The Beals Family

Valentines

2012-01-30T19:16:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day....about 2 weeks early. Well, I am a planner (what can I say) and when I found this valentine idea on pinterest I HAD to do it. The picture with the lollipop was the idea. I found the truck card on Walmart.com and added the "loads of fun."

It turned out SO stinkin' cute. I can not even wait for Griffin to give these out at school. I am such a dorky mom. I LOVE this kind of stuff!! :)

Fun with Grandma Nyna

2012-01-28T09:49:00.003-07:00

Ryan had to go to Portland for meetings/training this past week. He took Griffin so that G could have some quality time with Grandma Nyna! Well, he had SO much fun. I know Grandma Nyna must be wore out! She was so good to him and took him so many fun places. They went to the indoor pool, indoor park, Little Gym and played outside a ton. She even busted out some of Daddy's old toys for him to play with. Thank you so much Nyna! What a treat for out little boy.

Playing with Daddy's old pirate ship

Sacked out from swimming

Little Gym

Nyna said he loved raking. He kept telling her to get back to work. :)

My child who NEVER falls asleep anywhere but a bed or the car passed out on the airplane on the way home with Daddy. Slept through the landing and all. Boy was pooped!!

What a fun, fun time for Griffin! Hopefully it will work out when he can go again soon.

I enjoyed having some quality time with my little girl too. She sure did miss her brother though. She kept asking for "GG" and saying he was on an airplane. We even had a meltdown because she wanted to skype with him. :) They have never been apart from each other for more than a couple of hours, so it was interesting. I am pretty sure she missed him more than he missed her. :)

Ansley's first hair cut

2012-01-24T14:12:00.002-07:00

Miss Ansley got her first hair cut today. She did go to the place Griffin gets his done. The bottom of her hair tend to get frizzy and its uneven. I took her to Ms. Mariam this morning and Ansley did great. Mariam let me hold her which I think helped a ton. So, about an inch off the bottom and she has a new do.

I still want to let her grow it out, but a few trims here and there will keep it healthy.

Before

After

Georgia Aquarium

2012-01-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

On our fun-filled GA trip, we also went to the aquarium. For y'all that don't know, the GA aquarium is the largest in the world (or it was when they built it, not sure now). I kept telling Griffin that ours in Albuquerque is the smallest in the world and the GA one was the biggest. I haven't been in years. We took G there when he was a little baby, so I was really looking forward to experiencing it with the kids. Everything is better through a child's eyes.

So, Nana, Papa Jim, Uncle Austin and the Beals clan ventured up there on a Tuesday. It was great, not too busy.

My brother was home from college the entire time we where in GA (for Christmas break), so we got to spend some great time with him. He is so great with my kids and they love him so much. Thanks for hanging out with us Bud!

Good thing he's got a good grip on her. She was trying so hard to reach the sting rays

Ansley's favorite....the penguins. Or as she says....pen-goons. She was cracking up at them.

My mom's boss has a friend that works at the aquarium, so he made a phone call and got us a little behind the scenes tour. It was awesome to see the tanks from above.

This is the tank for the beluga whales

The seals were so cute!

The HUGE whale shark

We also watched their 3D movie. It was a first for me and the kids. Griffin kept jumping when things would come out and Ansley sat in Austin's lap and watched most of it. When we left, G said that was so cool!

Nana and her best buddy (love this pic!)

A trip to Atlanta would not be complete without a visit to the Varsity.

What a fun, fun day!!

Visit with the Polks

2012-01-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

My step-sister Alex, her husband Ernest and daughter Avery came to my mom's house for a visit. The cousins had a wonderful time playing and hanging out. Nana and Papa Jim even babysat for a bit so Alex and I could go have some girl time shopping.

Nana and her Grand babies! One more is on the way...Alex is pregnant with a little girl due in June. Baby Sloane.

It was impossible to get a picture with everyone looking

Aunt Alex and the girls

Not sure if Griffin is stopping Avery from breaking out or encouraging her. :)

The girls cozying up and watching some Bubble Guppies

Ansley trying to fish

Nana had some magic pudding for the kids to make. It was white then turned green. Everyone got to help out stirring

Then it was time to eat. And when I say the pudding was green....it was GREEN!

This was the funniest thing...A picked up Avery's Dora flashlight and kept singing into it like it was a microphone. It was HILARIOUS. This probably went on for a good 30 minutes. I have some video I will post later. Watch out American Idol!!

Sweet girls saying their goodbyes

Me, Alex and Austin

Creative Canvas

2012-01-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

I went to dinner with some girlfriends from high school one evening (Kristin, Kelli and Holly. Then Kristin, Kelli and I headed to Creative Canvas for some fun. It is a place where you can bring your own wine and they walk you through the steps to paint whatever is their featured painting for the evening. I have to say, that was the best thing I have done in a while. We had so much fun, something totally different. The painting was London at night (which was pretty cool, since I have been there). I REALLY wish there was a place like this in Albuquerque.

Kristin on step one...painting your canvas black

Kristin, Kelli and yours truly

Our masterpieces!

This was step two....painting your sky

Step Three...the buildings

Step Four....the details

Really and truly I had a wonderful time....if anyone out there knows of a place in ABQ that does this....let me know. I googled it, but came up with nothing.

Visits with Nanny and Pa

2012-01-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed are visits with Nanny and Pa! The kids love hanging out there. They were nice enough to babysit a little bit so that I could venture out for some alone time.

