2010 So Far...A Quick Recap

2010 has been a great year so far for the Noynaert family! It started on New Year's Eve with great friends and good food (and no, we didn't stay up until midnight!).


Sam and I made a very quick trip to Fort Worth on January 2nd to visit friends and see Jack Ingram in concert at Billy Bob's! It was a great trip, although it was too short and we had lots of other people/things we wanted to see and do!

We had great seats at the concert! I didn't know a lot of his music, but he put on a great show!

A friend of mine convinced me to take the kids bowling with her last week...and it was quite an experience! Between the two of us, we had 4 kids under 4! Carter loved it and asks to go back all the time, while Ally thought it was fun the first few times and then got distracted!


Sam took the kids to an Aggie basketball game one Saturday afternoon while I was in Houston at the Bridal Fair (with my future sister-in-law!). He told me he had to wake the kids up from their naps to go, and he couldn't even bribe them with popcorn to help improve their moods!

Both kids started gymnastics this month and they LOVE it! Right now they are going at different times during the week, but hopefully we can get them going at the same time sooner than later!

Carter loves to pose with a "Gig'em" these days! We haven't been brainwashing him or anything!
We have finally gotten back into our routine and for that I am thankful. The kids are enjoying school, gymnastics, children's choir, play dates, etc., and are keeping us busy! We love every moment, and we are looking forward to many more fun times this year: my brother's wedding, a trip to Italy (unless we gain our senses back by then), a Disney cruise (with a possible stop at Disney World) and many more events! Happy 2010!!!

Catching Up - December

Our family stayed busy during the month of December! I have tons of pictures, so instead of writing about each event, I have decided to just summarize the rest of our month and make a slide show!

Carter:
Carter had lots of birthday parties to attend in December, including his own! He also had a small Christmas party on the last day of school with his classmates, sang in church on Christmas Eve and LOVED waking up to find that Santa had come! Santa brought him a John Deere Gator, which he rode for about 10 days straight. He would load up the back with boxes and trash and drive it to the "burn pile" at Gaga's house! All of his new toys have done a good job keeping him entertained!

Ally:
Ally had a Christmas party for her class, but unfortunately she was unable to attend because they had it on a day she doesn't go to school (and we already had other plans). Her class did end up singing in her school's Christmas Program, and she did a great job playing her bells and singing "Jingle Bells." She also sung in church on Christmas Eve. Ally really didn't feel well during the holidays, and after two trips to the doctor and three prescriptions, she is finally feeling better! Ally loved opening presents. Her favorite things were her kitchen and all her new princess clothes (which she rarely takes off!).

We stayed at my mom's on Christmas Eve, but our stay was extended when we discovered our heat was out at our house. Sam finally got it working again (a few days later), but we didn't mind spending the extra time out there. Between birthday parties and Christmas parities, we were ready for a little relaxation! We couldn't have asked for a better way to spend our Christmas, but now I am ready to get back into a routine and return to "normal!"

Monster Truck Birthday!

Carter celebrated his 4th birthday with a monster truck/gymnastics party! The kids had free rein of the equipment, which was a huge hit! Here a few pictures from the day...enjoy!

Happy Birthday Carter-Roo!

I can't believe my baby boy turned 4 today. Seriously, where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I woke up not feeling well, knowing that there was no way that I would be having a baby a month early while Sam and my mom were out of town. However, God had other plans, and a few hours later he arrived happy and healthy! Although that day was one of the scariest of my life, the blessing it brought me is unmeasurable!

Happy 4th Birthday, Carter! I can't wait to see what God has in store for you this year! We love you!

Gingerbread Houses

There's nothing better than spending a cold (snowy) day in your pajamas making gingerbread houses with your Gaga!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I love this time of year for many reasons: the sights, the smells, the lights, etc....but mostly for the joy that it brings. I feel that this is the first year that the kids (mostly Carter) really understand what is going on, and it is been fun practicing some of my kindergarten skills on them!

Yesterday we made red playdough and got out the Christmas cookie cutters!

The kids have a "Little People" Nativity that I got out a few days for them to play with during Advent, and Ally has been obsessed with it since I opened it! She began by just carrying Baby Jesus around with her ALL THE TIME (he even sleeps with her), and now it has progressed into Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus! There is a baby bottle from one of her baby dolls that she uses to feed Baby Jesus, and it has to sit right next to the manger! Here is a picture of them on her mimi (her very special blanket) watching a movie with her! If she isn't holding them, and they aren't resting on her mimi, then she is carrying them around in a tupperware bowl!
We let the kiddos watch "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" last night in their Christmas pajamas!

I had the opportunity to help Carter's class make bird feeders for their playground! It was cold outside, but they had fun making several different types of feeders and finding places to hang them!

After Carter finished his feeders, he found this bike and rode of it the rest of the outside time (about 35 minutes) with some of the other boys in the class. Now I know why he says "playing outside" is his favorite thing about school!!!

Dear Santa...

The kids wrote their letters to Santa yesterday, and they did a great job dictating what they wanted me to write and decorating them! Carter wants an Army helmet, batman costume and marshmallow gun! Ally asked for a princess dress (with high heels and crown) and Cinderella baby doll!