Messy Fun

This afternoon we headed to Watermark's playground to play with the Fifers. Lots of climbing. Those kids love the big climbing rocks! Even our little girls Charly & KK.

As we were leaving, the Butlers were arriving. So we decided to stay and play a little longer. We were tired, hungry, and DIRTY by the time we left. The black rubber always wears off onto their feet and hands. So of course why not add to that mess with a little Chili for dinner?


And then we added these adorable black cat cookies that our across the street neighbor brought over. YUM!

See the black tongues??

Sweaty heads, Black tongues, chili filled shirts, and black feet marched upstairs and into the bathtub. AHHHHH the sweet smell of kiddos!

Pom Fan

I was in the grocery store the other day, and I saw this strange fruit. I was unsure of what it was, but saw this handy little pamphlet next to them.

I had heard that Pomegranates had a lot of antioxidants & other good stuff so I decided to give them a try. So after trying them today...I have decided I am a BIG pomegranate fan. Here's why:

1. It's fun to open. The kids thought it was really cool looking inside. The white membrane around the seeds reminds me of a bee hive. So we talked a little about the bees we had seen at the Heard Museum. And the seeds fall out easily.



To open, you cut the top off with a sharp paring knife about 1/2 inch below the crown. Then you score the skin where you see the sections (like an orange). Pull the sections apart & loosen the seeds into a bowl of water. The seeds sink & the white membrane floats. So after you are done, scoop the membrane off the top of the water & then pour the rest in a strainer. All you are left with is the seeds!

2. It's really good for you. According to my handy little pamphlet, pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and also full of Vitamin C and Vitamin K.

3. The seeds are really good, and the kids like them. The seeds are firm, but full of juice inside. They are shaped like popcorn seeds, and the kids just ate them out of a cup. It wasn't messy, even for Ridge. They are kind of like m&m's. . . melt in your mouth, not in your hands. And when you bite down on them, it's like the gusher gum. . . the juice squirts into your mouth. Pretty cool. The juice is sweet & tart.


4. There are a variety of uses. Eat them plain, in a salad, as a garnish for a main dish, or in yogurt/oatmeal.

I do have a few pomegranate stains on my shirt from when I opened the fruit. I accidentally popped a few seeds while trying to quicken my pace. I'll let you know if the stains come out (or I might forget, so ask me if you are curious). I bought mine at Kroger. Give it a try!

The Eye Doctor

Here's a picture of the kids at Cobb's eye appointment. We were waiting for his eyes to dilate so I think things were getting a bit fuzzy for him.

The result? Well, he has astigmatism in both eyes to about the same degree. The good news is that it is supposedly not bad enough to affect his vision. So at this point in time, he will not need glasses.

On a different note, Charly has been letting me braid her hair more as you can see in the picture above. Below is a picture more focused on the braid. Isn't she cute!

"Water The Plants, Water Me"

Tonight Charly & I went out to water the trees and the plants. She had her little watering can, and I had the hose. Well, she got a little wet, but thankfully made the most of it. She decided to water the plants AND herself. She took the hose, sprayed it on the plants, and then turned it towards her, to the plants, then herself, and so on. As she went she chanted, "Water the plants, water me, water the plants, water me . . ." She was soaked head to toe and laughing out loud. You know that big belly laugh that makes everyone around start laughing too? Rob & Ridge came out to see. Ridge (in a diaper only) started running back and forth through all the puddles that Charly had created, and Charly continued with the hose. Rob and I just sat back & laughed with our funny little girl.

Halloween Party and Other Allen Activities

We've been busy up here in A-town. Lots of activities to update you on, and I have neglected my poor blog. So here it goes. . .

This afternoon we went to a neighborhood Halloween party. All three kids loved it. Robin enjoyed climbing trees, Batman ate a ton and sang his song ("Na, na, na, na. . . Ba Ma!"), and Ariel hung out with her friend Dorothy (A.K.A. Bella).




Saturday we had a full day. Rob took the kids to a make-up gymnastics class(they normally go Monday afternoons). They both have really enjoyed their gymnastics classes. As you can see, they are all smiles, especially since Daddy was watching.



Then after gymnastics we headed to a soccer game.

Cobb loved having Uncle Kyle, Lainey & Rhody on his cheering squad!

When the game was over, we headed on to a birthday party. Crazy fun day.

