Children's Museum

We chose a great day to get out of the house and head to Brownsville with friends for a last hoorah before we were stuck on a school schedule.Ashlyn and Emmaline are in the same class at school and Meredith and Georgia will be next year! Courtney and I try and exercise together and Daniel and Trey work together, so we are all intertwined! The kids had lots of fun and it was not crowded at all which was nice for a change!We stopped at Chick-fil-A on our way home to grab a late lunch. We hit the jackpot and got to hangout with the Cow and wear the cow ears. Emmaline was the only one who was too cool to wear them! Sidney thought it was the funniest thing ever and even tasted a little icecream! It was a good day and fun to spend with friends before school starts back for the Spring.

Sidney Rose is 11 months!!

BIG GIRL!!

My last baby girl... it's been eleven whole months since you were born yet it only feels like days. I find myself searching for pictures and combing over them to see snippets of you as a wrinkly newborn. All fresh in your pink hat the nurses gave you once we finally found out you were a girl. You know, even after they proclaimed, it's a girl, I still couldn't believe you were indeed a girl. I'm not really sure why but I guess I had convinced myself you were going to be the brother Hayes would never have. After I finally got it through my head you were a pink bundle of joy I was ready to share you with your overly excited sisters and your cautious brother.
Well, it's been 11 months and your cautious brother has turned into one of your sweetest playmates. I can always count on Hayes to give you kisses, make you giggle and to coax you into doing something you probably shouldn't. The problem is he doesn't know it all yet either, so when I found him at the top of the stairs and you half way up, with the loudest giggles from both of you...it was a quick reminder that he doesn't realize all the dangers that could befall you. He didn't know you could fall and hurt yourself..he was just so excited you wanted to follow him to the top and you could do it all by yourself. His heart for you has grown and you have a special place in it!
He says the sweetest things like, can we keep her? Sidney can sleep in my bed. She likes me...she really likes me. Our baby is so cute, right?! And the list could go on!

So, Sidney Rose is a special little girl. She is loved by many, doted on by her siblings, makes strangers smile and keeps her mama's arms full!

*Sidney is around 23 lbs.
*She wears 12-2T clothes and size 3-4 shoes, size 3 diapers.
*Sidney has taken 3-4 steps, once that I have see, from the rocker to the sliding glass door..but usually she takes 1 step and sits down. She can balance for a long time, like 10+ seconds, and loves to cruise on things. She is really fast at crawling and gets where she wants to be before we even know it.
*She eats well and has tried cottage cheese, drinks almond milk and likes bites of most anything. She only nurses 2-3 times a day and is fast and will probably wean this month. She is very independent!
*Sidney is the best sleeper. And she finally has her own room!!! She is in her crib and transitioned really well. You can tell she knows it isn't her safe closet bed but she does ok and as long as she has her paci and blankie she is good. She will nap twice a day when she can but otherwise she will do a long 3+ hour nap and go to bed around 8pm. She wakes up around 7-8am happy and ready for her day.
*Sidney still has 2 teeth but I swear she is teething and getting another soon!
*Sidney now likes to pretend to talk on the phone. She will put it to her ear and blab away. It's too cute!
*She is scaling the stairs and can make it up them pretty fast. She tries to get to her brother and sisters and loves when you start chasing her. She giggles and squeals with delight! We are trying to decide on which baby gate to use that works for us.

Sidney Rose,
You have made this last year fly by and we have enjoyed the ride. I love watching your personality grow and shine. You make us laugh, smile and keep us running after you and checking what you put in your mouth all day long! I am so excited to celebrate your 1st birthday next month. I am praying that you stay healthy and happy and continue to grow strong. I know your brother and sisters are in love with you and and I can't wait to watch those relationships form even more. You are our angel baby and I am so thankful you are here with us. These last 11 months have been my happiest, since you made our family complete! So happy to celebrate you!

