Mini Me :)

Okay, so I really think we look alike...especially through the eyes...our left eye is squinty and our right one opens up just a little bit more...

Kameron Jo is still an easy baby...even though she eats throughout the night hours...

Kameron's first Christmas is tomorrow!!

Twas the night before Christmas...

so the girls got to open one gift after our evening service and an AWeSome German meal with the Honeymans :) They have two strollers already, but they asked Santa for some more...so they opened those tonight...and believe it or not, they were really excited and took their babies on a few laps around the house...

Before bed, we set out a muffin and some milk for Santa...this year Erin was concerned about Santa getting too much sugar...she actually cried when I told her we could set out cookies for him...she said "NO! Cookies have TOO much sugar...we need to give him a cereal bar".

This is not unusual, lately she likes to tell people that there is nothing healthy at Burger King...

Anyways, as Brooke was climbing the stairs towards bed, she was apparently still thinking about Santa coming down the chimney to eat his muffin, she stopped to tell her daddy, with a serious look on her face, to "make sure Santa doesn't get my stroller".

"I'm annoyed"...

says Kyle as he sits down beside me on the couch....

me: why?

Kyle: because everything you make lately is crappy...stick to the same five things and rotate...I'm so tired of artichoke and something...

me: laughing hysterically

Kyle: I had to eat peanut butter on crackers tonight to avoid eating the stuff you make.

It's true...I've been making some creative/uncreative food as of late...and I have been including the before mentioned ingredient in almost all my entrees...

Here's the latest meals...none were very good (with the exception of the first and I think it was the catalyst to the rest of my creations)

Tuesday night: chicken, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh basil and artichoke (with orzo noodles)

Thursday night: ground turkey, olives, fresh oregano (over egg noodles)

Saturday night: lemon butter chicken, lemon and herb noodles, cherry tomatoes and artichoke

Monday night: organic roasted portabello mushrooms and tomato sauce (with angel hair)...really, it was the worst spaghetti ever...

this meal broke the camel's back...back to safe and easy casseroles :)

Winter Wonderland....

We went to a Christmas party tonight and it was extravagant...and so much fun for the girls.  When we walked up to their home, we were greeted by Frosty (who gave out glow necklaces, see Santa picture) and there was snow in the air (thanks to a snow blower), and hot chocolate or coffee at the door...once you got inside Santa, jugglers, and a balloon artist were there to give the children whatever their hearts desired...

Brooke didn't like Frosty, I think he reminded her of the Chick-fil-a cow (who terrifies her)...but, this year she did like Santa...and Kameron had no problem with him either...of course, Erin isn't afraid of anyone...so she walked right up to him and before he could ask she told him she wanted a camera...

as a sidebar, I don't know where this obsession with cameras and taking pictures is coming from...hmmm, not really, I know EXACTLY where it's coming from...watching her Aunt Rachel take pictures all over the place...every time I pick up my camera it has pictures of our coffee table, our TV, a toy on the floor, a picture on the wall...all nicely centered...

back to the party, there was a cheese fountain there bigger than any I've seen, cooks cooking...and buckets of different flavored popcorn...and that's where Brooke landed for the night...

Brooke's favorite...'Dill' popcorn...and Rachel caught this...notice anything? :)

Our girls with Santa...

Tis the Season...

to celebrate our Savior's birth, to remember that He was born to die, to know that you are loved by the Most High, to pick up the cross and follow Him, to be thankful for your family, to love and give to others who need, to share Jesus with people...the greatest gift of all.

We have a family FAVORITE Christmas song, O Holy Night, (please click and watch)...Kyle sings this to and with the girls at night in their room with the lights off and their Christmas tree lit up...it's beautiful to see and hear :)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness He's no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Rice and Rudolph

Kameron had rice cereal yesterday...we started in the bumbo, moved to my arms, and ended up in the swing...she ate it all and seemed to enjoy it :)  I was relieved that it wasn't a struggle...Brooke didn't eat solids until she was nine months old because of her corroded esophagus from silent acid reflux :)  In comparison, it was a SMOOTH and EASY experience with solids for Kameron...

Still under the weather, but a full belly of rice :)

We went to watch Erin do her Rudolph dance on Tuesday...it was really cute and she ABSOLUTELY LOVES dance...she exaggerates each move and smiles from ear to ear the entire dance...she also has hops!!  I think she can jump at least a foot off the ground when she gets excited :)!

