Twinkle Toes

Apparently they are the newest thing in first grade fashion- haven't you heard??? Three other girls in Elle's class have them and Elle was quick to want to jump on the bandwagon. Yes, we have reached that age. You know, the one where everyone else has their ears pierced so of course my 7-year old wants that done, too (although that is not happening any time soon). Or where Dakota has Twinkle Toes so of course my 7-year old wants them, too. Aren't we too young for this already? The answer to that is a resounding NO. The story behind these snazzy light up (yes, that's right- some of those bedazzlements light up- these shoes just get better and better!) shoes is this... Elle really wanted to go to Famous Footwear and buy Twinkle Toes with her birthday money. I was willing to take her shopping, under the incorrect notion that these shoes were fairly affordable. Well, our Saturday night trip to Famous Footwear proved to be a lot more expensive than I was expecting, but it was Elle's birthday money and she had just the right amount. I really called Jake from the store and asked if he felt okay about letting our daughter buy shoes that cost X amount of dollars. After some hesitation and discussion with Elle that it was a lot of money and would cost ALL of her birthday money (leaving none for a swimsuit or leotard like it was originally intended) she continued to say she wanted them. So, Twinkle Toes were purchased. I would not have probably bought them for her with my money, but it was hers so whatever. Conclusion to this long boring story- she loves them and said that night something like, "I am the luckiest girl in the world" and has worn them quite a bit since Saturday. Jake and I still have some reservations about the price of the shoes and about letting her get something that "everyone" has, but in the end it was her choice. And she is happy. Very happy. On we go...

Cole sported his first tie to church on Sunday and was looking mighty handsome if I do say so myself. He's doing pretty great with sleeping and seems a lot happier, although his naps leave a lot to be desired. The problem is that I am rarely home all day to let him get on any kind of real napping schedule. He'll fall asleep and catnap in the car on the way to preschool or home from the store or whatever and then not take great naps at home. It is a little frustrating. Oh well- a work in progress.

And if there was any doubt as to who Cole looks like in our family, take a look at baby Mya...

The third kid in our family is bound and determined to end up in the ER and keeps pulling stunts like this...

That day I found her up there three times. That would be a long fall for a 2-year old. The other day I also found her hanging on for dear life by one arm from the bunkbed. Try as I might, I can't keep the kid safe. I think as the third kid you are either busy trying to keep up with the older siblings or just fending for yourself. As a parent, I'm probably guilty of supervising her less then I did when Elle was 2, but I think that kind of comes along with the territory of having multiple kids. Jake and I laugh at how independent she is and how she pretty much just does her own thing. She, at a young age, started helping herself to food in the pantry which resulted in the door being kid-proofed. With age has come the ability to open the fridge which now results in scenes like this...

I think I asked her what she was doing and she said "Nuffing", only to be caught red-handed. I've got to hand it to her- she will never go hungry. And yes she is wearing gymnastics leotards in these pics. That has been the daily clothing of choice around here. I'll lay something out for her, but most times she again just does her own thing and comes out sporting whatever she chooses. Really, it's not worth the fight. So a leotard it is.

Yesterday our crazy winter continued with light snow flurries right before dinner. What is up with this Texas weather? Maybe all this cold means we will have a nice summer. You never know- it could happen, right?

Elle and Mya had fun playing in it, but little Jada didn't last long.

They warmed up in their PJ's with blankets, soup and rolls, and a little hot chocolate. Now how about giving us some days in the low 70's. That would be perfect!

Who Dat Nation

We took a quick little trip way down yonder to New Orleans to visit the land of Who Dat and Mardi Gras. We had a great time and only wished we could have stayed longer! The Stolle's came for another roadtrip (we missed the Newman's this year- maybe next year). That morning I asked Jada if she was excited for the parades and she said, "My daddy is going to catch Who Dat stuff!"
Jake's parents still live in Louisiana, along with his brother Luke and wife Meagan who are both finishing up nursing school this year. It was fun and helpful to have Meagan at the parades (along with her mom who was also visiting).

We got in late Friday night and spent Saturday morning getting ready for the day-long festivities. We first hit up Iris which is a day parade that runs a route right by the LDS church. We park our cars in the safe church parking lot and have a clean bathroom to use- two major perks when it comes to Mardi Gras. We love this day parade- it is so perfect for the kids. The floats are so fun and they throw all kinds of goodies and we have been lucky enough to find a good spot right along the curb.

The weather was beautiful which was such a blessing considering this winter has been a bit dreary.

This guy was right next to us at the parade- I had to get a pic. The grill and the overalls and the boots and the beer were just too much!

Mya was perfecting the art of hoarding- staking claim on what she felt was rightfully hers. She wanted to make certain that she got the red basket with the puppies. Such quality things we get at these parades!

Those beads can really get heavy around your neck. At the night parade Elle was having some trauma trying to get all the beads off- they were getting tangled up and she was thinking they were strangling her. Beads can be dangerous, I tell ya!