Family Baptisms

We finally got the little kids baptized. We love our church here and felt it was the right time to get them baptized with Father Scott. He is so great and personable and does a good job with the kids. They really like him so I didn't have too many worries about them being scared or not participating.

Georgia Zeh, Hayes Bryant and Sidney Rose were baptized on Sunday, January 12, 2014 at St. Albans church. It was a lovely sermon about encouragement and the baptism went really well. The kids were good during the sermon and when it was our turn to go up front and start the ceremony they hopped right up and stood there like big kids. Sidney was a little squirmy but never cried or whined.

We went through the pledges then proceeded to the back of the church for the water and blessings. I am so thankful Sam was able to take some pictures of the kids and the ceremony since I didn't have my phone or my camera handy.

Georgia's godparents are Jeffrey & Natalie Stevens.
Hayes' godparents are Tony & Brandi Listi.
Sidney's godparents are Michael and Rachel Stevens. Emmaline was asked to help Father Scott pour the water and Georgia went first. She was so cute and just smiled! Hayes was next, and he was my wild card as I don't always know what he is going to do or how he will react. But he did great too. Then it was Sidney's turn. Father Scott took her in his arms and baptized her and she was smiling and grabbing at his glasses. Then he made the sign of the cross on each of their foreheads and said some lovely blessings on them and our family.
It was a special ceremony and Father Scott even joked at the end that Daniel and I would be hosting parenting classes because the kids were all behaved so nicely! I never get tired of hearing that, especially since that isn't always the case! One thing I want to note is that whenever we take the kids up to the altar for communion, Father Scott will do the sign of the cross on the kids foreheads and say, "...always remember you are God's dream come true..." I loved that from the moment I heard it...and I know just how He feels!

After church we had a nice lunch and cake at La Playa with our family. It was a special day and I am so proud of our children! Thank you to my parents and Sam and Juliette for coming and supporting the kids. Also, thank you for the beautiful crosses for them as well, Juliette and Sam.

New Year's Eve wedding

In late September we received a Save the Date for a fun wedding to be held on New Year's Eve in Austin, TX. It was for Zach Ernst and his fiancée Charlotte. Zach and the Ernst family are my little brother and my parents' close friends, so I knew they would be there and that it would be a great celebration!
Daniel and I decided it would be a fun night out, to get dressed up and a short but much needed break from the kids. We asked Sherry and Thomas to watch the kids in Houston and we hit the road early on New Year's Eve. We enjoyed our drive and had fun listening to loud music and snacking on junk food without having to share anything with a bunch of kids.

While we were driving into Austin we were calling people to meet us at the bar Cain & Abels. Natalie and Jeffrey showed up soon after we got there and the party began...and it was noon! A while later my cousin Dan got there. He and Kendra live back in Austin now and while she was getting ready for their little party, Dan met up with us for a few hours!

The first bar was closing to prepare for the night, so we went to another spot and had a few more drinks and met up with Jevon and his girlfriend, Tiffany and my parents. Of course, we ended up staying way too late at the bar and didn't give ourselves ample time to get ready for the wedding.
Natalie and I barely got our hair fixed and make up done before we were being yelled at that the cab was ready downstairs.

The wedding was held at the same place as my cousin, Rachel's wedding was...the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Mansion. It is a really neat older home and is a great venue. Their theme was a throw back to the 50s. My phone died early in the evening but we got a few pictures. The celebration at midnight was fun, not to mention the photo booth and props. In the early morning hours of 2014 they served tater tots, corn dogs and other fun foods!

The wedding was really fun and it was nice to have a 24 hour time away from the kids. We hopped in the car early the next morning and met Sherry and Thomas on the Beltway to swap cars. They were adorable and happy to see us. We were told Sidney said Mama and Dada and was a good girl. We passed out Christmas presents from Aunt and Uncle Toodge and Preston to the kids on the way home. That was a fun distraction for them and Sidney really loves her teapot! All in all it was a lot of driving for such a short amount of time, but it was worth it.