Whose Child is This??

Kirby doesn't like chocolate. Let me repeat that...Kirby...a child of mine and Scott's...DOES NOT like chocolate. While I understand this is technically a good thing at this age, it just seems a little strange given my and Scott's love of all things dark and delicious!

So, Kirby has decided that almost anything "brown" must be chocolate and said yucky-chocolate apparently shows up in the most unexpected places...

*The other night we had pizza. There were a few spots of burnt cheese and she shrieks, "Yucky Mommy...chocolate!" She refuses to eat the rest of hers until it's removed.

*One of her frozen mini waffles got a little charred in the toaster...."Oooo, Mommy...yucky chocolate on my waff-a!" Mommy gets a knife and scrapes it off. All is well.

*She was eating an apple the other day. The apple had a few teeny, tiny discolored spots..."Mommy, apple is yucky...look chocolate!" Mommy peels the discolored skin. The poor apple didn't stand a chance though. She takes a bite and gets close in to the core, which exposes a few seeds..."Oh no Mommy, apple has ANTS!"

She really cracks us up, the little cutie!

When the Cat's Away....

The mice...will sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed!

The girls and I have started this little tradition that the first night that Scott is out of town on a multiple night business trip is "Girl's Night". This night usually includes a fun, bad-for-you dinner - McDonald's or Sonic - and the "treat" of getting to sleep with me. The girls love being able to watch cartoons in our bed, and I love that once I get them up there and settled, they stay put. Once I'm done getting the house shut down, I climb in and we all snuggle up.

It's a very sweet, peaceful time...until the heavy sleeping and the tossing and turning begin. There's your usual cover stealing/hogging issues. There are arms tossed about, noses bashed. There are knees to the stomach and Kirby seems to always end up completely inverted on top of the covers near the end of the bed. That situation requires getting completely out of bed to bring her back "in to position", which of course wakes Emerson up...then everyone must go to the bathroom and get resettled. Once resettled and I let out a sigh, thinking we'll all drift off back in to pleasant slumber...someone needs a drink. We all get drinks and resettle again. A few more half-asleep cover renegotiations take place, a few little feet are repositioned and all is well. Before I know it, the alarm is buzzing, and though I should feel exhausted...I bounce out of bed, make a cup of coffee....then lay on the couch in complete, untouched peace, with my very own blanket and savor several minutes before it's time to rally the troops for the day.

I know what you're thinking....why on earth would I subject myself to such an irritating, sleepless night? Well, take a look at the sweeties below....I wouldn't miss Girls Night for anything!

~ But thank goodness it's only for ONE night! :-) ~

Sentimental Sunday

We weren't able to make it to Dewberry Farm in Brookshire this year. It's a really fun place and if you've never been, you should check out their site and make plans to go some time. Here's the website http://www.dewberryfarm.com/ It's a short drive out of town, but well worth it!

We've been two years with the Jones Family and our kids have always had a blast! Time just seems to have blown by since Hurricane Ike. Everyone's schedule was disrupted, events were cancelled, rescheduled and rearranged (oh, yeah...and the Jones' went to Mexico. JEALOUS!) It was hard to find the time before Halloween to fit it in, and our weekends are full this month as well. We certainly are a busy family!!

So, for your viewing pleasure...here are a few quick photos of our trip last year.

Emerson (with Scott and Kirby close behind!) on the roller slide.

The grilled corn is the BEST!

The Forbes and Jones Kids...E-I-E-I-O!

Can you see us? That's me and Emerson in the middle of the Corn Maze.

A family picture on the Corn Train.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We hope you have a frightfully wonderful day!

Love,

Daphne (from Scooby Doo!) & the Silly Witch

Pumpkin Patch

We visited the pumpkin patch at the local Episcopal church again this year. I'm not sure if we hit it a little late, or if the pumpkin batch wasn't so great (hey, that rhymed!) this year...they were light on their inventory and the good ones were few and far between. We managed to get a nice sized one for carving though, and will set it out by the front door with our store-bought ones.

This picture of Emerson cracks me up!

Who's your Mummy?

She's Good!

We heard from our doctor this morning and everything from the echo looks normal and fine. According to Scott, Kirby apparently has the "good Forbes genes"! :-) Obviously, we're thrilled and thankful!

Sentimental Sunday

This week's Sentimental Sunday post has me looking back on Emerson, and specifically her heart condition and our stay at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) from New Year's Eve Day 2002 in to the new year of 2003.

On Friday, we took Kirby to TCH for an echocardiogram. Given Emerson's heart defects, I had a fetal echo while pregnant with Kirby and we've listened to her closely since her birth. As you all know, she's a healthy, active little one and we've never had reason to worry. When we unexpectedly found my heart valve defects last Fall, our pediatrician thought it would be best to check out Kirby as well, to see if she joins the "Mommy and Emerson Bum Valve Club".

Before we look back, Kirby did great! Scott went back with her and she watched Shrek while the echo was performed. Afterwards, we took the girls to the Avalon Diner on Westheimer for dinner. Every one should experience an Avalon Diner chocolate shake...though I suppose after having her ticker looked at, drenching it in saturated fat may not have been the best idea!

We should hear something about the echo this week and I'll let everyone know.

So, here's our little Emerson at TCH on New Year's Eve 2002....

That's me sleeping in the background. I didn't leave the hospital once in the 7 days we were there. In fact, I think I only left our room and the floor two or three times. Scott and I felt so scared and helpless. She was just so small...our first baby...it wasn't supposed to be like that. God is GOOD though!! After a rough start, she is our smart, active girl...wonderful in every way. In fact, if her heart issues ever do arise in conversation, most people are shocked...I mean, come on...we've all seen her energy, exuberance and can attest to her volume!!

She is due for another echo and clinic visit in early 2010. While we know she's healthy and doing well, we always wonder when and if they will want to repair anything. We'll worry about that later though. We thank God for blessing us with such a wonderful and amazing daughter and trust in His plan for her!