TOY STORY III

The Trio
All of her toys and she is wearing her new Buzz and Woody pajamas.

Such a happy little girl with her toys and pajamas.

Christmas morning

Lauren was so excited that she waited to open gifts so that her sister could be the center of attention...thanks big sister. :)
Wow!!!

New Bitty Baby things...so exciting.

Lauren gave her Toy story III!

I really do love taking pictures, but sometimes I just get wrapped up in the reality of it all that I choose to leave the camera behind and take mental pictures, ones I hope to hold in my mind and my heart forever. Now with that said, I only took a few pictures of my girls...and here are a few.

Gifts from Connecticut...

Isabella is a bit excited and she sure does look cute in those Christmas pj's!
Tearing into her first gift...

A girl can never have too many purses.

Now Lauren's turn...she received some stationary that came with a great story. Aunt Kelly always encourages writing letters...we appreciate that about her ;) We are both all about picking up a pen and some paper...there is nothing better than a hand written note to one another. Thanks guys for the gifts...they opened the rest Christmas morning.

My brother Michael, his wife Kelly, and daughter Lily do not live close to us at all...they live far away in Connecticut. We see each other as much as we can. We have dedicated our Christmas Eve to them and let the kids open gifts from them. Here are a few pictures of the girls opening some of their gifts...enjoy! :0)

Dallas World Aquarium

Right as you walk in the door the exhibits begin...sorry I don't remember what kind of a bird this is.
These storks were really huge!

What great Daddy daughter(s) pictures!

We can't forget Isabella. :)

Here is Lauren feeding a toucan.

Isabella is checking out the otters.

Lauren and Isabella waiting for the otters. It was nice because while we were there they were very busy...too busy to catch on film.

Get ready for the gianormous (is that a word...it should be?) manatee. I am so glad I was able to get a few great pictures.

He is posing for the camera...there were two so we had to have two pictures!

He is checking Lauren out or is Lauren checking him out?

Isabella was amazed by his size, well we all were to be honest with you. Isabella is looking for Nemo...so cute!

I love that this one came out, I'm on the other side of the glass.

This shark was overhead, we sat in this tunnel and they were swimming everywhere...it was a bit scary.

I'm sure these owls did not enjoy my flash!

This prowling jaguar kept pacing back and forth, I really felt bad for him. He needed to be out in the wild. This was one of the few animals that did not have adequite room to roam.

Perfect mom and daughter picture! :)

The little one did not want to pose so we just watched the jaguar.

These guys were ready for pictures, it's like they knew I was taking pictures.

Ahhh can't forget the octopus that was showing everyone he had eight legs with lots of suckers!

Hope you enjoyed our pictures as much as we enjoyed a family day at the Dallas World Aquarium. Isabella is 2 1/2 and loved it as much as the 12 year old! It is a great winter activity, lots of walking and plenty of places to rest and if you want you can also eat in one of the many cafes.

Santa visits HEB

Waiting for Santa and his crew.Two of the three helicopters landing on our school playground.

Making his way down the line of kids...he always starts and ends with Pre-K.

Here is the Big Guy himself :0)

I am so very lucky that our school district participates in Santa USA. We are fortunate that they bring out three helicopters loaded with tons of Christmas characteras as well as cars that travel along side too. We are are able to see Santa and Mrs Claus, Frosty, Rudolph, HEB Elves, and a tall nut cracker. Here are only a few pictures that I took this year. Lauren loved it every year and now I can't wait for Isabella to participate in this event hopefully next year.

Another first

In the back...you can barely see her and her bassoon.
Beginning Band 2010-2011
Isabella and Daddy

Isabella posing by the big tree.

This is the first year Lauren has been in band. She chose the bassoon and has been a perfect fit for her. She has mostly stayed first chair or how she calls it "My Chair"...we just laugh and say if you want it bad enough practice and go for it. Her instructor has mentioned many times if she was going to stick with it and make it to her band, also known as Symphonic Band or the top band. She hopes to make it but only time and practice will tell. Lauren worked really hard for her first ever Christmas Concert. The instructor was so right this is the only first concert she will ever have...wow those are really powerful words and boy is she right. We enjoyed it very much along with my sisters Melinda and Jennifer. Thanks for driving an hour in traffic for three songs.

Where is Chloe???

We had the best time searching for Chloe everyday! That was the first thing Isabella would do when she woke up in the morning. If she started out grumpy we would remind her Chloe was watching. Russell and I think she will have more fun next year when she really starts to get into Christmas...enjoy the pictures.