Fall Happenings

The Razorbacks got their own post but here are some other things that we have been up to this fall:

Fancy Shmancy Wedding:  Ben and I went to a fancy pants, black tie wedding at the end of the summer. It was for one of his coworkers. We only knew a few people there but it was super fun getting all dressed up. It was the weekend before my birthday (35!!!) so we made a whole night of it and stayed in Fort Worth for the night after the wedding.

Toronto: Ben had to go to Toronto for work. It happened to be during the Toronto Film Festival so one of his coworker's wives and I met them up there for the weekend. The weather was kind of yucky (rainy and cold) but we ate delicious food, saw some good movies, and had a few celebrity sightings (the best part!) 

Rosie Perez

David ???? He was in Selma.

Drew Barrymore

??? I can't remember her name. English actress from Harry Potter movies

Kristen Stewart

Ethan Hawke. He sat two rows in front of us on our plane back to Dallas. He was in first class. We were not. This is on the tram after we got off the plane. 

Ben also saw George Clooney and he thinks possibly Matt Damon before I got there but doesn't have the pictures to prove it! UGH!

Team Cousins: Jon, Emily, Presley and Landon came to visit us in October. We had a weekend full of soccer, pumpkin patch, Hula Hut, Smores, and cousin time. 

Grammy and Pawpaw brought goodies back from Hawaii.

Decorating pumpkins

Oliver had a birthday. He is now 1. Or 7 in dog years. The girls thought this was HUGE. Here he is with his new toy and birthday treats. 

Fun Run at School: 

The day Aubrey wore a ballet costume to go pick the girls up from school:

Macy got a Solid Gold Award from her PE coach:

Halloween: This year we had a mermaid, a pink ninja, and Sofia the First. They had a blast trick or treating with neighbors, dressing up, and eating tons of candy. I am not usually a huge fan of Halloween but this year was pretty great. Aubrey LOVED trick or treating. She is pretty shy usually, but she was not afraid to walk right up and say, "Trick or Treat" or sometimes she would say, "Happy Halloween!" It was pretty cute and fun to watch. Please disregard all of the red, white, and blue in the pumpkin carving pictures. It is actually October in these pictures and not the 4th of July. 

Brown Belt: Macy got her brown belt in Tae Kwondo. She is in the advanced class now with black belts! So proud of her!

I think that pretty much sums up September and October. Now on to the busiest time of year! 

Warning: Bragging Mom Post

I think I have said before that I use this blog to brag on my kids. I prefer not to brag on them on social media and I try to limit my actual in person bragging to grandparents. So... you have been warned... this is a braggy post.

Macy is now a green belt in karate! They test every 8 weeks for a new belt color or level and after only 8 weeks of being a yellow belt, she is now a green belt which is an intermediate level belt.


At the belt ceremony, Macy won THE award for most improved. Each belt cycle, the 4 instructors meet and discuss who they want to give this award to. They give it to the ONE person from each belt color that has shown discipline and progress and continued improvement (the instructor's words...not mine). Macy was the ONE that got this award out of about 30 kids! Ben put it best when he said, "I've never been so proud." : )

She was pretty proud of herself too! Now that she is a green belt, she has started sparring and has to wear all of this gear. Sparring is a whole other level. The first time that she sparred they paired her up with a level 2 green belt boy. It was funny but also a little hard to watch. She totally got her booty kicked. But since then she has figured it out a little bit better, and in my opinion, has been more evenly matched and is doing better with this. The hardest part is getting all of the gear on and off!

Ava and Macy also recently wrapped up another soccer season. They had a really great season. Their team finished with 4 wins and 6 losses but the whole team progressed SO much. Our coach is pretty hardcore but is awesome at teaching the girls skills and also understanding of the game. Macy played midfield this year and did really great. She was aggressive and way more attentive than she has been in the past. She had several games where she scored a goal or two. At the end of the season, the coach gives a special award to each girl. Macy got the "Most Coachable" award. (Ava won this award last year). In the coach's words.... "I can tell her to do something one time and she does it. She gets it and understands what I want her to do and carries it out." He said other nice things about her too but that was the one thing that stuck out in my mind. (Mostly because I don't see a lot of that at home! hahaha)

Ava also had a great season! She played defender for most of the season (they don't have goalies at their level). Ava rarely let other people score on her. Of course it happened some but she did a great job of being attentive to what was happening on the field and stopping the ball when it got close to her. She even scored a goal during the last game by stopping the ball then dribbling it up the field. She won the "Leadership Award." In the words of the coach.... "She is always helping out her teammates and directing them on the field. Sometimes she could even teach her teammates in a way that I couldn't." That makes her sound bossy but that isn't what he meant. : )

I was so proud of them for not only being good little soccer players, but also for the awards that they received. They didn't get MVP or the most goals scored, but they got awards that show that they know how to be respectful to their coach, be a good example for their teammates, and be a team player. I am about 99% sure that they are not going to grow up to be professional soccer players, but I do expect them to grow up to be decent human beings. Let's hope we are on the right track. : )

Finally, Ava recently received an award at school. She received The Solid Gold award. They give this award to a couple of kids each week that they select from the whole school. It is basically a reverse office referral. If the teacher has a student that is going above and beyond in the classroom, then they turn in a form to the office. The assistant principal calls the student down to her office to let them know that they have been chosen for the award. Then the AP calls the parent while the student is in the office! I can't tell you how my heart dropped when she said, "This is the assistant principal at Hosp Elementary." I didn't think either of the girls were in trouble but I was soooo worried that someone was seriously hurt. Ava got special recognition at their weekly assembly. I was so proud of her!

I think that is enough bragging for now! : ) Don't say I didn't warn you in the beginning.