Fashion Queen

I think we’re going to be in trouble with Ainsley!!! She changes her clothes a few times a day and won’t wear anything I suggest. It took weeks to finally get her to wear socks and I had to hide her Capri pants because she wouldn’t wear any warm clothes. She still wears her swimsuits and gym suits around the house like it is summer! Her room is ALWAYS cluttered with clothes she’s tried on and taken off….I guess that is payback since my room was like that in high school! Her latest is shopping around the house. She fills my reusable shopping bags/Reggie’s snack bags/empty shoes boxes/her purse with all kinds of things and puts them in her shopping cart and wheels them all around the house. It is quite funny, especially when she starts explaining everything to me. Here’s a clip:

Christmas Program and Live Nativity

Ainsley had her Christmas program on Thursday and I charged the camera battery and forgot it in the wall :o(. Sarah took some pics, so I’ll upload them later. She looked great and did a good job with the movements, but forgot about the singing part, which is so funny because we’ve been hearing the songs for several weeks! I suppose part of it is her age because a year seems to make all the difference.
Last year, Reggie didn’t do much participating in his Christmas program and this year, he sang and moved!!! He still looked a little uncomfortable at times, but WOW, he did such an amazing job :o). He was pretty proud of himself afterward (probably because we were clapping so loud and cheering for him). It was really cute when we got in the car and Ainsley leaned over and said, “you did a weally good job singing Reggie.”

Here's a video:

After that, we decided on the fly to check out the live nativity that is at a church just down the street. I was excited because there appeared to be no line. As soon as we drove up into the parking lot, we realized we were going to be there for awhile. Since we were parked most of the time or moving very slowly, we let the kids get out of their seats and I think they actually enjoyed waiting. Moving all around the car and sitting in the front seat is REALLY cool. There were 6 scenes in the nativity and the kids were glued to each station. Reggie thought it was the neatest show ever! Ainsley just wanted to see baby Jesus! I’m glad we stayed out a little past bedtime because it was a good reminder of what the holidays are really about :o).

Grandma Peggy/Uncle Dustin visit

Well, it’s time to rewind the clock….my mother (Ryan speaking) and younger brother came down for Thanksgiving to visit. It was great to finally have Dustin here so that he could see where we lived. They got in late Monday night and stayed through Friday afternoon. Tuesday we hung out most of the day, but did plan a shopping trip so that Grandma Peggy could get Reggie a birthday present. Ainsley was able to jump on that bandwagon and scored some new sparkly shoes from Grandma. That night we went to my mom’s favorite restaurant “Sweet Tomatoes.” Dustin almost put the place out of business as he ate and ate. We enjoyed the all you can eat soup/salad and bread and topped it off with ice cream. Thanksgiving approached quickly and Mom put in a turkey with all of the fixins. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then made our way to the Bliss’s place to hang out with them that evening.

During their stay we organized a trip down into the city of San Francisco. We planned an Alcatraz tour and wow, the weather cooperated. We bundled up thinking that we were going to freeze and once we got down to the city we started to peel off the clothing. It was 70 degrees and beautiful (Nov 25th are you kidding me!!). We really enjoyed the tour and learning a little history. By the time we left, I think Dustin could have been a tour guide! It was lunch time and we lucked out having a Taco Del Mar right down the street from the pier. I hadn’t had Taco Del Mar in months, so it was on. We grabbed a bite to eat and headed back home to pick up the kids (thanks to the bliss family + Grandma Kate for watching the kids!). Friday morning, we celebrated Reggie’s birthday at the bowling alley (of course, we forgot the camera!). If you ever want the bowling alley to yourself, go the day after Thanksgiving. It was great. My mom felt really old, but she got into a groove toward the end. The bumpers saved the kids and Dustin!

Enjoying the warm weather at the park :o).

Dustin taking a beating :o).......I still got it!