Ansley sure does love her Pa

Griffin with his Nanny

Ansley is obsessed with their dog Dolly.

Ansley's Left Eye

2012-01-20T19:38:00.002-07:00

I have really noticed lately that Ansley's left eye tends to wander off occasionally. It seems to have gotten progressively worse (noticed it a lot in GA). So, I decided it was time to seek some medical advice. I took her to her doctor to get a referral to a pediatric opthamologist. We went this morning for her eye exam.

She was such a trooper. The nurse checked her out then the doctor did. He definitely caught it wandering. He also wanted to check her eye sight, as poor vision is a common side effect to a lazy eye. They had to put drops in to dilate her eyes, wait 20 minutes, then be checked out by the doc again. She did great at first, then we had to hold her down and she was screaming!

In conclusion, her eye sight is great and he thinks we caught the lazy eye early enough that a patch can strengthen her eye. Cross your fingers. So....she has to wear a patch over her right eye (the stronger one) 1-2 hours every day and we see the doc again in 2 months.

Tonight was her first "patch" experience and she did great. She did scream and try to pull it off for the first two minutes or so, then kept it on for a full hour!! SO proud of our little girl. Ryan and I decided that it might be good to put on her while she is eating dinner, so that she is distracted (girl loves to eat!). Worked like a charm. Let's hope it continues.

Here are a few pics from our day....

Sweet girl

Since she had her eyes dilated, she needed to keep her eyes covered from the sun for 4 hours. They gave me some cheapo-plastic-no frame glasses that lasted about 3 seconds before she ripped them off. I went digging in my car and found Griffin's sunglasses. Worked perfectly.

My girl makes this patch look good!!

Please say a little prayer that this helps. I'll keep y'all posted!

Winnie!!!

2012-01-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

My kids love visiting our GA family, but I think Winnie (the swan) may be their favorite (sorry ya'll!) I am sure Winnie is about to explode from all the bread we fed her!

We even had a few geese and some ducks come join our party

Love love the light on this

Isn't she beautiful!

Tackling Uncle Austin after feeding Winnie

Bowling

2012-01-19T06:58:00.001-07:00

We went bowling one day with Nana, Papa Jim and Uncle Austin. We all had a great time. We actually did a little glow golf after bowling and Griffin had a blast.

Papa Jim, Uncle Austin and my babies

Uncie Austin is so silly

I mean, could she be any cuter?!?!?!

Nana showing off her skills

Griff the photographer....need to work on his zooming skills. But you are getting an up close look at the CHAMPION bowler! That's right, I kicked everyone's butt! Only one to break a hundy!! I think it was 122 to be exact. I guess I didn't get the picture of the scores off my mom's camera.

Following our fun time at bowling and golf, we went to Steak and Shake for lunch. The kids LOVED the strawberry milkshake!

Presents

2012-01-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Nana left a small tree up in the basement and had a few presents for the kids to open. They thought they had hit the jack pot! MORE presents. Most were things for them to play with there.

Griff is so excited

Magic Beans! (really they are jelly beans, but G calls them magic beans, i think from a Mickey Mouse episode)

A bath Barbie. This girl loves some Barbies!

Ya'll get ready....

2012-01-18T08:13:00.003-07:00

Ya'll get ready.....the GA posts are coming! I will try to space them out over a few days.

The plane rides....

2012-01-18T07:45:00.002-07:00

I am sure you are all wondering how the plane rides were....well, they were pretty good. We made it there and back. :) That's all this Mama can ask for. I only purchased 2 seats because I thought, hey, we can do this one more time, but I really should have splurged for the 3. Oh well, next time....we have to!

Thank goodness for the leap pads!!

Ansley making sure she is fully aware of where the exits are

This was on the way home. Thank goodness for the Ipad too. MUCH easier than hauling around DVDs and the clunky dvd player.

Visits with Grandma

2012-01-18T07:22:00.006-07:00

We got to visit with Grandma several times over our trip to GA. Here are a few pics from our visits.

Grandma knows the way to Griffin's heart

This has got to be one of the best pics!! Katie caught him in the act!!

Ansley LOVED hanging out with her new cousin (second cousin) Camdyn

Giving Camdyn kisses

We had a little Barlow family get together. Here is Grandma with her great grandkids.

Camdyn wasn't too happy at this point (it was nap time), but that's all the great grandkids.

Ansley, Madison, Lily, Camdyn and Griffin

Madison and Ansley were big buddies

This was my first time meeting baby Camdyn. She is so precious. I think she really liked me! :)

Mama Katie with her baby girl

My crazy baby girl!

On a different day, we visited and it was SO nice outside. We played and played in the back yard. Griffin even decided to help out the yard workers. He was spreading pine straw with them.

Professional Pictures

2012-01-09T13:37:00.002-07:00

My mom and I took the kids to Portrait Innovations to get their photos made. I always hesitate to get professional photos taken because they never smile for the camera without some serious persuasion. Anyways, I sat in the lobby while my mom supervised the photo session. They always act better for her. The pictures turned out cute. My adorable babies!!

In Georgia

2012-01-08T11:49:00.002-07:00

To keep y'all posted on what's going on.....me and the kids are in Georgia. I only brought my iPad and forgot my camera cord, so I will not be able todo any blogs until we return (next Monday).

We are doing all kinds of fun things.....bowling, glow golf, aquarium, feeding Winnie, feeding Winnie, Feeding Winnie.....