Santa's reindeers pulling the sleigh!

Marriage...a Test and a Tool

I've mentioned before that Kyle and I took a Love and Respect course...and we now have a prayer that we pray every morning...we started a couple of weeks ago and plan on continuing for awhile...

So, after praying our prayer this morning, I started a little blog surfing and landed on a site that I loved.  I'm sure a lot of blog surfers have linked up to hers, over 2 million according to her blog, and I'm so glad I finally did.  She wrote on submission and it was SO well said. Here's her link, www.mycharmingkids.net, click on it and read December 17th.  It's so true and worth the five minutes it will take you to read :)

4 months!!

Kameron had her four month well check today, and no I didn't forget...like I did for her two month appointment!  She is THRIVING (according to me)...although her weight may not show it!

Here's her stats:

Weight: 12 lb 11 oz (25-50%)

Length: 25 3/4 inches (95%!)

Head circumference: 16 1/4 inches (50-75%)

Kameron's got a terrible sounding cough, but still no fever...so thankful that Brooke's cough and 104 temp on Wednesday night didn't fully pass to her sister...Bhakta says it's the breastmilk! :) She's still sleeping pretty well through the night...last night about 8:00 to 5:00...Nice Kam, keep it up...

Our Baby Girl...

It's neat having a baby around Christmas time...because it's a constant reminder of what Christmas is all about...it's about a precious baby who was born and would be the world's Savior...I'm so thankful that Kameron is my baby and that when I look at her during this time of year, she reminds me of baby Jesus' birth...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Kissing Cousins

Erin and Brooke LOVE their cousins...they're growing up like brothers and sisters and it makes my heart smile :)  Rachel had the boys and I had the girls...so we both get to enjoy the VERY different worlds of raising girls vs. boys!!  We were at Market Street yesterday listening to our church choir...they were wonderful, but the little ones are a little young for the attention span needed for their Christmas performance...

They ran around and Rachel got a picture of Erin and Brooke loving on Tyler...

love, love, love!

New Babies!!

The playgroup is growing...six new babies (six months old and younger)! Three of the six are brand new moms to our playgroup...I don't know if they'll stick around for all the craziness of our preschoolers :)

I can remember going to playgroup for the first time when Erin was three weeks old and I looked at one of the mom's oldest child, who was only 2, and wondered why he wasn't in school :) So funny!! and so naive to the reality of how quick they grow up...I didn't realize that those two and three year olds are still babies to their moms and it 'was just yesterday' that their little one was as small as Erin :)

Paige, Kameron, Pierson, Harper, Brady and Ellie

Gingerbread House

Erin and Brooke like it when their Mimi tells stories...one in particular is Hansel and Gretel. When Mimi would get to the part of the story where Hansel and Gretel, and sometimes Erin's made up friend, Do Little Dinkty,  would approach the house, eat some of it, and eventually go inside the witch's house, Erin would ask WHY? She didn't understand why they would go near the house, knowing the witch wanted to eat them...so, Mimi would say it was the witch's gingerbread house, having all sorts of good things to eat on the outside, that would entice little children to come close....last night, they got to make their own house and can fully understand the draw Hansel and Gretel had toward the house :)

The Gingerbread House...

The gingerbread house workers :)

Toothless smiles...

I love the toothless grins that I get from Kameron...they're beautiful and don't last long. Rachel captured this one with her new camera...Erin got her bottom two teeth at six months and Brooke at nine months...I'm wondering when this little one will get her first tooth?

Grin of gums :)

Brown's Wedding...

Welcome to the Ritz...it was grand!

Kameron and Dad got to spend a lot of one on one time this weekend...

The flowers were beautiful :)

Kyle was a co-best man with Spence :)

Adam and Katie were so happy and were a GORGEOUS bride and groom!

We were in Dallas this weekend for Adam's wedding. Kameron, Kyle, Mom and I left Friday morning...mom went to take care of Kameron...thanks Mom :)

We stayed at the Ritz and I have to tell you that the service was superb...unbeatable and so sincere :) We ate breakfast in their restaurant downstairs Saturday morning and mom said it was as close to having Breakfast at Tiffany's as she'll ever get...they even heated her cream for her coffee :)

The wedding and the reception were at the hotel, so it was so easy for me to feed Kameron and be at the festivities on time. The pastor of the First United Methodist church of The Woodlands performed the ceremonies...he did an excellent job of explaining a covenant...Congratulations Adam and Katie!