The previous soccer game (10/4), the Cullers(Rob's sister & fam) & Pops came to the game, but I didn't get a picture. My camera battery was dead. :( Cobb was so excited, and kept looking at Brock(his cousin) when he kicked the ball. It's so cute to see how Cobb looks up to his older cousin.

Charly has taken up painting outside. She loves it. And she has now begun to teach Ridge. Such a sweet sis.


And we have officially hosted our first baby shower in our home for our sweet friends Marc & Trisha Matthews. They are going to be such incredible parents. I know that because I have watched them love on our kids as they have shared life with us in Allen. We will miss them when they move!!

At the Plano vs Allen game.

Hobbies & Such

My oldest two both have things they love to do. For Charly, it is drawing. She has really gotten excited about writing the names of our family members, and she has started to copy other pictures and teaching herself to draw different objects.
This is a picture of a car drawn by an older child:

And this is Charly's version:

She was so proud, and I was too. It was her first attempt at a car, and I'm sure she'll work on perfecting it. She really has mastered the flower and her name. I wish I had a picture to show, but I don't. Anyway, I'm excited to encourage her in her passion for drawing.

And for Cobb, it's climbing. The other day we went to Lifetime to swim, and then let Cobb climb. He had a great time, climbed 3 different routes, and persevered more than I have ever seen him persevere before. Here's a picture:

As a mom, it's great to see my kids excited about something. Who knows how their hobbies and likes will change over time, but whatever they are, I look forward to them.

Dinosaurs!

This morning while Ridge played at Bennett's house, Cobb, Charly & I went to the Heard Museum to see the dinosaurs. We met the Dishmans and the Walkers there. The dinosaur exhibit is fascinating! It was so nice to be outside in the beautiful weather, and very cool to see these huge dinosaurs roar. The kids loved it. If you get the chance, I highly recommend you go. Click Here for the website. Here's Cobb riding on a baby t-rex. I'm pretty sure he wasn't supposed to climb up there, but since he was there already, I took the pic. . . then immediately asked him to get off. :) How's that for discipline??

Here's Charly on the dinosaur we were allowed to climb. And yes, that is Cobb climbing on the tail.

Here's some group shots of all the kids with different dinosaurs.



The T-rex was truly my fav! He was huge! And he lifted his head then brought it back down as he roared. OOHHH scary! Loved it.

Charly's favorite was the dinosaur that spit at you. He was really cool.


Here's Charly and Liza after lunch. Liza climbed up on the dinosaur with a mouth full, and Charly's doing her typical sniff face.


After the dinosaurs and eating our picnic lunch, we headed inside to look at the snakes. I have never heard a rattle snake before, but definitely heard that rattle when the staff guy started feeding the snakes little white mice. The boys were fascinated with the process of the snakes biting their victims then swallowing them whole. The snakes that don't have the venomous bite actually constrict their prey by coiling around them tightly. Then they are able to swallow them whole. To all the weak stomachs out there, I'm sorry for the details. But I think I was just as fascinated as the boys were. It was amazing even though I was sad for the little mice.

The edible arrangement

We received an edible arrangement today, and it made us smile REALLY big.

I didn't quite know what to think when I looked out the window and saw the delivery van pull up in front of my house. My first thought was, "Oh no, are they going to solicit business by walking door to door???" But then the lady looked at my house, got this beautiful fruit arrangement out of her van, and took the short walk towards my door. I opened it as she arrived, completely intending to ask her if she was lost. I could not think of any reason or person who would be sending us a gift. And then she said, "are you Haley Thomas?" Turns out our sweet new neighbors had sent it to us. What a treat!

We were so surprised and excited about the "big, fruit, flower" that we ate it all up in one day. Yep, it's already gone. Sorry daddy!

Cobb's new Doctor

We started with a new pediatrician in Allen called Raintree Pediatrics last week when Cobb was sick. The office is great, close to home, and the kids seem to like all the animals in the rooms. Today was Cobb's official 5 year appointment even though his birthday was in August. He's got a clear bill of health other than failing the vision screening in his right eye. So we've made an appointment with an pediatric eye doctor. I'm sure it's just a lack of concentration on his part. That light is hard to look at if you ask me. You can see from the photos that he was real focused at the doctor's office today! My sweet boy.