Have a good week!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T05:35:00.001-07:00

Bowling, Bike and a Walk

2012-01-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday we decided to go bowling and Friday we just hung around the house (they left on Friday afternoon) and went for a little walk to the park and around the neighborhood.

We couldn't believe how nice it was outside at the end of December (with snow still on the ground mind you).

Ansley woo-ing the men!

Nana and Papa Jim got G a bike for Christmas and he is still trying to get the hang of it. Its not quite as easy as a tricycle. I asked Papa to give him a little lesson before they left.

The boys venturing in the arroyo.

Thursday we all went bowling. G's face lit up when we told him where we were going. He has a blast.

Ansley and her Papa

Watching Ms. Carol get a strike!!

Daddy and his signature move (a certain little girl in his arms)

Ryan kicked all of our butts!

Aquarium and Botanical Gardens

2012-01-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we set off to the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. It is difficult to think of stuff to do when it is cold outside, but we managed and the kids had a blast. We went to the aquarium first then decided it was warm enough to go to the kids fantasy portion of the gardens.

Ansley in her ADORABLE red coat, dress and tights from Papa and Ms. Carol.

Griff loves the log slide at the gardens

Daddy and his lil' pumpkin inside the giant pumpkin

Papa and Ms. Carol's visit

2011-12-31T14:18:00.002-07:00

Papa and Ms. Carol came to visit on Tuesday. We had a wonderful time with them and have some great pics to prove it. I'll space the posts out over a few days.

Right after dinner on Tuesday, we got down to business and opened presents!

Ms Carol in her gift

I got a FABULOUS Coach purse!

Griff had to open his legos ASAP and get to work on them.

Thank yall so much for our gifts! We love them!

Christmas Day

2011-12-28T08:25:00.001-07:00

Santa was so good to our kids this year. Ansley received all kinds of baby accessories (high chair, feeding things, pack and play, etc). Griffin only really asked Santa for a scooter, and what do you know, the big guy brought him one! And a few other things too, airplanes, arts and crafts and a couple of games.

All their loot

Ansley, Ryan and I were up bright and early at 6:30am. This is usually when Griffin wakes up too, however he decided to sleep in on Christmas Day....so we went in and woke him up. He shot out of bed when I told him Santa had came!

The scooter!!

And this one decides she needs to finish the couple bites of cookie that Santa left.

Daddy got a back scratcher in his stocking

My slippers Griffin picked out for me

Calling Nanny and Pa to thank them for her mickey mouse blackberry

He decided he needed to try on the angry bird boxers that he picked out for Daddy

Ansley did good when she picked this gift out for Griff. He LOVES it. Its a penguin (from Madagascar) that launches balls.

The bomb that went off in the living room!

Griff's final present was a bike from Nana and Papa Jim. He LOVES it. He just needs to practice riding it (its a little tricky compared to a regular ole tricycle)

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Wishing you all the best for the New Year!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T13:09:00.002-07:00

We spent Christmas eve just the four of us. We hung around the house and had a nice Christmas eve dinner.

Griffin was excited to put the last piece on the advent calendar. Aunt Nancy hand made us this BEAUTIFUL calendar. Griffin was thrilled each morning to run over and put on a piece.

The kids received gifts from my moms cousin Lisa and her family. We went ahead and let them open them up.

Ansley got a pretty red dress and a few hand-me-downs from Lisa's daughter. They were adorable!

Our Christmas eve dinner. G thought we were so cool eating in the dining room.

They both got to pick out a cookie to put on Santa's plate

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Growing up, we always made and decorated Christmas cookies at my Dad and Step-Mom's house. I always really enjoyed it. Last year, my dad gave me this awesome gift of a ba-zillion cookie cutters, sheet pans, etc! He said it was so that I could continue the tradition with my family (my daddy is so sweet!!).

We decided to give it a whirl this year. The kids really enjoyed it, Ansley especially. Griffin painted a few then he was worried about eating them. :) Ansley actually stayed seated for a good bit painting her little heart out, sampling too, but nonetheless, having a ball.

Helping us cut the cookies out. He wanted to sport an apron :)

Then it was A's turn. This child wasn't two seconds into it before she had dough her mouth!!

"Who me?!?!"

"When do we eat!!"

I ended up painting the rest, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I can not even wait to do it again next year with them. Fun, fun, fun!!

Fun in the Snow

2011-12-23T20:31:00.002-07:00

Ryan had the day off today, so we have been just relaxing at home and enjoying some family time. We decided to take the kids out to play in the snow. We still have a good amount from the other day. They were actually expecting another 3 inches last night, but it was so windy that it just blew away and didn't accumulate.

Grandma gave us a gift card to Target for Christmas. So, I decided to use some of it to invest in something we actually need, rather than spend it on all the crap that I usually end up with in Target. Go in for one thing, come out with 50. Yes, ladies, you know what I am talking about!! Anywho.....I got the kids snow bibs (it probably wont snow again all winter now that I bought them, haha). They were perfect. I felt confident the kids were toasty warm and not getting wet or cold.

"I'm King of the World"

We had to demolish our snowman. Ryan decided to see how Frosty would hold up against the block wall. The wall won!

A boy in heaven!!

Miss Priss took a bit to warm up to the "gear" but then had an awesome time playing in the snow

Random-ness

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I would throw together some random photos in a post.

Last Monday I hosted a play date with some friends, and of course, had to get festive with my snacks.

Snowman Ranch Cheese Ball

Little Santa Hat brownie bites

My Great Aunt and Uncle sent the kids each a gift for Christmas. Ansley got this ADORABLE red coat and hat. It is slightly big, but she will definitely be sporting this baby next year.

Griffin got a remote control helicopter, which he LOVES

Not really sure who loves it the most :)

Griff discovered that his sister will now fight back

"Hmmm....maybe I shouldn't pick on her so much"

Ansley got a big girl bed a few weeks ago. Knock on wood, she is doing great!

The Princess just chillin'

MORE SNOW!

2011-12-20T06:53:00.002-07:00

We got MORE snow yesterday, probably about 3 inches. Well, this snow was much better to build a snowman....

All bundled up

The finished product! This is the biggest snowman I have ever seen in person!

Christmas Corral

2011-12-18T10:15:00.005-07:00

On Saturday, we ventured to the Christmas Corral. It is at the same place where the local pumpkin patch is, but is Christmas themed. I have to admit, the pumpkin patch was much better, but this was still very fun.

Right when you walk in, the big guy was there! Griffin climbed right up and asked him for a scooter.

Ansley not so much, check out the evil eye she is giving him. ;)

He enjoyed a little bowling

Ansley and Paw Paw enjoyed the corn pit

Paw Paw was pretty good at roping

He might be onto something here!!

Clean up crew

Paw Paw's Here!

2011-12-16T08:15:00.004-07:00

My dad came into town Tuesday for a visit. He is staying until Sunday and we are having a great time. We have been relaxing at home and enjoying the company.

Griff and Paw Paw coming back from getting the mail

We opened presents on Wednesday night

I got my dad's presents when we were in Hawaii in August. Now that's some early Christmas shopping :)

A Harley Davidson Waikiki Shirt

And some 100% Kona Coffee. He is taking in the delicious smell! Pretty sure he was most excited about this!

We even got Paw Paw to babysit for a bit last night. Ryan and I went to the Preschool Board Christmas Party. It was a great evening.

Durango- The Polar Express

2011-12-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our train was departing at 5:15pm, but they said to be there 30 minutes early to board. We got the kids in their Christmas jammies (thank you Nanny!!) and headed over there. They recommend that the kids wear their pjs like in the book/movie. Griffin was SO excited.

There it is!!

On Daddy's shoulders, waiting for the train at the station

Once you boarded, they handed out tickets (like the movie). The train car was all decked out with Christmas lights and presents. We didn't get Ansley a seat, which proved to be a bad choice about 30 seconds into being on the train. Luckily, the seat diagonal from ours was open, so we ended up with 4 seats.

This is Bonnie. She was out waitress

Griffin is obsessed with his ticket! He keeps saying he will not let it blow away and the conductor punched it, etc (just like the movie).

Sharing her cookie with Daddy

We made it to the North Pole

And picked up the Big Guy

He gave all the kids bells

Ansley was a little nervous around him, but was excited for her bell.

The walk home was VERY chilly. Ansley did get the luxury of being held by daddy, but she was still cold. Look at those rosy cheeks!

We had such a wonderful time. I really can not say enough positive things about the experience. Griffin is still talking about it and how much fun he had. I can't wait to go next year!! :)

Durango-Children's Museum

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Once we arrived in Durango, we checked into our hotel, then hit the road again. We went a few blocks up the street to the children's discovery museum. We had a few hours to kill before the train, so we figured what the heck. It turned out to be pretty cute.

One of his favorites, throwing the chain and it would stick.

The museum was also on the river, so we walked over after we played to check it out.

Durango- The Hotel

2011-12-12T14:03:00.003-07:00

We went to Durango, Colorado on Saturday for the night. They have a Polar Express train, which I had heard was awesome. It definitely met the hype. This was actually our first little "vacation" as a family of four. Ansley had never stayed in a hotel before and Griffin has, but back when he was a little over a year old. So, we weren't really sure how it would go. They did great on the ride. It was about 3 and a half hours. We had planned it so that Ansley and maybe even Griffin would nap on the way, that didn't work out. Regardless, they did well.

We stayed at the Double Tree. It was very nice and within walking distance of the Polar Express.

Arriving at the hotel, so glad to be out of the car seat.

The tree in the lobby

Our beds....sleeping arrangements were....Griff with me and Ansley with Ryan. Worked beautifully!!

Our view from the balcony of our room. Beautiful!!

Talent Show Videos

2011-12-10T08:26:00.003-07:00

Below are the videos from Griffin's Talent Show.

This is Griffin and his band buddies....Christopher, Austin and Loralie

Griffin's impromptu solo to Jingle Bells. Such a brave boy! I love how he asked Mrs. Lindsey to hold his hand AND now proud he is when he finishes. I love this little guy!!

Class band to Splish Splash. Griffin is on the drums. Please notice how he finally sees Ryan and then a bit later he finds me. It is precious!

Twinkle Twinkle

2011-12-09T14:03:00.003-07:00

Please read my previous post for background on this. This is Griffin practicing this Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the preschool talent show.

Preschool Christmas Talent Show

2011-12-08T17:41:00.005-07:00

Griffin had his preschool Christmas Talent Show on Tuesday evening. This was the first year that the preschool did a talent show format. So, they were not sure if it would be a success or total failure. Well, it was VERY successful. It was so cute! All the kids had different performances along with some joint performances. Those followed with a class "band" song and the class singing jingle bells. Griffin was playing the drums in his little band and singing a solo to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We have been talking about it for weeks and practicing Twinkle all the time. I honestly wasn't sure if Griffin would get stage fright or not, but he seemed confident.

He did AWESOME! In fact, he was supposed to sing Twinkle and for some reason Mrs. Lindsey announced him as singing Jingle Bells (I am not sure if G changed his mind at the end or if Mrs. Lindsey accidentally said the wrong song). Anyways, Griff ran with it and sang it SO well!! I was one proud Mama!! We did video tape it, but are having trouble converting the video onto the computer. So, video to follow. However, Grandma Nyna stayed for the practice and got a video of him singing Twinkle. I will post that soon.

The Beals Family before we left

Grandma Nyna and her babies

Getting ready to jam out on the drums

Get it Griff

Singing Jingle Bells on the fly

Snow Day #2

2011-12-08T17:32:00.002-07:00

We got to enjoy another snow day on Monday. It did leave us trapped at the house because it was bad. Ice on the roads and 8 inches of snow!! I was supposed to get my hair highlighted and cut AND Ryan and I were going to go on a date night. Boo snow! Oh well, it was fun to be stranded for the day.

Griff could not wait to go outside!

While we waited for it to "warm" up outside, we made a gingerbread house

Grandma Nyna even got in on the house

When Ansley went down for a nap, Grandma Nyna was brave and took Griffin outside (the high on Monday was like 20 degrees, low was 8). Notice how deep it is!

Grandma had to fish him out!

Christmas with Grandma Nyna

2011-12-07T10:56:00.003-07:00

We celebrated our Christmas with Grandma Nyna on Sunday. We all got some awesome gifts.

I received some awesome kitchen gadgets!

Grandma Nyna got some comfy pjs and slippers from us

Griff got a HUGE play doh set

The kids got a bean bag toss game

Ansley LOVES her little people house

Grandma Nyna also received a photo book as a combo present from us and Lindsay, Chris and Ginny. She loved it. She got all teary eyed. I knew she would. :)

Daddy got a Columbia vest and jacket

Thanks SO much for our gifts Grandma Nyna. We really enjoyed being able to celebrate with you!!

Jill's Cookie Exchange

2011-12-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, I attended Jill's annual Christmas Cookie Exchange Party. It was SO much fun. We each have to bake 12 dozen (that's right TWELVE) cookies and then come home with 12 dozen of various kinds. Jill shocked us all last year and did contest on the prettiest packaging, prettiest cookie and best tasting. So, this year we all knew we needed to step up our game!

I decided to bring gingerbread stars and put them in mason jars with holly on top. I think they turned out beautiful!

All the cookies. Yours truly ended up winning for prettiest packaging!!

Hannah, me and Baby Brody (Jill's son)

Me and the Hostess

I ended up with a Hobby Lobby gift card in the gift exchange. PERFECT! We all also brought a toy for toys for tots. It was such an awesome party, cant wait till next year!!

Pictures with Santa

2011-12-04T15:54:00.003-07:00

Today we went to the mall to take our annual picture with Santa. Ansley was not a fan of old Saint Nick. She did ok at first, then started putting her arms out saying "hold me hold me." Griffin, on the other hand, had the time of his life! He was grinning from ear to ear.

This is our official picture. It captured the experience to a T.

Having a little one on one discussion with Santa about the scooter he wants for Christmas

After Santa, we had lunch in the food court, then let the kids ride these little rides

Much happier driving the ice cream truck than on Santa's lap

Of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't try to capture a few shots before we left the house....

SNOW!!!!

2011-12-04T15:24:00.005-07:00

It has snowed a little bit over the last two days. Last night I caught this picture of the backyard. So pretty and white!

This morning we went out and enjoyed it! Snowball fight!

No words for this, just laughter!

The snow was so light and fluffy. It was really difficult to make a snowman. So, this is all we could come up with.

Griffin was thrilled that Grandma Nyna was here to enjoy our first snow with him.

Anniversary Date Night

2011-12-03T13:21:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Ryan and I went up to Santa Fe for the night for our anniversary. Grandma Nyna is in town, so she was so nice to offer to babysit. We stayed at the Buffalo Thunder Resort. We went there about this time last year too. Its a beautiful hotel. It is nice to be able to get away for a night. We had a wonderful dinner, did a little gambling (we ended up winning 135 bucks on blackjack) and even stopped at the outlets on our way up.

Me and my man before dinner

We woke up to a beautiful dusting of snow!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2011-12-02T09:19:00.002-07:00

Happy 5th Anniversary to my wonderful husband Ryan. I love you baby!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

Field Trip to Smiths

2011-11-29T11:34:00.003-07:00

Today Griffin had a field trip to Smith's (a local grocery store, same line as Kroger). They made ornaments to hang on the Smiths tree and also got a tour of the store.

Posing before we left

The whole class

Their tree

Thank goodness they passed out cookies to the class (and siblings). I was about 20 seconds away from a melt down with Miss Thang

Our Halls are Decked

2011-11-28T17:45:00.004-07:00

We put our Christmas decorations up bright and early on the day after Thanksgiving. I am finished with my Christmas shopping, so I didn't have to experience Black Friday (thank god). We really enjoyed decorating with the kids this year. Griffin was especially into it. Ansley just kept saying "tree, pretty, tree, pretty, ohhhh"

Mr. Toodles came back to visit the Beals Family

See the missing section of lights right in the middle??? We were almost panicking cause we could not find the plug for it. We seriously spent a good 30 minutes searching for the darn thing. We did find it, thank goodness!!

The finished product!

Natural History Museum

2011-11-26T12:20:00.005-07:00

We adventured to the Natural History Museum this morning and had a great time.

The Princess before we left

The Beals Family and Stan (the t-rex)

Daddy and Griffin made a G out of the tiles

Thankful

2011-11-24T14:46:00.002-07:00

I have a million reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving, but more than anything, I am thankful for this family I have been blessed with. Ryan is such a great provider for our family and loves me no matter what. My sweet children are the light of my life. They are so happy and healthy. I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to yall! Enjoy your day with family and friends!

Jill's Gender Reveal Party

2011-11-21T11:04:00.006-07:00

We hosted a gender reveal party for my friend Jill and her family. If you haven't heard of these, they are the latest thing to do when you are pregnant. Basically, Jill went to the doctor to have an ultrasound. The gender of the baby was not revealed to her at that time, the nurse wrote down what the baby was and placed it in a sealed envelope. Jill gave me the envelope, I took it to the baker (and DID NOT PEAK). The baker tinted the cake blue or pink for the appropriate gender. Once they cut into the cake, they find out what they are having. On the invitation, I asked everyone to dress in pink or blue to cast their vote.

This is Jill and Bill's FOURTH child! Bless her heart! :) So, it was fun to do something a little different for them. They have a girl, followed by 2 boys.

It was such a FUN party. We had an awesome time and would totally recommend this type of party to anyone who is preggers.

Griff chose to wear blue and Ansley pink

Such a stud!

I wore pink cause I really wanted it to be a girl. However, I did have a dream a few days before the party that we cut the cake and it was blue. I had to still rock the pink.

I had baby pictures out of Jill, Bill, Cash, Quinn and Brody

The cake with all the answers!!

Me and the Mommy to be (again)

Molly and Ansley have become quite the BFFs

Brody and his Aunts, Jennifer and Kris

Father and son having a serious discussion about the meal

We did a little tally as people came in and we had 19 voting for a boy and 25 voting for a girl. Pretty close! We also did a little game prior to cutting the cake about old wives tales. With that, she had 4 on the boy side and 6 on the girl side. So the majority was leaning towards a girl.....

The moment we had all been waiting for.............

ITS A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After celebrating the boy, we opened a few presents.

After the crowd left, Ansley and Molly had the best time hiding in the curtains.

Griffin and his best bud Cash next to the boy wins sign.

It was such an awesome party and congrats to the Anderson family for a baby boy on the way!

What Weirdos!

2011-11-18T11:18:00.004-07:00

Molly came over this morning for a bit while Moira went to the doctor. Crazy kids!

Matching Jammies

2011-11-18T08:00:00.002-07:00

I never really have my kids all matchy matchy. Which if you know me, is pretty shocking. To be honest, its hard with a boy and a girl. But one thing I do believe in....is matching CHRISTMAS jammies! In fact, my kids already have two pairs of matching Christmas pjs...courtesy of Nanny and Nana! Below is the first set....the second you will have to wait for the Christmas card to see. :)

A small note, Griffin has been begging me to wear these since we got them when Nana was visiting. I had told him after Thanksgiving. I caved last night.

My Babies

2011-11-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

Just a couple of sweet pictures of my babies from this morning.

Gift from Quinn

2011-11-14T17:24:00.002-07:00

Quinn, my friend Jill's daughter, gave Ansley a coat with a matching hat that doesn't fit her anymore. It is precious!! The coat is a little big, but Miss Priss LOVES the hat!

Daddy's Home and Bowling

2011-11-12T06:56:00.003-07:00

Ryan had to go back to Hawaii for work, and was gone from Sunday until Friday. Needless to say, me and the kids were ready for him to get back!! Griffin really wanted to go inside the airport and pick him up, so that's what we did. Just look, so proud to have daddy back!

We let Griffin pick out something fun to do after we picked up daddy. He decided on bowling. We all had a great time.

SO excited to be there!

This child is so sassy. I suspect she is payback to what I put my parents through. :)

Talented Daddy, bowling with a child in his arms

Just proof that mama kicked daddy's butt! :) 135 to 96 Baby!

Fat Lip

2011-11-08T14:20:00.002-07:00

Poor little Ansley can't catch a break lately. On Saturday, she was diagnosed with a double ear infection and strep throat. And today....well, she got in a fight with the side walk at Griffin's school and the side walk won.

She is totally fine now, besides the fat lip, but boy did it scare me and her. I thought we may need some stitches if I couldn't control the bleeding. Luckily it got under control and all her teeth are still in tact!

Preschool Halloween Party

2011-11-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

We got to enjoy Griffin's Halloween Party at school on Tuesday. The place was totally decked out. The teachers did an awesome job. They had games and prized for the kids.

Showing off his costume

About to go into the bat cave

We usually get to school a little early, so they can play on this little helicopter before class starts. This is in the front yard.

Enjoying the yummy snacks. Griff went straight for the snack we made, white chocolate cover pretzel sticks.

Ansley went straight for the cookie!

He had to lose the costume to play the games. Boy did he have fun!!

Halloween Day

2011-11-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

On Halloween Day, we had every intention of going to the local pumpkin patch. However, we left a little early and decided to do a little shopping first. Well, that turned into two hours, had to get lunch and the pumpkin patch decided to close at noon. Boo! Anyways, we had a fun day.

Modeling his new Woody boots (slippers) from Nanny and Pa

Miss Thang was not in the mood to have her picture taken before we left. Nana decided to act all dramatic too. This pic cracks me up.

Griff wanted so badly to take this bear home.

The neighbors dog decided to run across the street for a little visit.

Thrilled :)

They did some arts and crafts while Ansley napped.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-06T10:16:00.002-07:00

After McCall's, we came home and did a little pumpkin carving. Honestly, I really love to carve pumpkins. Its fun, messy and something you only do once a year. :) Nana even got in on the action.

Nana and her traditional jack-o-lantern

Ansley's Minnie pumpkin courtesy of mama

Nana, Ansley, Daddy, Mama and Griffin

Griff and his! He was so proud that it looked like daddy's.

McCall's Pumpkin Patch- Part 1

2011-11-05T01:57:00.005-06:00

We went to McCall's Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. I can not begin to say how awesome this place is. We were a little afraid that it would be packed (being the day before Halloween), but we were pleasantly surprised. It was a gorgeous day and we had an incredible time.

Nana and Ansley doing a little reading before we left

This had to be Ansley's favorite part

The Beals Crew

They had a few jump jumps, so we had to test them out

We took a lot of pictures! Part two follows.....

McCall's Pumpkin Patch-Part 2

2011-11-05T01:48:00.000-06:00

Obviously, we took a ton of pictures and had a TON of fun at McCall's.

Boy vs Girl races

The BIG slide

Corn sling shot

The petting zoo

Our family

Headed on the hay ride to pick out our pumpkins

Me and my man!

The poor pumpkin patch was a little picked over when we came (we went the day before Halloween). We had to hick a ways to find the perfect ones. The tractor driver guy said they had a record 65,000 people attend this year.

G was a little timid at first then LOVED the cow train

Sis, on the other hand, loved it for about 5 minutes then was screaming to get out. It was pretty bumpy

Mulligan Halloween Party

2011-11-04T05:08:00.000-06:00

My friend Nikki and her family hosted a Halloween/Costume Party this past Saturday. Ryan watched the kids all day so that me and mom could have some mother/daughter time, so I gave him a pass on attending. So, me, Nana and the kids went to the Mulligan party. We had a wonderful time and Nikki really out did herself. Everything was beautiful and completely themed out (you know I love a theme).

The two witches, an airplane and a cowgirl

My princess

Ever seen an airplane shoot hoops? With a skeleton assist??

Vanessa, Taryn, Talan, Moira and Molly decorating the pumpkins

Molly and Ansley enjoying a cake pop. It was so windy.

And I mean windy

Bobbing for Apples

Decorating her pumpkin

Griff's personal favorite activity

Zoo - Take 2

2011-11-03T23:28:00.004-06:00

These are the pictures from my mom's camera from our trip to the zoo.

One word....ATTITUDE

Mr. "Pea Cop" wanted in the pic too

Love this one with the leaves in the background

Me and my favorite little boy

Poor Nana, she tries so hard to get a picture with both of them looking and smiling. Maybe in a couple of years. :)

Costume Fashion Show

2011-11-03T03:48:00.000-06:00

A couple that my mom knows insisted that she bring their cow costumes to Albuquerque with her. They said the kids would get a kick out of them. Well....they were right. They loved them, Griffin especially. He even decided to try one on (Nana had to roll it up a lot).

Ansley and her would be costume! Oh well, maybe next year! She couldn't walk very well it in.

Cupcakes with Nana

2011-11-02T15:57:00.000-06:00

Griffin and Nana made cupcakes one day while Ansley was taking a nap. He had an awesome time, but not as awesome as eating them at the end! :)

Nana and her best bud

Doing a little bowling (with Winnie) while the cupcakes were baking. Please note Griffin's new smile (curling his top lip under). What a goob!

Watching them bake

Icing them

Someone woke up just in time!

So proud of his work!

Trick or Treating

2011-11-02T15:30:00.005-06:00

The kids really enjoyed trick or treating this year. We all went for a bit then I came home to hand out candy. My mom was still in town, so she got to enjoy in the festivities. Here are a few pictures from our evening.

They loved the neighbors cat

Our airplane posing by the pumpkins

Ansley had a change in costume a few days before Halloween. I have pics of the other one coming soon, maybe she will be it next year. So, she ended up as a cute little witch.

When I asked Griffin what he wanted to be for Halloween in September he said an airplane. No clue where he came up with that, but we looked at a bunch of different costumes online and he insisted on the airplane. He's so cute and original.

Fun with Nana

These people up the street from us are crazy over Halloween. They set their house up as a haunted house. Griff was dying to go in it...but this was about as far as he got. :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:11:00.000-06:00

Zoo with Nana

2011-10-28T15:02:00.005-06:00

My mom is in town for a week so we have a ton of stuff planned during her visit. So, today we visiting the Zoo. We had a great time.

The prettiest duck I have ever seen

Feeding the ducks with Nana

This is Ansley's Peacock Poise. Every time she would see a peacock she would do this. Hilarious!

Ok...so this gorilla charged this window (this is him coming towards us). He started beating on the window. It was scary!

Griff was a little scared of the monkey after he charged

Griff and the "pea cop" as he called it

Checking out the hippos

We finally made it to the sea lion feeding. They were so cute!

Mr. Lion was letting out roars!

Father Son Bonding

2011-10-25T14:44:00.002-06:00

Ryan and Griffin camped out on Saturday night. And when I say camped out, they slept in the tent....in the living room. :) Regardless, Griff had a blast!

My boys

Of course, Ansley had to get in on the action a little bit. Tackle Daddy Time!

Got their popcorn and about to watch Rio.....

Our little golfer

2011-10-22T04:18:00.000-06:00

Ryan took Griffin to the park yesterday to hit some golf balls (our back yard is way too small). He LOVED it!

Pumpkin Patch...again!

2011-10-21T16:11:00.003-06:00

We met a group of friends at the Pumpkin Patch today. Its the same one that we went to with Griffin's preschool. I said it before, and I will say it again, this place is awesome! Its free and it is SO much fun for the kids.

Molly playing Potato Head Pumpkin with the Beals Babes

Griffin and Cash racing the ducks

We definitely plan on hitting this place up at least once more before Halloween. My mom is coming to town Wednesday and this place is a MUST.

The Creeper

2011-10-21T08:26:00.001-06:00

Ryan and I came up to bed last night to find this....The creeper didn't make it too far. :)

Balloon Museum/Story Time

2011-10-19T11:33:00.002-06:00

This morning, Griffin, Ansley and I went to the Balloon Museum for story time. We met my friend Vanessa and her daughter Taryn there. For those of you that don't know, Albuquerque is a big hot air balloon city. Balloon Fiesta was a couple of weeks ago and it is a huge event for our city. So, this museum is in honor of the fiesta.

Griffin and Taryn operating the balloon

Miss Priss enjoying the freedom of walking!

I think we enjoyed walking around the museum more than the story. It was difficult to pay attention with little miss ants in my pants (aka Ansley). They did do a little craft after the story and Griffin really enjoyed that. We will definitely be going back!

No Way

2011-10-18T14:08:00.001-06:00

Apparently....Ansley learned a new word today from her brother (no way)

Zoo

2011-10-17T09:56:00.002-06:00

We went to the zoo yesterday for a little family outing. We snapped some cute pics.

Feeding the ducks

We finally saw the elephants! We have been to the zoo so many times and have never seen them. They have 6, which includes one baby.

See the baby in the pouch?? So cool!

Griffin was terrified of this bird. Nothing else at the zoo scared him, but this guy.

Pig tails!

2011-10-14T19:36:00.002-06:00

They are pretty scrawny, but I finally got Ansley's hair in some pig tails. I had to do it right after her bath while her hair was wet. Pretty cute though, needs some hair bows!! :)

Field Trip- The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-13T11:50:00.004-06:00

Griffin had his first field trip with school today at a local pumpkin patch. Ansley and I got to tag along and even Daddy showed up for a little bit. There were tons of activities at the pumpkin patch and the kids got to pick out and take a pumpkin home.

All the kids with their pumpkins

Daddy, Ansley and the turkeys

Helping Aubrey race the ducks

So proud of his pumpkin

Cowboy Max laying down the law

Halloween Cookies

2011-10-11T18:25:00.003-06:00

Today we did a little baking (hardly called baking, more like turning the oven on and putting the cookies in, but whatever).

The kids enjoyed putting them on the cookie sheet.

Not as much as they enjoyed this part......

Aquarium

2011-10-08T12:46:00.003-06:00

We had a little family outing at the aquarium this morning. We also popped into the botanical gardens for a little bit to enjoy there kids fantasy garden. The kids really enjoyed it and we did too. We let Ansley walk the whole time, and she did really well.

Griffin posing with the pumpkins outside.

At the fantasy garden doing a little gardening

One of their favorites, the huge turtle

Could she be any cuter???

I mean seriously....

Stud

The main reason we came....to see Winnie!

18 month well check

2011-10-06T18:00:00.002-06:00

Ansley had her 18 month well check today. She is perfect and her stats are below:

Weight: 27 lbs, 90th percentile
Height: 33 1/2 inches, 90th percentile
Head: 19 inches, 90th percentile.

Arts and Crafts

2011-10-05T13:15:00.002-06:00

Griffin loves to do arts and crafts. He gets so excited to show me things he made at school. I try to do a few things with him at home. Today, we had a lazy day, so I decided it was time to do some while Ansley was napping (she is not quite old enough to participate fully).

Making a fall tree

We also made a pumpkin

The finished product

Fun Times- Part 2

2011-10-04T07:30:00.000-06:00

Another favorite activity in our house lately.....

Molly's Birthday Party

2011-10-03T07:08:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Molly's 2nd Birthday yesterday at a New Mexico Mustangs (hockey) game. Molly's dad, Mr. Gunnar, runs the event center that hosts the Mustangs, so it was perfect. We had a wonderful time. Although, I have to say, we did more chasing kids than watching hockey. It was fun, nonetheless. It was a Minnie Mouse theme party and it was PRECIOUS! Moira really outdid herself. Everything was awesome.

Miss Priss trying to venture away when no one is looking

Happy Birthday Molly

Griffin discussing a little hockey with Mr. Bill

Daddy and his princess

There was some moth outside in the lobby and all the kids were trying to catch it. It was hilarious. Everybody had to get in on the action.

Go Mustangs!!

The Birthday Girl! Isn't her shirt cute! It was part of her present from the Beals crew (came with pants but they were a little too long). What a cutie!

Fun Times

2011-10-02T10:37:00.000-06:00

A favorite activity in our house lately :)