however, there are a few things that Brian and I learned along the way when traveling with 2 toddlers (yes, Addison is walking now):



1. When your 3 year old tells you...in the middle of the Detroit airport...that her tummy hurts and she's going to have diarrrhea...believe her.



2. If you can avoid carrying around a car seat through the airport...DO SO AT ALL COSTS!!!



3. If you're trying to save a buck and put your 12 month old child on your lap for a flight...and you know deep down in your heart that she is anything BUT a lap child, listen to your intuition and pony up the dough for another seat. It will save you the embarrassment of being labeled that "family with the kid who wouldn't stop screaming".



3. When you finally arrive at your destination, and you decide that vacation would be a brilliant time to see how your two children do at sleeping in the same room together for the first time...seriously reconsider.



4. When your daughter is afflicted with "unfiltered toddler mouth" (see previous post), avoid any close contact with women who have very short haircuts. This will help prevent the inevitable question that I heard on several occasions..."mommy, is that a boy?"

...in her defense, there was truly one VERY questionable person we saw



5. When you are on your way home from the airport after almost 12 hours of travel, and you ask your husband how he thought the vacation went...and your children start SCREAMING and SHRIEKING in the back because they are so tired, it's best to just laugh... and table the conversation for another time!

All in all, we had an awesome time. I wanted to post the slideshow of pics that I put together, but I can't figure out how to post an entire slide show on the blogging part of this. Any help would be greatly appreciated from you computer nerds out there who I KNOW can do this!!!

Sincerely, the woman most likely to throw her computer out the window out of frustration :)

Happy 4th of July

Just a cute hat pic of Emily



Ok, so it's what, the 14th of July today? I may be a little bit late on this one, but wanted to share some cute pics of the girls on the 4th. We had a fun day out at a friend's house...they live in the Hill Country and have the most INCREDIBLE views!! Afterwards, we drove down to Fiesta Texas and battled the traffic to witness an awesome display of fireworks. The girls were mesmerized, and we had amazing seats! Happy Birthday, America!!

Emily-ism

I have to share this so I don't forget it. I've already told the story to several people, but since these days I forget to simply put underwear on in the morning (this is an exaggeration...I promise), I thought I better share it on the blog, it's a priceless and probably very common toddler story.

We..meaning Emily, Addison, and myself...were recently in a public restroom with several stalls. You probably know where I'm going with this one...

Anyway, the bathroom was crowded, all the stalls were being used, and we had to wait in line for a short time. When we finally got into our stall, Emily was sitting on the potty, and proceeds to inform me very matter of factly AND loudly that "this bathroom is stinky, mommy!"

After deciding that this statement could have definitely been worse, I quietly replied with, "well, honey, it's a bathroom, sometimes that happens". I'm now trying to hurry things along, because there are still ALOT of people in the bathroom, both on either side of us, and more still waiting in line. Actually, I was hurrying things along because I had the sinking feeling that our conversation about the odor in the bathroom was not over by any means...I was right.

Get ready for it...

"Mommy, I think someone is going poo poo."

...there are just no words...

The 3rd birthday party

When Emily turned one, I had myself convinced that we were going to do nothing more than just have some family over for cake and cookies. Nothing big, you know, just simple, sweet and to the point.

We ended up with at least 7 of Emily's "closest" friends...who were also around the one year old age...at the house with food, fun and MESS! Actually, it really was fun, just more work that I wanted to deal with for a one year old birthday. But that's what you do when it's your first child!

So when Emily turned two, I convinced myself...again...that there would only be TWO other kids invited (because that's what ALL the books tell you to do, invite only the same number of kids as the age of the birthday girl...by the way, does that mean when I turn 99, that I get to invite 99 people to my party???). But I digress...anyway, her two year old party turned out to be another busy day, with around 8 more TWO year olds, parents, friends, neighbors, etc...you get the picture. Still a fun day, just busy!

SO, when preparing for Emily's 3rd birthday, Brian and I debated back and forth about what to do. Keep it simple? Host it at a place like McDonalds or Chuck E. Cheese? Have it at the park? Again, we wanted something EASY, and we had convinced ourselves at one point that having it at the house would NOT accomplish that. So what did we do?

We had it at our house.

But we had a blast, and so did Emily and her friends. It was a sprinkler party, complete with big blow up pools, Elmo sprinklers, a bouncy castle (courtesy of Nana and Papa :), balloons, cake, bubbles, and PRESENTS!!! Emily woke up every morning for about 2 weeks before the party and would ask, "is it my happy birthday party yet?" It was priceless to see how excited she was about her special day, and she was SUCH a good girl! I had in my mind the terribly embarrassing scenario where MY kid is the one crying and throwing fits and not sharing at her own party. We seemed to escape that this year...I'll let you know what happens next year!!

