Cannish

Past week:

Wednesday morning was the mom's prayer group I've been going to. We actually had it here at our house last week. Katie enjoys playing with the little boy of one of the other moms who comes. That night was church. Chris & I have been going to a class called, "No Debt, No Sweat" on Wednesday nights. I can't say that I love the class, but we have benefited from it. It's just not a topic I really like to dwell on, but honestly he & I have come soooooo far in recent years as far as debt goes, and we are so thankful for God's blessings and for helping us make better decisions! Yea for learning from past mistakes! :)

Thursday was Bible Study in the morning. I am so enjoying going to this Bible Study because it's a small group (6 ladies) at someone's house which makes for a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. It's also a range of ages which I like. Katie enjoys going because she gets to play with her friend Emily during the study and then she gets to play in the great tree house that's in the backyard when we're done! After last week's study, we went to eat lunch with Emily & her mommy-and her daddy actually joined us too.

Thursday night, I went to 'Secret Pals' which is a group of ladies from church who meet once a month. I don't participate in the gift giving but enjoyed eating & talking with the other girls. A lady from church (well...she's basically my age....is that a lady or a girl?!) offered to give me a ride, so that was nice.

Friday, Chris had off and he enjoyed not doing a whole lot and just relaxing. I went out & about for awhile then came back home and we all went to Wal-Mart, the mall, & to eat some good Mexican food-something we are really enjoying about being back in Texas.

Saturday, Gracie & I went back to the mall to return something and then to a local Christmas craft show. Chris helped Katie practice riding her bike without training wheels which she is getting great at and I think they played a little basketball. Ellie was along for the ride! We had breakfast for dinner that night and got things ready for church the next morning.

Sunday, we went to early service which has become our custom as of late and class then Pappasito's for brunch. SO GOOD! I took a good nap that afternoon! Dallas played that night, so we headed home after church stopping to pick something up to eat at home.

Monday, Gracie brought home a fantastic report card, and we're very proud of her! This week has brought laundry, cooking, and will bring Bible Study, awards day at school, 'Thankful Party' at school, going to see 'Twilight' with a friend, painting a cabinet to go in our kitchen, probably going to see a sweet 4th grader play in a championship football game, church, and getting ready to go to New Mexico for Thanksgiving!

updates:
Gracie is doing well. She is still loving school, and I love our little routine of walking to school and staying at the park some mornings for Katie to play and then waiting at the park each afternoon for Gracie to meet us. I love that we all get fresh air and at least a bit of exercise typically 5 days a week. Gracie is excited to tell us things she is learning & doing at school and really likes her spunky, YOUNG teacher! We are so blessed to have such a self disciplined, self motivated little girl as our daughter! She is such a big help with Ellie-and Katie, too. She is more of a Mama's girl these days than a Daddy's girl although she sure does love her Daddy too. I am proud for her to be my daughter!

Katie is great! She is really forming a sweet relationship with Ellie and is taking a lot more interest in her than she was at the beginning. She loves to do her 'homework' which consists of working on her lower case letters and sometimes drawing a picture of what she did that day. She has created her own language called "Cannish." She is hilarious when she talks 'gobbledy gook' and when asked what something means, she'll matter of factly say, "It's _____ in Cannish." Seriously. Too funny. She likes to carry around her purse full of a pink stuffed bear and various other goodies. She has taken to wearing her pink winter cap....indoors....at night. She had decided she's ready to ride her bike without training wheels and is VERY close to being completely successful at it! She likes to sleep with all sorts of things in her bed...her $1 video game, her bear, her Tinkerbell cellphone, her purse, etc. She is amazing with her ability to retell a Bible story she hears in Bible Class. She is also great with all sorts of numbers-knowing our phone number or just other things that show great number sense. She CRACKS US UP daily! We just love her! Oh-and she is a HUGE Daddy's girl these day!

Little Miss Ellie is also doing great! She has had all sorts of baby food and enjoys it. She doesn't seem to want to eat it for Chris though. Funny because she'll take a bottle from him better than me but baby food from me better than him! She is a happy, happy baby in the mornings and during the day usually as long as she's fed & changed. Sometimes she will be happy just sitting alone while at other times she needs attention. From about 5:00 on, watch out! If we're out somewhere like church, she usually does fine but at home....wow! She is just so fussy! The last 2 nights, Chris has just put her to bed. 99% of the time she goes to sleep just fine. We will have to replace a pacifier during some nights, but 95% of the time she sleeps through 'til the next morning. It is lots of fun to watch her manipulate a toy, turning it over and looking at it and CHEWING on it. She'll see something she wants and grab for it. She can put her pacifier back in. She still isn't turning over, but it won't be long. She'll turn onto her side easily. She has been going to Bible Class for awhile now, and they say she does great. I love to listen to her babble. She has the cutest little squeal. However, we know this squeal won't be as cute when she's a year old! She does have quite the little temper, and we've found ourselves already saying, "That's enough. No maam!" Of course, being not quite 5 months old, she doesn't get what we're saying, but she will soon enough I guess. She is just a delight, and we are so blessed to have her as part of our family!

Chris is enjoying his job so much and stays busy with it. We are blessed though that he is still rather consistently home before 6:00 each evening and able to spend time with us during the evenings. He has been going to a Bible Study with a few other men one night a week after the girls are in bed, and he's enjoying that. He is tentatively going to the Cowboy game this weekend which will be a thrill for him! I am still doing the stay at home mom thing. Mondays & Tuesdays are spent mainly at home. Wednesday mornings we go to prayer group for a short time. Thursday mornings we go to Bible Study and then sometimes have some additional playdate time. Fridays change depending on whether or not Chris has off. I did spend some time at the school one morning last week helping with some stapling in the PTA room. It is SO great that the PTA room is equipped with toys for younger siblings to play with, so I was able to take Katie & Ellie with me without worrying about them being too in the way. Ellie of course just stayed in the stroller for now. It was good to kind of 'get my PTA feet wet' again. I really haven't gotten too involved yet, so it felt good to begin getting more involved. I have been helping with some of the hospitality type events too by providing food. I think I'd really like to do more with that area of PTA. The lady currently in charge said the amount of parent volunteers is wonderful anytime she asks for food for teachers, etc.

We really like the suburb we have chosen to live in here in Houston. I 100% feel that we made the right choice as far as that's concerned. When we first moved to Houston, I had a really hard time with the massive size of the city and the TRAFFIC and not knowing where things were, etc. I feel much more settled now that we're in a house, and I feel good about the neighborhood & the general area. I know I can get to any of 5 different grocery stores within 5 minutes, the outlet mall within 10, and can walk to Gracie's school in 6 minutes. Chris does still have a commute to work but even that is TONS better than when we first moved, and we do still drive a ways to church, but even so, it's only about 20-25 minutes on Sunday mornings and about 25-30 on Wednesday evenings, so it's not so bad. I-10 has gotten 95% better since we moved here, and that has made a WORLD of difference in our commute to church. It is unreal how much better it has gotten for us, and once they finally "finish" it, it'll only be even better. The difference in our I-10 commute is truly a BLESSING!

We are heading to New Mexico next week for Thanksgiving. We plan to make it in one day-a 12 hour or so day-but 1 day nonetheless. My parents & my grandmother will be here for Christmas. Before that though, my friend Mary Beth from Aiken will be coming to visit the week after Thanksgiving. Fun times!