Weekly Update

It's that time again... time for me to post some pictures from my phone. But as usual, it's not Friday. So since I hardly ever posted my Insta Friday on an actual Friday, I decided I better change the name. So from now on, I'll be calling it Weekly Update. In hopes that I post every week, on any day of the week.

And so without further ado, here is your weekly update...

 

Addy made these flowers out of paper & pipe cleaners & told me they were for her teacher Mrs. Jalifi. She loves her some Mrs. Jalifi!

 

Alex loving on his 'friends!'

 

Addy snuggled up on the couch watching her iPad.

 

I made a pizza with a cauliflower crust. It was surprisingly good.

Click here if you want the recipe. (You really should click & try it. Don't be scared. I promise, it really is good!)

 

Flat Stanley is visiting our house & it's our job to take pictures of him on adventures. He went to school with Addy one day last week & I took a picture of him with her class.

 

Someone got a haircut this week even though he REALLY didn't want one. Here are the before (look at all that hair) & after pics.

 

The kids have rode their bikes almost every day this week. They're getting more & more comfortable on them. Especially Addy! "Look Mommy, no hands!"

 

I made another door hanger, this time a cute Thanksgiving turkey.

 

We had a lot of pretty days last week which meant several trips to the school playground.

 

Addy learned a new trick!

 

D is for dog & dinosaur.

Addy came home from school the other day & made these. All by herself. She drew all the pieces & then cut them out & taped them together. She's VERY crafty!

 

I moved the elliptical in front of the tv in our room. Alex loves it there. He can workout & watch cartoons at the same time!

 

Addy drew this for me. I love it!

Addy & Daddy + Alex & Mommy = Our Family

 

We headed back to the good ol' Golden Triangle for Thanksgiving. (Separate post on Thanksgiving to follow soon.) While there, Addy got her haircut & she loves it!

 

And that's what's been going on in our home. What's been going on in yours???

 



Sensory Friendly Night at the Children's Musuem

Last Monday night, I took the kids to the Children's Musuem for Sensory Friendly Night. The museum worked with The Westview (a school in Houston for kids with autism) & developed this sensory night that they do a couple of times a year. This was the second time that they have offered it.

We've been to the Houston Children's Museum several times & the kids love it. What was different about this experience is that it was closed to the public. It was only open for children with special needs & their families & you could only come if you made a reservation. There were literally only a handful of other people there. So the kids were able to do everything with absolutely no waiting! The museum didn't play any music, didn't make any announcements over loud speakers & I think they even had the lights turned down a little. And we've never been able to go the tot spot upstairs because it's only for kids 36 months & younger (& Addy hasn't been under 36 months in 3 years!!) But this time they had it open for everyone!

Here are some pictures from our visit...
 

 The kids playing in the lobby while I was buying our tickets. (Oh yeah, another awesome thing was the tickets were only $5 each!)

 

While in the Kidtropolis Exhibit, the kids rode bikes,

 

practiced their paramedic skills,

 

went grocery shopping at HEB,

 

 & pretended to be vets.

 

In the How Does It Work Exhibit, Addy rode the Kid Lift pulley,  

 

we worked together & built this arch,

 

and the kids talked on video phones with each other. Look at screen, you can see Alex's face.

 

Addy climbed all through the Power Play structure. Alex did not! (He said it looked too scary!)

 

In the Cum Yah Gullah Exhibit, the kids went fishing

 

& Alex put on a puppet show for me & Addy.

 

They played outside in the Flow Works Water Exhibit.

 

And upstairs in the Tot Spot. Alex spies with his little eye...

 

We spent about 2 hours at the museum. At 6 pm, they closed the upstairs Tot Spot. That's the section we were in when they closed it, so I told (a little white lie to) the kids that the whole museum was closing & that we had to go home. (Forgive me, Alex NEVER wants to leave anywhere.)

 

It really was a great experience & so a big thank you to the Houston Children's Museum for providing this opportunity for my Addy & for all the other special needs kids in the Houston area! 

 

Insta Friday

Here are some pictures from my phone from this week (& last!)

Captain Alex

 

We walked down to the playground for a little evening fun. Nick helped Alex play a little basketball.

 

And while the kids played on the playground, Nick & I had an intense game of teetherball! (I kicked his hiney!)

 

Alex & I went to a playgroup Halloween party.

 

Nick discovered the pumpkin pie blizzard. I tastes EXACTLY like pumpkin pie & even has pieces of crust in it. Pretty yummy!

 

We went to Chloe's 2nd birthday party. Alex wasn't so sure about giving Chloe her birthday present.

 

Addy made a scarecrow. Pretty good job for a 6 year old!

 

Monday night I took the kids to the Children's Museum for their Sensory Friendly Night. A separate post on that will follow soon.

 

Tuesday night Addy & I had a girl scout meeting. The girls earned their yellow friendly & helpful petal by packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

 

Wednesday morning we went to the park for playgroup.

 

Wednesday evening, the kids & I went for a walk. Addy made newspapers

 

And she & Alex delivered them to our neighbors' doorsteps.

 

While Addy was in dance, Alex & I walked over to TJ Maxx. He went straight for the hats!

 

The kids played outside yesterday evening. Addy tried her hand at golf.

 

And Alex played with chalk. (He said wrote tiger all by himself! I think we've got another smartie on our hands!)

 

And there you have it! Our life in the eyes of my iPhone!

 

 

Happy Halloween

As an adult, Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays. I don't like gore & guts or anything even remotely scary! But as the kids are getting older & actually starting to care about Halloween, well it makes me enjoy it again myself. In that kid friendly/dress up/candy/pumpkin carving kind of way! And so I'm happy to say that this year we had a great Halloween!

This was the first year that Addy really wanted to dress up for Halloween. And she was very specific about her costume. She wanted to be a princess with a pink dress & a gold circle crown. Not a tiara, but a CROWN! The day of Halloween though, she said that she wanted to be a clown. (I told her too bad, so sad, it's too late!)

Alex wanted to be Jake from Jake & the Neverland Pirates. For months he wanted to be Jake. He already had the dress up set, so I decided I'd just make him a vest. And then the week before Halloween, we were at Walmart & he saw a Handy Manny costume. So you guessed it, he decided then & there that he just had to be Handy Manny. So yes, I bought it & he dressed up as Handy Manny.

The kids had a lot of fun trick or treating this year. Alex really got into it. He quickly realized what it meant when the porch light was on & would yell "light's on" & take off running to the door. And when someone would say "Look, it's Handy Manny" he would take off his hat & say "Not really, it's just me, Alex!" Lol. Addy enjoyed herself too, running along with Alex, saying trick or treat & getting her candy.

Here are a few pictures from our night of Trick or Treating...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at all that candy Alex got for his mom & dad. What a sweet sweet boy, lol!