I'm back! (at least to my blog...)

Today Jessica had her Halloween parade at school! :)

Jessica is a vampiress this year, so she got into her costume, I put her hair up and tried to mess it up - but Jess kept wanting me to do it "nice and pretty" - I won, though :) I finally convinced her that a vampiress doesn't keep her hair all "nice and pretty" and was allowed to mess it up so it looked just right! :) Then with a little bit of make-up and some "blood" running down from her mouth, she looked absolutely perfect! :)

I finally got my video camera up and working again, so I have video coverage as well as still pictures of her parade - she looked like she was having fun, and everyone in her class was dressed up real cute (or scary, or funny.....)!

I'll have to put some pictures up here later on - and I always put my pictures on my Shutterfly account - so you'll have to check out those in the next couple days.

I can't wait to get all the girls dressed up this Saturday! I had them dressed up for pictures a couple weeks ago, and they had so much fun playing their characters - I know they'll have a blast on Halloween night!

2008 Holiday Season has begun!!

Our Thanksgiving Day this year was a busy day, filled with cooking and baking and enjoying all of our family over for dinner. This was Taylor's first Thanksgiving Day, and she seemed to enjoy all the attention and food. Sarah and Jessica enjoyed helping to make all the yummy food and having all the family over to play with. Jessica said a prayer before dinner...something she was so proud to be able to do. All the food was delicious and it was fun to just hang out with everyone.

Now we're shopping and getting ready for Christmas! There is so much to do! But I really hope we get a chance to just enjoy each other, have some fun, and remember what Christmas is all about.

Favorite Questions and Quotes by Princess Jessica

"Tommy's mom said that band-aids are used to heal skin, and you said band-aids are used to stop bleeding. Mom, is Tommy's mom right? Or are you right?" (11/12/08)

(Mom let Jess know that both of us are right, by the way)

Princess Taylor

Princess Taylor is almost a year old now. I can't believe how time flies and how fast this past year has gone.

My little baby, that not long ago, just laid in my arms, relying on me for every little thing, is now a little go-getter that crawls faster than any baby I've seen, loves to climb stairs, and is very capable of playing with her sisters, fighting with her sisters, singing with her sisters, and teasing each of her sisters.

Taylor has learned to clap her hands recently, and is working on saying "mama" and "papa" (papa being grandpa, of course). She can wave good-bye, and loves to point at things. She enjoys practicing walking, but still refuses to try on her own. (soon, though, she will be running around!)

Princess Sarah

Princess Sarah is 2 1/2 years old, and loves to show her age!

Sarah is into everything these days, and I mean into EVERYTHING! If she can find a way to reach it, she will. If she can find a way to empty it, she will. If she can find a way to color on it, she will. She's my little tornado, and it's very hard to keep up with her.

But on the flip side, she has learned to be so stinkin' cute you just want to grab her and hold her and never let go! The other day, I was telling her I love her. And I was trying to get her to respond, but she wasn't. So I asked her if she could say "I love you" - and for a moment, I thought she wasn't going to even pay attention to me, but then all of a sudden, she looks at me, grins a huge and beautiful grin, and says "I love you too, mommy." Here I was, just trying to find out if she can actually say "I love you" and she goes above and beyond, making my heart just melt!

Princess Jessica

Princess Jessica just turned six years old. She has been completely spoiled by all those who love her.

On the day of her birthday, she woke up to balloons everywhere and presents to open from mom. She soon became the proud owner of an acoustic guitar and a really cute outfit (well, at least mom thought it was cute). Mom got off work early to spend time with Jessica. We went to Jessica's Parent-Teacher Conference together, picked out a couple of books from the school's book fair, then headed for the mall. At the mall, Jessica was able to pick out a new outfit (mom will have to return the other outfit later, I guess). We went to Sears to get Jessica's birthday pictures taken. She was perfectly cute, with her guitar in hand and dressed up so nice. Afterwards, we picked up Sarah & Taylor from daycare, then met Grandma & Grandpa for dinner at Fat Catz. At dinner, Grandma & Grandpa spoiled Jessica with several gifts - mostly clothes and movies.

The weekend after Jessica's birthday was when she got to celebrate with some friends and with family. Jessica had a birthday party at Build-A-Bear with some friends from school, along with Sarah and Kaylee as well. Jessica built a Hanna Montana bear and was allowed to pick out some extra outfits for her bear too. Her friend, Ana, built an identical bear and the two became instant best friends. After Build-A-Bear, we met at Applebees for dinner with the whole family. Everyone was there except for Chris, our Army buddy. And everyone spoiled Princess Jessica even more, making her a pretty happy little girl!