Thankful...

for so much.  I'm thankful for my Savior, who died in my place, for Kyle, for my children, for my parents, for my sisters and brother, for relatives :), for Kyle's family, for my irreplaceable friends...after Hurricane Ike, I'm thankful for electricity and all our modern day conveniences :)

Erin told me she was thankful for: listed all the members of our family, extended family and friends, bushes, plants, the sky, milk, green beans (she said this, but I know she CAN'T stand them), and everything out there...

Brooke and her daddy...she hit the back of her head today and only wanted her dad...did you see the bag of frozen peas for her head?

Erin and her D :)

Cha Cha and Kameron...

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.  Psalms 100:4-5

She's moved...

to her bed...it's sad to let go of each phase...but, Kameron's totally outgrown her bassinet.  I tried the last two nights to put it off, especially since we're back to nursing every three hours, but she wouldn't sleep even a few minutes in it tonight :(  She would stretch out her arms and hit the sides of the bassinet and cry...I didn't do a bassinet with our first two, but with Kameron, well, she's our baby...

Thanks mom and dad for the bassinet...it was beautiful and so convenient to have Kameron right by my side for the last three months...I'll miss that.

She's gone...

to her bed :)

Quiet Lamb and Piligrims...

Brooke enjoying the Feast...

Pilgrim napkin holders...

Erin and Brooke had their Thanksgiving Feast at SonKids yesterday. My friend Nancy went and took pictures of her daughter, Peyton, and Erin. Erin talks about Peyton A LOT. She now knows two Peytons...she differentiates them by saying 'the Peyton who loves me' (above and below) and the Kahn's little girl.

Her hat said, 'Quiet Lamb'...not so much...

Dedication

All smiles :)

Erin and Brooke loved the baby dedication and being on stage. On the way to church, Erin asked if she could please talk on the microphone...I asked her what she would say and she said she would say this, "God made Kameron and we should all be thankful"...

During the first service Brooke screamed for Papa and in the second service Erin yelled for D...some of our close friends came to watch the dedication...Kyle and I feel so blessed to have the friends that we do (thanks for coming!)...

So, Kameron's dedication was really a dedication of the parents to raise our children remembering this scripture:

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of you house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:7-9

In a nutshell, I should talk about God's love, His commands, and His promises all day long to each of my children...apart of our natural conversation...my favorite right now, is this: Girls, STOP WHINING!! :) because God says in Philippians and Exodus to, "Do all things without complaining/grumbling or disputing."...hasn't changed much yet, but we will perservere :)  I asked Erin why she is supposed to not whine and she said because she shouldn't grumble and I asked Brooke and she said because we won't get Dora gumbies :)

Kameron rolls...

on command. That's right, I told her to roll and she did...so funny :) We had playgroup at our house today and some of Kameron's friends came over this time :) She was definitely in the mood to show off, because as soon as I put her on her tummy she rolled for the first time in front of her friends, Paige and Harper :)

We had a great time today!! It was crazy, but we LOVE IT!

My baby's rolling over already...

Rockets vs. Mavericks

Kelley and John invited us to the Rockets and Mavericks game last night...it was only my second time to have gone to a NBA game...the first time was in the nose bleeds, and it was scary to look down at the court...this time we had great seats and we could see the players very easily :) 

Basketball is fun to watch...and looking at men close to 7 feet tall or taller is unusually strange...Kelley and I talked about how it would feel to be that tall...tailored made suits, shirts, jeans, socks, underwear, shoes, beds, shower heads...and the luxury of getting to eat anything they want without much consequence...

Dirk "you're not the boss of me" Nowitzki

Yao Ming...

Great seats :)  Thanks Kelley!

C.S. Lewis quotes...

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing.

I believe Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.

Kelly's 30th...

We went to Dallas this weekend to celebrate

Kelly's birthday. It was a fun time:) Happy birthday Kelly!!  

Kelly and I've been the best of friends since our freshmen year at Baylor....can't believe that it's been over ten years.  We both lived in the Collins dorm, had different roommates,  but I would stay in her room just because I loved hanging out with her.  

We lived together until our senior year...I think she is the only one who could have lived with Rachel and I :)

She moved to Dallas after graduation and Rachel and I to Houston, but there's no difference in our friendship...just 200 miles.  Thanks for never changing and being the most loyal and caring friend a girl could ask for :)

Dance, Dents, and Doo Doo...

The parents were invited to videotape their girls dancing today at Boni's...Erin enjoyed the spotlight...Tyler, Drew, Brooke, Kameron, Mimi, Papa, Dad and Mom were there to cheer her on :)  They did a turkey dance...

Here they are dancing on their 'dots'...

They paired up and danced around the room...Erin hugged and kissed her friend afterwards :)

After dance we went to the grocery store.  There is a range of experiences at the store...today was a 9 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most difficult...it only ranks a 9 and not a 10 because no one was injured.  

I parked the car as it started to drizzle, got a shopping cart, put Erin in the seat of the cart, Brooke in the basket of the cart and secured the cart as best I could. I affixed the baby bjorn to my body and was getting Kameron into it, when I heard "Mom, the street is making us move!"... I looked up and the girls were about 15 yards in front of me, gaining speed and headed towards a grey honda...I ran to catch the girls, but wasn't quick enough...the cart left a nice size dent in the back left panel of the car.  UGH!  I cried (and Kameron did too), as we waited for the owner of the car to appear...thankfully, it wasn't too long and the lady was really nice...I gave her my insurance, called my mom for some help, and we went on inside without anymore trouble.

After we got home, I tried to put the girls down...Erin for alone time and Brooke for her very "short" nap...during Brooke's non-existent nap, she went #2 and smeared it on her legs, hands, game room carpet, and stairs...today has been too much...I'm over it and ready for tomorrow :) !!

Love and Respect

Kyle and I have been taking a Love and Respect class for the last 10 weeks. It's so good and has so many truths to make a marriage really work, and not just marriage, to make life work. So, I wrote down some principles tonight that spoke directly to my heart.

The secret things belong to the Lord.

The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.

The works of the Kingdom are upside down.

When you die, because we all will, will God say 'Well done'?

The secret things belong to the Lord...what we do when no one is around...God sees our heart...what motivates our actions...is it to please others, receive recognition or is it because we love God so much that we obey Him and love others because our love for Christ is so great that it simply overflows into loving other people? Seeing their needs and meeting them so that they can see God's provision in their lives through you. This truth was revealed to me in the study of Matthew last year and was reiterated in tonight's Love and Respect.

The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. The opposite of this is true also, the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world. I think this is SO profound...maybe this is why people think christians are crazy or fanatical :)

The works of the Kingdom are upside down...die, so that you might live, the humble inherit the Kingdom, love your enemy, and pray for those who persecute you...on a tangent, dying to self is HUGE, realizing that selfishness is the antithesis of being a christian was another truth I took from Matthew...

The last...and most vivid, when you die, because you will, will God say, 'Well done'? Will He say this because He saw you love, when you were disrespected or respect, when you were unloved? Because when we do these things unto others, undeservedly, we are doing it unto Him...

Camp Outs and Tummy Time...

Kyle watched the girls the entire weekend.  He would call before he went to bed, at 8:30, and suspect something may be wrong with him because he was so tired...I explained that he shouldn't worry, nothing's wrong, you're just not used to the physical exhaustion of taking care of a two and three year old who need you to feed them, dress them, play with them, clean up after them, referee them (the most tiresome of all), and bathe them.  Thanks Kyle, you are THE best dad our girls could ask for :)

Erin and Brooke have wanted to camp out for awhile.  Erin's been packing and repacking for her camping trip for a couple of weeks now...so, Kyle bought the girls a tent this weekend and put it in the game room...it didn't last long because Brooke was too excited to sleep, but they had a fun time for about an hour!  

Notice the white spot on the tent?...it's Erin's flashlight...she's a little scared and looking for her dad and asking if he's still there...

Of course, Erin trying to sleep and Brooke keeping her awake...

So, I've always known tummy time is important for a lot of different reasons, mainly for development (ie: rolling over and pushing up, so that eventually they can push themselves into a sitting position).  I haven't done it a lot with Kameron...and my neglect reminds of a true story with Brooke.  

Brooke was born when Erin was 15 months old...with a very active toddler and a newborn, Brooke's first year of life was spent on the go...so much so, that when I went to her 6 month appointment the doctor asked a very standard developmental question and it totally caught me off guard. He asked "Can she sit?"  And I looked at him, and was totally taken aback, and said, "I don't know, we've never tried to do that"...wow, I realized that Brooke was in my arms so much while I chased Erin around the house, outside, playgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores, and the mall, that I had not put her down long enough for her to physically develop.  Funny thing is, she still can't sit!  Not literally...but, she WON'T sit longer than a few minutes...'on the go' became her personality :)...

Thankfully, my good friend Amber and my mom reminded me this weekend that now would be a good time for Kameron to do some tummy time :)  So, here she is...one of her first times on her tummy and already doing a great job!

Kameron on her tummy :)

Junior League Holiday Market

I've disappeared because I LIVE at the Marriott on the Waterway.  Starting Wednesday, we began preparing for our annual Holiday Market.  We have 34 committee members, 123 merchants, and close to 10,000 shoppers :)  This is our biggest fundraising event for the Junior League.  I was the Building and Operations Chair this year so I spent a lot of hours with the Marriott people and Freeman, our convention services company.  It's been a great show and lots of fun hanging out with some of my favorite people...and just a "little" shopping.

The ticket booth...

The shoppers...

Some of the ladies on the committee...

Prayer for our Nation

Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. 

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!

-Billy Graham 

Get out and vote for McCain!

"Twas the night before elections when all through the town,

Tempers were flaring, emotions all up and down.

I, in my pj's, with my dog in my lap,

Had cut off the TV, tired of the political crap!

When all of a sudden, there arose such a clatter.

I peered out of my window, saw Obama, his boys and his flatter.

They had come for my wallet, they wanted my pay,

to give to the others who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money and as quick as a wink,

Jumped back on his bandwagon as I gagged from the stink.

He then rallied his henchmen who were pulling his cart,

I could tell they were trying to rip my country apart.

On Freddie, on Fannie, on Biden, on Ayres.

On Acorn, on Pelosi, He screamed at the pairs.

They took off for their cause, as they flew out of sight,

I heard him laughing at our nation, who wouldn't stand up and fight.

So I leave you to think on this one final note,

If you don't want socialism, GET OUT AND VOTE!

I didn't write this, but it's really clever!!

A night with Jack...

no, not Daniels :)  Jack Ingram!  We went to a fundraising event for some local dentists who went on a mission trip to Mexico, noticed the needs of the children, and opened a dental clinic there.  We all can relate to the discomfort/pain of a tooth ache, and now these little ones can have regular check ups to keep their mouths healthy and feeling good :)

Back to Jack...it was a private concert on one of the dentist's ranch, just a little over an hour away.  He sang, the girls listened, and the men watched the Texas and Texas Tech game (GREAT GAME)...

Mom and Cherrie watched the girls...it was my first time away from Kameron for that length of time...she cried a lot :(, but fell asleep in the swing around 7:30...thank you Mom and Cherrie for watching the girls :)

Kyle and I 

Jack Ingram

Our picture with Jack...thanks to Jenni for being brave enough to ask!

Little prints...

Today we had our Halloween playgroup at Becky's...it was awesome!!  THANKS BECKY!!  She gave out lunch, gift bags and had a lady from Precious Prints come over and take foot and hand prints of our children on different pottery pieces. Thinking of their little prints, and how fast they grow, I was reminded of a poem I heard in a parenting class Kyle and I took two years ago...

A Child is for Molding

I took a piece of plastic clay,

And idly fashioned it one day,

And as my fingers pressed it still,

It bent and yielded to my will.

I came again when days were past, 

The bit of clay was hard at last.

The form I gave it still it bore,

But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,

And gently formed it day by day,

A young child's soft and yielded heart.

And molded it with power and art.

I came again when years were gone:

He was a man I looked upon.

The early imprint still he bore,

But I could change him then no more.

Anonymous  

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it"  Proverbs 22:6

Erin's foot prints...

Brooke's...

Kameron's...

When Brooke saw Kyle this morning, she said "You're scaring me dad" and Erin said, "Dad, I like your suit!"...see below.  We went up to Kyle's office to trick or treat and eat pizza...we've done that the last three years and always have so much fun :)

Disco Daddy and Brooke...