storybook parade

A couple of weeks ago, Noah and Jude's school held a Storybook Parade where the kids could dress up as characters from their favorite book. My boys were the absolute cutest ones! (I'm a little biased :) You can see past Storybook Parade entries here and here.

Jude as Curious George and Noah as Woody from Toy Story

Jude's sweet class with his teachers Ms. Nelda and Ms. Leigh Anne. Noah had these same teachers when he was in the baby class and the ones class. He even wore this same costume and rode in the same buggy for a Storybook Parade a couple of years ago!

my cute little monkey

Clay was so sweet to come take pictures at the parade. I was helping in the 4 year old class that day, so he recorded the events for me.

Noah was super excited about the candy this year!

Noah's class including his teacher Mrs. Kerrie

Noah's class had a little party afterwards. He really loved this cupcake.

This was actually the next morning. Noah woke up and wanted to wear his holsters which he calls his "holders". Is this not the iconic look for a 3 year old?

The next week Noah came home with a Thanksgiving placemat where he had named things he was thankful for. Among the things listed were his Woody hat, his guns and his "holders", and also his momma, daddy, and Jude. Clay and I think those last 3 things were probably thrown in there by the encouragement of his teacher. Regardless, we are thankful for him and glad he's learning somewhat the meaning of thankfulness.

louisiana trip

At the end of October, we took a trip home to see our brother-in-law, Jake, get baptized at Bible Baptist Church. Noah talked about it for weeks and kept asking when he was going to get baptized. We were so glad to be able to join our family in celebrating Jake's commitment to follow Christ in baptism. We were also thankful to be there on a Sunday that he sang and played guitar as well.

our crazy boys playing on the suitcases the night before we left

Noah's ready for the road!

On Friday we arrived to Jake and KK's house at dinner time and enjoyed a yummy meal of crawfish and corn chowder!

On Saturday we took a trip to Reeves to visit CW Farms. Here the cousins are playing in a large vat of corn kernels. Who knew that corn could provide such great entertainment?

Dee and Noah on a train ride

Grammie and Jude on the train ride

Of course, Jude's favorite spot was the petting zoo. He just laughs and laughs when he sees any animal. He also started making some animals sounds such as "moo" and "baa". So adorable!

Landon brought a friend with him and these boys were so helpful with Noah and Carson. They took them up this mountain of tires and dirt. The little guys felt so big going up with the big guys.

jump!

Our whole group took a hay ride, minus the hay. There were great sights along the way. We were able to see many animals as we travelled around the large property.

Saturday evening we enjoyed some yummy fried foods- shrimp, fish, fries, and hush puppies. Then the guys enjoyed the LSU game and the girls took the little boys (minus Jude) with us to Walmart. Noah and Carson picked out a toy that Grammie lovingly bought for them. Noah is still sleeping with his soccer ball that he picked out.

On Sunday, we enjoyed going to Sunday School with Jake and KK. We enjoyed the church service as well, where Jake was baptized. We enjoyed lunch together as a large family and friend gathering at my mom and dad's afterwards. Then we were on our way home!

Thank you Jake for allowing us to be a part of such a special time in your life!

visit from papa and dee

In early October we welcomed a weekend visit from PaPa and Dee.

Noah helped cut up bananas for a banana pudding we made for dessert.
He used a butter knife and Clay helped supervise :)

This is what Jude looked like after eating the banana pudding.

Saturday morning we drove to downtown Fort Worth and got on the TRE to travel to Dallas. The 45 minute train ride was just as part of the adventure as our destination was.

We arrived at the State Fair mid-morning. PaPa and Noah posed in front of Big Tex at the entrance to the fair grounds.

We started our day by letting Noah ride a few kiddie rides.

It was so fun to watch him just walk right up to the ride and get on by himself. There are many things that are fun about having an independent three-year-old.

Jude was a bit too young to ride rides just yet, but he enjoyed hanging out with Dee and watching big brother.

One of our favorite things we did was watch Noah go through a little kid's activity farm. This teachable "farm" was designed to educate kids on the process that farmers take to get food to the grocery store and that it doesn't just magically appear there with no work involved.

Noah started by dressing in the appropriate gear, wearing an apron and donning a bucket.

First he watered the peach tree and then was able to take one of the peaches for his bucket.

He also milked a cow and was able to take a carton of milk for his bucket.

Another step was planting a seed and then choosing a veggie to place in his bucket.

He jumped on a John Deere tractor, placed his bucket in the wagon on the back, and took his produce and dairy to the store.

He was paid a buck for all his hard labor.

He exchanged the buck for a pack of fruit snacks.

Another fun, completely free activity we did was enjoy the petting zoo.

While Noah enjoyed feeding the animals with a shovel...

