Thanksgiving 2011

This year for Thanksgiving, we traveled to Winnsboro to spend time with my family. I can't remember if I mentioned this in prior posts but my dad was involved in a freak accident where he got hit in his right temple with a golf ball. It was a really scary time for all of us but I am so thankful to God that he is doing fine now. It happened back in October and I didn't see him until Thanksgiving. It was kind of surreal because when I finally saw him I felt as though he looked like "my dad" and not like he had been in any kind of accident. I know in talking to my mom over the weeks that he looked pretty rough for awhile so it was probably better that I saw him when I did rather than when he looked so awful.

We really enjoyed our time seeing everyone and even though the Aggies lost to Texas (it's still painful saying that) I'm hoping that next year will find our Aggies in a much better position all the way around with some new talent and a new coach. Sadly, I took no pictures and haven't gotten any from my mom so maybe I'll post some pictures later.....

Kyleigh is 18 months!

Kyleigh turned 18 months back in November. To even say that she has reached the 18 month milestone is hard enough, but then you think about that being only 1/2 year more to age 2. She is my little inquisitive girl. She is still into absolutely everything and she's still eating us out of house and home. I am so thankful that she is still eating such a variety of foods because by this time Cooper had long ago gotten rid of veggies and fruit of any kind. Thankfully he is picking those back up now a bit.

She weighs about 26 lbs now which puts her in the 70% for weight and she's our little tall girl at 33 1/2 in which puts her in the 90% for height. She says so many words these days I can't keep up. She talks so much more than Cooper did because she has someone to mimic at all times. Her newest saying has been to tell us what she wants and then say "okay"....instead of saying "please". She's always keeping us laughing and it really the most joyful little girl. I do have to mention that we are beginning to see the "terrible twos" rear their ugly head. She is starting to throw some little fits but nothing too serious....yet. I really hope we can try to get through these terrible twos relatively unscathed but I won't get my hopes up too high because we've all ready been down this road before......

Funny Phrases

I had to write these two things down before I forget. Both the kids are saying such funny things lately but these two are the newest and definitely some of the funniest....

Cooper told me that "Kyleigh was an accident". Bahahahahaha I couldn't even contain my laughter. Then he told me tonight that "Maggie Mae was an accident". I have no idea where he heard the phrase "accident" but apparently it makes sense in his little mind.

Kyleigh must have heard me say "Come on" a few times here lately because she seems to always lag behind when I let her walk instead of carrying her. Tonight she kept saying "Come on, Come on, Come on" and then she would die laughing. It was hilarious and I've tried several times to get her on video saying it with my iPhone but I have yet to keep her still long enough for it to make sense. Hopefully I can post a video very soon of both of my funny funny little munchkins!

Halloween 2011

Sunday evening our church had a Fall Festival. We always enjoyed going to the Fall Festival at Cowboy Fellowship in Pleasanton so we decided to dress the kids up and go. We also helped out with our Sunday School class's booth, the Ring Toss. We didn't quite anticipate exactly how big the Fall Festival would be.....I would venture to say there were around 4,000 people there maybe more. It was crazy and trying to explain what a "long line" is to a 3 year old was less than exciting. I felt sorry for him because he wanted to go in the big jumpy things but the lines were just too long to entertain Kyleigh while waiting. We ended up going over to the booth where they were throwing washers and Cooper loved that. We also took them over to the petting zoo where they got to see baby goats and a pig. They LOVED the pig...both of them just laughed and tried to follow it around. We ended up leaving early because the kids were starting to melt down from hunger. We were planning on eating at the festival and when we got there at 5:30 all the food was gone! I had no idea otherwise I would have planned accordingly.

On Halloween night we went over to our friends' house, Leah and Brad. They live in Castlegate and have a great little area around their neighborhood to trick-or-treat. We all set up outside and ate pizza before heading out to trick-or-treat. Cooper seemed to really enjoy himself much more this year and I can tell that he will probably be even more into the whole thing next year. He followed the bigger kids to each house and got a nice bucket full of candy. He has enjoyed a couple of pieces so far and I'm sure he will be asking for more in no time. We have discovered that his favorite candy is a tootsie roll......a boy after my own heart :) We had such a great time with them and look forward to getting together again soon!

A Big Catch Up.....

I don't really know how many of these posts I will have someday, but I have a feeling this one won't be the last. I will apologize in advance for the length of this post but I must try and get everything down that has been going on lately in the Hindes House. Our house is a tad bit busy lately now that we have two mobile children! It's hard to describe what my day has been like lately but lets just say that my house is less than clean. I try to keep reminding myself that my children are only young once and that making memories with them is far more important than having a spotless house. I will try and catch up on one person at a time, so here it goes....

Cooper - What can I say about Coop? He is as busy as he's ever been trying to teach his little sister every which way she can get in trouble. He loves nothing more than to show her to do something she's not supposed to and then see her get in trouble. At the same time, he loves to play with her and make her laugh. I love watching the two of them interacting together. He's also been using the phrase, "Is that what you're thinking"? For example, I asked him this morning what he would like for Santa to bring him for Christmas and he said, "A green truck, an airplane, and a crane". I said Oh ok well maybe we should write a letter to him and ask politely for him to bring you those things. He then looked at me and said, "OK is that what you're thinking"? He' s such a character.....I feel sorry for him at times because it's painfully obvious to me that we shelter him way too much. I should've have been a more active mom when he was little and taken him to many different places. He gets excited at the very smallest things and in turn he also gets very concerned at the dumbest things. As we were handing out candy at our church's Fall Festival on Sunday night, I asked him to bring me something and he said, "I think there's too many kids in the way", because they were getting candy from me. Poor thing....Hopefully we are bringing him out of his shell a bit because we are a much more active family since Kyleigh joined us. Speaking of....

Kyleigh - This child has a mind all her very own. She's very independent and very VERY curious. She is keeping me busy and on my toes at all times. Now that she is walking she is into absolutely everything and by the end of a long day I am completely worn out. She is also very smart we are finding out. I love that she is able to communicate most things with me because that was a very hard stage for us with Cooper. He just screamed every time he wanted something and we didn't know what it was. She somehows manages to communicate with her hands or just mouthing it out somehow. I see how much more she has learned at this age because of her big brother....it's comforting to know she's learning some good with all the bad :) My favorite thing she does now is to say, "Pray" and put her little hands together before we eat. It is so stinking cute..... She's also very very cuddly and loving. She loves to give sloppy wet kisses on the lips and loves to give hugs and she says "Awwww". She is just the sweetest little girl and I can't believe she is growing up so fast right before my very eyes. I tear up quite often thinking about it lately so I'm thrilled that all my friends are having babies right back to back so I can enjoy them and then send them home...ha!

We have had many visitors lately between MiMi and Pop, Nana and Papa, Uncle Clifton, Aunt Amy, and Cousin Layton, and also a visit from Uncle Carter and Aunt Laura. It has been so nice to see everyone in a short period of time because it makes us miss everyone a little less each time we get to see them. I am so looking forward to the holidays and getting together with everyone and especially Amanda and Jerrod!!! We are sooo excited to have them home for a little while and hope that we get to squeeze in as much time as possible with them! I am so interested to hear how their ministry is going in Kenya now that they have moved.

Daniel is as busy as I've ever seen him. I'm so glad that he loves his job as much as he does but it has definitely been hard on me lately with him being gone so much. I don't know how single parents do it. It is so tiring and exhausting to take care of 2 kids by yourself so I am very VERY thankful that I have such a wonderful partner and a fantastic dad for our children. We have so many busy days ahead that I hope I can keep up with blogging better than I have been.....stay tuned!

9/11/01.....We will never forget.

I know this blog is for my children, but I cannot let a day go by without talking about that horrific day 10 years ago. I was a freshman at A&M and was just leaving my U.S. government class (how fitting). As I walked out of the building, I noticed a funny look on students' faces. I also noticed some running around frantically. I became a bit concerned but didn't think much of it as I walked back to my dorm on the other side of campus.

When I got to my dorm room I threw my bag down and the phone rang. It was Daniel and he asked where I had been and if I knew what was going on. I said no and he immediately told me to turn my television on. Just after turning the tv on, the second plane hit the south tower. I just sat down and watched in shock and sadness. I can't even describe what that was like to watch something like that happen in real time. I have watched several shows lately that were commemorating the anniversary and they showed the footage again. It brought back so many thoughts from that day but nothing can describe the feeling I felt that day.

I remember just watching the television for the next week constantly wondering what's next? How do we respond to something like this? I remember thinking that nothing in this world will ever be the same. I also remembering immediately turning to God and asking Why? Why did you allow this to happen to so many innocent people? I know we shouldn't ask why but I couldn't help myself. I then remember just praying for all those families that lost loved ones. I can't imagine the waiting for the phone call wondering if your loved one made it out before the towers came crashing down.

I know this is a little melodramatic but I WILL NEVER FORGET. I also want my children to never forget. Never forget about those people who are watching out for us and fighting for us on a daily basis to make sure we as a country stay as safe and protected as possible. Always remember to thank those people who fight for us and to thank those family members whose loved ones are off fighting. They are all making sacrifices so that we as citizens of the United States can live in a safe and free country. I also want my children to remember that God is in control. He is in control of every single situation that happens in your life and you should always look to him for guidance and for strength. Never forget.....

10 years ago....

I graduated from high school. I know. It's hard for me to even believe it. We had our reunion this past weekend at Double C Steakhouse in Winnsboro. Sadly, I forgot my camera in College Station so I have no pictures to document this momentous occasion. I had such a great time catching up with old friends and seeing how everyone has changed over these last 10 years. I think Daniel even had a great time! He spent most of the evening catching up with Justin Ross and hearing all about this past year he spent in Afghanistan.

It's hard to believe that 10 years has all ready passed since that wonderful time I spent at Winnsboro High School. I can honestly say that high school was some of the greatest times in my life. I was involved in everything you could possibly be involved in and I didn't really have a care in the world. I think we often take for granted how "easy" life is when you are young and even though I still feel young I know that that stage is quickly fading away. I hope that my children always remember how much fun it is to be a kid and that they never take for granted the time and friendships they have going through school. They will find out as I have that time passes by like a whirlwind and you should always stop and enjoy it while it lasts.