Contest

Okay I am not usually the one to go for the contest, but I love Melissa and Doug products so I can't pass this one up. Melissa and Doug is having a contest for their play kitchen. The current plan for Joy's Santa gift is the Cook's Corner Kitchen which I have been eyeing since this time last year. So one of the ways to add entries is to blog about the contest, please don't also sign up for the contest unless you also want to give it to Joy. Either way she's getting a Melissa and Doug Kitchen for Christmas, and will love it, but I could put more in savings if she got it for free!!
That's all. Sorry no pictures of Joy as the Mac is still unplugged (I don't know why though).

3rd Year Pictures

Joy turned 3 on Saturday and we went for her 3rd year pictures today. You can see for youself how they turned out.

Pretty little girl

Who me?

Don't make me laugh

Loving on my Mickey

1st day of school

It was a success! When I picked her up, after almost crying when she saw me, she said "I love my class" I then took her for a treat at TCBY.

This is right after I sat down after paying. I could see we were in for a real treat, glad I brought the camera!

She is trying to be neat, she has a napkin.

Mid lick.

Yummy!

The final product. Yes she has some on her nose.

Her smile

While she ate we talked about school, and that she gets to go back on Tuesday. She was glad she gets to go back, but disappointed that she doesn't go back every day.

Did you miss me?

Did you miss me? I took a hiatus. Actually what happened was the computer desk got built, and in the process computer shuffling happened. That and I took Joy out of daycare cause I didn't love subbing and financially it wasn't working either, we lost money on that venture. So this year Joy is in a 2 day a week Mother's Day Out program on Tuesday and Thursday. This is much needed Mommy alone or with Daddy time. This also allows me to switch back and forth along our lovely new computer desk from the Mac to my computer. So here is a snippet of what life has been like the last 6 months.

This is one of two Easter cakes I made one for our Sunday school the other for
our family Easter day.

I let Joy dye eggs this year, I had her take off her clothes cause I would rather stain her than her clothing. I know how to get it off her!

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go!

Her bounty at least some of it.

She and Daddy got Chocolate Bunnies

Simple Project: I always see bow hangers at craft shows and never can pay the crazy prices they ask, so I made my own and it's perfect for her future room. I am imagining pink for the future. I know it doesn't match Mickey, but she will eventually give up or grow out of Mickey (well at least the room).

Plenty of room for more bows (Santa?)

A little summer fun.

Our Icemaker no longer dispenses ice since Hurricane Ike, so every now and then a dumping of the ice is necessary, where better to dump it than in a water table on a hot day?

We visited the firestation with our Mom group this summer, this is Joy "driving" the firetruck. Watch out fire she is looking mad!

We renewed our Moody Garden's Membership instead of the zoo, trying to get a little diversity in our lives. This is a skull in the lobby there, I guess she is a booger?

A short tree frog.

A growth chart of penguins.

This is from earlier in the summer, I think she's grown a bit this summer what about you?

Our day trip to Brenham!

Daddy too!

Miniature horses or as Joy says "Joy sized"

Since the real horses are not trained for riding she rode the statue.

That brings us to today... The first day of MDO/Preschool/"school" for Joy.
Getting in the car.

Finding our cubby!

She's ready to go, Monkey backpack and lunch are in the cubby.

Sitting down at her spot.

Mommy I am ignoring you would you leave already!

So that has been our summer. We stayed at home all summer and enjoyed being just us. The "big" news in our family is Rob's job has cut his pay 10% and "given" him one day each pay period off. So I signed back up for subbing and will do my 1st job tomorrow. He will stay home when I work so we don't have to find a daycare or someone else to watch her. That's all folks! I will try and keep better updated, but who knows!

Livestock Show and Rodeo

Well it's that time of year again! The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I took Joy last year with a friend and she liked it, although still kinda young and didn't fully understand everything. This year she had allot more fun and enjoyed a little more, and we had more to do! On a side note the picture uploading for blogger is very frustrating to me at times, and I forget this and don't load the pictures in the right order so sorry, but these aren't in any great order, but I did group them in like pictures. Enjoy...

Cowgirl Joy, I bought this outfit when I went back to the Rodeo Wednesday night to see Alan Jackson. We went today to get the boots from Cavenders!

You could say Joy was a reluctant model for the pictures, no smile, but she loves her new outfit and boots even if it doesn't show!

One of her favorite things at the rodeo was sitting in/on the big tractors! I made her cry when I got her off both times!

Hmm what does this switch do?

Big Tractor!

The one thing I promised her about the rodeo and she would tell you anytime you asked was she was going to get to ride a pony at the rodeo! So here she is on her pony ride (only one at $6 a ride!)

Waiting in line for the new farmer experience for kids!

Sitting on the hay was the most exciting thing!

More Hay sitting

We have our basket and we are ready to be farmers.

Joy wanted to go see the pigs, but some schools were there and not real friendly/good about being in line or letting you back in so I just took a picture from afar. The look there is come on Mom.

Feeding the chickens

Waiting in line with the apron on.

Baby piglets at the birthing center.

Beauregard Elsie's son. (If you don't know Elsie she's the Borden cow if you don't know Borden you're not a Texan)

A cow eating hay.

Miss Moo and Howdy dancing.

Joy shaking Miss Moo's hand, I had to tell her to let go!

Miss Moo and Howdy saying hello to eachother.

Joy would not see Howdy by herself so here we are together with Howdy.

Howdy The Houston Livestock show and Rodeo bowlegged H.

That is our pictorial of the day and our new cowgirl outfit. I think Joy is a proper Texan now and has something I don't think I ever had, a pair of cowboy boots. Liz and I are going to take care of that detail later this week/month with our own trip to Cavenders or somewhere else to get some boots of our own!