New Title, New Toys

Okay, everyone gets it by now: WE LIVE IN TEXAS. So, I decided that a blog title change was in order. I think the new one is more appropriate. especially lately as I have been finding myself closer and closer to going over the edge. I also added links so that all of you blog-stalkers (hell, I admit to being one as well) can stalk us more efficiently. You can thank me later. While I'm at it, I would like to invite more of you to blog and I want to thank those of you who do. You fill my nights of endless net surfing with meaning. Oh, and get your butts on facebook, too, while you're at it. Peace out.

Halloween

We had an awesome Halloween. In the morning, I took the little kids to Old Settler's Park for a carnival sponsored by the city of Round Rock specifially for preschoolers. All of the kids got a great gift bag which included a Dr. Suess book. There were games and cookies and juice and hay rides all for free. The city park employees all dressed up as thing one or thing 2 and the Cat in the Hat was there. They had so much fun. Then it was home for a long nap before hitting the streets for trick-or-treating. Emma went with Beto for a little while, then headed over to Grace's house for more loot. Emma was a Disco Diva, Ava was Dorothy Gale and Vinny was Baby Punk Rock (Ava kept calling him Pump Rock :) I grew out his hair for a month so that he could have a real mohawk. He was a total stud.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Cheetahs For Life!

The Cheetah Girls kicked off their One World Tour here last month. It was Emma's first concert. She had an awesome time (I did, too). We got dressed up and went out to dinner before hand with her BFF, Grace and her mother.

Emma

Emma is doing extremely well in school. Yesterday she brought home her first report card of the year: straight A's!! She is so proud, as this is the first year that they actually earn letter grades. She is such an awesome, responsible kid...even if she is getting a little hormonal (UGH). She swam in a couple of meets this season but has decided to take a break because it was not as fun for her as summer league. She started another softball season. Beto is excited to be able to help out as one of the assistant coaches. She has been singing in the school choir and had a concert last night. She is also looking forward to her school musical, The Totally-o-Rama, a look back at the music, events and pop culture from the 80's. I might be more excited than she is. She will be singing a solo in the Dolly Parton song "9 to 5".

Ava

At Central Market

She did her own Make-up!

With her best friend, Cayden.

Crazy hat and sock day at school.

Ava is going to be four in a couple of weeks. She is doing great and still progressing well with her reading. The other night she read a simple word for every letter of the alphabet without any pictorial clues. She is looking forward to her Dora birthday party.

Baby Bad

Vinny is crazy. He cracks me up every day. He is 16 months old and STILL refuses to use any of the words that he knows. Well except for "Muh". He goes insane when he hears the faint little tinkle of Murphy's (our next door neighbor's dog) dog tags. Yes, he calls the neighbor's dog by name but doesn't like to say Mama. I'm not a fan of his hierarchy assignment. Like the typical baby of the family, he has perfected the art of pointing and grunting until somebody guesses the object of his desire. Little stinker. His newest obsessions are shoes and climbing. oy vey. Here is a video of his usual dancing spot accompanied by the usual result. You'd think he'd learn. Nope. (PS at the very end, that is Ava scolding me "It's not funny!!" I'm the awesome mom who videotapes then mocks her toddler falling from a ledge.)