... Jude enjoyed touching the animals and squealing with delight! Jude learned to say quite a few words while traveling around with PaPa and petting the animals.

Sadly the corn dog stand line was too long at lunchtime, but we did enjoy a burger and fries. We weren't adventurous enough to try any of the fried goodies that the fair is known for.

After the train ride home, we rested a while and then enjoyed a dinner at home. The men watched the LSU/Florida game while Mrs. DeDe and I cleaned up and got the boys ready for a night at the hotel! Every time we pass the Seminary hotel now Noah says, "There's PaPa and Dee's hotel!".

On Sunday morning we went to Sunday School and church. Mrs. DeDe was so sweet to help me in the Ones Sunday School class. Once again, we were thankful to have our family join us for worship with our church family.

After church we enjoyed pizza at Joe's Pizza and Pasta and then PaPa and Dee hit the road.

Thank you both for taking time to visit us and love on our boys!

visit from jake, kk, and carson

Later in September we enjoyed a quick visit from Uncle Jake, Kaykie, and Carson. Noah and Carson are possibly the best pair of friends I've seen. They get along better than most kids do at this age. I always wanted a cousin close in age. I'm so thankful that our kids can grow up together. When baby Grant arrives in December, there will be 4 sweet cousins to play together. Their ages will be 3.5, 2.5, 1.5, and infant. Look out Pops and Grammie's house!

The Rainwaters arrived Saturday at lunch. After lunch, the guys wanted to watch the LSU game and it was time for the boys to nap. So KK and I took the opportunity to do a little shopping! After the boys napped we took them to ride a local kiddie train. Despite the loud train whistle, the boys enjoyed themselves. For dinner, Clay and Jake grilled us some yummy fajitas. KK and I made the sides, which included some very cilantro-y salsa. It tasted great even if it was green!

On Sunday we were thankful that Jake, KK, and Carson were able to come to church with us. They had never visited our church before, so it was so nice to introduce them to our church family. Noah and Carson even got to go to Sunday School together. After a lunch at Joe's Pizza and Pasta, they hit the road back to Louisiana.

We LOVED having you visit us! Come again soon!

First Day of School

At the beginning of September the boys had their first day of school at the Early Learning Center of University Baptist Church.

This is Noah's fourth year of attending this school. He started going when he was 7 months old. That year he was in the baby class, the next year he was in the ones class, the year after he was in the twos class, and this year he's in the threes class.

This is Jude's first year to go to school. He's in the baby-18 months class. He came with me a few times last year when I subbed, but this is the first year he's going both days. I work one day a week in the threes and fours classes. The other day I'm able to run errands while my sweet boys are at school. We really enjoy the Early Learning Center and are a little sad that next year will be out last.

Labor Day Frugal Fun

On Labor Day we enjoyed some free chicken sandwiches thanks to Chick-Fil-A's college football promotion. The rest of my family wore their LSU gear, but sadly, I found that I have no warm weather LSU apparel, so I settled for our alma mater, McNeese. We went with our good friends, the Sanks. They sported their fave team and alma mater, Louisiana Tech. You can't beat free food!

Visit from Grammie and Landon

(pretend the post date is sometime in early September- Labor Day weekend)

We enjoyed a weekend of sweet company during Labor Day weekend from Grammie and Landon. They arrived just in time for a Zuppa Toscana and french bread lunch. Afterwards, the boys went down for their naps, Clay and Landon got busy with a video game match, and mom and I hit the mall! Our goal was to find Noah's winter wardrobe for cheap. Thankfully, Children's Place, our go-to place for buying durable (and cute :) kids clothing, was having a fabulous Labor Day sale. Under 2 hours, we had bought Noah all the clothes he would need for the next several months. We felt very productive! After all that shopping we worked up an appetite. My mom was so gracious to take us to eat at our favorite restaurant- Uncle Julios!!

On Sunday we went to Sunday School and church. We were thankful to get to share our family with our church body. For lunch we had shrimp fettucini that my mom helped me prepare the night before. That afternoon I got to hang out with my "little" brother at the mall. Our favorite spots were testing out the mattresses in the mattress store and getting massages from the massage chairs. That evening my mom was kind enough to send Clay and I on a date while she watched the boys. We spent at evening at Outback and Montgomery Plaza while they ate McDonalds and played outside.

Monday morning we enjoyed breakfast together before they packed up and hit the road. Thank you mom and Landon (a bit late) for coming to visit us!

Noah entertained us on his guitar
Jude playing outside in his car

Landon and Noah in the courtyard after church

Noah coloring the menu at Uncle Julios

Jude restaurant coloring for the first time, without eating the crayons first!

me and Landon waiting for our table

Grammie, Landon and Jude

Landon, Noah and Jude enjoying a video game together

Landon and Noah's band