The Oldroyd Family

No school today and the weather was lovely. We went to Lupe Tortilla for lunch and after Lincoln's nap, we played at the park! It was fun having Elsa with us. What a great day!

Grandma came for the weekend and we're so excited to have her here! The kids have today off for Good Friday, so we couldn't pass up a chance to eat at our favorite place, Lupe Tortilla!

My kids truly do have the best grandparents in the world - on both sides! Today, Grandpa and Grandma Oldroyd took all 4 of them to Brazos Bend. They got to see alligators (even pet a baby alligator!), explore, play and get really dirty. They had a blast! I loved hearing about their adventures when they got home. When I asked Lincoln if he had a good day, he said, "Yah! Papa!" The kid sure loves his grandpas!

Yesterday was a fun day! I pulled the kids out of school and surprised them with a trip to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.  It was military day at the Rodeo! The kids got to climb in a real Army tank.  We spent most of the time at the carnival. The kids all loved the fun rides and games! Then we headed to the livestock show. The kids planed sunflower seeds, saw the mama and baby animals in the birthing center, and the highlight was the petting zoo. We definitely wore Lincoln (and mom) out! It was a fun day. Can't wait to do it again next year... with FIVE kids!

Nothing like snuggling up on the couch and watching YouTube videos of dump truck and puppies with babies with your big brother!

We have a darling new neighbor named Alicia, and she has a hobby of fostering puppies! This litter was just a few weeks old and their mom needed surgery. Alicia had 2 that she let the kids and I hold & feed bottles to. It was a dream come true for some animal lovers! I think I see foster puppies in my future!

 One of the best things about Texas in the winter is that you can play outside during Christmas break! Football with cousins is always a good time! We were lucky enough to get lots of Oldroyd Family time since the Bakers were finally with us for Christmas! One night we hit up Zoo Lights. It was so beautiful but COLD!   As usual, I didn't take nearly enough pictures. We were having too much fun! Christmas Eve Jammies! Not only did we get to spend Christmas with all of the Oldroyds, Grandpa and Grandpa Partridge joined us too! It was so much fun. Merry Christmas!

Happy 4th! And Happy 13 MONTHS to my baby boy!

Summer camp & chore charts... 2 ingredients for a great summer!

I didn't any pictures of the kids with their baskets, darn it! Our stake did their annual Easter Festival the week before. Due to the rain, it was moved inside, but we still had a great time! This is the only picture I did get on Easter, and it's a cute one! I love this little dude!

Max's awesome preschool had a field trip to the Aquarium and I decided to surprise the big kids and take them out of school so they could come too. It was so much fun!

I got these shirts for the kids for Valentine's Day. They're my little Super Heroes!

This year, we decided to pack up and do Christmas at the cabin! And even better, the Walkers decided to join us. We headed out on Friday, December 19th and drove for 2 days to get there. The kids did so well! An hour or so before we got to the cabin, we stopped in Kanab for some groceries. The grocery store was darling and even had Mater's "cousin" out front! The Walkers got there late Saturday night and the kids were all so excited to see each other in the morning! Another fun thing that happened is that both of our family elves found us at the cabin! Christopher and Chester had a great time with all their shenanigans, like toilet papering the tree and ziplining from the loft!  We had so much fun making crafts...  Riding 4 Wheelers... (not enough snow for snowmobiles!) Playing games... And just hanging out and being silly!   Here we are on Christmas Eve Morning! For Christmas Eve dinner, Tiffany made the most delicious...

Dear friends & family, Christmas is around the corner and another year is passing where I'm taking the easy road and doing an e-card.  Maybe next year we'll get back to the real one!  Either way, we want each of you to know of our love for you. 2014 has been good to our family.  The obvious highlight was Lincoln Joseph joining our family in June.  He has been a light and a joy to all.  My heart overflows as I see how the 3 big kids just adore him, and Lincoln is smitten with them.   Here's a little update on each member of our family: Sam -  This amazing husband of mine just keeps working hard and is a wonderful provider & father.  He has enjoyed this last year working for Chevron, and we have enjoyed having him home more!  Even so, he's discovered that the work he enjoys is back in the tax world.  So we're heading back to Briggs & Veselka, his old tax firm.  His new/old job begins in the New Year...

We had a great Halloween this year! Here's our pumpkin carving night for Family Home Evening: I had a blast with my little fireman at his preschool party!  We had a great time eating Chili & hot dogs at the Lee's and then trick-or-treating!