Cole survived his first Mardi Gras experience. I wouldn't exactly say he was a fan of it, but he made it through. He cried at the beginning and then must have become numb to all the noise. By the night parade I think he just tried to mentally shut down and go to a happy place, away from all the craziness around him.

After Iris, we drove over and staked out our spot for the big night parade Endymion.

Gimme those beads...

Love these ladders we decorated back when Elle was one! I have to admit I was a bit scared this year that these would tip over on us and someone would get seriously injured. We only had one near topple but Jake was quick to save Elle from a fall.

Jake's parents were troopers and stayed out at the parades with us all day. I believe they are probably totally over Mardi Gras considering they have lived there for years. I love this pic of Jake's mom- she looks like she is in her happy place with a sleeping baby...

The parade started up and then stopped for a long time. We waited and waited and waited until it finally started back up again. It had another long break at some other point in time which made this parade super ultra long.

Below is what I believe Jada was referring to when she said, "Remember that Saints boat?" Can you tell that Jake is brainwashing the children into becoming Saints fans at a young age? It's not the best pic but there were a couple of players on this float. And as a side note, Jake pretty much loves Drew Brees and told me he is seriously considering using the name Brees as a middle name for our next child.

The night parade did get a little long and very crowded and really chilly. I had Cole strapped in the Bjorn so he was okay, but Jada was done about midway through the parade. I will probably think twice before bringing my small kiddos to one of these night parades- it may just be too much for them.

Jada had somewhat of a rough night. Jake's mom and her took a topple out of their camping chair face down into the street at one point, leaving Jada with a nice goose egg on one side of her forehead. Awhile later, Jada got knocked in the face with some beads. Told you beads are dangerous! Not too much longer after this first beads-to-the-face incident, Jada got hit really hard right by her eye with a clump of beads. This was the last straw- now not only was she done, but I was done. I tried to calm her down, all the while worrying that my child was going to have permanent eye damage from Mardi Gras. Eventually I decided we needed to leave and about half of us headed out to the car. Like I said before, I will really weigh my options before taking the under-5 crowd to a parade like this in the future. Before the eye damage...

Once we got Jada in the car, she was a lot happier and watched her current favorite "Barbie in the Nutcracker" and fell asleep on the way home. (I kept checking in the mirror to make sure she wasn't blind.) I was amazed at the aftermath in the streets after the parades. Amazing that they clean up this giant mess so many times during Mardi Gras.

The wounded sleeping baby...

Such a fun, but long day!

Mya asleep with another of her goodies, a bear she named Gridger, or "Griga" as she says it. So glad we got to bring so much of this junk home!

The next day, we went to church, had an awesome lunch, packed, and sorted through all the junk we collected. I put a lot of the beads to good use as table decorations for our RS activity last night.

Happy to say that I believe Jada is not blind in one eye, although after church she had one blue eye and one green eye. I am not kidding. I started to wonder if my kid would have two different color eyes for forever because of Mardi Gras. What a story that would be! Luckily the hurt eye has now returned to its normal color.

Quick but super fun trip. Can't wait for next year! Anyways, onto a few other fun things...

My cousin Leah was in town and we met up for lunch at Los Cucos one rainy day. So fun to see her and her cute boy Alex! And we definitely didn't forget Heart Day, although it didn't really get its due respect considering we were out of town and driving for a lot of the day. The kids had fun the week before decorating cookies at a friend's house. Love that they are both sampling the frosting here...

And the Valentine's Day Bear didn't forget the kids, even though we didn't get back until late Sunday night...

I've been busy with my new calling, planning fun events like this...

And Jada is busy recovering from her many injuries. Today I was really feeling like an incompetent parent and wondering if my kid would honestly be better off if I strapped a helmet on her head. Not only is she sporting several parade bruises, she also has added to the collection with other bumps here and there. Forward rolls on the tile, walking into a railing and the wall, bumping her head in the car, and running into a toy machine at the dollar store have all contributed to my child looking basically abused and leaving me feeling like an awful mom. And the pics really don't do the injuries justice- they look worse in person.

Mya had western day at preschool today. Glad we still have these boots, but I'm wishing I had a cowboy hat. Considering we're Texans, we really need a cowboy hat.

These two have really been into doing gymnastics lately. Jada changes into a leotard basically every chance she gets and has even been sleeping in one under her nightgowns the last two nights. Normal clothes are apparently overated in her mind. She looked awesome at the dollar store today in her brown boots, polka dot pants, and star leotard.

And we can't forget the little man with the spiky hair...

He's on night three of "crying it out" and he's done okay with it. He cried for an hour the first night, but it hasn't been too bad since then. We'll cross our fingers that tonight goes okay. He also is getting his first tooth which is the earliest for any of my kids. Well, I believe that about covers all the fun we have been having around here lately- oh except for my new niece, little Jane that was born on Valentine's night. She is such a cutie and hopefully she and Kellie get to come home soon!