Lily Jean Gardner

 Lily Jean Gardner
born 11/14/13
6lbs. 11oz.
20 inches

Maisy is Three!!

 This little cutie had a birthday on November 11th. She is so excited to be a big kid and is acting more like one every day. She is small but mighty and has so much spunk!

 We sang happy birthday and gave her some cake. I went in the other room to grab something and came back to a sleeping sweetheart. Guess we wore her out :)

Halloween

 We carved our pumpkins, we participated in the school "dress like your favorite book character" day, and we went to the ward trunk or treat. These were the best pics I got of our costumes this year... sometimes the days just get away from me :)

Gracie's Birthday Party

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 With all of our visits with family, Gracie's birthday sneaked up on us. We planned a  party at the last minute. We had fun getting ready, even though we had a poor turnout :( The party was fun anyway, and the kids were happy and excited, which meant it was successful.

 I took my stab at making a Lalaloopsy cake, it turned out kind of fun and cute.

Birthday Gracie!

 Gracie turned 7 on October 24th. We were so excited. She had a great day. We love Gracie so much. She is so good and so helpful and is bubbling over with personality.

 These are the cupcakes I made to take to her school for a treat... Yes, in small town Texas they let you bring in home baked goods :)

8 Months

More fun with Kim

 Our time with Kim flew by, but we enjoyed our Sunday with her. She gave Gracie an early birthday present,  and I opened my birthday package from Justin's parents that had come the day before. We also pieced on the green monster cake that Maisy had won at the fall festival, so it felt like a regular party:)

Fort Worth Stockyards

 Kim came to town the weekend before my birthday and Gracie's birthday. We had such a great time. Some of the kids were a little sick, but we were brave anyway, and were glad we went. The Stockyards are so cool. If you are ever near Fort Worth, you need to get there.

 I copied some better pictures from Kim, and might need to update them sometime, but for now... I need to catch up to get to our life changing events :)

Huntsville, TX

 The second weekend in October, we went down to Huntsville, TX to see my missionary parents. Huntsville is 3.5 hours from our house. The kids had a break from school and Justin had a conference in St. Louis, Missouri, so it seemed like perfect timing. I was the speaker at the institute's Friday Forum. I spoke about personality styles and learning how to get along with everyone.

 My parents have a cute 2 bedroom apartment, and luckily, the pool was still open. It wasn't warm enough for the adults to venture too far into the water, but the kids sure had fun :)

 We also made it down to the Houston, TX temple, which is about an hour south of where my parents are. It was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.

MVP

 The school year here is divided into 6 week increments. Every 6 weeks, each teacher chooses one student to be the MVP of the class. Gracie's teacher chose her for the first 6 weeks. She got emotional as she told me about Gracie being a little mother in the classroom and about how helpful she is to other students. I was pleased, but not surprised, because she is the same way at home. I love those qualities in Gracie and have been so proud of her transition to a new state and a new school. Go, Gracie!

Vet Clinic

 One Sunday night, Justin did a little clinic with the kids to show them how to help their sick animals. They ate it up...and so did I :)

Charmer

I'm so charmed by this young man. He is definitely a handful, but also my sweet, sensitive boy. He has picked up quickly on the local manners and is quick to say "yes, Ma'am" or " Thank you, Sir". It warms my heart.

Back To School

 My kids got back to school the last week of August. Justin came with me that morning to help drop them off. We took Gracie to her first grade classroom, and took Gunner to his pre-K classroom. Our school has a full-day pre-k provided by the school district that is just part of the school system (meaning it is free). He loves it.

 Maisy was all ready to come to school with us! She was really happy that first day to have free reign of all the toys, but now she wishes she could go to school too.

 I'm really happy with our school so far and one really nice thing is that school starts early enough (7:45) that Justin takes the kids with him on his way to work :)

Nanny and Grandpa in Texas!!!!

 My parents left for Texas the day after the reception. We were so happy to see them in our neck of the woods. We loved taking them to the park and showing them around town. My kids were quick to round up some sympathy points, "WOW, you brought SUCKERS????? We NEVER get suckers!".That is even funnier if you know that my kids all have sugar addictions and they are HARDLY deprived of candy. :)

 We enjoyed lunch at Taco Bell's playland and  I took my parents for a tour of Justin's clinic and the new clinic that they should be moving to soon. We stopped by Wal-Mart, an antique store, and got ready for the first day of school the next morning.

I am so excited for my parents. They will make the best missionaries!