TIME FLIES

Time TRULY does fly when amidst growing children!  I'm not sure what it is, that we do all day, every day... but, it's been 3 months since my last blog post.
I left off with the Twins just turning 4 years old.  Right after that, we blazed into October (which was TONS of fun w/ Halloween & pumpkin patches).  Then, no sooner did I look up from putting away their costumes & we were thrust into the busiest time of year...The Holidays! Here's how it all went down...
OCTOBER
As I'm sure I mentioned in my last post, Jett & Delilah started at a Mother's Day Out program in Sept.  Early in October they had Fire Fighter Appreciation Day.  That was definitely right up our alley!!  A couple of firefighters from the Bexar/Bulverde Fire Dept. came to the church to talk with the kids about what to do in case of a fire & even let them sit in the truck.

 Rich also took them to the Firefighter's Museum.  They had a great time there but totally enjoy any & all time that they spend with their Daddy.

 One of our favorite things to do as soon as Fall sets in, is to go to a Pumpkin Patch.  This year was sooo much fun!  We took a hay ride; the kids got to go on a barrel ride; we had their faces painted; had a pic-nic; played in the hay & even walked through a maze made of hay bales.  The best part was that our dear friends, the The Rondinelli's joined us.  Carmine goes to school w/ Jett & Delilah & they adore him!

 

 

 

 

 While it's still perfect outdoor-play weather, here in San Antonio, in October, the kids play outside as much as possible!  They're learning very quickly how to climb the large tree in our back yard.

My little monkeys in the tree

 

 On October 13th, 2014, I was blessed to be a witness to one of of the most amazing miracles... the birth of a child.  Trinity Marie Walker is the granddaughter of our very dear friends Kevin & Angela.  I couldn't be more smitten with her!

Something else very special happened in October.  We attended the formal promotion ceremony for Rich.  It was wonderful to see him honored not only for his hard work & dedication in becoming an Engineer & paramedic for SAFD but he also graduated 1st in his class!  We were all beaming w/ pride!

 

As we do almost every month, we packed up & took a trip to see Grandaddy.  Each time, right before we leave, the kids hop up in his lap, in his recliner & snuggle while we load up the car.  I always try to stop long enough to snap a quick pic of it.

Jett & Delilah got to dress up twice this year, in costumes.  The first time was for a b-day party for Dylan Ruston.  They dressed up as a cowboy & cowgirl (Or, I should say "The Hatfield's & McCoy's") & had loads of fun, especially on the bounce house.

 

A very special lady in our lives has a birthday in October.  We celebrated Milagros's birthday at Los Barrios Mexican restaurant.  Grandy joined us, we had a wonderful dinner & of course yummy margaritas.

 

 Along with the other Fall festivities comes the decorating & carving of the pumpkins.  We each got to carve/decorate w/ stickers our very own pumpkin.  Jett & Delilah loved digging the gross guts out of the insides.  Bleh!

At school, they had a "crazy hat" day.  I made the Twins their Halloween outfits; baked some sugar cookies & made them "spider" peanut butter & honey sandwiches & topped off their little heads with funny hats.

The second opportunity they had to dress up was for Halloween.  My kiddos transformed into FBI agents.  And, as for myself... their prisoner.  In all orange.  With their birth date as my inmate number.  Grandy, Clarence, Milagros, Brisa, James & Sophie all joined us for our traditional pumpkin shaped pizza & then we hit the streets.  The kids could barely carry their own candy bags by the end of the night.

 

 NOVEMBER
My kids crack me up!  Every day they are learning something; doing something new; saying something hysterical...
Lately, Delilah has been working on her "Selfies".  Therefore, I often find her "artwork" on my phone:

Now, Jett... he knows that I adore it when he brings me flowers.  Ooooor, I should say weeds.  So, almost every day he comes storming in the house with a fistful of "flowers" & dumps them in front of me.  And, almost every day... I'm in tears.  I hope he never stops doing this!