Dustin found someone he could pick on:

Last couple weeks

Reggie was student of the week a couple weeks ago and had a different activity to do everyday and share with the class. We celebrated his birthday and he shared Oreo cookie dippers that all the kids have been talking about. The last day, he had to lead an activity. It was torture for him, but he did a good job showing the class how to make art by tracing your hand. Reggie’s party was last weekend and he invited his best friends– JD, Michael, Caleb, Jason K, Tommy and Colin. He was so excited to have his friends over, but I’m not sure having 7, 6 year olds, running around the house with light sabers was such a good idea. It was very loud for awhile, but they calmed down after going in the bounce house and got some energy out! It was a bit crazy, but Reggie had a wonderful time and enjoyed his party. He got a Lego garbage truck kit and put it together all by himself…I have to say, I am pretty impressed :o).
I can’t believe Reggie is 6….that sounds so old.

Go to http://www.arrtwade.blogspot.com/ to see video:

Funny story
Reggie has his Christmas program this week and I have been trying to find him some khaki pants at the thrift store and haven’t had much luck. I finally found some, along with a button up blue shirt and some nice brown shoes. I got them all washed and had him try everything on. He absolutely loved it! He said to me, “mommy, I look just like a dad….can I add these to my dress up box?”. To which I replied, “you can wear these clothes whenever you want!” It was pretty cute and this weekend he went to a birthday party and wore his grown up pants. I guess I might have to look for some more, since he seems to enjoy looking nice :o).

325,000 lights
We visited Deacon Dave’s house in Livermore last week and it was amazing…he had Christmas scenes, a huge Christmas village, the nativity, complete with doves, waterfalls and 325,000 lights! We all loved it and walked through it twice :o). Ryan is out of town tomorrow night and I’m going to load up the kids and drive around to look at all the lights. It is such a beautiful time of year and I’m excited to slow down and just enjoy it. I’ve started to get a little stressed about packing and getting everything done….we only have one week until we’re back home and there’s a lot going on between now and then!!!

Decorating our tree, 125 lights

Reggie and Ryan are at our 3rd birthday party of the weekend. We had Caleb’s yesterday, along with the Veggie Tales Christmas movie at church, Michael’s this morning at Chuckee Cheese and JD’s this afternoon at Party Palooza! We were only home for 10 minutes yesterday, so we’re looking forward to a quiet evening tonight with an early bed time.

Ainsley and Sam at Chuckee Cheese:

Happy Birthday Big Guy

Dec. 1st:
Reggie had a great day. It started out with a scavenger hunt around the house, getting pictures of transformers, batting gloves, and a color book only to finish it off with a cupcake in the play kitchen! A cupcake for breakfast…what could be better :o). His good friend Michael came over for a morning play date and then we headed to school. He chose to go to Red Robin for dinner and we had a fabulous time. Reggie opened a Star Wars book from Ainsley, so we read that during dinner :o). Ryan has been on a health kick this week, so eating out wasn’t nearly as fun. As I took down a bacon cheese burger Ryan ate a Boca burger wrapped in lettuce… I felt bad for about 1 second, until I remembered that I always eat good! We got home and let Reggie open his gifts and it was the year of the Lego’s and he has been possessed with building since! I think next year we might do presents earlier, since he didn’t want to go to bed that night and was up bright and early the next morning.
I love my child! What a good boy he is :o). He is wise beyond his years…when I was sad about my cousin, he wanted to do something nice, so he put on a puppet show for me. He saw Ryan on the couch this weekend asleep and wanted to show him a craft, but found me instead because he didn’t want to wake him up. He saves the girls at recess from the other boys (I think he’s going to be one popular guy!). He helps his sister with crafts and plays baby’s with her (some day he’ll kill me for sharing that). He respects adults and knows his boundaries. It is amazing to see how much he has grown up since last year.
Milestones this year:
Training wheels came off
Started Kindergarten
Got his tonsils out
Learned to swim
First loose tooth
Grew: He is 48 inches tall and weighs 51 pounds

Things Reggie likes:
Holidays and decorating for Christmas
Arts/Crafts!!!
Waking up early-thankfully, he is quiet and plays and eats his breakfast without disturbing us :o).
He loves playing
He loves getting presents!
Stickers over a lollipops (not sure what genes this came from!)
Ice cream - As you can see above.....