November 2011

Pearly turned 4 on November 5th!! Her birthday was on Saturday and she picked out a Pinkalicious bike and matching helmet. I was surprised at how easy it was for her to ride! She rode around and around the table. Later that evening we all went for a walk around the block. She was going so fast (with KC running beside her). We were laughing as she looked from side to side with a big smile, not paying attention at all to what was in front of her. She ended up crashing with KC mostly catching her. Since then she has been a little hesitant to ride, unfortunately.
At Pearl's four-year check up, she weighed 41 pounds and was 3 ft, 5 inches. 75th percentile height and 88th weight :) Coby had to get a flu shot so he was also weighed and measured. At 2 1/2 yrs old, he weighed 36.6 lbs and was 3 ft, 1 inch. 88th percentile height and 97th weight. :) And I had been so concerned lately that Coby hasn't been eating enough. I guess he is ok. :) :)
Maybe not too noteworthy but I thought I would mention that KC and I got memberships to Gold's gym, just a mile or two from our house. I have been impressed by KC attending several 5 a.m. classes (spin or weights) each week. I get the preferred evening slot after the kids go to bed (while KC studies) to head to the gym. I have been mostly swimming laps as my feet (plantar fasciitis we believe) are still injured from the 1/2 marathon KC and I ran in July. :s That stupid race was definitely not worth it!!! I am glad I am usually the only one in the lap pool because I am a horrible swimmer!! Horrible or not, swimming is good exercise!!
With beautiful temperatures, Pearl and Coby spent a ton of time outside this month. They claimed our outside bathroom (that is never actually used) as their "house."


At age four, playing babies continues to be Pearl's favorite pass time.

We went to South Padre Island for a ward camp out. I am not a fan of camping and will not be camping at the beach again. The ocean "breeze" rattled the tent all night and sand was EVERYWHERE. I had to wash all sleeping bags, blankets, everything upon our return. Quite the hassle for one night I thought. I love the beach, but camping on it is not the way to go!
Of course Pearl and Coby LOVED it. They woke up at 6 a.m. and KC took them hunting for seashells...
Then they hiked around the sand dunes...
And ended up taking a dip in the ocean in their pj's. What's not to love?

As temperatures were in the 70's all month, Pearl and Coby could only pretend to play in the snow. Pearl is making snow angels and Coby is sledding.

Our laundry shoot is their favorite hide and seek spot. They LOVE hide and seek and beg us to play all the time.

The day before Thanksgiving, we had a pie-making day. It was so much fun that I might start a tradition out of it, although I haven't been in the baking mood since. :s I experimented with making my own crust for the first time and I liked how it turned out! We made 6 pies that day. Phew!

We had about 30 people to our house for Thanksgiving, most of them from our ward but also a few friends from the neighborhood, as well as KC's boss from work (I got quite nervous when I found out he was coming :s) Two families from Mexico, one from Argentina, two from Venezuela, and one from Ecuador were among our Thanksgiving party. A unique Thanksgiving for us! Dinner was a little crazy (no pictures to post for this reason), but fun. Everyone contributed to the meal (traditional turkey, etc) and it was nice enough outside that the kids spread out into the backyard a lot of the time.

The last week in November I took a trip to Utah by myself to attend the funeral of my Grandpa, Emmett Mays. He died of cancer at age 77. A babysitter came to our house to care for Pearl and Coby during the day and then KC took over after work. They seemed to do just fine without me and I had splendid flights without them, just being able to read and relax. ;) It was a quick trip but I was so glad that I was able to make it. The funeral was in Moab, Utah and Shilo, Mindy and I sang at the service. It was so sad to see my dad at the grave-side service, burying his dad next to his mom. I've always thought that when you lose a parent, you lose one of your biggest fans in life. I am thankful that we can be reunited with our loved ones in the next life.