The birthday girl!!

Toddler heaven

Watering the dead lawn

SUGAR!!!

A fun day for everyone

To Emily on your 3rd birthday!!

Dear Emily,



I can hardly believe that we just celebrated your 3rd birthday this past weekend! You are growing up so fast...it's just amazing. I'm sorry that this is the first official letter I've written to you. You will find out that Addison got one at 1 year old, but I was a little late on getting to yours the last two years! It doesn't mean that I love you ANY less!



It has been such an amazing three years with you, Emily. I have had more fun being your mommy than ANY other job or hobby I can imagine. You are such a precious blessing to us, a gift that can only come from God. You are truly an angel. It's so hard to write a letter like this because the fun things happen everyday that I want to share with you here, but my mind so quickly forgets all the little details! I'm afraid that if I try to write down all the wonderful memories with you for the last 3 years, the computer will become overloaded and will shut down all together.





Emily at 2 years old (June 2007)





When I think about you, these are the things that come to mind:





Precious little voice:

You have the MOST precious little sweet voice in the whole world. Nana Fulling says that you sound just like your daddy did when he was little. And not just when you are talking. That is adorable. But you also have an amazing ear for music. I remember at around 15-16 months old, you would play a note on your play piano, and then try to hum and mimic that same sound! You LOVE to sing, and your voice is the sweetest music to my ears. Some of your favorite songs right now are any songs from Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music, the Caterpillar song, Happy Birthday (to anyone), This Little Light of Mine, and Jesus Loves Me (sometimes you sing this at the top of your lungs when you're going to sleep).

July 2007

August 2007

Independence:

Emily, you are becoming a very independent little girl. I'm so proud of you because you, for the most part, want to try and do everything yourself. Whether it's getting dressed, going potty, riding your bicycle, or taking your plates over to the sink, you are showing your independent personality (and sometimes your stubborness, but I have NO idea where that might have come from!).

September 2007

October 2007

Thoughtfulness:

Honey, you are so thoughtful and sweet to others. Even at 3 years old, you do such a great job of sharing and caring for other people. I've seen you give flowers that you picked to little girls that you don't even know...give a small boy a hug who was crying. God has given you such a nurturing spirit, especially with your sister. It is so clear that you absolutely adore her. If she is upset and crying, you do whatever you can to try and comfort her...whether it's giving her a toy that you have been playing with, giving her hugs and kisses, or just saying a kind word to her. I love to watch the two of you together, and I hope that you will always foster this caring attitude toward her. She loves you so much.

November 2007

December 2007

Big blue eyes!:

Everyone talks about your "big blue eyes". Honey, you got those great eyes from daddy, I had NOTHING to do with it! They are amazing, such a crystal clear blue. I am constantly trying to take pictures that bring those eyes out!

January 2008

February 2008

Inquisitive:

I love this about you! You want to know "why" everything happens. It's great. It's so much fun to see you exploring the world around you and experiencing all the amazing things that God has placed before you. My prayer for you is that this part of your personality only grows stronger, and that you are NEVER afraid to ask why!

March 2008

April 2008

You and Jesus:

As a parent, this is the most important relationship that we are trying to foster in you. One of my favorite parts of the day is when we are laying down to say our prayers at night, and I ask you to tell me who you thank God for. I can't wait to hear what comes out of your mouth. Every night is something different and wonderful and sweet. Just tonight, you said, "dear Jesus, thank you for mommy, in Jesus' name, amen". Truly, there is just nothing better than that. You aren't afraid to talk to Jesus, pray to Jesus, and thank Jesus for everything. What a special girl He gave us!

May 2008

Funny:

You, my dear, keep us in stitches pretty much 24/7. The things that come out of that 3 year old mouth are hilarious! Whether it's your strange "doo doo da" that you started saying one day, or telling mommy that she is "gassy", or telling us that you need your "pivacy" on the potty, your funny phrases crack us up. And it's not just the things you say. You are SILLY, and that's so much fun! I love being silly with you. You are our Silly Hillbilly!

June 2008

Emily, thank you for being such an incredible, wonderful, amazing, sweet, sometimes dramatic little girl. I love you for always, even if you were none of those things. God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams with you. He has placed in you a soft, nurturing spirit that I learn from everyday. I pray that this spirit grows within you, because I know that God has such special plans for you, honey. I love you so much...

Love, mommy