Christmas 2010

Our Christmas was so much fun! The boys were up at 6:30 wanting to go downstairs.

Austin got a new 4 wheeler!

Andrew got a new jeep!

Andrew spent most of his time stacking his presents. He finally started opening them.

And to top it all off, it snowed on Christmas day! We had to go outside for at least a few minutes to try out the new toys and play in the snow.

Christmas Parties

As luck would have it, both Austin and Andrew's school Christmas parties were on the same afternoon. Fortunately, Austin's was at 1:30 and Andrew's was at 3:00. We made it to Andrew's just in time for singing!

We made snowmen out of a sock, rice, and buttons.

We decorated gingerbread men!

Austin's teacher made stockings for each child. He's checking out all his goodies! Andrew, dancing to Christmas music!

Andrew singing. He was the loudest one!

Austin and Andrew eating snack

Visit with Santa

For the last few years, we've taken the kids to see Santa at the Bass Pro Shop for many reasons. 1) It's a free photo. 2) There's a ton of stuff to do with the kids there. 3) It's just a cool place to go. So, today was our day to go tell Santa our list of demands, I mean, wants, and get our picture taken.

We arrived a few minutes before Santa "opened" and the line wasn't too terrible. I just knew we would go through the line quickly and then be free to do the fun activities they have there at Christmas. Boy, was I wrong. Santa's computer was down so the camera and the ability to upload the pictures to the online program they use wasn't working. After 1/2 hour or so of waiting, they finally said that we could go sit on Santa's lap and tell him our list. Luckily, I brought my camera so I took my own picture. I was so surprised at how well Andrew did. He didn't fuss at all!

Halloween 2010

The kids had a great time trick or treating tonight! Austin was Shaggy (from Scooby Doo) and Andrew was a "construction site worker man." My favorite part was Andrew saying at every house "I want a lot of them" (referring to the candy). They were both troopers and walked and walked and walked. Andrew actually got more candy than Austin did!

IT'S A GIRL!

Our little surprise baby really is a surprise. It's a girl!

We've always had a girl's name picked out, ever since before we got pregnant with Austin. When we first told Austin, we asked him if he thought the baby was a boy or a girl. He said that he hoped it was a girl and that he wanted to name her Gracie. (Gracie is the name of his little girlfriend from kindergarten.) Luckily, our girl's name is Grace Anne. Austin was so excited when we told him that it was a girl!

I'm measuring right on schedule at 20 weeks and she weighed 12 ounces. Her heart rate was 147 beats per minute.

Now, it's time to change my shopping habits. Think pink instead of blue!

Andrew's Halloween Party

Andrew's class had a Halloween party and it was the best party that I've been to since we've been at Bright Horizons! They had a snow cone station, "go fishing," and face painting. And, of course, there were snacks!

Zoo Field Trip 2010

I took the day off to chaperone Austin's field trip. As usual with a bunch of 1st graders, it was like herding cats. But, I only had 2 boys, Austin and one other, so it was easier to manage. They sure are fast though! They didn't necessarily run, but they can walk a lot faster than I can even when I'm not pregnant. The kids had a good time and I think the parents did too. We will sleep well tonight for sure!

Tornado Intercept Vehicle

Yesterday, we found out that the Tornado Intercept Vehicle from the Storm Chasers series was going to be in town for 3 hours today. Three hours only. And in the middle of the day. After talking, Gene and I decided to check Austin out of school for a couple of hours to take him to see the thing.

We didn't tell him that we were going to check him out. We didn't want to get him distracted for the few hours that he'd be in school during the morning. I went to the school to check him out and he was completely surprised. And when I told him where we were going and what we were going to see he was even more thrilled! The guy in the picture is Sean Casey, the camera man who built the vehicle.

Summer pics

As the summer's winding down, here are some fun pictures from the summer. Austin learned how to swim for real this summer! He is completely thrilled. We signed him up for lessons at the YMCA before summer camp. Over the July 4th weekend, he just decided he was tired of floaties and started swimming on his own under the water! Andrew swam well too this summer with his swim belt. He'd let go of us and kick his feet under the water.

Fair 2010

We decided to take the kids to the fair this year. Neither had been yet and I have fond memories of riding rides, eating all the fair food, and just having fun as a kid. As children, we mostly went to the local carnival that was in Gulf Shores during the summer. It was such a treat every year.

We knew it would be expensive, but my goodness! Never the less, the kids had a great time and that's what's important. Austin loved riding the rides. His favorite was the caterpillar roller coaster. It made me so nervous for him to go on by himself. Andrew had a good time too riding the dune buggies and the merry go round.

1st grade to date

First grade is going so well compared to where we were this time last year. The teacher has only called once to talk about some things that have happened during the day. Other than that, no calls from the counselor, the principal, etc. It really is amazing the difference a year makes. Austin's not only grown physically but he's matured as well. We've noticed in the last few weeks and months that he's verbalizing his feelings more instead of impulsively hitting something or someone. This is much improved over last year.

We are so proud of Austin and how far he's come in a year's time!

There's a bird on your head!

Well, not really. This week, Austin's class was reading Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus. Austin's always loved that book and thought it was just hilarious. His class did all sorts of things based on the book. One of which Austin saying that he said to not let his pigeon go on WipeOut. They colored a pigeon, made a "nest" and tied the whole thing to their heads.

Poop in the potty

Andrew pooped in the potty for the first time tonight! We've been working at home and at school on potty training and Andrew was so excited to get into pull-ups. Andrew is doing well with peeing on the potty but was having trouble with pooping. Tonight was the night! So sad that we get so excited about something so simple as going poop in the potty. It's a huge milestone!

1st day of first grade

Austin is officially a 1st grader! We met with Austin's teacher on Friday afternoon. Luckily, Gene, Austin, and I had already met her last fall when her husband took some family pictures of us. From then on, Austin would go by and visit her and give her hugs. We are so thankful that Austin was placed with a teacher he already knew!

On Thursday night, Austin asked me if his new class would go to the library or play outside. I told him that he could ask Mrs. Fehler on Friday. So, when we went to her classroom, he asked his questions, got the answers, and started looking around and playing with Legos and marbles. He did some assessments to see where he was and luckily he was right where he left off from the end of last year.

We went to the official meet the teacher on Monday afternoon. There weren't a ton of people there which was good. Austin played with Legos (again) with another little boy.

Today, Austin was so excited to go to school. He said his favorite part of the day was playing with Legos and his favorite part of after school was snack and lemonade. We read his 2 books and I signed his agenda saying that we read the books.

We have high hopes for this year! We're praying all goes well!

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Well, the Fambrough family will be expanding by 1 in March 2011. Yes, we are expecting #3! We weren't planning on having another baby and it's thrown us for a loop. But we're adjusting to the thought of being a family of 5. We told Austin over the weekend and he's hoping for a girl probably because he thinks that a girl wouldn't play with his stuff like Andrew does.

So far, I'm feeling gross. There's no other way to put it. The first trimester has always been rough for me. I'm waiting on 12 weeks to be here and the sickness to be over!