Delilah has become quite the little chef in the kitchen these days.  On this particular day in November, "we" made our boys chocolate chip pancakes.  I'm fairly certain that Delilah ate more of the chips than what went into the breakfast.

Cousin Brisa celebrated her 2nd birthday in November.  Hard to believe that Angel is already 2 yrs old.  Delilah was under the weather but Jett & I went to the party & got to visit w/ Elmo!  The birthday girl was as beautiful as ever in her little tutu dress & we had a wonderful time.

 

 Well, the kids are still VERY into anything having to do with arts & crafts.  They love it!!  From coloring, painting, sticker or bedazzling Christmas wreathes, they just can't get enough.

 

 

Right before Thanksgiving, at their school, they had a Dessert Feast that the parents could attend.  All of the kids wore their Pilgrim hats & we got to enjoy some tasty treats with them.

 

 November, here in SA, is when we normally get our first, real cold spell.  What better way to ride it out than in front of the first fire & sip of hot chocolate of the year.

On Thanksgiving we celebrated & ate dinner with our friends, the Rondinelli's.  They were kind enough to welcome us into their home & served some truly amazing food.  We definitely have a lot to be thankful for.

 

 A couple of years ago, we started a new tradition... Going to Christmas in Comfort, the Saturday following Thanksgiving.  We all really love going as there's a little something for everyone.  Grandy joined us; the weather was perfect; Jett & Delilah were very well behaved... just a wonderful day!

 

 

 

Lots of great things always happen around the Anderson home, right after Thanksgiving.  Mickey the Elf arrives to keep Santa abreast of what & how the kids are doing.  And, we decorate the house for Christmas.  Jett & Delilah enjoyed helping us this year... as did Homer:)

 

 

 DECEMBER
Speaking of Mickey the Elf, our trusty, little spy... He got into a lot of mischief this year.  Jett & Delilah looked forward every morning to searching for & finding that little guy.  Sometimes, it was easy, like when he was zip-lining through the family room.  But, others, it was a little tougher, like when he hid out in the refrigerator drawing faces on everything.

 

 

 There's the neatest, little Garden Center/Nursery called Milberger's.  Each year, in December, they decorate for the Holidays; Santa is there to take pictures w/ the kids; a train ride; cookie decorating & even a bounce house.  Clarence, Milagros & Brisa joined us this year & made it a family affair.

 

Once again, this year, Rich just had to outshine us all.  He ran in & completed his 9th marathon!  We are all so proud of his hard work & dedication.

Jett & Delilah always love spending time w/ their friend, Owen.  He's such a joy to be around & we all adore him.  We got the kids together for a little play-date before the madness of Christmas set in.

Early on in the month we took a trip to Galveston to visit Grandaddy.  While there they got to go on another Ferry ride & visit Boliver Island.

 

 

I can't write about the Holiday's without mentioning & sharing our annual Christmas photos.  This session was special in the fact that Clarence, Milagros & Brisa joined us so that we could have a picture taken all together... both families.  Well, it went about as well as you would have guessed.  It was cold; Homer was restless; the kids were spastic (& when I say kids that includes Clarence).  But, the very talented photographer was able to capture some very nice moments.  That, in itself, is a Christmas miracle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since the Twins were babies, they've always loved Christmas lights.  So, this year, we did our best to show them a BUNCH!  We made a trip to Don Strange Ranch w/ The Rondinelli's.  We made our annual trip to check out the Johnson City Lights with The Strottners.  We also took drives around the neighborhood to see some twinkling lights.  One house, in particular, had their entire house & yard lit up AND had them dance to music that played over the radio.  It truly was magnificent.

 DON STRANGE RANCH

 NEIGHBORHOOD LIGHTS

 JOHNSON CITY

 

Bulverde Baptist Church, the kids "school", had a small Christmas party in each of the classrooms.  This was their first Christmas party at a school, so it was very special. I made all of the kids a yummy treat & Jett & Delilah got dressed up in some fancy duds.  The kids ate lunch; decorated sugar cookies; Yours truly got to read the class a book; & then, we sang songs.  It was a great day to say goodbye to Ms. Jennifer & their friends for the 2 week break.  Rich & I both were able to attend & I think Rich felt right at home in the classroom seats.

 

Each year, I try to find 1 special craft that we can do with the kids, that will serve as a keepsake for the years to come. This year, we made a giant, red Christmas tree ball with our fingerprints on it.  Each finger (one from each of us) is a different snowman.

Jett & Delilah wanted to help w/ some of the Christmas baking this year.  By helping, I mean, they wanted to eat it.  But, I put them to work... I had them each sit at the bar & unwrap an entire bag of reese's peanut butter cups.  One at a time.  It was sheer torture for them.  But, in the end, I caved... they each got to sample the final product.  The judges gave "thumbs up"!

 

Another tradition that I love is the Walker Christmas party.  It's always on the Saturday before Christmas & I look forward to it every year.  This year was awesome... It was the first time in over 15 years that myself & all 3 Walker boys were under the same roof.  They are my oldest friends here, in San Antonio, that I hold dear to my heart.

Still in my crafty/sewing mood, I made the kids, Jett, Delilah & Brisa, all matching Santa shirts to wear on Christmas Eve.  I also made the annual, family Christmas jammies.

For the first time in 3 years, Dad came to San Antonio for the Christmas Holiday.  I'm so thrilled that he was able to spend this special time w/ all of us... I know they are memories that I will cherish. On Christmas Eve we had our usual gathering of friends & family. 

 

Jett & Delilah hung in there as long as they could.  But, they were ready to hit the hay so Santa could come do his thing.

 For Christmas breakfast I made some cute, little reindeer donuts.  After eating those as fast as they possibly could... it was time to open presents & see what Santa had brought!  Their large gift this year was brand new bicycles & helmets!  They hit the streets ready to roll!

 

 

 

 

 

Later that afternoon we had the rest of the family over for Christmas dinner,  It was so nice having so many of us under 1 roof again, for such a special Holiday.

At the end of the day, before bed, we wanted to remind Jett & Delilah what Christmas is truly about... So, we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Soon after, on the 28th of Dec., we all piled in our car to take Grandaddy back to Galveston.  It proved to be a very interesting car ride... I drove; Grandaddy in the passenger seat w/ Snoopy sitting on his lap, drooling the ENTIRE way; kids in the middle row w/ Rich crammed in between; & Homer in the very back, tooting the. whole. way.  The 4 hour drive seemed like 10!
But, I must say... all in all, we had a truly fantastic Christmas Holiday.  It goes by a little too fast these days but I guess that's par for the course now that I have children of my own.

I'll finish my last post about 2014 by sharing pics of our New Year's Eve.  As soon as we were up & getting dressed that day Delilah informed me that she HAD to wear her new "party, princess, ballerina dress".  So, she did just that!  And, I must admit... she took my breath away.

It was a fairly yucky day so we stayed indoors, played board games & all took naps. (One HUGE bonus of having children this young is the mandatory "nap times"!)  After the sun went down we all bundled up in our coats (w/ jammies underneath) to light a few fireworks & sparklers.  The Twins did much better this year... not 1 tear was shed out of fear.

 

Before I finish up... here are a few pics from the last few months that were just too cute NOT to include:

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that closes out our year, 2014.  And, what a year it has been!  Tons of changes...Rich's promotion & new job; the sale of the old house; the purchase of a new home & all of the awesome new friends & neighbors that brings; Jett & Delilah starting a Mother's Day Out program; the beginning of my small sewing business; The Twins in their own, separate rooms & in big kid beds.  Whew!  All wonderful changes that I feel so blessed to have bestowed upon us.

It's times like these, when I'm working on the blog, reflecting on moments so special to my family, that I am CERTAIN that my Mom is up there, somewhere, smiling down... & pulling some strings for us all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS!