Top 50 Things of 2015

It was a very fun year with our kids who are at great ages...Jacob (9), Gwyn (7), and Annie (6).  Looking forward to a great 2016!

Top 50 Things of 2015:

1. Epic summer vacation to San Diego, Big Bear, and Laguna in California.
2. McQueeny weekend with homemade gigantic slip n slide with Grahams, Rushings, Willards.
3. Grandparents taking the kids to Oklahoma for a few days during the summer.
4. Thanksgiving in Tulsa with both sets of Grandparents.
5. Christmas in Houston with both sides of the family.
6. Kalina family visits to Houston, both in the summer, bike riding and singing karaoke, and in December to see Home Alone at the Houston Symphony.
7. Family bike rides through the neighborhood and on the bayou.
8. Hours at Laguna Beach watching Annie jump in the waves and Gwyn and Jacob boogie board.
9. A very fun Spring Break at home with Brian off work.
10. Brian’s amazing cakes this year…Gwyn’s horse painting and Annie’s Halloween party.
11. Go Texan Day and the Rodeo with the kids.
12. Lots of laughs with pie face roulette game with the family with whipped cream.
13. Halloween with Jacob as a zombie weird guy, Gwyn as Cruella, and Annie as Mack from Teen Beach.
14. Countless hours of playing outside in the driveway and easement with the kids.
15. Family painting with Jason and Nana at Christmas.
16. Brian’s new best friend for the year:  his potato gun.
17. Another year of dirty looks from other Dad’s at pumpkin carving events…this year’s masterpiece was Chewbacca.
18. OSU vs Texas game in Austin with the family…and they won!!!
19. 15^th anniversary trip to New York for Brian and I.
20.  Jacob performing as a Russian Baker in the 4^th grade Nutcracker play.
21. Watching Jacob play tournament baseball.
22. Jacob having the time of his life during summer league basketball.
23. Meet of Champs for both Jacob and Gwyn on the Piranha swim team.
24. 4^th Grade Austin Field trip with Jacob.
25. Jacob and Brian mountain biking in California.
26. Jacob’s 9^th birthday of fun, movie, Pappadeaux and sleepover.
27. Jacob getting stung by the asp named Ding Dong Little Jerk (DDLJ).
28. Jacob’s excitement and energy over his fantasy football teams.
29. Being overwhelmed by Jacob’s Mother’s Day poem he wrote.
30. Watching Gwyn hit several walk off homeruns in softball.
31. Coaching some Heat tournament softball with Gwyn and bringing home some metal.
32. Gwyn getting a hat trick in a soccer game this season.
33. Gwyn’s fun horse painting 7^th birthday party.
34. Brian coaching Gwyn’s basketball team, the Fruit Hoops.
35. Watching Gwyn as a flower in the first grade play.
36. Brian and Gwyn going to the Daddy Daughter dance.
37. Gwyn getting SO close to her back handspring in gymnastics.
38. Gwyn’s hip-hop / jazz dance performances.
39. Observing what a sweet spirit Gwyn has, what a good friend, and a great sister she is to both Jacob and Annie.
40. Annie’s amazing pink bug art car made special for her by Brian.
41. Annie learning to ride her bike with no training wheels.
42. Annie learning to tie her shoes!
43. Annie scoring a goal in soccer!
44. The smile on Annie’s face when her desk from Jason was set up!
45. Annie’s fun 6^th Halloween themed birthday with a craft, face painting, nails, hair on a rainy day at our house.
46. All the precious writings, drawings that Annie makes for everyone, and how her reading has just taken off!
47. Annie getting her tonsils and adenoids removed.
48. Annie as an Indian girl in the Kinder Thanksgiving program and a girl cricket in the Pre-K Very Hungry Caterpillar program.
49. Loving Annie’s selection of salmon and spinach for her birthday dinner, her love of cucumbers, olives, egg whites, and fried rice.
50. Being blessed with another year of amazing memories with our three kids.

A Great Christmas!

 We had a great Christmas, we were able to spend time with both sides of the family as well as get in some quality time with just the 5 of us.  We spent Christmas Eve baking cookies for Santa:

 Santa's selected cookies:

 Christmas Eve candlelight church service followed by dinner out with the Willards:

 Christmas morning was a karaoke showdown:

 Gwyn jamming at Jason's with Papa and Jason:

 Adult coloring is so much fun!

 Annie displaying the cool way to watch her iPad:

 The girls were into wrapping little presents with notes for everyone, I just loved this one from Annie to Gwyn:

 Painted some pretty cool pictures at Jasons:

 I realized I never put in these pictures of the kids I took for Christmas cards...Brian and I are some lucky parents:

A little pie face which was a HUGE hit:

Merry Christmas Eve!

 We have had a very fun and busy last couple of weeks, we love this time of year.  We are in-between visits with Brian's family and my family, and looking forward to some downtime next week with Brian off work, no activities, lazy days of fun just hanging out the 5 of us.  Here is a quick update on the last couple of weeks...Kong Kong has been at it again!

 A little mall fun as we wait to see Santa:






Christmas parties at school for all three kids:

 Gwyn had a dance performance to Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You...super cute!

Here is a video of her dance:






Family movie watching of Elf:

 Lots of Christmas and Snowman art work coming home:

 I love this that Jacob made, the cutest thing ever!

 My little Rudolphs:

 Gwyn and Annie are into finding things around the house and wrapping them up for us...Christmas morning will be fun!

 A performance of The Little Mermaid to watch friends!

 Annie's final gymnastic performance:

 A little silliness:

 Ballers!

 Annie's backpack bling is out of control!

 Hanging out in our tree:

 Playing with sweet Elijah!

 A little  trampoline  fun with Elijah:








Chocolate covered pretzels with Elijah:

 A little girl scout Brownie cookie selling!

 An awesome thing about my dad...he's always ready: